Lately I've seen a TON of posts about lucky sleevers that drop 100 pounds in six months.

Congrats to them and to their loss. And I would never, ever begrudge anyone the right to crow about a fantastic success. It's part of why we're all here, to share the ups and downs of this surgery!

But frequently, these posts are followed by folks that feel frustrated because they aren't losing at the same pace. All too often, we forget that everyone loses at a different pace. It's easy to lose sight of the real goal (long term maintenance) in the face of the scale goals we set for ourselves. And it's also easy to forget that this isn't a race and that there's no special prize waiting at the end for reaching goal more quickly.

I would like to contribute my loss pattern so that people can see that there is more than one way to achieve a goal. Being successful is about reaching your personal goals, overcoming your personal food demons and maintaining your weight loss for life. It's not about hitting goal in nine months.

I encourage everyone else with a slow loss story to contribute their successes here as well. It's hard to research this surgery and find only the stories about extremes - people completely thrilled with surgery or people that regret every minute of life post op. The same goes for loss. When people search out stories on this, it's too easy to only find rapid loss or stall posts but nothing showing the more realistic and moderate journey many of us take. The sleeve is a permanent tool that does not have a special window of easy weight loss. There is no reason to feel discouraged when you haven't reached goal at one year out, or even two. There is nothing preventing you (short of your own body's natural stopping point) from achieving or re-achieving goal at any point post op.

I lost 60 pounds in the first five months after my surgery.

And I slowly lost 32 pounds over the next seven months.

It took me another five months to shed the final 15 pounds to my goal.

I lost 107 pounds over the course of 17 months. I stalled twice for nine weeks each time. I had months where I only lost one pound. I regularly experienced a gain of three pounds around my cycle, and often only lost weight in the last week to ten days of the month, after sitting at the same weight for nearly three weeks.

I am a success, and at 2.5 years out (and currently pregnant) I still have good, healthy eating habits and maintained my weight loss quite easily. Even 30 weeks pregnant, I am still wearing a size 6/small (in maternity clothes, of course) regardless of how I feel about my expanding body!

I learned what was important on this journey and am in better health today (not just physically, but mentally and emotionally), than I have ever experienced as an adult.

Good luck to those currently on their journey, and I encourage everyone to share their stories here so that newly sleeved folks can see that slow vs. fast loss doesn't really matter in the end.

~Cheri

Not sure if I posted in this thread but I'm definitely a slow loser by every definition. I will be 1 yr post op Oct. 2nd and have lost 55 pounds. Weight loss really slowed down after the 6 month mark and I stalled for about 3-4 months, probably self induced because I wasn't counting cals and probably was eating too much or at maintenance level. Well I've been back on plan and counting cals with MFP for the past month and have managed to lose the 4 pounds that I gained while stalled. I'm mentally back in the game and ready to start losing again and get this weight off. I think during the stall I took a mental break and that's probably what I needed and thankfully I did maintain during that time. I have about 50 pounds to goal and I so can't wait to finally break into onderland. I've been hovering slightly above it for the past 4 months.

Not sure if I posted in this thread but I'm definitely a slow loser by every definition. I will be 1 yr post op Oct. 2nd and have lost 55 pounds. Weight loss really slowed down after the 6 month mark and I stalled for about 3-4 months' date=' probably self induced because I wasn't counting cals and probably was eating too much or at maintenance level. Well I've been back on plan and counting cals with MFP for the past month and have managed to lose the 4 pounds that I gained while stalled. I'm mentally back in the game and ready to start losing again and get this weight off. I think during the stall I took a mental break and that's probably what I needed and thankfully I did maintain during that time. I have about 50 pounds to goal and I so can't wait to finally break into onderland. I've been hovering slightly above it for the past 4 months.[/quote']

Good for you for getting back in the game! You can do it, half the battle is being willing to try. Good luck to you!! Keep us posted, we need to encourage each other!

Not sure if I posted in this thread but I'm definitely a slow loser by every definition. I will be 1 yr post op Oct. 2nd and have lost 55 pounds. Weight loss really slowed down after the 6 month mark and I stalled for about 3-4 months' date=' probably self induced because I wasn't counting cals and probably was eating too much or at maintenance level. Well I've been back on plan and counting cals with MFP for the past month and have managed to lose the 4 pounds that I gained while stalled. I'm mentally back in the game and ready to start losing again and get this weight off. I think during the stall I took a mental break and that's probably what I needed and thankfully I did maintain during that time. I have about 50 pounds to goal and I so can't wait to finally break into onderland. I've been hovering slightly above it for the past 4 months.[/quote']

This sounds like me! What are your stats if you don't mind sharing?

mlkd i am so with you. my dr told me the norm is is 60lbs in the first 6 months i had only lost 53lbs she made me feel really low and like a failure every since then i have not lost weight. that was 6 months check up and than after that i stalled. i go from 217 to 225 back and forth. very depressing very depressing

This sounds like me! What are your stats if you don't mind sharing?

I started at 260 the day of surgery and I weighed in at 205.8 this morning. I'm 5'3 and 29 yrs old. I so want to get in onderland and I'm finally motivated to make this push for goal. The first 6 months of surgery I didn't track cals or anything and when I stalled I thought my body would just naturally start losing weight again but nope. I definitely think calorie counting will be something that I may have to do for the rest of my life.

mlkd i am so with you. my dr told me the norm is is 60lbs in the first 6 months i had only lost 53lbs she made me feel really low and like a failure every since then i have not lost weight. that was 6 months check up and than after that i stalled. i go from 217 to 225 back and forth. very depressing very depressing

NGM we can do this. It may take us longer than others but we can definitely reach our goals I've come to the realization that I probably wont reach goal until the 2 year mark. Maybe I'm meant to lose the first 50 pounds in the first year and then the other 50 pounds in the next year. I never would of imagined still being obese almost a year after surgery but I try to view it as I've NEVER been able to lose 55 pounds on my own, ever. It will definitely take longer and the weight wont come off as quickly as it did soon after surgery but we still have the tool

I didn't read all of the posts, but what makes a "slow loser"? I feel like I'm a slow loser compared to others that had surgery the same time. I've been slacking on exercise, but have been doing well with protein/water.

HW 299

SW (July 3 2013) 285

CW 250

So I think I might have broke out of my stall. Down .2 lbs from doc appointment yesterday. Lost the two lbs I gained while doing steroids already. So this is down from my lowest weight before. I'm not going to say I have for sure broke the stall, but my fingers are crossed that I did.

I didn't read all of the posts, but what makes a "slow loser"? I feel like I'm a slow loser compared to others that had surgery the same time. I've been slacking on exercise, but have been doing well with protein/water.

HW 299

SW (July 3 2013) 285

CW 250

And how far out are you?

Duh...neverminf.....I now see it was July 13th. Sorry about that.

"JessicaAnn".....you are probably not far enough out yet to really get the feel for your sleeve or to know you are a slow loser. If you're like most, you're probably somewhere around that 3 week stall....or just coming out of it??

Duh...neverminf.....I now see it was July 13th. Sorry about that.

"JessicaAnn".....you are probably not far enough out yet to really get the feel for your sleeve or to know you are a slow loser. If you're like most' date=' you're probably somewhere around that 3 week stall....or just coming out of it??[/quote']

I'm 8 weeks out, and around week 2 I had a stall that lasted almost 3 whole weeks!

"JessicaAnn"......those stalls, almost all of us have been there. You'll probably hit another one, keep getting in that protein and water and you'll be fine.

I'd say that I agree - you're too soon out to really know your pace. Your body is still recovering. And if you did a preop diet? You can expect slower loss in the first month and an earlier pause (I hesitate to say stall; they last three weeks or longer) than if you didn't do one.

I consider a slow loser anyone who loses at the pace of a typical, non WLS patient. So, 1-2 pounds a week. Many experience at least 5 a week until they get to the end, where everyone slows. I lost, on average, just over six pounds a month. Less than two pounds a week, with two nine week stalls in there and several weeks towards the end where I logged losses in the tenths of a pound.

~Cheri

I'd say that I agree - you're too soon out to really know your pace. Your body is still recovering. And if you did a preop diet? You can expect slower loss in the first month and an earlier pause (I hesitate to say stall; they last three weeks or longer) than if you didn't do one.

I consider a slow loser anyone who loses at the pace of a typical' date=' non WLS patient. So, 1-2 pounds a week. Many experience at least 5 a week until they get to the end, where everyone slows. I lost, on average, just over six pounds a month. Less than two pounds a week, with two nine week stalls in there and several weeks towards the end where I logged losses in the tenths of a pound.

~Cheri[/quote']

Thank you. I had a 2 week pre op diet and lost 10lbs. Then, 22lbs the first 2 weeks, stalled for 3 weeks, lost 9lbs the next 2 weeks, and have lost 10lbs since then (2 weeks ago).

Thank you. I had a 2 week pre op diet and lost 10lbs. Then' date=' 22lbs the first 2 weeks, stalled for 3 weeks, lost 9lbs the next 2 weeks, and have lost 10lbs since then (2 weeks ago).[/quote']

So 41 since surgery and 51 all together (sorry, I'm horrible at math!)