Discouraged and hopeless :(

[Danimedi]

Hello my friends,
I'm feeling so discouraged. I had my surgery on the 23rd of April. I lost 14 #s the first week and then I've been stuck at 288 since Tuesday. I only put in about 500 calories or less daily. I do my 3 protein shakes (75g) of protein daily and my water minimum 48oz daily and I walk 1 mile everyday. Yesterday , I walked 3 miles. I'm hoping that's not a sign that I'm not going to lose all the weight.

I'm so scared that this surgery might not work for me. I've read about stalls, but it's only been a week. I'm afraid when I start soft food on Tuesday I might gain. I hope I didn't go through this for nothing. My two weeks follow up appointment is on Tuesday. I feel like my abdomen is bigger than when I went in for surgery. I just don't know... I'm hoping the scale starts going down again.

[Pip]

Don't be discouraged ...it's far too early for that ..remember you have to give your body time to adjust...some weeks I think my weight is creeping back up..then one random weigh and I'm don another kilo ...I'm sure you have heard of the stalls..there real and they keep in happening but if you keep strong and keep doing what your doing , which is awesome by the way , you will definitely find yourself on the up ( or the down you know what I mean )
Good luck xx

[Live4joy]

You sound very discouraged. I have my surgery on the 20th. I think somewhere in my head I expect this magical and quick weight loss and that is dangerous thinking. For me I try to think about the overall picture, not necessarily every little step along the way. The big pictures shows you eating and exercising and that is what you are suppose to do. The numbers will fall, maybe not quickly or magically but then will eventually. People have told me to remember that the pathway to success is rarely a straight line. 2 steps forward, 1 back, 5 steps forward, 1 back....The big picture is about loss, that is what matters. Be gentle on yourself and try to tell yourself you're doing all the right things, the scale will adjust. Good luck.

[KarenLynn]

I get little plateaus all the time. I lose a couple pounds then stay the same for a week then all of a sudden lose 3 pounds. It's all a game your body plays. Just remember you have to eat to lose weight. If you really restrict your calories your body goes into starvation mode and you lose muscle instead of fat. It takes a while after you have surgery for your body to adjust to this new weird way of eating. The weight will start coming off. I thought the same thing that I was the one the surgery wouldn't work for. I was 235 and now I'm down to 180. I just had my surgery done in January. Hang in there and eat lots of protein...that's the key!! Good luck!

[ggibson1038]

You are on very few calories. Your body needs to adjust to that style of eating. I had mine a couple of weeks before you I think of the long haul. We tend to think that because some on here lose 100 pounds in under a year that we will lose at the same rate. As long as you are exercising and following the dietitians advice, there is no way you won't lose weight.

[bestnester]

I'm sorry you're so frustrated, but this is a process and you know that. You're a smart person so try to regain control emotionally. Stalls are very normal. Try to learn from each one, like try to mentally and emotionally learn how to handle them because honestly you can't change a lot else.

[Lea]

I had surgery January 21 2013, I had my biggest drop( 20 lbs) in April. My body just decided to let go I guess because I was doing the same in February and March. Since that drop for the last week I have been at the same weight.....I am fine with that. I know I will start losing again when my body is ready and too fast of weight loss is not good. Ok am thinking about having my husband hide the scale though so I weigh once a week...not daily

[alotofbabyweight]

It sounds like you are doing a perfect job, do not fear, the scale will move! I understand why you're upset, I get upset when the scale doesn't move, but what you're going through is insane!! I bet solid foods will help the scale move. Also, try measuring yourself, sometimes the inches come off before the pounds. If you have the means, a nutritionist might help set your mind at ease. The work and dieting her doing now will pay off!

[ReadytoRock]

Stalls are par for the course my dear. Your body has to catch up and adjust. I will be 8 weeks post-op tomorrow and I had a full week stall between weeks and 3 AND another stall that lasted 2 full weeks from 2 weeks ago until this weekend. Trust me, I was about to lose if after the two week stall. For not even being 2 months out, 3 weeks total of stalls has not been fun. But, it's part of how it goes. I consume lots of protein and hit the gym hard 5x a week. I was so discouraged by my stall for the last 2 weeks that I ate ice cream and chocolate Friday night and BAM woke up the next morning with a 1 pound loss and another pound the next morning (today). Those extra carbs and calories (just one time) must have done something, but now I'm back to "the plan". Just hang in there and know that adding solids is what you body is craving and it will not hurt your weight loss goals in the long run.

[inarakatra]

I can't add to what everyone is saying. They are hitting the nail on the head. Stay postive.

[JulieJ]

Hang in there and don't be discouraged. Do what your surgeon tells you to do and the weight WILL come off!

[DS75]

I agree with what the others have said. Your body is still recovering from surgery. You are following your doctors directions and exercising so you know the weight will come off. It took a few days for me to really see any difference in my weight loss but once it got started, it kept dropping. I had a short plateau but stick with your plan and it does come off. Good luck and look on the bright side! You have a great life ahead of you!

[AZARC]

They've all said it, but I'll add one extra that helped my stall at about the same time...go shopping with a friend. That's what broke mine (and still does). It's exercise without realizing it, having fun, taking your mind off of the surgery. I was still hurting at the time and exercising wasn't in the program, but shopping on the other hand, getting out, I couldn't resist. That did the trick. Bottom line, the body has to adjust. You're doing the right things. Be patient and kind to your body while it transitions.

[Danimedi]

Thank you guys so much for all your support. I know stalls are also part of the weight loss but 1 week ... I'm thinking of giving my scale away to my sister and just weigh at the doctor's office. I weigh every morning and sometimes twice daily. I'm just going to wait and see. I'm following everything my surgeon asked me too. Hopefully when I start soft food Tuesday it will start moving down. It's so frustrating when you're doing everything right and it's not moving. I'll try to keep my mind off the scale and just focus on following my surgeon's plan and keep on exercising and wait for results. Thanks all for listening. I'm glad I have you guys to vent to.

[Live4joy]

Definitely don't weight more than once a week. You will be able to tell by your clothes if you even want to do is less frequently. Don't let it be your ball and change.