As I sit back and look at my progress sometimes I am happy and sometimes I am like REALLY. I know I am not the only one who has had some different expectations of this surgery now that you have it. I knew this was no gastric bypass BUT SOMETIMES I think I should have better results when you can't eat but a few spoonfuls of anything. I know I will get to my goal eventually but I am just hoping it doesn't take forever to get there. I didn't think it would be this hard to lose a dam pound with half a stomach. I know there are others who have had this surgery thinking the same thing.

Sure did too think the weight would fall right off!! Most of your stomach is gone!! Can't hold half of what it used too and I'm sick of people saying it's just a tool! I didn't pay 13,500 cash for a tool . I could have gone to weight watchers for a whole lot less!! I am almost 4 weeks out and down 18 lbs.. So kinda discouraged!!

Sure did too think the weight would fall right off!! Most of your stomach is gone!! Can't hold half of what it used too and I'm sick of people saying it's just a tool! I didn't pay 13,500 cash for a tool . I could have gone to weight watchers for a whole lot less!! I am almost 4 weeks out and down 18 lbs.. So kinda discouraged!!

LOL! Seriously? You thought you were paying for, what, magic?

FYI, I lost 10.4 pounds after Month One post-op. I'm now at goal (hit it 8-1/2 months post-op). FTR, I did not lose 10.4 pounds in a month via Weight Watchers ... EVER!

VSGA, yes honestly I did.... Maybe it's just too early yet! Yea think? I don't know??? Just kinda frustrated!

@@Kacherry

18 pounds in a month is good! Are you starting at a lower BMI? I say "lower" because I notice people who start with a 40 or less tend to as a rule not lose as much as quickly. Just the way the cookie crumbles (Mmmmm cookies)

Are you making sure you're getting your Protein and Water? I know it's hard that soon out, but it helps with weight loss. Like I said, you're doing fantastic though.

The weight didn't just magically appear overnight on you I'm almost willing to bet. It's not going to be gone overnight, either. Patience, Grasshopper. Follow your plan, and it will come off at your body's own pace.

I mean, look at me. I've lost 69 (68 some days) in 9 months. I'm 16 pounds til goal. Do you consider me a failure because the weight didn't come off immediately?

I do think that many people have very unrealistic expectations (and not a lot of basic nutritional education) about the caloric value of food and the caloric deficit necessary to lose a pound -- or 18 pounds or 100 pounds.

To lose 18 pounds in a month (assuming none of that was "water weight" -- which most of us lose during the pre-op diet) you have to eat a deficit of 3500 calories per pound lost or in the case of 18 pounds that's 63,000 calories fewer than your body needed to maintain its weight.

Put another way, that's a caloric deficit of -2,100 calories a day. Frankly, my dear, that's a caloric deficit that's impossible to achieve by doing Weight Watchers. Bottom line is in losing 18 pounds in a month that's more weight than you "deserved" to lose, looking at it purely from caloric deficit perspective.

You are doing GREAT! Relax. Enjoy it. You're going to lose the weight anyway. And you've got a lot of other tools to develop. Nutritional education, for one.

The ultimate benefit of WLS is not just about how fast you lose -- it's about how the sleeve can help you maintain a weight loss. But you'll still need those other tools (what you eat, eating slower, not drinking with meals, exercising more than we used to, etc.)

Thank you VS, I really appreciate your input... Needed that!! Yes I started at 197 at 5'5 and hope to get down to at least 140... Sounds like you've done fantastic!! Congrats!

Thank you VS, I really appreciate your input... Needed that!! Yes I started at 197 at 5'5 and hope to get down to at least 140... Sounds like you've done fantastic!! Congrats!

Well, I called that. You are starting out a MUCH lower weight than so many others! So 18lbs in a month is beyond amazing!!

I just gotta ask....what did your surgical team tell you about WLS? Do you have a dietician or nutritionist on board? Did they explain ANYTHING to you? I, too, was self-pay, and paid more than you, from what you said you paid. I can't understand where they went "wrong" in letting you believe there would be no work on your part. Maybe you should go back to them and demand they give you the information they obviously have not given you regarding the WHOLE program. You, at least, deserve nutritional counseling.

I have to re-phrase my response. I did not think the weight would fall off. I did think it would be easier when eating so little tho. I didn't think eating 1000 or less a day would leave me only losing 3 lbs a month... or less. And with a starting weight of 347, I honestly thought I'd lose more. After all, every one says the higher the bmi, the more weight u will lose faster.

Canyon baby, no I did not have a "surgical team" or any nutritional counseling whatsoever! My doctor in Arlington, tx doesn't even have a nurse!! Very very disappointed in the office! Just do not feel I was well advised at all!

@@Kacherry

Gosh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Have you since visited with your doctor for after-care? Has he/she given you a post-op diet at all to follow? If not, may I suggest visiting hospitals in your area that may have support groups for WLS? You might be able to start one if there aren't any. You could also go to a dietician on your own, and if you have insurance, your PCP might be able to prescribe this for you. There are also lots of books available on the subject, with ideas for post-op diets. This is a long journey we are on, I wish you the best on yours!

I too thought the weight would come off faster but I am more than pleased with what I have accomplished so far. I know I have quite a ways to go but so far so good One thing you need to consider too is that even when you are not dropping pounds you will still be dropping inches. During my "3 week stall" I didn't lose a pound but still lost inches so I did not give up hope. I just started at the gym a couple of weeks ago and see that working out really does make a difference in how I feel and the pounds that I lose per week. One thing to remember is every body is different so don't compare yourself to others just be proud of what you have been able to accomplish

Edited May 25, 201511 yr by Jendroppinglbs

Sometimesxslower weight loss had its benefits. Your body has time to adjust. Eventually it will all even out

I chose the sleeve because it has a natural eating pattern with no worries about dumping or malnutrition. Sure, I still need to eat the right foods, but it's a hell of a lot easier when you only have a tiny stomach to fill. I always knew it was just a tool, not a magic wand.

Edited May 20, 201511 yr by Totoro

I think I got what I expected, or maybe a little better. I lost more than 140 pounds,or 95% of my excess weight, (and 100% if I call this weight good ) in about 14 months. I've kept it off over a year. It's hard work but so much easier than before surgery. I could have never lost 10 pounds a month on any diet because I just couldn't get to and sustain the needed caloric deficit to do that.

Sometimes I think if I would have had the bypass I'd have lost more, but I'm still happy with my decision to have the sleeve. Not sure that last 5-10 pounds lost would add any value to my life.

Looking back, I remember feeling like it was not coming off fast enough. I worried that every pound I lost would be my last. I understand the fear that somehow, something isn't right. I know you see posts "I lost 100 pounds in 6 months!" but that's not the norm. Most people lose 8-10 pounds a month. This is a time for learning new habits. Contrary to what they say, it takes way longer than a few months to learn new eating habits, and it's way easier to slip back into old ones. At 2.5 years out, I'm still learning.