Six weeks out from surgery with limited weight loss. Ugh!

[greeneyedgrrl24 14]

Hey y'all. I recently posted shortly after my July 18 surgery thinking that perhaps I made a mistake. I am no longer thinking I made a poor decision, but am so frustrated I could scream. After losing about 20 lbs the first month, I stalled for three weeks. I was struggling with meeting my Protein and Water goals due to travel and a few other issues so I increased to my recommended intake (80+ oz of Water and 100-120 grams of protein) and broke the stall, losing about 7 additional lbs. Yay, right? Well, after a week I'm stalled again. I spoke to the Dr's office and was told if I don't lose anymore weight in the next three weeks, to see them and they will possibly order an endoscopy.

I read the post on www.dsfacts.com about glycogen stores and it makes sense, but how many times will this happen?? I know everyone is different but I feel like I would have lost more weight if I had skipped surgery and just stuck to a low carb diet.

Here is the link to the article:

http://tinyurl.com/z4bsxew

What am I eating?

I have three Protein shakes a day (one Premier Protein and two powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury shakes) and I will choose from the following:

-Scrambled eggs with a tbsp salsa

-Tuna salad made with onions, seasoning and a little light mayo

-Egg salad made with onions, seasoning and a little light mayo

-chicken salad made with onions, seasoning and a little light mayo

-Low fat refried Beans made with a little salsa, low fat cheese and onions

-Low fat chili with low fat cheese and low fat sour cream

-hummus

-low fat cheese

I only drink unsweetened iced tea (sometime I add splenda), Powerade zero or water.

What can I do?? Any ideas? This is driving me to distracting!

Thanks in advance for reading this.

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[KristenLe 5,980]

@@greeneyedgrrl24 You are doing well - 27lbs is not too shabby! Are you exercising? Change things up a bit.

[greeneyedgrrl24 14]

@@greeneyedgrrl24 You are doing well - 27lbs is not too shabby! Are you exercising? Change things up a bit.

Kristen, I have severe neuropathy, which makes exercise difficult. That said, I am a lot more active than I used to be! The back pain I had before has lessened and I'm able to do things I have not been able to do for years (like go to the grocery store). Is 27 lbs in nearly seven weeks considered good? My surgeons were expecting me to lose more by now.

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[KristenLe 5,980]

It's good in my opinion - I could diet for a year and not lose that amount. Stalls are normal and slow loss is not a bad thing at all - it's going in the right direction. Just hang in there.

[sc101071 398]

Three shakes seems like a lot. How many calories are you getting daily?

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[greeneyedgrrl24 14]

It's good in my opinion - I could diet for a year and not lose that amount. Stalls are normal and slow loss is not a bad thing at all - it's going in the right direction. Just hang in there.

Kristen,

Thanks. I'm trying to be patient and optimistic. I only weigh once per week but I guess I need to change to twice a month. The surgeons were expecting me to lose about a lb a day, so it's hard not to feel disappointed Anna look for what I could be doing wrong!

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[greeneyedgrrl24 14]

Three shakes seems like a lot. How many calories are you getting daily?

SC101071,

I actually haven't been counting calories, as my dietician told me to eat when I felt like it and as long as I watched the fat and sugar, the calories would follow. Just doing some quick math...I would say between 900-1100 calories a day. Too much??

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[James Marusek 5,244]

27 pounds since surgery on July 18 (7 weeks) doesn't sound too bad for me. Remember this is only the beginning of a long journey.

The three most important elements after weight loss surgery are to meet your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Weight loss is generally achieved through meal volume control.

Individuals lose weight at different paces after surgery. So try not to compare yourself to others. Just keep following the program guidelines and your weight loss should continue.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@greeneyedgrrl24

First, 27lbs is excellent in that time frame. I would question my doctor if they are expecting you to lose a lb a day. That is not realistic and I am shocked to hear that.

After the first month or two, most people average between 5 to 10lbs per month. Some months you lose less (I had months where I was stalled the whole month)

That being said. 3 shakes a day on top of the real food may be the problem. Once you are able to eat Protein, you should be able to reduce those shakes some. I am a bypass patient so take it for what it's worth but for the first few months I averaged between 400 and 600 calories per day.

Then I stalled and was told to add more calories through Protein and good carbs like veggies and fruit. I upped my calories to 700 minimum and no more than 900. I stayed there until I was near goal.

I learned that if I had more than 1000 calories I would stall, if I had more than 1200 calories I would gain. Anything betwee 900 and 1100 I would lose weight.

Once I hit my ultimate goal, I slowly (very slowly) began to increase my calorie over the last 6 months. I now am able to eat between 1300 and 1400. If I go beyond 1400 I gain.

Also, I don't know how tall you are but 120 protein grams seems like a lot. I am 5'10" and my goal is no more than 70 which is 1 gram for every 1 inch I am tall.

I use Myfitnesspal to track what I eat daily and it helps me understand where I am to my protein, calories and carb goals.

When you are early on it isn't usually necessary to worry about calories but that assumes you are barely able to eat anything. Like for most it is 1/4C to 1/2cup, 3 times per day. Realistically when you are eating so little, counting calories isn't necessary but as time goes by you will be able to eat more and then it is important to know where you are.

Hopefully this gives you some food for thought. Or at least the ability to ask your surgeon or nut about losing a pound a day or even your 120 gram protein.

I am sure that some sleeve folks can also provide some insights.

[Postop 413]

Definitely don't count calories. DSers do not. We count Protein grams.

At barely 2 months out it may be hard to eat enough Protein. If you feel you need 3 shakes a day then do it. How many sugar grams are in each shake? Is it under 10? I had 1 shake for the first 2 years (each day) bc I couldn't get enough protein in. I didn't get to 50 gr. protein till 6 mos. out. Are you getting in 80 gr. of Water comfortably? That is a lot. If it's too hard you can drop it back.

I only weighed when I went to my surgeons' office. That meant 1 mo. out, 3 mos. out, etc. That way I never saw ups, downs, stalls. I did take pics every 3 mos. My first mo. I lost 19 lbs. as I recall.

Why the low fat? As a DSer, I eat pretty much all the fat I want. Full fat mayo, yogurt, etc. That's one of the beauties of the DS.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Postop

[catwoman7 11,284]

I lost 27 lbs the first eight weeks - and I've lost over 200 lbs altogether. I was told early on that I was a slow loser, but I kept on losing slow and steady. Just stick to your plan....it does work!

I don't know what to tell you about calories because I know DS'ers can eat a lot more than the rest of us - but it sounds like overall you're OK!

[sweettea 300]

I think you're doing bad. I think 1 pound a day is unrealistic. But, I'm not a doctor. All of our bodies are different. We lose at different rates. I'm surprised you can eat much after three Protein Drinks a day. To this day, 3 1/2 years out, I have trouble getting one Protein Drink and meals down.

[Catmom4 149]

I lost the same amount of weight in the same time as you. I think you're doing fine. I feel like your doctor is a little unreasonable.... I was eating about 700-900 calories at the two month mark. I have increased a little and now at 9 months post sleeve, I eat 1000-1150. I had a few stalls here and there but kept losing as long as I was getting at least 50-70gm of Protein and 64oz Water every day. Maybe try to get rid of at least 1 of those 3 shakes by eating real food. Hang in there, I think you're doing great. The weight will come off.

[sweettea 300]

I meant I DON'T think you're doing bad. I should proof read better.

[NewNewMe 277]

Six weeks out you should not be drinking your calories. Eat 5-6 small high Protein meals a day. I would suggest tacking your food with myfitnesspal. Don't forget to exercise too!