Am I a sleeve failure?

[Honi 8]

My HW was 216 (I'm 5'3") and that's how much I weighted when I began my 1 week liquid pre-op. Date of surgery my SW was 209. Here I am 7 weeks post-op (surgery June 21) and I've been stalled at around 193. I'm logging on my fitness pal, same place I logged when I lost 30 lbs in 4 months a few years ago. I went back to look at that weight loss which had NO stalls and averaged 2 lbs a week. And last year I went to Weight Watchers for 10 weeks and lost average of 1.5 lbs a week (until I quit LOL). Again NO stall at WW, either. Both times I recently lost consistantly week after week, and not I had 70+% of my stomach removed & I'm losing ZERO. I just feel so disappointed. After 6 months of excitedly jumping thru all the pre-op hoops to satisfy my insurance. After the super-duper excitement of finally getting my sleeve, this let down is shocking and causing me to wake to toss & turn 1/2 the night. I knew I'd have to put in effort and this wouldn't be easy, but also heard/read many success stories that said the weight basically melted off. I'm thinking to myself I just should have dieted myself on my own and lost. I sad and embarrassed, too. Embarrassed that those who knew I was having this surgery are probably looking at me expecting to see a change :(. I'd appreciate any input!

[Tracyringo 503]

Depending on your age it could be a factor from a few years ago. Your surgery weight 209 would be considered low with a 36 BMI so you wont lose like a 280 and over with a 50 BMI . 16 pounds in 7 weeks is fantastic and adds up to over 2 lbs a week. The stall will pass and you will start losing again.

[MeepMeep 96]

I’m heartbroken that you are so sad, but please stop beating yourself up! Your body is still healing after a major surgery. The best news is you made a decision to be healthier for the rest of your life! I, too, am often shocked by how much people say they lost on a lot of these threads. I just learned to Stop comparing myself to them. Just be you and focus on your goals. It’s hard for me too..when it gets too overwhelming and I have a stall I just focus on one meal at a time or one day at a time.

[justmetj 421]

Be patient with your body it has just went through major surgery and needs time, intermittently, to take a break and do some healing in between the times of weight loss. Stalls suck but stay on your program and the scale will start moving again. Also think of this, when you dieted on your own and quit, that was ultimately a stall right?

[GreenTealael 24,915]

Lots of things can cause slow weight loss. Some of which are not within your power to change

But

If you want help troubleshooting your diet , activity levels etc. just ask for assistance on how to get the scale moving again. Plenty of people on here may have advice and hacks to help.

Join us here for motivation and accountability

Good Luck 💜

Edited August 3, 2019 by GreenTealael

[BlueAngelEyes 164]

4 hours ago, Honi said:

My HW was 216 (I'm 5'3") and that's how much I weighted when I began my 1 week liquid pre-op. Date of surgery my SW was 209. Here I am 7 weeks post-op (surgery June 21) and I've been stalled at around 193. I'm logging on my fitness pal, same place I logged when I lost 30 lbs in 4 months a few years ago. I went back to look at that weight loss which had NO stalls and averaged 2 lbs a week. And last year I went to Weight Watchers for 10 weeks and lost average of 1.5 lbs a week (until I quit LOL). Again NO stall at WW, either. Both times I recently lost consistantly week after week, and not I had 70+% of my stomach removed & I'm losing ZERO. I just feel so disappointed. After 6 months of excitedly jumping thru all the pre-op hoops to satisfy my insurance. After the super-duper excitement of finally getting my sleeve, this let down is shocking and causing me to wake to toss & turn 1/2 the night. I knew I'd have to put in effort and this wouldn't be easy, but also heard/read many success stories that said the weight basically melted off. I'm thinking to myself I just should have dieted myself on my own and lost. I sad and embarrassed, too. Embarrassed that those who knew I was having this surgery are probably looking at me expecting to see a change :(. I'd appreciate any input!

I know how you feel! I have done the hcg diet. A few times and lose 40 pounds in 40days and this life style change is hard. I wish i could go back but i cant. We made the decision to do it and were stuck with it. I thought i would be losing faster as well. Im 5'4 and currently i weigh 197 i started at 237 day of surgery on may 31st. So on average i lose 2 lbs a week. Im not exercising which so many people say u shouldnt others says you should. I walk 13,000 steps a day but thats about it. I need to work out but time is a problem. Have you tryed eatting more Protein and drinking your Water and uped you excercise routine. Maybe u just need something new or a change in scenerie³ are u pooping enough maybe u need some 100cal packed 95%fat free popcorn to eat. Maybe the Fiber will hellp clean u out. Good luck with everything. Sorry if any of this is spelled wierd i took ambien to go to and its kicking in so i better run but if u pm me you are more than welcome to vent as much as you want aviut the wls process ..

[summerset 5,261]

8 hours ago, Honi said:

I knew I'd have to put in effort and this wouldn't be easy, but also heard/read many success stories that said the weight basically melted off.

Quite a contradiction.

I sometimes wonder what treatment teams are telling their patients regarding "work & effort". I'm sure it's as diverse as the diet recommendations.

[catwoman7 10,937]

if you're closely following your plan, then it's just a stall. It'll eventually break. If you're not closely following your plan, then do that. Weigh/measure and log everything you eat.

also, you started out at a low BMI for a WLS patient. You are definitely not going to lose at the rate that someone starting at 300+ lbs typically does.

[Lynnlovesthebeach 625]

I think "the weight basically melted off" is a dream for most WLS patients! It rarely happens that way. It's not a magic bullet and certainly wasn't presented to me that way by my team. It's a tool and requires a lot of work. If you stick with your plan you will lose. Good luck and hang in there.

[GradyCat 3,692]

I felt the same way for a while. The weight hasn't just melted off and I've been in stalls despite doing everything I'm supposed to be doing. I lost more weight in the same amount of time in the past doing the Atkins Diet or Weight Watchers. But I realize this is long-term that I need to be focusing on and I realize that with those past diets I put the weight back on. So, this is more long-term and permanent now.

[FluffyChix 17,410]

They warned us up front that the most weight loss would happen in the first 2 months post surgery, but not to expect wildly huge numbers of monthly loss. That we would average anywhere between 2-4lbs per week. There is an extremely small subset who genetically are not really impacted by WLS. But it's very rare.

Make sure you are following your surgeon's plan to a T, and get walking. My doc wanted 10K steps out of me at your point every day in addition to eating only between 500-700 cals at that point. But I had lots of stalls too!!! Hang in there and stay focused. You haven't failed WLS!!!

[Honi 8]

Thanks for all the replies, I'm seriously soaking in each bit of good advice. I realize I'm lower BMI (and senior age) and so my loss may be slower. I'm coming to think I may be eating too much. It's been easy for me to ingest 4-5 oz because I've had NO issues with drinking or eating. Never felt nauseous, or gotten a belly ache, cramp, nothing. Feel little to no restriction. And so I've basically been acting like I'm on a strict diet by restricting my input and calories seeming without aide from my 'tool'.

Should I be measuring ounces/weight or volume as in 1/2 cup? How much volume would you suggest for near 2 months out? I do Protein first, been mostly only eating protein. I've been on my treadmill at 'brisk walk' speed for a few minutes multiple times a day (being a senior with heart disease I feel that's my limit). I also just try to dance around and get sweaty housecleaning and generally be more active than usual.

My concern is that I'm not losing during this 'honeymoon' stage and I don't want to be stalled at the same weight for another minute (it's going on three weeks!). I've been averaging 600-800 calories a day, is that too much this early? Also I get in 60+ gram protein & low carb.

Thanks again for all the thoughtful replies. I plan to measure lower amounts today, I'm thinking 1/2 cup of chicken or salmon per meal? I've always been a big Water drinker but will try to get even more in today. Gonna buy some sugar free ice pops for a late night snack (which is when I often have a bit more chicken).

Edited August 3, 2019 by Honi

[summerset 5,261]

15 hours ago, Honi said:

Date of surgery my SW was 209. Here I am 7 weeks post-op (surgery June 21) and I've been stalled at around 193.

I'm logging on my fitness pal, same place I logged when I lost 30 lbs in 4 months a few years ago.

And last year I went to Weight Watchers for 10 weeks and lost average of 1.5 lbs a week

You're again losing at 2 lbs per week this time, even a bit more.

Should you eat less? Should you measure differently? Should you change anything at all if things are working just fine as they are?

Why don't you save possible changes for when things are really not going well?

Afraid that "weight loss isn't possible anymore after the honeymoon period is over"? Don't worry. Losing weight after the initial few months is absolutely possible.

[catwoman7 10,937]

You asked about 600-800 calories a day. Yes, that is fine for where you are