I have noticed over the last few years that some people do well with a large amount of loss and than others do not. I can say that this is the case with me and my wife and her sister. Over the last 18 months I have lost 75 lbs and they are a lot less. Now my sister-in-law had a problem with a sliped band, she had surgery a couple of weeks ago to fix that. Then my wife has had problems with her gal bladder and is going to have it taken out on Thursday. The doctor says that it is related to her weight loss. They have both progressed but not like I have done. I guess I was lucky in the fact that I did not have much medical issues and was not on insulin and other meds. I have seen a lot of people talk about and even the doctor allways asked about the foods we eat etc., if we chew chew etc. However I was wondering if the reason why a lot of people are not loosing a lot of weight and not able to get off the meds like others are is because the meds they are one causes them to not loose or even gain. Example of a drug that a lot of people talk about that caused them to gain is form the females that take the depo pervo (I think I spelled it right) caused them to gain a lot of weight. So I think I have a new theory that needs to be looked at in more detail and explain it to the people so that they understand why they are not loosing considering that they have kept a log of eating and excerise etc. Can a lot of the drugs that people are taking before surgery and/or even after surgery slow down or stop the weight from coming off? Is there drugs that people can change so that they can loose the weight and get off the drugs. Example would be the differant types of insulin, depression drugs etc. Iam going to a group meeting on Tuesday and going to ask this same question. I wonder why doctors have not talked about this issue before and after surgery? I hope that we might be able to shed some light on this.

Chris

What does your wife eat, and your sister? How much exercise do they get compared to you? How much did you need to lose, compared to them? You have more muscle so you use calories more efficiently; that's one reason the rate of weight loss for men can be a little faster than for women.

There are drugs that cause gain, like steroids etc. But the odds are there are other reasons why you've lost faster.

Men lose weight differentlly than women. Plain and simple. A big factor in that is the monthly cycling of hormones women experience, i.e., they tend to retain fluids at certain times, etc. When I got a surgery date, my internist took me off ALL my medications as of the day of surgery. That meant, gone were 2 diabetes oral meds, 3 blood pressure meds, an anti-depressant, and Lipitor. He said that surgery itself, the pre- and post-op diets and then the weight loss would make such a change in 90 days that we wouldn't even discuss my medications until May 6. I know that my glucose levels are good, my blood pressure is good, don't think I need the anti-depressant, and only a blood test will tell on the cholesterol. I do know that some medications can make it harder to lose weight, specifically steroids stand out as a big issue. Birth control, including but not limited to depo-provera, can cause women to gain weight. With Type II Diabetes, weight loss can completely reverse the condition and that would, of course, negate the need for the medications. Obviously, birth control is something that you don't give up unless you want a child. If you are losing consistently, are on a lot of medications, and AREN'T seeing your GP or internist, then it's time to go to the doc's office. Changes in dose or even elimination are possibilities. But ONLY the doctor providing your routine care should make that judgment. Same goes for changing prescriptions from one drug to another.