ive been trolling the forum to maybe find some advise or encouraging words so i decided to post something myself.

Hey everyone! Im 12/13 weeks out (i was sleeved may 27th) and so far ive lost 58 pounds but it feels like ive lost nothing. I started out 283 and now im 225 but ive been this way for a while.

I know about stalls (during and after the monthly visit) and i know how my body reacts to the amount of calories or carbs i consume, so i dont know what's wrong anymore. I exercise a few times a week and now im just scared that this is it. That after the surgery and all the hard work this is the most i could lose! did anyone else feel this way this soon out?! My surgeon told me that the with the sleeve i could go down to 200 but he wants me to be around 135-140 (im 5'7) so im really confused on how im going to accomplish this.

I know the sleeve is a tool, and my life has significantly changed from it, but i feel like i see no results. My friends arent saying anything about the weightloss. I only get some encouraging words from my family and it just seems like there was no difference made. i just wanted to know if anyone else went through this and then managed to lose the weight the wanted.

ps. this is off the topic but i just wanted to know what happens to the stretch marks on the body as weight is being lost. Ive had them my whole life and i want to know what to expect when i (hopefully) lose all this weight.

You have shown a great loss so far! Congratulations!!!!

If you have been reading posts & suggestions on here then I am sure you know to go back to basics... your doctor recomendtations for calories, carbs, protein... make sure all is in check.. your fluid intake and of course exercise..

It can get frustrating to not see the scale drop.... But if you stay on track to your doc's advise, you will lose....

Hang in there, keep fighting I am sure your not done losing !

Good Luck my friend..

I think at 5'7, 135 pound is very low goal, any thing under 160 pounds is a heathly weight. So you lost 58 pounds so far, your almost half way to goal and thats so great. I can't believe nobody is noticing the weight loss, they may not want to say anything. Stick with the basic protein first and you'll finish losing. Also maybe try to increase your exercise, it does make a difference. I hate to say it but I think were stuck with the stretch marks. Good luck!

I think at 5'7, 135 pound is very low goal, any thing under 160 pounds is a heathly weight. So you lost 58 pounds so far, your almost half way to goal and thats so great. I can't believe nobody is noticing the weight loss, they may not want to say anything. Stick with the basic Protein first and you'll finish losing. Also maybe try to increase your exercise, it does make a difference. I hate to say it but I think were stuck with the stretch marks. Good luck!

Do you have any suggestions for any excercises. I go on the treadmill for about 2 miles at 3.5 mph and when im not on the treadmill i do weights.

And i also thought 135 was too low and i was surprised when he said that! i just want to get under 200 and strive for 160 or 170, but ill see what my body is comfortable with.

should i also start drinking Protein shakes again? i was so excited to stop drinking them and to eat my protein but if thatll somehow shock my body then i'll do it.

thanks for everyones reply though! it feels so good to hear from experienced sleevers!

Are you tracking your food? You may want to use an online tracker to track your eating and exercise. That way, if you have good losses one week you'll know what you did to accomplish it. Good luck!

I also walk, 2 miles most days of the week. I took me months to get into the habit of exercising now I hate when I miss a day. I think your goal needs to be where you feel comfortable, mine goal is about 10 pounds higher then it should be for my height.

I never did protein shakes, I think real food is the most filling. Do you journal your food? If you stick with to the basic ( high protein/low carbs) you will continue to lose. Sometimes a shock to your body can be to increase of calories for a day then lower them. Or very low carbs for a day. One thing I learned is our bodies seldom do what we expect it to do. Good luck

Keep in mind that doing weights ( although great for you) will slow your loss to begin with. Don't stop because it's great that you are doing it, but be aware that because muscle weighs more than fat, that it'll alter your weight loss. It'll come around. Don't worry about it. Once I let go of the worrying, I did so much better!!!

You have lost a good amount of weight so congratulations!

It is so normal for us to go through phases of not realizing just how much weight we have lost. Have you taken pictures? If you did, it is time to bust out those before pictures and compare them with now pictures. Trust me, you will be amazed! Are you doing measurements? If not, start those now too. I have found that I fail to see the changes in myself without pictures and measuring. It also takes the mind awhile to catch up to what our bodies have done. Again, totally normal. Many of us still see a fat person when in reality we have lots a ton of weight.

With friends, not everyone is comfortable commenting on the changes, and sometimes, they just forget what we looked like. I had this exact situation the other night, a friend from Church sees me weekly, the changes have just grown on her and she had forgotten what I looked like pre-op, so I showed her a picture and her jaw dropped. She did not remember the fat me, only the normal me now. And with my husband, he forgets too how far my body has changed and every once in awhile, he sees me far off and it dawns on him how "skinny" I am now.

Perseonally I would not go back to Protein shakes, but then again I have not drank them at all since surgery, my sleeve doesn't tolerate them so I do my best to get in enough protein through foods alone and my weight has come off fine.

For exercise, just keep on working. The Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred is a great workout too, just get some dvds to keep things fresh.