Question:
19 weeks out and have only lost 51 pounds, what am I doing wrong?

I know that we shouldn't compare our weight loss with others but I can't help but feel discouraged. I am 19 weeks out today and have lost 51 pounds. I have been on numerous 3-4 week plateaus and it gets very frustrating and depressing. I feel I do my part, water, protein and exercise. I just feel that at 4 months out I had hoped for a greater weight loss. Are there any others feeling this way?    — Kim F. (posted on May 21, 2001)

May 20, 2001
I'm 16 weeks post op today and have lost 53 pounds. I too have said it should be more, but I'm in ALOT better shape than I was 4 months ago. I've been on a plateau for 2 weeks and have gotten a little discouraged along the way. The good news is that I went down another pant size while on the plateau. I was a size 24-26 and now an 18!!! Hang in there it will come off.
   — Debra K.

May 20, 2001
I was feeling bad about my weight loss, I had surgery on 020601 and as of 2 weeks ago only lost 55 pounds. I started going to the gym and really working out and in the last week and a half I have lost and additional 14 pounds.
   — Tracy C.

May 21, 2001
Kim, I feel exactly like you do. I am feeling desperate! I have been the same wt for 7 wks!!! I have lost 60 lbs in 5 1/2 mos. I had open rny on 11/27. I am feeling ashamed and I am knocking myself out trying to lose the next 5 lbs. I am eating under 1000 cal, 60 g protein, drinking 64 oz., walking 2 miles a day. I don't know what else to do. I don't even want to go to the doctor on May 31 for my 6 mo checkup unless i lose 10 lbs. Everybody else seems to lose faster. I want to have a good attitude and my whole demeanor is based upon the scale moving! I still have 100 lbs to lose and I pray the scale starts moving again. How long is a plateau a plateau? How long until I should be seriously concerned? I can't eat a lot of food but I can drink a lot of liquid. I think my pouch is intact because I still get full on solid food really quickly. What is going on? Please if you long term folks have experienced this...help us out! Does everybody have this happen? Somedays I am very hungry and some days not at all.
   — Marilyn C.

May 21, 2001
I consider myself a 'slow' loser as well. I have lost 96 lbs. in 10 months. I have 31 lbs. to go to get on the high end of my goal and I wanted to be there by my first anniversary. Since I'm averaging 3-5 pounds a month, it could be another 6-10 months until I see 150. There are plenty of people on this site that started where I did (5'7", 277 lbs., BMI 43) and were able to get to their goal in 8 or 9 months. And I too, got caught up in letting the scale dictate my success. Because I've never been 100% compliant with the program, I had to take a step back and remember what I knew before I had WLS...the scale just reflects a number. It doesn't show how well your clothes fit, how many inches you've lost, how your blood pressure is under control, how your knees don't ache anymore, how you can take a flight of stairs without gasping, how you can actually squat for the first time in 5 years, how men are eyeing you, how you don't need a CPAP machine anymore, and how you are no longer diabetic. That number doesn't measure my self-esteem and my confidence! It is a measurement - MY measurement, and nobody elses. I have to look back and remember why I had this surgery - my knees were falling apart, I was getting heart palps - I was a 35-year old in an 80-year old body. All those things are gone now and I feel fabulous. For the first time in my life, I want to be outside on a hot, sunny day, I want to work in the yard, ride a bike, go for a walk, take the stairs. Hey, I'll never be a hard body, but at least I'm healthy and active now. Be proud of yourself! I have plateaus every month - I fluctuate for 3-4 weeks then drop 3-5 pounds in a week or less. I've never consistently dropped weight every week, except in the first 2 months. I've even gained weight on three occasions. But it came right off! Our bodies are so unique in size and shape and experience and environment, that there is no possible way we can compare ourselves to others. In 6 pounds, I will have lost 80% of my excess weight - and by all standards will be considered a successful WLS patient. Five months ago, when I was where you are now, I would have never believed it either - I was always waiting for the momentum to stop; after all, I never sustained this kind of loss for this long of a duration. But you are following the program, the loss will come. In the meantime, savor your victories and keep encouraged. If you get discouraged now, there is the danger of sabotaging your efforts. Put together a weight loss spreadsheet with your measurments - you will be suprised at how far you've come in such a short time. Put together a journal on how well you've done, and eat up all the compliments you're getting. Wear your big clothes and see how ridiculous they look on you now! I'll bet in two or three months, I'll look at your profile and read how happy you are. You're doing great and you'll get there!
   — Allie B.