Question:
I am 7 mo. post op from proximal RNY

I have lost only 76# I drink plenty of water, excercise, cut out sugar, fats, milk and carbs. I know we are not suppose to compare ourselves with others, but I can't help it. It seems like I am losing MUCH slower than others. If there are other slow losers out there, please give me hope. I am afraid I will not lose anymore, my weight loss is really slowing. Thanks a bunch!    — [Anonymous] (posted on August 10, 2000)

August 10, 2000
I am 7 1/2 months post (RNY 1/13/00) and have lost 84 pounds. So I'd say we're pretty close. My weight loss slowed between the 6th and 7th month. I only lost 5.5 pounds. I was losing 8-10 pounds a month. But since then, I've already lost 6.5 in 2 weeks. That's kinda how I lose, lose 4 or 5 pounds then sit there for 2 weeks.I'm getting close to goal too and that may be the reason I'm slowing down. I have 10-15 #'s to go. I've started adding some bouts of jogging to my usual walking to help boast my metabolism. Make sure you're getting your protein in. If you haven't tried weight training you might want to add that.As long as you're still loosing, don't obsess about it. I'm sure the inches are coming off while the pounds stay the same. Good luck. Email me anytime. Lou Ann
   — Lou Ann J.

August 10, 2000
Listen - don't be so negative. I had surgery last July and weighed in at 426 pounds - it is now Agust 2000 and I weight 369 pounds. -- that is only 57 pounds in a year but it is a heck of a lot more than I would have had otherwise. I just came from the doctor a few hours ago. He tells me that it is not unual to be stagnet for a while. But we can help by AVOIDING ALL SUGAR and watching the amount that we eat. None of us are the same - but alot of us are alike. I have been everything from depressed to neurotic in the past 8 months but as I told the doctor today - I believe in myself and I know I can loose it - no matter how long it takes. Both of us have to hang in there and keep our heads up. If we live only for today we can cherish tomorrow so much more. Remeber all we can do now is help ourselves - the surgery is doing all that it can do - from now on we have to take respnsibility for ourselves and work even harder to accomplis our goal. I know it is hard and you think you will never loose but I am in the same boat and I know I can do it - and so can you. Please feel free to call me or email me anytime to talk.
   — anitawilson

August 10, 2000
You are not alone. I consider myself to be a slow loser also and I've received emails from others who feel likewise. What I'd concluded is that there are a number of factors which contribute to my own slow losing: I'm on hormone replacement therapy (which in itself contributes to weight gain- so I'm fighting that), I'm 44 years old and the younger ones seem to lose faster, I started at a relatively low preop weight of 275 (those with higher starting weights lose faster), it has always been hard for me to lose like other people do with standard dieting (why should this be different?). But the bottom line is, I have lost 54 pounds in four months! I've never done that before! And it continues to come off, SLOWLY but also SURELY. I hope this helps you! Your question also helped me. We are in this together!
   — Cindy H.

August 10, 2000
I too am a slow loser, always have been. I had surgery on October 5, 1999 and have lost 87lbs so far. I still have about 50lbs to go to get to and "ideal" weight but I'll be quite pleased if I lost another 35. I am going to be 52 yrs. old this month ,so I'm sure age has something to do with it , as does being on hormone replacement. I have gotten into a pattern of staying the same for 3-4 weeks and then losing about 4lbs. and then staying the same for 3-4 weeks again. It gets frustrating but I try to remember that although I am not losing at all for weeks at a time-I'm NOT gaining anything. I have never had a gain in 10 months so I have hope that I will continue to lose and so far that has always happened. Try to be patient and sometimes it helps to look at some of your own before pictures and see just how far you have come. Good luck and continued progress, no matter how slow.
   — Lois S.

August 10, 2000
I had my surgery on 2/16/00. At the five month mark I had lost 54 lb. I know it can be discouraging when you hear of people who are losing much faster, but try and focus on the positive. I think that you posting this message is good for those of us who do lose on the lower end of the spectrum. Because slow losers may be reluctant to mention their results (and fast losers are happy to post their results), I think many people on the low end of the spectrum may feel as if they're not doing well and that they're the only ones out there. Not so!
   — Gina E.

August 13, 2000
Gina, I have to thank you for posting your question on slow weight loss. I'd also like to thank the writers of the several responses you received for sharing their own experiences. I'm 5 months post and I also try to "follow the rules" and am careful to limit my calories, to exercise and get all my water in everyday, but I still get very discouraged when I consistantly plateau and see my weight fluctuate as much as 3#-4# sometimes overnight. It's encouraging to hear that I'm not alone in the "slow lane" and I really liked Ava's comment about "slow and steady" also winning the race. I know I have to be careful not to compare my weight loss to other wls-ers, but I guess we all get pretty anxious at times to "get the job done". Even with my slower weight loss, I have to keep telling myself that altho' I may not win each (weekly) battle, I'm still determined to win the (overall) war! So, here's hoping that THIS week, we'll ALL see the scale move downward a little. Good luck to us all, and God bless. cj
   — cj T.