So discouraged and need to get back the hope

[Finding Erika 61]

Hi everyone,

So today I am 7 months post of RNY. I have lost 57 pounds since my pre-op diet. I am so far past the excitement and hope I had when the weight was coming off during the first 2 months. Since then though, I have lost a total of only 10 pounds in 5 months (!)- I don't even really know what to say about that-

I voiced my concerns to my surgeon's office at 2, 3, 4, 5 months but they keep telling me to just follow the plan and it will fall off- they won't give me a calorie count of where I should be- just 60g of Protein in 2 shakes and then 3 meals of 4oz each. Obviously protein first, then veggies- but they want me eating fruit and whole grain carbs too. Obviously 64oz of fluids and 30min of cardio plus strength training 4x per week.

I've been doing the eating part really well until about a month ago and then I got to the point where I realized this is just like I was before- there's nothing special about what I'm doing. I feel little to no restriction when I eat, NOTHING (and I've tried) has made me dump. I haven't vomited or had any GI problems since the surgery. So I came to the point that I realized I'm back to just being on a diet- like I've been on since I was 9. So of course my old habits and thinking came right back- I give myself excuses for grabbing a few Hershey's kisses at work from someone's desk or having just 1 cookie at a party. It's just made me more frustrated and feeling like a failure.

I feel great when I exercise. I hired a trainer to see twice a week for resistance training which I think has helped. I've lost a couple of inches here and there since starting 5 weeks ago and I feel good physically.

I'm just stuck. I mentioned this in another thread- that I'd been in a 4 month stall- and someone - who is brilliant by the way- corrected me and said that was called a plateau- ha! Made me laugh but it also made me feel like I wasn't imagining this all and there is something not right here.

My meals are usually either ff cottage cheese or plain vanilla Greek yogurt (4oz of either) for Breakfast, a premiere Protein Shake for a snack, salad with 2-4oz of chicken breast with veggies/beans on it for lunch, another premiere protein shake for an afternoon snack and then dinner which varies but is some lean meat (hamburger- no bun, steak, chicken, shrimp or fish) any of them of about 2-3 oz, with a veggie usually. I wait to drink until 30 minutes after eating and I take all my Vitamins like clockwork each day-

What am I doing wrong? And how can I get back to that place of hope where I am expecting to lose more weight. I started out at 240 and now I'm 183. Don't get me wrong- I'm not angry about having "had surgery and failing" or something- I'm thrilled about where I am but I don't think I went through all that plus complications afterwards for 57 pounds when others around me have lost almost and over a hundred at this point. Is my metabolism that screwed up from years of dieting? Or is my food addiction just not letting me see the forest through the trees? I feel like I've lost hope again- which is what this surgery had finally given me after so many years.

Anyone's input would be sooo appreciated- thanks everyone for making this such a comforting place- just reading everyone's posts over the past few months has given me so much info-

[James Marusek 5,244]

In general, weight loss is achieved during the short weight loss phase through meal volume control. The two operative words here are short and volume. So if you want to maximize your weight loss during this phase, you need to adhere to the program guidelines. I slid into the maintenance phase at 7 months.

One suggestion at your stage is to assess your Protein intake. Your daily protein requirement is met by a combination of the amount of protein you obtain from food combined with the amount of protein from protein supplements (protein shakes, protein bars). Right after gastric bypass surgery, the volume of food you consume is minuscule (2 ounces) per meal. But as you get further along, the meal volume increases. Therefore you have a very important option available to you. If you concentrate on consuming high protein meals, you can begin to reduce your reliance on Protein Shakes. I went from 3 a day, down to 2, down to 1 and eventually none when I reached 1 cup per meal at a year and a half post-op.

This is important because protein shakes contain calories. If you can reduce your caloric intake, then you can end a stall. At least that was the approach that I used and it worked for me.

There are two phases to gastric bypass surgery. These are the Weight Loss phase and the Maintenance phase. The strategies for the Maintenance phase is dramatically different than the Weight Loss phase. Your body changes over time (post-op) and that means that you need to change too. When you talk about eating a Hershey's Kiss or a Cookie, that seems to signal that you might be near the Maintenance phase. You can still lose weight in the Maintenance phase but you must accept this transition when it comes. Here is my perception of the Maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

[hajoura-sweet 9]

Hi.. i think that maybe you where eating and drinking at the same time after your operation.. this causes your stomach to expand and before you know it you can polish off 12 bowls of Pasta. Try and cut back from drinking gas and drinking while eating. I know that it can cause for your stomach to expand

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