I went to the doctor for a 4 month check up to hear I look like I am failing because I have only lost 34 pounds since surgery. I have kicked it into gear, keeping my calories between 800-1000 a day. I work out on my incline trainer for an hour burning 600-650 of those calories. The first week, I lost 4 pounds, so I felt very encouraged. This week, I gained back 2 of the pounds I lost, but I have did nothing differently from the first week. I am hitting my protein goals, consuming plenty of water...I just don't get it. I do eat some carbs, but minimal considering my calorie burn work out. I really need help. Suggestions? I am now feeling like I am destined to be fat and no matter what I do, it won't help. This surgery nearly killed me when I developed a pulmonary embolism...it has to be worth it in the end. I seriously am getting super discouraged. I am drained of energy, which I am sure the blood thinners don't help, but a few hundred calories and working out hard to gain weight!?!?!?

Your program looks good to me. I would just tell you that I gained many times through my overall decline into goal weight. It was like... lose,same,same, gain, same, lose, lose,same, same ,same, gain, lose,lose...etc.. Eventually the losing overcame the saming and gaining.

I am sure some others will have helpful advice. You are not destined to be fat. The picture you have in your mind for yourself is attainable and IS your destiny. You have a powerful tool, science is on your side.

How are your clothes fitting? I have been stalled at around 220 for months now and amazingly my clothes still keep getting too big. At times I gain up to 3 pounds and then go down again. I have kicked in a muscle-building program and I am not suprised. For it's weight muscle is more dense and therefore takes up less space than an equal weight of fat. My composition is changing. Yours will too.

Fluctuations in weight are completely normal. No one has a completely straight line down when it comes to weight loss, even with the sleeve. And how much you lose in the first few months also depends on how much you need to lose. I had 80 lbs to lose and it took be 18 months to lose it all. I check my log, and at 4 months out, I had lost 45 lbs, so not much more than you. Plus, a woman's hormones can also wreak havoc on the scale. I can have weight fluctuations of up to 5-6 lbs throughout a month.

From what you write, you are doing what you should be doing. Try not to be a slave to scale, it will drive you insane. The weight will come off. Some of us are just slower losers than others!

Are you tracking all your food? You may want to try cutting back a bit on your carbs to see if that can get the weight to move some. For me, I had my metabolism rate tested and found my resting rate was 1265 which is pretty darn low so to lose weight I really had to increase my activities without increasinng my calories a whole lot. I get between 600 to 800 calories, usually closer to 800. I also get in 1 hr of either eliptical or treadmill which will burn about 410 calories.... the amount burned goes down as you start to weigh less.

You will get there... even 1 lb at a time.

All the posts make me feel better. I was sleeved 6/12/12 and I having the same fluctuations. I'm working out at least 4-5 times a week now. I do find that my clothes are bigger, but those numbers on the scale frustrate me. I understand that muscle weighs more, but seeing those numbers go up just irritates me.

I'm glad to read the posts.i had my surgery Nov 1 2012 I'm down 65lbs and hitting a wall. ..I need to come down 40lbs I am going to start tracking my eating like I did from day one I hope to start losing again