Question:
"LIghtweights" & Weightloss Anxiety
Now that I've got my surgery date, I keep worrying that even if I follow all the rules and do "everything right" I won't lose weight. (I'm a "lightweight", about 90 pounds overweight). Did anyone else feel that way? Did anyone who has followed their doctor's rules not lose much weight? — Beth S. (posted on December 2, 2002)
December 2, 2002
I was a "lightweight" (that still cracks me up) with a BMI of
40. I never thought that I would do as well as I did. At 6 months post op
I am down 107 pounds, below goal. I went from a size 24 to a six. Read my
profile for more details.
— Linda A.
December 2, 2002
I too am considered a "lightweight" (I'm not sure who exactly
thinks that though--certainly not me). My surgery is scheduled for next
Monday December 9th. I tend to feel the same way you do. I fear I will be
the first and biggest failure of all WLS patients. I know that's not true
but, I think our (or at least my) fear of failing again start creeping into
my consious thoughts. Good Luck to you.
— Pat B.
December 2, 2002
Hi....I am a so called light weight as well, but definately not by my (or
the worlds) standards. I also have 90 lbs to lose. I had the same concerns
as everyone else about losing. It is just much slower for us. My surgeon
said its proportional to how much you have to lose. So just dont get you
hopes up to drop a ton like some of our higher BMI family members. But it
will come off none the less. I no longer weigh weekly. Just every 2 weeks
because I felt frustrated. I compared myself to the others that dropped
like 25-30 lbs in a few weeks. At 41 days i am down 25 lbs (probably more
by now). And thats great!!! A suggestion for you is to get all your
measurements preop, and if you do check the scale and see it is slow, check
your measurements. I am not changing sizes at lightning speed. In fact, I
can wear most of what I wore before. So I checked my measurements and am in
fact down a total of 15 inches. So the weight is dissapearing...YIPEE. I
did have to hunt for a slightly snugger pair of pants that were put into
storage (you know, the ones that you swear you will get back into someday).
So they are smaller and that made me feel good. A few people have
noticed..but not many. Thats fine by me as I took 2 weeks off of work for
"vacation" and didnt tell a soul. So they are not suspicious at
all. I just tell folks I am making healthy diet and exercise changes. And
that is true. The other benefit to a slower loss (I have told myself) is
that my skin has more of a chance to recover and regain a little more
elasticity. Thats good, becuase as a light weight I probably wont qualify
for a TT or boob job...unless of course I pay. So think positive and
realistic thoughts. Feel free to drop me a note if you need any more
support. Aloha, Keniki
— Keniki B.
December 2, 2002
I am also a "light weight" by the surgeon's standards. I had Lap
RNY on August 20. To date I have lost 48 pounds, eight of which I lost the
week prior to surgery!. The first month I was down 24 pounds, second month
another 10 pounds and as of today another 7 pounds. So, the weight loss is
slowing down a lot! Last week I even gained two pounds, which I have lost
again... boy did that freak me out. I thought for sure I had lost all I was
going to loose and was now going to gain it back. I think it is pretty
normal to have these feelings of failure. I have to keep reminding myself
that I feel better, and look better, already. I have to remain true to the
program and eat helathy, exercise and drink the fluids (this is most
diffiuclt for me and a real key to weight loss!). The surgeon felt I would
make goal by 6 months. I dont't think so. I have another 40-45 pounds to
loose. I do think, however, that I can do that by the 10-12 month mark if I
remain true to the program and use this tool the way it was intended. So,
in the end, I have to agree with the previous poster that we do loose more
slowly but, we do loose... Good luck to you!
— cmlattig
December 2, 2002
Hi:
First of all I don't care for the term lightweight. I felt like anything
but at 230 pounds. I am like you. At my consultation, I weighed 226
pounds, and my surgeon wanted me to lose 86 pounds. Of course I gained 4
pounds before surgery, putting me at 230 pounds. As of today, I have lost
49 pounds. I am only 41 pounds away from the surgeon's goal, and 55-61
pounds away from my own personal goal. I am almost 14 weeks out. Yes, it
is so slow compared to the others. Sometimes it is even difficult to know
how quickly others are losing. But you have to put it in perspective. I
truly believe that you will lose 100% of your weight. That is the
advantage of having less to lose. I think your guess of 10-12 months is
totally realistic. What has truly helped me is to go to the Q&A
section under plateaus. Look for somebody who is further out than you, and
was complaining about slow weight loss. When you go to their profiles, it
is amazing that you see they are now at BMI's of 22-25. They were plagued
with slow weight loss, and yet, made it to goal. Please give this a try.
I hope it will make you feel as good as it made me feel to see how well
they did. Good luck. You will do fine.
Love Grace
— Grace H.
December 3, 2002
— Carlice B.
December 3, 2002
I agree that the term "lightweight" when we are over 200 pounds
is a curious one...look at my profile at the bottom to see how my weight
loss tracked. Interestingly, as time goes by you do start to eat more and
hence, the loss slows. You will lose slower than those that start out with
more to lose, but no reason why you should not lose to goal.
— Cindy R.
December 3, 2002
Hi,
Actually I had some of the same questions and I kept thinking I was done
loosing and it was not going to work for me as I was not even following the
program to the word, look up my profile and you'll see you can stop
worrying.
— Diane B.
December 3, 2002
As a "lightweight", my loss has been slower than many. But,
10months out, I'm -102. It's wonderful! You can see my pattern of loss on
my profile.
My main suggestion is to NOT worry about the rate of loss, just keep
focussed on how you continue to lose! It helps a lot! I even took a break
from this website for a few months to avoid getting depressed at my
"slow" rate of loss.
— Kathy J.
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