I had bypass on March 13… Started out at 232 and now at 215 so 17 pounds lost… Does that seem low to anybody? I have been having issues with constipation so maybe that explains the low weight loss. I would appreciate any words of encouragement or advice.

On 4/11/2017 at 10:38 AM, New Me 31317 said:

I guess I was thrown off by people reporting a 20 or 25 pound weight loss the first month

You started at a lighter weight. Generally, the heavier a person is, the more rapid the weight losses will be during the first few months out.

Certain groups of individuals (e.g., males, people under 35 years old, and the super-obese with BMIs greater than 50) are normally the faster losers.

Likewise, others (older females, menopausal women, certain racial/ethnic minorities, lighter people with less than 70 pounds to lose, bariatric surgery revision patients, and those with metabolic problems such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, PCOS, and severe insulin resistance) sometimes end up in the slow-loser camp after weight loss surgery.

Also, genetics is an issue that bariatric surgeons often do not discuss with patients to avoid discouragement. However, you had a gastric bypass, and a chromosome 15 genetic variant predicts the speed of weight loss after bypass.

Those with two copies of the beneficial variant of chromosome 15 lose rapidly. Those with one variant copy lose at an average rate, while people with no copies of the genetic variant often have poor responses to the bypass and lose less than half their excess weight.

https://hms.harvard.edu/news/genetics/gene-variant-linked-weight-loss-surgery-success-5-2-13

Interesting study! I did want to point out that only 1 in a thousand had no copies of the gene. Which means almost everyone will lose significantly.