Question:
Has anyone complete stop lossing after about 7mths after surgey

I had surgery in Jan of this year open R. My start weight was 280pds. I'm now at 210 and i haven't lost one pounds since August . I exercise regulary and eat right. I'm so depressed over this I don't know what to do.I feel like such a failure, and wonder if this Dr did something . I don't see the Dr that did my surgery because of his attiude. Can someone please offer me some advise. I'm so depressed.    — Sheila M. (posted on December 22, 2001)

December 22, 2001
YES! I thought I was the only one. I had my second best weight loss at 6 months. I'm now about 7.5 months post op and I've stopped losing. Yes I've had MANY plataus in the past, but nothing like this one. I got to 202 then went up to 210. Now I fluxuate between 204-205. Goal is 129 to get me in the proper BMI rating. I'm afraid I will be one that this surgery does'nt work on. I know very well how you feel.
   — Danmark

December 22, 2001
Well let's get the obvious stuff out of the way. You're not gaining or constanly hungry so let's assume you don't have a staple line disruption. You say you exercise regularly and eat right. Let's start with the exercise. Are you sweating (and I mean funky sweating) for at least 25-30 minutes 5 times a week? I like water aerobics as much as the next person but I do need to do some sort of cardiovascular sweating exercise too. If you are doing that...then are you exercising at your target heart rate? Going under OR over that rate will keep you from burning fat. Also, are you lifting weights? Building muscle burns fat. Lastly, are you changing the TYPE of exercise that you do at least every month or so? "They" say that doing a little cross training is helpful to get our bodies out of that rut. So switch from the treadmill to the bike to see what that does for a couple weeks. Ok on to food. So what does "eat right" mean to YOU? At 210 pounds you need to be getting in 75 grams daily (most studies and docs will tell you you need .8 grams of protein for every 2.2 lbs you weigh). Are you doing the protein supplements or getting your protein in food (I do both)? I think it's important to eat regular food, but I also think the supplements are important to ensure absorption (they absorb better since they're already broken down/pre-digested into amino acids). Ok...how about carbohydrates? They are made of and will return to sugar -- something we absorb 100% of (just lucky I guess). Try limiting the carbs to earlier in the day. Speaking of earlier in the day...when do you stop eating for the day? When losing, try to stop eating at least 2-3 hours prior to bedtime (if you're a diabetic though, this may not be possible). How about your water? Try to imagine that water breaking up all the fat in your body and making it easier to come out of your body in sweat and/or urine. Ok....so let's say you're doing all of the above. I don't know how much you want to lose but I'm going to assume you are either 1/2 way or more than halfway there. If that is the case, then yes things are slowing down and in your case, coming to a halt...but not for long. Your body needs this time to adjust. I know it's a pain in the butt (I was mad at my body for "adjusting" too so I know what you're going through). I doubt that your doc did anything wrong. For some of us, it takes that full 18 months to get to goal. Others, hit it by the 8 month/12 month mark. Be patient (yeah right), find something else to occupy your time (like talking to pre-ops that are interested in surgery -- when I do that, boy is it great especially if I'm feeling down about not losing lately...I tell them how much I've lost and they just go "wow" -- puts things in perspective for me)...and pray! Good luck and God bless!
   — Kimberly L.

December 22, 2001
Sheila and Daniel, I had to write to let you know that I too had a very very long plateau around that time. I was sure that I wasn't gonna lose anymore. I started at 280, got to 160 and then nothing. Nothing for 4 months almost. Then I just said to heck with it, and started eating whatever I wanted to because, heck, I wasn't gonna lose anymore anyway. Well, seems as soon as I added some more fat and carbs to the diet, I lost again like crazy. And fast again. Went down to 113 in about 3 months again. I had the BPD/DS so that might make a difference but there is hope just to let you know..good luck
   — Barbara H.

December 23, 2001
Do you have a transected pouch? If you are just stapled, you could have a staple line disruption. It happened to me at 6 mos and I had to go back and have a revision to a transection. I am doing great now. It is fixable! Ask your doctor if you are transected. If not, have an upper GI to see if all is well and not a disruption. Good luck!
   — Marilyn C.

December 23, 2001
I am 1 year, 4 months post-op. I lost the majority of my weight up until 8 months post-op. I am ashamed to say that I have not lost anymore since that time. I've gone from 270 pounds to 195. I tried to quit smoking and have gained up to 205 pounds. I'm very scared. But the reason I'm on this board tonight is to try to get "back on track" and seek advice on what to do to start losing again. We went through too much to just give up. I seriously believe that if we follow the advice of those who have been successful, we can too. At least I pray that is so. Good luck!!!
   — Pam B.