Concerned about Slow Progress

[jessa85 0]

I am 12 weeks post op and I have lost 35 pounds. My concern is in the first 6 weeks I lost 26 of those pounds and in the last 6 weeks I have only lost 9 pounds. I had RNY and started at 294 pounds. I was told to increase my calories to 800-1,000 which is really difficult to get in and increase Protein to 80 grams and I feel like the scale still isn’t moving. I’m so discouraged. I feel like I’m wasting the time that this surgery is the most effective and already struggling when the surgery is suppose to be at its peak. What am I doing wrong?!

[MaybeMeow 129]

I'm no expert cuz I'm pre-op but I've been doing a lot of reading about Stalls and that you should be measuring your body during those times instead of weighing. Are you post menopausal? I've also read that could make the loss slower. Having said all that... think 35 pounds in 3 months is INCREDIBLE! I hope you feel accomplished. In closing... having researched Bypass like it's my PHD dissertation I would say most people experience the rush of loss and then a sudden crawl and most people say it picks back up again. Good luck, keep plowing ahead and keep us updated!!

[NovaLuna 710]

Three words "three month stall". My weight loss slowed down as I approached my third month and then I had a two week period where I didn't lose a single pound! Then I lost three pounds seemingly overnight and then another week went by with me not losing a single pound! I'm four months post op right now and I only lost 8 pounds in the last month. Your weight loss is going to fluctuate and it will seeemingly drive you crazy (it does to me), so my advice is to just take the small victories and Celebrate those and not focus so much on the weight itself. For one thing, if you're exercising you may be putting on muscle as you lose weight and muscle weighs more than fat so your scale isn't going to accurately tell you how you're doing. For another my primary told me that stressing about your weight will increase hormones that will SLOW down your weight loss! That's why I said you should celebrate the small victories. For example: I was finally able to wear the regular sized hospital gown verses asking for a plus size hospital gown. I was finally able to have the blood pressure cuff go on my upper arm like a normal person instead of on my forearm because it never fit before (the cuff would pop off as it aired up). I can fit into 2xl shirts (I was a 6xl at my heaviest). I'm down to a size 22 pants (I was a 32 before). Things like that will make you see that there IS a change in your weight because when I look in the mirror it's hard for me to see a difference. Everyone else sees it, but I don't... I felt great though when at my nieces birthday party my sisters friend who hadn't seen me in 9 months asked my sister what I'd done to lose so much weight (this was in February when I was 45 pounds heavier than I am now). So yeah, take the small victories and celebrate them. Try not to stress as much. The weight WILL come off!

[New&Improved 1,780]

Sorry don't know who told you to eat that much I was still only on like 500cal for months.

I still eat plenty of Protein but low calories I only just increased mine at 6 months

[New&Improved 1,780]

Maybe I was lucky or I was just very strict and I lost over 150lbs in like 8 months

[Azlanie 51]

Everyone's body works differently. While I had a different procedure than you did, I can tell you that I have periods of stall, plateau, followed by a loss. Sometimes I only lose weight 1 or 2 weeks out of the month but those losses tend to be significant. If you stick to the program, follow your surgeon and dietitian's plans...it WILL come off!

[catwoman7 10,922]

I'd lost 39.8 lbs at the three-month mark, and I started out at a much higher BMI than you are. People lose at all different rates for all different reasons (age, gender, metabolic rate, activity level, starting BMI, whether or not you lost a lot of weight prior to surgery, etc). As long as you're noticing a downward trend, you're good.