4 Weeks and only 10lbs!

[WJR 2]

I'm in tears. What went wrong? I know many people who have done this and not one who has experienced what I am experiencing which is NO WEIGHT LOSS. Im devastated. I was so afraid of getting too small it never occurred to me that I could be here with no real weight loss. Did it fail? I'm not overeating, I'm counting calories to stay around 1200 or less. Heartbroken.

[Arabesque 7,604]

Ok, breathe. It’s ok. We all lose at different rates. You may be a slow loser. You said you’ve lost 10lbs in 4 weeks so that is some loss.

I am concerned about how you are managing to get in 1200 calories a day at this early stage. Who recommended that as a daily goal? That seems more like a high recommended pre surgical caloric goal not post surgical. 300 - 500 calories at this early stage seems to be pretty common. 1200 calories is what a lot of us consume to maintain our weight.

Are you on purées or have you started eating soft foods? Are you following your diet plan? What quantity of food are you eating? Most are told to aim to consume 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of food 3 times a day once you start eating purées, soft food & then solids.

Contact your nutritionalist/dietician and your surgical team. They will give you some guidance on how to manage your journey.

[NovaLuna 710]

First off lower your calorie intake. You are only a month out so around 600 calories is where you should be at and eventually in the next few months build that up to 800. Second, the three week stall is a thing most people go through. It lasts anywhere from a week to three weeks. You'll have several stalls throughout your journey and yes, they are frustrating as hell, but they happen. Third, although I lost 23 pounds the first month I was also over 300 pounds and depending on your starting weight 10 pounds may very well be exceptional. Be proud of the fact that you lost 10 pounds in a month, that's an accomplishment! Finally, everyone loses at a different rate. Right now I'm 7 months out and lose an average of 1-3 pounds a week (I lost two pounds this week, two last week, and one the week before). The weight WILL come off if you stick to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Try not to stress about it because my doctor said stress can lessen your weight loss (incredibly difficult not to stress about it, I know). You got this! You can do it! I wish you the best!

[WJR 2]

OK, honestly I don't know how many calories I was getting in the first few weeks. I concentrated on just getting in Water and shakes. I was told in a forum that perhaps I had not lost any weight because I wasn't getting enough so last week I tried to increase calories and get closer to 1200, still nothing. Thanks for the encouragement. I just have never heard of people not dropping right after. I know atleast 20 people and they atleast dropped 25 the first month. Its alot of pressure people watching waiting to see a change. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Did anyone else have this problem? I feel like an oddball and failure. Maybe I'll go back to shakes and mushies. Thank you all.

Sent from my SM-N975U using BariatricPal mobile app

[Hop_Scotch 1,634]

How tall are you? What was your surgery day weight? Did you lose a lot of lbs in the couple of weeks prior to surgery?

[ImsexyandIknowit 50]

1 hour ago, WJR said:

OK, honestly I don't know how many calories I was getting in the first few weeks. I concentrated on just getting in Water and shakes. I was told in a forum that perhaps I had not lost any weight because I wasn't getting enough so last week I tried to increase calories and get closer to 1200, still nothing. Thanks for the encouragement. I just have never heard of people not dropping right after. I know atleast 20 people and they atleast dropped 25 the first month. Its alot of pressure people watching waiting to see a change. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Did anyone else have this problem? I feel like an oddball and failure. Maybe I'll go back to shakes and mushies. Thank you all.

Sent from my SM-N975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there,

I am part of the slow losers club. I had my sleeve done March 3rd and I am just hit a 30 pounds loss. So don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone goes at their own pace. I am 56 and was at 250 when I had surgery. I know it's working because I am dropping inches, not so much weight. I've got time I am good about it. At first I was really upset. But trust the process...it will all work out in the end. Enjoy life enjoy those NSV and don't be so hard on yourself...

[catwoman7 11,284]

I wasn't eating 1200 calories until I was over a year out. You were probably just in a stall when that person on the forum told you to increase calories. That's not how to deal with them - the best option is to just stick to your program and ride it out. Like someone above said, stalls will happen all along your journey and they'll typically last 1-3 weeks. When you get to them, just stick to your plan, be patient, and stay off the scale if you have to - they WILL break.

I didn't count calories at all the first few weeks - I just focused on my Protein and fluid goals. Once I started eating solid food, I really wasn't consciously counting calories, either (that didn't come until several months out), but since I was tracking everything, I knew I was eating somewhere in the 600-800 range since that's what my calorie-counting app was saying. That seems to be pretty typical during the early months.

and as Arabesque said, your starting BMI is one of the major factors that affects your rate of weight loss. I lost 16 lbs the first month, and I started out well over 300 lbs. If you're what we call a "light weight" (in the low 200s), that 10 lbs is probably a reasonable expectation for the first month.

[WJR 2]

Thank you all. I was freaking out. My starting weight was 222 so maybe thats it. I will stay the course and I will not step back on the scale for awhile.

Sent from my SM-N975U using BariatricPal mobile app

[WJR 2]

How tall are you? What was your surgery day weight? Did you lose a lot of lbs in the couple of weeks prior to surgery?

I am 5"1 and started at 222. I lost 10 in the weeks prior.

Sent from my SM-N975U using BariatricPal mobile app

[WJR 2]

Hi there,
I am part of the slow losers club. I had my sleeve done March 3rd and I am just hit a 30 pounds loss. So don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone goes at their own pace. I am 56 and was at 250 when I had surgery. I know it's working because I am dropping inches, not so much weight. I've got time I am good about it. At first I was really upset. But trust the process...it will all work out in the end. Enjoy life enjoy those NSV and don't be so hard on yourself...

Thank you! Its good to hear I'm not alone. I truly felt like it. Joining this forum has truly been a blessing.

Sent from my SM-N975U using BariatricPal mobile app

[Cheeseburgh 3,084]

I’ll just echo what others have said, 1200 calories is way too high.

[WJR 2]

I dont get 1200 but I will stop striving for it. I usually land at 900. I will get refocus. Thanks

Sent from my SM-N975U using BariatricPal mobile app

[NYJenn 1,464]

I’d stay under 500 for the time being.

[Cheeseburgh 3,084]

My weight at surgery was 204. 500-700 was my range for a few months, then only a max 850 my first year until I got to my goal weight. I lost slow regardless, but I lost it. *disclaimer, I might be remembering this wrong, but it’s not far off.

I’m currently maintaining and I have to stick around 1350 calories or I’ll gain.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Cheeseburgh

[Lanie992 168]

I stalled for over 3 weeks and it felt like eternity. I am now losing fast - I am 3 months out and losing about 4-5 lbs a week. I am preparing for a stall sometime soon though. I don't go over 600 calories - mainly because I pick and choose what I eat by carbs, sugar, fat AND calories.

One thing that has helped me tremendously is eating the 1 net carb bread for Aldi's --- it is only 40 calories per slice. I toast two slices and put a little avocado on it (just a very thin layer) and the entire meal is about 110 calories! I buy the avocado cups at Sam's club..

Also I exercise every single day. If nothing else, I will do Leslie Sansone "walk at home" videos that you can find on youtube.