I have been out two months and only lost 18 lbs and 1 dress size.

I feel like I've failed at the one unfailable thing....having your stomach removed.

I know this surgery doesn't work for everyone but I never thought I'd be that one.

Just bummed.

don't beat yourself up, I was a slow loser very slow but I rather lose slow instead of nothing. Change it up drink more water workout harder just change it up, cut out carbs or anything that may have too much sugar.

Don't get to upset remember everyone is different. I went through something similar just keep working out and eating right. Another thing don't weigh yourself every week that can discourage even the strongest person.

From all I have read most people average about 10lbs. a month. You are not that far off that average. Do you track all you take in? The sleeve will only do a small portion of what is required for our loss.

I agree, don't beat yourself up. Ask yourself if you are doing all you need to. Are you getting all your Protein and Water? taking in enough calories? or too many? Are you exercising?

Unfortunatley what works for one, does not always work for all. We are all different, with different activitiy levels and metabolisms. You'll tune into what works best for you. But from where I am standing, you're doing fine. Slow and steady is nothing to worry about.

One of the best and most helpful things I read when I first started out, and I think it was a post from LilMissDiva, Remove the word ONLY from your vocabulary.

You lost 18 lbs! You worked for it, and it is a great accomplishment.

Best of luck!

Edited February 3, 201412 yr by JerseyGirl68

18 pounds is pretty awesome, dear. If you hadn't had the surgery, would you have lost 18 pounds?

I was sleeved in December, too, on 12/23. Of the 42 pounds I have lost, 17 are post-op. I have been in a stall for over two weeks, but I am trying not to be too bummed out about it. My exercise schedule is consistent, including strength training every other day. So, I am hoping here is some muscle exchange going on here. A stall at this point is quite normal.

Although I am cleared for regular food, I think I will fall back a notch and do full liquids for a couple of days. If I can't sustain my exercise that way, then I will need to create a plan B.

So, don't feel so bad about yourself. Losing weight slower gives our skin time to shrink back a little better. Just keep on doing what your team told you to do. We just have to be The Little Engine That Could......I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....

Most people lose a lot of weight the first month then slow down. I didn't even get the fun of that happening.

I track every single bite through myfitnesspal. I eat about 700 cal a day and am an active person.

I mean it's easy to say chin up when you're not the one who's only lost 18 lbs. I appreciate the nice thoughts but I wish I wasn't the only one doing this poorly soooo soon after surgery.

My doctor didn't have me lose weight before surgery. I think most of my weight loss is Water. I have lost a dress size, not really but my clothes do fit better.

I'm just stumped.

There is one thing in your statement that I really hope you can see as a positive... you lost 18 lbs in 2 months. That is something many of us could not say prior to the sleeve surgery, so please be proud of yourself. That is huge!

Other folks are highlighting the issues I had challenges with when I was originally banded (eating foods that were not always the healthiest choices for my weightloss). If you are continuing to eat healthy, avoid carbs and sugars, and workout regularly, hang in there... change will happen.

Congratulations on your successes so far, and keep your head up!

I have been reading these forums long enough to know there is much variation. I encourage you to focus on success... track track track... ask for knowledgable input from your surgeon or nutritionalist and adjust as needed. I have been very successful with the sleeve, but have made many adjustments along the way. We aren't all the same and it is so easy to wonder why we don't show the same stats as the person next door. I felt like was losing too slow during elements of the journey, but in total, I exceeded my docs expectations.

BTW, i had lost FIFTY huge pounds before there was much of a visible difference and it was a little discouraging feeling... so i do relate. However, if you look at my before and after photos you can see that one pound at a time... it adds up and you eventually get healthier and thinner. Hang in there!

I'm wondering if your getting enough calories in. Your body may be in starvation mode and not lose any weight.

You might want to check with your nutritionist and perhaps do what I did last week as a test for myself, to end my latest stall: I totally gave up ALL products with Splend/sucralose in them and yes, the scale moved nicely!! Thank God. I'm going to post about it; check my feed later today. Practically ALL of the Protein shakes, bars, drinks, powders have that stuff in there and I do not lose weight with Splenda.I just don't. Maybe you're like me, since those products are prominently used with WLS.

Drink your water; get in protein (which at eight weeks out, can be actual food) and start walking/exercising.

You will lose weight (right now, your stomach gives you no choice), but try not to get too discouraged.

See! I'm looking for answers. Maybe it's splenda? There just has to be a reason.

I sometimes wonder if the doctor actually did the operation or if he just made some holes and forgot to do the stuff inside like staple the stomach.

I have worked just as hard to lose the lbs now as I did before the operation.

There just has to be a reason.

Dear eggs...I am 3 1/2 weeks past surgery and have only lost 19lbs...I feel a little down about it as I watch "My 600lb Life" and man do they lose weight!

But I try to remember with or without 90% of my stomach - this weight was not put on overnight so it will not come off overnight. I try and drink more Water and stay away from the scale...it can wobble up and down and is not always accurate so only weigh when you go to the Dr.

Do you walk at all? This is the best thing you can do.

Keep your chin up it will get better!!!

Regards,

Debbie

! Another way to think of it, is if you had GAINED 18lbs would you think, "aw, it's nothing, only 18lbs?" (if you're anything like me, I suspect you'd be freaking out!) 18lbs is a lot and as another poster said, it sounds like you're right on target, NOT a failure.

Plus as much as it would rock wake up a size 8, you don't want to lose too fast because:

1. Stretch marks (It sounds like I'm losing a little faster than you because I am 6 weeks out and have lost 22lbs since my actual surgery) and I now am the proud owner of HUGE stretch marks on both sides of my waist and under my arms.

2. It's more noticeable (I'm one of those who chooses not to tell most people, so I've been losing at a slow, steady enough rate that people aren't "suspicious" I've been sleeved.)

3. Two words: Bat Wings

4. (Don't quote me on this) but from posts I've read on here and what other wls folks have said, losing very quickly because you're not eating enough/the right foods can cause your body to go into starvation mode and you plateau/stall for awhile.

I am 6 weeks out and have not yet (*knock on wood*) hit a stall because I'm not starving myself trying to lose 40lbs a month.

PS: Try to be positive. You're losing. Even though it's not as much as you would like, you're losing. That's a plus, especially if pre-opt you remember watching your weight steadily creep up the scale

Edited February 4, 201412 yr by Comfy_Blue

This post helped me when I started to compare my story to others on this forum. I have reprinted it with permission from Cheri, the author. I hope this helps you stay positive.

Please stop and do the math by Cheri

People get completely freaked out by what I feel are unreasonable expectations. They fly into a panic. They assume that the first time they don't lose on the scale that their loss is done. They think that two weeks at one weight is a massive stall. They look at other people's large losses and forget that we don't all lose at the same rate.

First - if you did a pre-op diet you are not going to have the same loss your first month as someone who didn't do one. Your pre-op loss should get counted into your loss calculation if you did a pre-op diet.

Second - a stall is three weeks or more at the same weight with no fluctuation. Are you panicked after that? Well, my friend coops once spent twenty one MONTHS at the same weight. She finally broke through and never regained during that time, and even lost two sizes while not budging on the scale. Is it the miracle cure you may have been hoping for on the scale? No. But stalls are not the end of the world. They are certainly more normal that flying to goal in six weeks, I promise you.

Third - losing anything more than a pound a week is good. Are you eating less than ever before? Yes. Does that guarantee you'll lose faster than ever before? No. I had two nine week stalls - no movement except upwards for my monthly cycle. I had months where I lost but only in the tenths of a pound. It's not normal to expect a big loss every time you step on the scale. It's setting yourself up for disappointment.

Fourth - your pattern is your pattern. You can compare yourself to other people sleeved the same day or with the same stats but it doesn't matter. So much of this is individual. So if you're constantly seeking out other people and comparing your losses to theirs, you are eventually going to discourage and frustrate yourself.

Fifth - are you closing in on goal? We all lose even more slowly the less weight we have to lose. So if you only have sixty pounds to lose but shed thirty in your first three months, please don't be hysterical because you're "only" losing a pound a week now that you're past the halfway point. It's normal.

Stop. Breathe. Do the math. Adjust your expectations. This is not a race. You do not get a special award for reaching goal more quickly. Your surgery was not pointless or worthless if you manage to get to goal in two years instead of six months. The real goal is not losing the weight. It's keeping the weight off. That's real success - that's what we're here to do. It does not matter if you hit goal in nine months or two years - the real challenge and the real journey begins with maintenance. How quickly or slowly you lost does nothing to change the challenges you'll encounter there.

I am not ranting at anyone in particular. I just feel that this is an issue that comes up constantly and it's actually pretty silly for people to fly into such a panic without really thinking. I've seen folks upset when they're logging losses of upwards of four pounds a week. Point to the diet that helped you accomplish that and was easy to maintain prior to surgery.