Question:
How do I manipulate or

As a two month post-op, I have lost only 24lbs. I posted on Friday asking am I really going to loss the weight. I feel like I am currently doing all the right things. I received several very helpful emails saying that I may need to "trick" my body into increasing its metabolism. How exactly do I manipulate my diet to do that? I'm uncertain. Currently, I watch the carbs, eat things that are high in protein, drink lots of water and workout. I'm sure there is more that I could do. I received several emails from other post-ops in my situation as well so I think this would be beneficial for all of us to know.    — L F. (posted on April 24, 2001)

April 24, 2001
Well I tend to think that you probably didn't have a great deal of water to loose, so many people that loose so much in the beginning have a lot of water. so if you consider that 24 lbs in 8 weeks, well that's 3 lbs a week, I think that's great. I realize of course that you want to loose faster, great go for it, but don't get discouraged, your doing great.....Barb has hit the nail on the head for boosting the metabolism....I had a book some years ago, about metabolism, and it told you to eat like 800 cal for one week, then up to 1000 cal, 1200, cal and 1500 cal, something like this, and then start they cycle over for a few weeks, of course adding exercize helps as well. anyway somehow the change in cal... boosts up the metabolism. good luck
   — Lisa B.

April 24, 2001
I lost about 40 pounds in my first two months, but then again, my surgeon tells just about everyone he meets about me because they couldn't keep me in bed! I was walking almost incessantly as soon as I woke up ('cuz I'm a little crazy). ;^) If it helps you feel better, though, most of the first 20 pounds was extra water weight, and that came off <b>fast</b>, within two weeks. The next 20 took six weeks...and I work my butt off (swim 1/2-3/4 mile 3x/wk; fast, hilly walking for a half an hour to an hour per day the rest of the week; plus weight training). But if you check out my profile, you'll see that the inches lost are considerably more than one would expect from 40 pounds. Try measuring yourself rather than worrying about what the scale says. It's even possible to <b>gain</b> weight but lose inches, depending on your body structure and what kind of exercise you do. Still, even given all that, your weight loss is pretty darn good, and a lot better than you probably would have done going on a "conventional" diet. And it's 24 pounds lost forever! Think of it positively. I see people losing 5, 6, sometimes up to 8 pounds a <b>week</b>, but I'm pretty happy with my 2/wk rate, and as long as I see changes in how much tape measure is expended around my still-considerable girth, I'm a happy person!
   — Suzanne B.