Question:
Why can't I loose?

I am 7 months post op and I have lost a total of 50 pounds. I weighed in at 270 before the surgery and weigh now 220. The weight will not come off. i still fit in the same clothes before the surgery! They are a little loose, but still wearable. It seems like I can eat quite a bit and I had the micro pouch done, which isn't suppose to stretch. I can eat 2-3 pieces of pizza, a whole sandwich, a whole hamburger, a whole piece of meat. As for exercise, no, I don;t do it as often as I should, but my job and the kids are plenty of exercise. I think I am one of the failure cases... Destin to be fat all my life.    — Heidi J. (posted on January 21, 2004)


January 21, 2004
You are not losing weight because you are eating too much. The surgery is not magic. You need to use your brain to make positive food choices, not pizza, sandwiches, and hamburgers. You need to exercise. If having kids and working was adequate exercise, none of us would be obese. You need to drink water. Rather than eating the way you have been, try substituting some of those high fat foods for a protein drink. The foods that lead you to binge eat, you must not eat. You are destined to be fat the rest of your life only if that is your choice. You need to take responsibility for the food you eat, and consciously make good food choices. Good luck.
   — Ann H.

January 21, 2004
Start eating protein, protein and more protein! Stay away from those carbs......they are not your friends. Yes, you probably should have lost more then 50 lbs in 7 months, but no use crying over spilled milk. Get back on track and your weight WILL come off! Dont give up now!!!
   — S A.

January 21, 2004
I too am 7 months post-op, and I feel I have not lost as much weight as I COULD have. I realized that I was making poor food choices, and I needed to exercise. I am down 78 pounds, but I also weighed much more than you did pre-op (352). I started to pay attention to the foods that I ate, eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, and I use the Richard Simmons 20 minute workout, twice daily. His work outs are low-impact, and in the first week I trimmed off ten pounds, after being at a plateau for almost a month. I realize that the surgery is not magical, it is a tool, and I did not go through all this not to work at it. Keep your head up, stay focused, and continue to work at it. Pizza is not something you should be eating anyway. How much nutritional value is there in a slice of pizza vs. the calories? Instead of a hamburger, try a veggie burger, there are several brands, experiment with them, some are quite tasty, and contain protein minus all the fat. I don't eat it with the bread, it makes me too full. Never stop working at it! Good Luck, Pam, Det., MI
   — Pamela C.

January 21, 2004
you could wake up 30 minutes earlier to workout. if your not going to workout you should really work on WHAT and how much you eat. just because you can eat 2-3 pieces of pizza doesn't mean you have to.
   — franbvan

January 21, 2004
Did your surgeon give you any guidance on what you should be eating? I don't eat sandwiches and pizza and I'm nearly a year and a half out. Just because you can eat that doesn't necessarily mean that you should. Sound like you need to track what you eat every day for a while and then do some personal analysis on the quality of what you're eating. Remember it's protein first, then fruits and veggies and then carbs only if you have room. Try tracking your food on an tool like FITDAY.COM and see if the carbs aren't your problem. My husband is a diabetic and if he eats too many carbs, he won't lose a thing. Also, even though you have kids, you still need the discipline of some kind of exercise program where you raise your pulse for at least 20-30 minutes continuously. Just working with the kids isn't going to do that. You're not a failure--you just need some structure to what you're doing. You can do this, but you're going to have to have a plan and stick to it. Perhaps a consult with a nutritionist and a couple of sessions with a personal trainer could help you design a program that will work for you.
   — Cathy S.

January 21, 2004
I also had the ‘Micropouch’. I was a lightweight and lost my weight in nine months. I did gain five pounds over the holidays and my birthday, but I am mostly on protein now and should have it off in a few days. Carbs make me hungry and I just keep on eating. So do what you know is right – PROTEIN – WATER – VITAMINS – EXERCISE. The pouch is putting you at the beginning of the race, how you end up is completely up to you. Sapala-Wood Micropouch 12/12/02 – 213/132/125.
   — Jazzy

January 22, 2004
While I have to agree with the other posters regarding your food choices, I can not ignore the fact that you should, in no way be able to eat 2-3 pieces of pizza. I am over two years out and started with a 4oz pouch and can not eat that much. My advice would be to change the way you are eating, call your surgeon, and see what happens. Rebecca 10/03/01 265/140
   — RebeccaP

January 22, 2004
50 pounds in 7 months is a significant weight loss. May be a dietician could help you with choices. and every living human need some exercise besides chasing kids. getting your heart pounding burns calories, builds cardio fitness, increases your metabolisnm and makes you more energetic. Exercise is also an appetitie suppressant. Exercise also is as effective as medication for treating mild to moderate depression. Taking the 20- 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a week will make you feel better, be a good example to your kids and you will feel like a better mom when you get back and have more energy to keep up with home, job, and kids. Hang in there - it gets better, I was 260 preop and am now 135 and only 5 feet tall. It will work if you commit to making it work!
   — **willow**

January 22, 2004
I just wanted to say that its great that you have lost weight and you are not a failure! The surgery is not a guarantee for everyone. Some people do not lose 100% of their excess weight, but most of the people who are active on this site seem to have done really well. I say don't beat your self up. Meet with your doctor to discuss your issues with being able to consume so much food then perhaps meet with a nutritionist and maybe try a personal trainer if possible. You can do this!!! But even if you never lose another pound consider that you have already lost weight that you may not have lost without surgery. To me that's success:-) I wish you all the best on your journey to health and well being.
   — Sara A

January 22, 2004
Heidi, many of your food choices are just fine - pizza on occasion is OK, a hamburger without the bun, a whole piece of meat or a sandwich on whole grain bread. However, perhaps you need to just eat a little less (like 1/2 a meat sandwich on multi-grain) and eat more often. Small, mostly protein foods several times a day (every few hours) is what many of us do to lose and maintain the weight. When you add heart pumping cardio exercise on a regular basis (your job unless its a track coach, and the kids is not heart pumping cardio exercise), the combination of good foods in small amounts and exercise and tons of water (eliminate all other caloried liquids) will not fail you. I promise. You just need to ratchet up the "work" on your end. You have the tool, now put it to good use. You are not destined to be fat your whole life unless you want to.You just need to jump start the process.
   — Cindy R.

January 22, 2004
Heidi, It sounds as if you're feeling sorry for yourself and you're throwing in the towel. I too am a "Slow Loser" my pre-op weight was 253lbs. and my current weight is now 212lbs.,(only a lost of 41lbs.). However, I have recently, come to the conclusion that the surgery is ONLY a tool and that I needed to GET REAL with myself so that I could use my tool properly. There where times that I would sit and eat until my stomach was so full that I could hardly move but, because I would be going through whatever I was numb to the feeling of fullness. You know it easy to fool others but, hard to fool yourself. So, take time out for yourself to figure out what triggers your eating habits and work at resolving your findings. It's O.K. we have all been there and some of us are still there but, we all have risked too much to give up. So, with that being said, "I challenge you to stay strong and hang in there"!!!!!
   — Kaprice B.




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