4 months out and stuck

[Sandigirl 2]

Nov. 2020 i had the sleeve done. Very happy with my decision. I am a little confused thought, before the surgery i lost 30 pounds, since Nov. I lost another 50 for a total of 80 pounds. But, Only 50 were from the sleeve. My surgeon told me that was it, i wasn't going to lose any more weight. I thought you could lose up to 100 pounds from having the surgery. Why is my surgeon telling me im done after only losing 50 pounds? It has also been about 2, maybe 3 weeks since i have lost any pounds. Can anyone please help me understand this, and why am i not losing weight?

[DesperateEC 57]

Everybody is different and from experience the more you weigh going in determine how much and fast you lose. Bigger ppl lose more faster but there’s no cap to how much you can lose honestly. Exercise more than you consume. Walk constantly and still well hydrated! Water is very important. A leak can make you stall. Good luck sweetie

[Hop_Scotch 1,634]

More information is needed for anyone to tailor some information towards your personal circumstances

How many calories are you eating and drinking? What type of foods are you mostly eating? Are you exercising?

What was your weight on surgery day? Current weight? Height?

[Isabelmonster 62]

I had have the same problem going into surgery I was 245ish before the pre opt diet about 256 after about four months I am down to around 181. I don’t know if I’m eating to maintain at this point when I count the calories and some day I admit I don’t eat and then I crash sugar wise but I think 65 pounds is amazing but I’m at a stall too had my surgery November 11th.

height 5’10”

Sw:245

current:181

i really hope it’s not the end for me too I think now I might have to increase the exercise and really cut calories.

[AJ Tylo 1,399]

BULLY POOP

My doc said the same thing. My nutrioshist said No way you can get to a healthy weight by different diets. So i got on a work out Diet and started cross training. I shredded another 18 pounds in two months. Yes if you just stay on your current meal plan you will stall out, Change it and work out and you can lose again

[summerset 5,265]

8 hours ago, Hop_Scotch said:

More information is needed for anyone to tailor some information towards your personal circumstances

This.

How much one "can" lose depends on how much one weighed before surgery. Someone who went into surgery weighing 250 lbs will not lose 180 lbs.

Unfortunately OP didn't tell us so far how much you he/she weighed before surgery or what the current BMI is.

[lyladyp 120]

5 hours ago, AJ Tylo said:

BULLY POOP

My doc said the same thing. My nutrioshist said No way you can get to a healthy weight by different diets. So i got on a work out Diet and started cross training. I shredded another 18 pounds in two months. Yes if you just stay on your current meal plan you will stall out, Change it and work out and you can lose again

This is helpful, because I feel like I am in a similar position. I have been stalled for the past couple of months but have just started fasting and exercising more to get to my goal. I think it is interesting that a doctor would say this instead of recommending a solution. Being on this site has opened my eyes about the differences in the amount of support provided from one medical practice to another.

[summerset 5,265]

8 minutes ago, lyladyp said:

I think it is interesting that a doctor would say this instead of recommending a solution. Being on this site has opened my eyes about the differences in the amount of support provided from one medical practice to another.

Surgeons are not your best bet when it comes to nutrition. If one wants nutritional counseling - go to a dietician who's familiar with WLS patients.

[AJ Tylo 1,399]

38 minutes ago, summerset said:

Surgeons are not your best bet when it comes to nutrition. If one wants nutritional counseling - go to a dietician who's familiar with WLS patients.

Fully agree they are the cutters and once done with you, on to the next! A Nutritionist will stay with you for the long run. If you can not find one with WLS experience get a work out one, They also know how to shred weight and get you to you max health and shape

[CammyC 291]

I call Malarkey. You can lose more weight just like AJ stated. Good luck!

[Sandigirl 2]

Thank you all for your comments. In summer of 2019 i weighed in at 263 pounds. On date of surgery, Nov. 1 2019, i weighed in at 237. I am currently down to 185. I am trying to get the exercise in, but it's hard with 3 kids(i know, blah blah blah, excuses, excuses). I honestly don't know the amout of calories i eat in a day. I know i don't eat much. Breakfast i have a cup of tea and Protein Bar, lunch usually almonds with a few pieces of cheese and cranberries. dinner is a piece of salmon or tiny piece of chicken with a vegetable. I have been staying away from Pasta, rice and bread(still can't handle them, which is good for me because that is my weak point). Some days i can get a Protein Shake in here or there.

Oh yeah, and I'm 5'5"

[Hop_Scotch 1,634]

You are getting close to a healthy BMI, at this point in time you need to be particular about calorie intake...you may well be eating at maintenance. Your volume of food doesn't appear to be a lot but some of the foods are calorie dense: almonds, cheese and possibly salmon (its an oily fish plus more calories if skin still there). If dried cranberries they are about 300 calories per 100gms.

Download a calorie counting app, track all your foods and any drinks with calories, measure and weigh everything - don't rely on eyeing it or using 1/2 cup or 1 cup volumes etc. Track yourself honestly, every single thing, for one or two weeks. It will give you a baseline of your current calories. From what I can gather some people are consuming anywhere between 600 to 1000 calories at the five to six month mark, some will be at the higher mark (or consume more) if they are exercising a lot or have significantly more weight to lose.

Once you know your current calorie baseline you can tweak from there.

A little time spent on yourself will very likely reward you with further fat loss!

[biginjapan 647]

One of my favourite doctors on YouTube, Dr. Weiner, says that in his experience, the four-month mark will be the halfway point of your total weight loss. Most people lose all of their weight in the 6-12 months post-op, it’s not as common, although possible, to keep losing weight after that. So I don’t know why your doctor said that you’re done at four months - I’ve never seen any guidelines that have remotely said the same thing. You are still technically obese but close to overweight in terms of BMI. From my experience, both on this site, and with sleeve surgery a few years ago, I’d say you are either in a stall, and/or you need to be prepared for your weight loss to be happening at a slower rate than before. Maybe mix up your diet a bit more (get off the Protein Bars and eat real food), and change up your activity. It doesn’t have to be going to the gym, just upping the intensity of walks or playing physical games with your kids may be enough.

[summerset 5,265]

5 hours ago, biginjapan said:

Most people lose all of their weight in the 6-12 months post-op, it’s not as common, although possible, to keep losing weight after that.

I can't help myself, I find this statement more and more irritating the longer I'm out of WLS, especially that one about "the window of weight loss closing". It puts patients into an unnecessary state of anxiety and builds up equally unnecessary pressure. I wonder if surgeons and dietitians sometimes are being misinterpreted here or - if they're interpreted correctly - if they're aware of the consequences they provoke.

My first surgery was 2001. The MGB was almost 4 years ago. After my latest revision 4 weeks ago my weight went down again during the liquid phase (i. e. eating less calories than my body is used to) and I'm in the middle of a normal BMI range.

My findings are: if I'm in a calorie deficit (screw the macros) I'm losing weight. I doubt I'm the big exception.

However, creating this calorie deficit is definitely harder for some people! (Think age, height, gender etc.).

Edited March 24, 2020 by summerset

[summerset 5,265]

12 hours ago, Hop_Scotch said:

don't rely on eyeing it or using 1/2 cup or 1 cup volumes etc.

This.

Weighing is much better. With cups & spoons it's way easier to accidentally underestimate. For calorie tracking food scales are best.