Weight loss excruciatingly slow

[Miss Thang]

I know that slow and steady wins the race but I sleeved March 7 and have only lost 20lbs to date. I swear I lost more weight pre op. I hit a stall after a few weeks which lasted almost 6 weeks but this is starting to really get me down. I have lost inches and dropped a few dress sizes and people can certainly see that I've lost weight so my sleeve has not been in vain. The problem is I have to show a WEIGHT LOSS on the scales or I cannot get surgery on my knee.
I try to get my protein in from foods as I hate the protein shakes. I struggle to get my water in and I do what I can physically manage in terms of exercise. I'm due to see my consultant mid July and I'm dreading it, especially as he was very reluctant to do the sleeve and really wanted me to do the gastric bypass.
I feel so deflated. I know a couple of ladies that sleeved the same day as me and they've lost 40 - 60 lbs already. What can I do to kick start my weight loss?
Thanks!

[Christie13]

If you're not getting in enough fluid and protein that could absolutely be the culprit. What does a typical day of eating look like for you? Are you eating a lot of carbs? Are you eating too much? Too little? More info will give us better ability to help you.

[Tommy1969]

Hi Miss Thang,

A few suggestions. It's a must to get in the water. I find water hard to drink too so I make green or spearmint tea, both hot and iced. Easier to drink and I like the taste. Maybe it could work for you. Regarding protein shakes, agree that most are terrible however have you tried the Premier Brand? The Strawberries n Cream is very good. They have vanilla and chocolate too, I get them online. Not the powdered stuff, yuck.. Also, Oikos triple zero yogurt has many flavors and has 15 grams of protein.

I have stalled as well and only start losing again when I make sure I get 80-100 ounces of water and at least 80 grams of protein a day.

I am 4 months out and have stalled a few times already. It can be frustrating but I certainly have no regrets of having this procedure.

Hope it gets better for you!

[Ann2]

Describe a typical (not good, but typical) day's food / liquids you're taking in.

Types and quantities.

[Sandra3]

If I remember well, you were taking the Slimfast shakes during your pre-op diet (those are full of carbs), because you nutritionist told you to do so. And you are in the UK right?

I'm not currently following a trict low carb like many, but I do watch my carb intake for years. And even more since the surgery. If I go higher than 100gr per day, even if the calories are low, I won't lose anything.

Weight loss is not all about calorie expenditure, but really about balance in your food intake. I try always to be at 60gr protein and under 80 or 50 gr carb.
I also have to have calcium in my diet or I don't lose weight. We each have to find what's the best diet for our own body because we are all different and don't react to food the same way.

May be you could start tracking your food to see where you are?

Take care.

[Miss Thang]

Hiya

Yes it was me on the SF shakes for my 2 week pre op but once I had the surgery I never drank them again. In the UK we have a pretty poor selection of protein shakes and general protein foods. I am in quite a few forums which are more USA based and the choices are much wider. I typical day for me would be a 3 egg omelette with onions, tomatoes and 2 handfuls of spinach with 1/2 can of baked beans. I keep it in a food warmer and eat that throughout the day. So I nibble a bit for breakfast, eat some for morning tea, lunchtime and it lasts me all day at work 9.30 - 5pm. I drink 2 cups of tea and a glass of fruit juice 200ml or if it's ice cold the same amount of bottled water. By the time I leave work and collect my kids and get home I'm then so hungry I literally have a pain in my stomach. That's when I go for something, anything to hit my stomach to stop the pain so often it's a sandwich, toast, bread roll with ham or bacon. I went through a toasted cheese and tomatoe stage for a while.
I absolutely know that the lack of preparation and pre planning plus consuming too many carbs is my downfall. The real honest truth is I physically had the sleeve done but mentally I didn't prepare, accept or adjust to what I've done.
I just need a good kick up the bum and get back on track. My situation is even more amplified by the fact that despite wanting to keep it confidential my boss told everyone I had surgery so everyday at work I can feel all eyes on me. If I don't loose any weight this failure is a big, public, epic fail.

[Sandra3]

It's ok to be lost in the process and you did the right thing coming back here and asking for help.

Oh my gosh! your boss is such an idiot! (you could report him to HR btw...)
Well, since it can't be undone the best here is to ignore people.
It's your life and your health, it's nobody's business. You have to focus on yourself and your family.

First you need to have regular meals. Do not nibble all day. That's the recipe for failure right there. You need to "have a schedule". I usually have 3 meals one snack. But early on you can have 3 small meals and two snacks. Try to not go hungry is also important. Drink water 30 mns before or after food.

Track your food, you should eat at least 60 gr of protein per day.
One meal doesn't need 3 eggs, 2 is enough. Most days I still can't eat two...

I can see here that you do eat too many carbs but there is a few easy things you can switch around.
For example, don't drink juice, have a piece of fruit instead. Juice is like drinking sugar for your metabolism. Eating fruits give you more vitamins and also fibers and the action on your hunger is different. If you eat bread, eat one slice but whole wheat. Green tea is good for you to help you lose weight, almonds too...focus on quality over quantity.

During the day what you eat is fine the main issue is when you go back home.
But let's start by during the day.
Eggs are great (no more than 2!), but you could have tuna, ham etc instead. It's good to switch what we eat to have different vitamins and proteins from different sources.

When you come back home, don't nibble again! but you can have a snack (like ten almonds) just to wait until dinner time.

There is lots of options that don't require lots of prep time. You could make a quiche (again if you didn't have eggs that day) it's a quick meal with a salad (I eat it crustless) or roast a chicken the night before and have it cold when you come back home. You could use a slow cooker to make stews (meat, beans, lentils, tofu etc..lot's of possibilities) so it's ready when you come back home, or just make salads with proteins.. etc..even if you have a sandwich, use the right bread and fill it with protein and a little salad.

Nutrition is complicated because of the environment and how we were raised. But with a little time and preparation you can be successful.
Just try to think ahead. Also, the way we feed our kids is also important so it's not all about you here but giving them a good balanced diet now will prevent them to deal with our issues later on.
I was raised on carbs (with in between strict crazy diets since the age of 9) but since my kids were little I always tried my best to have protein and veggies on the table every day.
I must say it's sometimes complicated when parents are working full time but I'm the one cooking and the only obese in the house ,so somewhere it was probably the right path...because obesity is "contagious" in most families it's not just one person because the environment is also a big part of the equation. My youngest does show the same issues (I do have a "genetic obesity" and she seems to have the same) but she is not as big as I was at her age. We try our best to have a good nutrition and exercise so it does help her a lot. Prevention is important.

Anyway. You can succeed!!! you still have many months of very good restriction in front of you!
So go back on the horse right now!

You need to also have a blood test and know if you have deficiencies and take the adequate vitamins.

Come here regularly and make yourself accountable. Keep us posted, ask questions!!

Do not compare your weight loss with others. I am a slow looser, but still losing at 17 months out...like a snail.... So can you!!! I started to see my weight loss really slow down at 9 months. But I was also taking medications to treat my asthma that did sabotage my process for a few weeks. You can seriously count on one full year of "honey moon". So it's now or never!!

Good luck and take care

PS : I live in Asia and it's extremely complicated for me to find ...virtually anything. I have to order my protein powder online and get it shipped from the US (look on Iherb, shipping is a good deal) and pay a premium for basics like organic eggs or chicken (when I can find it! if it's not the bird flu, tainted meat it's a food shortage). I can tell you that as soon as I move next month, I won't see cans of tuna in my pantry for a while...same for cans of green beans or asparagus...or any frozen meat of fish...

I've been to the UK many times....I know it's not the US but let's be clear...you can manage with the food you can find in your stores, I promise! If I could deal with what I find here in Asia and manage to lose weight, so can you in the UK!!
Be creative, look at menu ideas online...internet will help you manage you diet if you take ten minutes a day to have ideas about quick and nutritious meals.

[Jpmlvm]

MT,
We also do not live in the USA, but both were sleeved in Dec 16. Where we found help was the local body building shops. They have all the protein bars, drinks, shakes and vitamins in all different mixes, Zero carb, lean, low carb, high carb. Depending on your particular diet. We are not body builders but needed their products after WLS, ours is low carb high protein. Our snacks in the house are an assortment of high protein bites and bars, flavored water drinks with protein or rehydrating drinks. Check online near you, and see if there is a body building supplement store, they might ship the stuff. You will be amazed at the stuff they have......... As S3 says, get Back on that horse! J

[Miss Thang]

Ahhh thank you for your replies and very good advice. Not been well for a few days, everything I eat is making me wanna puke up and I can only manage a very small amount of food. Once I've eaten I want to throw up in under a minute of swallowing. I'm going to make an appointment with the nurse and see my consultant in 3 weeks so I will keep you posted. In the meantime a bought these 15g slimfast protein bars which are pleasant enough. I went a bodybuilding NUT and got some protein yoghurt pouches that I can eat on the go, they're made from quark and are not too bad either.
I will not throw the towel in - I've got this (with help ����)
Thank you ��

[FattyBoomba]

Your boss is a dick! I would be furious with him. I told no one at all about my surgery. I felt very isolated at first when I was in pain but now I am happy that no one knew. My weight loss has stalled. My weight is now stable. I am trying to start the weight loss again because I am only about half way there.

[Miss Thang]

I am beyond furious and I lodged a formal complaint which he denied telling anyone. He suggested someone in our open plan office may have overheard us talking about it during the lead up to me being off. That's rubbish. He's best friends with someone I detest. She is good friends with the girlfriend of one of my colleagues and that's how it got out. I took 2 months off work and when I returned people were greeting me with "wow you've lost weight, what did you have done?" Someone who I've never spoken to came up to me and asked me to recommend my surgeon as she has eating problems - she's a size 6!!!

I'm pretty thick skinned but EXCEPTIONALLY private and I detest people chatting my business.

It's done but lesson learned - I won't tell that man if I passed wind!