Question:
Anyone else not losing as fast as they feel the should be?

I am 4 mons. post op RNY. I just saw my doctor last week for a follow up to find that I was only down 48 pounds. Of course, I had lost 10 pounds a couple of weeks just before surgery, for a total of 58 pounds. The nurse and doctor made me feel like I wanted to crawl under a rock. I told them that I was doing everything that I was supposed to. And I have. Except, I do drink sugar free iced tea. That's my one vice. But they just looked at me and treated me as if they thought that I just must not be trying hard enough. A month ago, I started walking 35 minutes a day 4-5 days a week. I wasn't able to before then. I have lupus, had both knees replaced, and have multiple disk problems in my back. So, yeah...I've been a little more sedentary than I'd like to be. But you'd think that your medical professionals would take the whole scenario into consideration when you are visiting them in their office. I just felt like a big failure. :(    — PaulaJ (posted on May 4, 2009)

May 4, 2009
In the eight weeks since my lap RNY, I have only lost 34 pounds (but I lost 30 pounds BEFORE surgery, also). I am fairly sedentary as well, as I have severe arthritis in my lumbar spine and spinal stenosis and spondelithysis, all of which means that walking is excruciating for me. I've been to see 4 back doctors about the pain since the beginning of the year, and FINALLY found one who I felt that I could work with. Who recommended her? My WLS surgeon, when I walked into his office in tears from leaving the 3rd appointment with a back doctor. I had my back injected for pain last Friday, and glory be, the pain has gone from a 10 to about a 2 in just 2 days!! I actually went to the gym with my daughter today, and rode the stationary bike and did the "arm bike" which both get your cardio working, and went into the pool to work out with the water weights. Also, starting about 4 weeks out, I began having problems with "stuck" food, I knew I was chewing it thoroughly, and eating tiny pieces, but it would just sit there, and by swallowing saliva or trying to get other fluids in after my 45 minutes had passed, I'd get more and more uncomfortable until I would throw up. My surgeon's PA thought it might be a stricture, and had me make an appointment with the gastro-enterologist, and they went down and took a look, and sure enough, I had a moderately severe stricture that they then dilated with a balloon so my food could go down. What was happening was that I wasn't getting the nutrition that I needed, so my body had decided that it was in starvation mode, and slowed down my metabolism until I was barely losing anything at all. In the past week since I had the stricture dilated, I've lost 6 pounds! If I were to offer any advice, I'd say to get yourself to your back doctor and 1) see if you are a candidate for an epidural pain injection to get rid of the inflamation and tone down the pain, and 2) then have him or her recommend a physical therapist who can give you some exercises to help strengthen your back. And if you are able, a stationary bike (NOT a recumbant bike, but an upright one) is what I use for my cardio, because my knees are basically bone on bone and walking any distance at any speed is not an option for me right now. Hope this helps...you are not alone. I was also doing everything I was supposed to....literally going by the book....and my disappointment in my weight loss was a major thing for me.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

May 4, 2009
I am so sorry they made you feel that way they should know better then anyone everyone is different.......I was scared to go see my doctor after my 1st fill because I had not lost as much as I wanted to......but he told me I was doing fine and I was right on target.....I understand exactly how you feel I feel the same way....if you are like me you read all of the stories and you see how people are losing 20 to 30 pounds and you are like what in the heck am I doing wrong.......but then you look at how your clothes are feeling different and you are like ok something is happening but just not fast enough....I try not to get down on myself I say to my elf you did not get this way in a couple of months and it will not come off in a couple of months....you know you are working out and eating right but it just doesn't make a difference....but I am down one dress size getting in to clothes that are made out of cotton no stretch yeah and that really makes me feel great.............lets hang in there we will win this fight we picked this fight and we will win it
   — sawwas

May 4, 2009
Wow I am so sorry they made you feel so bad. 10 lbs a month how AWESOME. I had a doctor when I was doing a non surgical WL program through a Hospital (HMR) program, which I was privately paying for at $400 a month who made me feel like that. I had lost 50lbs in 6 months, and I was happy with it. But when I went for my check up this Doctor told me how I really wasn't trying and how my percentage of weight loss compared to others in the program was poor and brought down the total average for my Group. I felt like a failure with a big F when I left that office and dropped out of the program, and went on an eating binge. I felt like who did he think he was! I was paying for and doing this program for ME, not for his lousy study and %'s. Luckly my WLS and follow up clinic is totally the oppisite. He/they know I am doing this for ME and paying $466 a month on a medical loan and was happy with my 10 lb weight loss at my first visit. I have since lost another 16 lbs and am going for my first band fill tomorrow. 26 lbs in 5 weeks, is good. I read the Q&A suction almost daily and all folks are losing weight according to their bodies needs and types. All diets say 1-2 lbs a week is the healthy way to loose weight. Any weight loss is a success in my book these days. Don't let them get you down like I did the first time around. You are NOT a failure. Remeber you are doing this for you and for your health not for anyone else. Hang in their and keep up the GREAT work. Carolyn James
   — Cjames3259