Question:
If you plateau early after wls, did you ruin your opportunity?

I have yet another question... I'm sorry. I read that someone said that weight loss is easiset the 1st 6 months and then slows the 2nd 6 months and then the window begins to close after that. My question is...what happens to people who plateau 2 or 3 months after surgery, did they lose that "window" to be able to lose weight effectively, does it mean that they're doomed to have very slow weight loss? Thank you.    — Vicki L. (posted on December 19, 2002)

December 18, 2002
You know, everyone plateus at different times.....we have all been on that loss/gain roller coaster more times than we can count, so when our body adjusts to the new "lack of eating" (or gorging!;-) it shuts down for awhile. It is PERFECTLY NORMAL to plateu. I had my first one 4 weeks out, lasted almost 3 weeks and I was in a panic! But I am 3 1/2 mo. out now and down 62 pounds, so I caught up!! I got so frustrated with people who had the "model" weight loss, but I realized what a change I made to my body, so of course I am going to plateu from time to time. As long as you are doing all the right things, your body will catch up. Sometimes more water and more protein helps us break the plateus, too. I also hit another short one when I started excercising. You'll be surprised before long when the scale starts dropping again! Good luck...Renee D
   — Renee D.

December 19, 2002
I had 2, long plateaus early on! I think alot of people panic that their not going to lose the weight! Several times since my lap RNY 6 1/2 mos. ago I have gone 2+ weeks with no weight loss. It does start up again! I tend to drop alot one weeek, gain 1-2 lbs. the next, lose nothing for 1-2 weeks, and start all over again......lol....I'm down 112 lbs. at 176lbs. Even a slow loser is still a loser!!!! And thats what it's all about!
   — Tambi B.

December 19, 2002
I had an early plateau (weeks 3-6) but I was still losing inches. Of course I didn't think of that then or I sure would have had an easier time of it! I still reached my top goal in 7 months and my current weight in 10 1/2. I don't think plateaus are necessarily a bad thing because it allows your body to catch up with itself and rearrange a little. I also had pretty slow, steady loss after my plateau and don't need any reconstructive surgery. That doesn't mean the plateaus aren't frustrating, tho! LOL
   — ctyst

December 19, 2002
My first plateau was 2 weeks post op. I tend to go 3 weeks with no weight loss and a week of weight loss. that's been my pattern for 5 months now. (I"m 5 months post op). I don't worry about it. All the posts on this website made me understand that it will eventually come off, just be patient. It wasn't until about 40 pounds of weight loss that I finally realized that YES this surgery is working, and I will lose the weight.
   — Darlene P.

December 19, 2002
Vicki, everyone loses differently. Some just go down and down without plateaus and as you have read here, others lose in fits and starts. Most everyone has a plateau or two or three along the way that can last from a few weeks to longer. These are also normal and do not effect overall weight loss.
   — Cindy R.