Feeling discouraged

[Jessica Radcliff 51]

Lately I have been feeling a bit discouraged by the lack of weight that I have lost. Seems like my body has stalled. I'm not eating a lot so why am I not losing? I have a small stomach and do not eat a lot when I do eat so why haven't I lost more? Do I need to eat more? Is that why? More times a day? I'm at a loss for what to do next.

[Bufflehead 6,358]

--how long has it been since you have lost weight?

--when was your surgery?

--how many calories per day are you eating?

--are you hitting your daily Protein and fluid goals?

[Jessica Radcliff 51]

I lost weight about a week and half ago. Sleeved 5/4. Fluid intake I am not meeting and probably not Protein either. I find that even if I meet my 3 ounces at dinner I'm still hungry. I was told to only eat 3 times a day. I usually have either a shake or yogurt for Breakfast. lunch varies. And dinner I know I get my protein.

[nunya-got-sleeved 36]

I lost weight about a week and half ago. Sleeved 5/4. Fluid intake I am not meeting and probably not Protein either. I find that even if I meet my 3 ounces at dinner I'm still hungry. I was told to only eat 3 times a day. I usually have either a shake or yogurt for breakfast. lunch varies. And dinner I know I get my protein.

That's my sleeve date also!!!!

Edited May 26, 2015 by nunya-got-sleeved

[Jessica Radcliff 51]

A sleeve twin lol. How do we get past this stall??

[conlaura 6]

Getting in the Protein is very important as is fluids. Are you walking or any other exercise? I am a month out from surgery and eat three times a day with two Snacks of Protein. I have lost about 30 pounds. Maybe you could try writing down all of your intake of fluids and of food. Maybe you are already doing this, but I just thought I would mention it.God luck to you.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

You have got to get in your Protein and Water. I track my protein with MyFitnessPal. Without keeping track there is no way I would be able to keep up.

[LisaPunkinHead 187]

It is not uncommon to have a brief stall about 3 weeks post-op. But do make sure you get Protein and fluids. That is something you will want to do life-long, so make sure you get it now! I still have a Protein shake every day to get to that point, because I can't eat enough solid food to get over 60 grams (and preferably up to 80 grams). My trainer wants me to have even more Water than recommended --80 to 90 ounces he says. So keep sipping, getting that Protein in, and getting in some walks, and you will see it come off!

[Jessica Radcliff 51]

I work at a pharmacy so I definitley get my excercize. I guess I just need to eat more. The issue is that i cant just stick with just 3 meals so should i be "snacking" on Protein? I mean as you can see I am almost a month out and have lost 24 lbs. Is that normal? or should it be more?

Edited May 26, 2015 by Jessica Radcliff

[Bufflehead 6,358]

There is no normal when it comes to weight loss post surgery. It's only what is optimal for you. I can tell you that you lost more weight than I did in the first month and I did just fine. A week and a half without losing weight is par for the course and not anything to worry about. Focus on your Protein and fluid goals. If you are unsure about how much you are eating or whether you are meeting your goals, it's not a bad idea to track, even if just temporarily, using a program like Myfitnesspal.

I will say I think it is a terrible idea to go rogue on your plan and start snacking when you were explicitly told not to by your team. "I started snacking" or "I started grazing" are words I usually see when the post is headlined something like "Help, I've regained 50 lbs and need to get back on track!" -- please, please, don't be one of those people if you can help it. If you are struggling between meals, drink more Water and tell yourself, "it's only two hours until I can eat again, I am not going to starve to death in the meantime. Hunger is unpleasant but it isn't an emergency." And if you still can't do it, check in with your team for help. You may need to be on a PPI, or on a different, stronger PPI if you are already on one. Acid and thirst can both masquerade as hunger.

I'll bet if you track your intake, meet your Fluid and protein goals, don't snack, and stay off the scale for two weeks, you'll see loss when you get back on the scale. Sometimes the easiest way to drive yourself nuts is to weigh every day and expect that you will lose multiple pounds every day. But the truth is, for most of us, if we plotted our weight loss on a graph, it would look like a crazy staircase going down rather than a smooth, even, downhill slope.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

As to snacking, ask your nutritionist. My NUT advises planning for three meals and two Snacks a day. My Protein goal is 100 grams and if I have 20-25 grams per meal I have to eat more than three times a day. There is no way around it.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I could be really wrong about this, but I get the distinct impression you don't know how much Protein / calories you're really eating.

Advice from someone who reached goal (87 pounds) at 8-1/2 weeks post-op: Start counting your Protein grams. And as long as you're doing that, count your calories -- at least for a while.

You could be right that you're getting enough protein.

Or you could be wrong.

So why guess?

P.S. You're losing weight like a house afire! I lost 10.4 pounds the first month post-op.