6 moth post op
- Thread starter hopeful32
- Start date
dianeseattle
Member
what do you mean? How did you fail? If you had the surgery, there's virtually no way you'll be fat forever. You'd have to literally stuff yourself full of food all day long and never let your stomach empty.
I see you joined yesterday at 8:13 and logged off at 8;52, so I'm wondering if you're really just a troll. If you're not, could you please tell us your story? If you are, have a nice life.
assuming you're genuine and want to be part of this support group, please tell us more about your fears and why you think you've failed. this group has no financial benefit for existing. Our sole purpose is to surround other members with support and love.
dianeseattle
Member
thank you for responding. It sounds like you might be at a plateau. Almost everyone experiences that. A plateau can last for months, or just for a few weeks, but there's very little you can do to break the plateau. It's the body's natural "starvation response," when any considerable weight loss happens. The body kicks into gear to conserve calories needed to live.
I lost 75 pounds and then hit a plateau that lasted for a few months. But I started hiking because the weather had warmed up, so I spent all my time around a campfire in one of our state or national parks and virtually every trail goes uphill. I'm not a big exercise machine person. I prefer the real world. Once I started hiking and camping, even though I was now able to eat a pretty significant amount of food, the weight came off. At 14 months I had lost 110 pounds. Actually, I lost more than that, but was TOO thin, so I had to work really hard to gain back 15 so I could get back to a healthy weight for my frame.
One great thing for all-around body health and tone is to swim. Swimming involves virtually every muscle in your body and burns calories very quickly. I didn't know how to swim when I had surgery, but joined the YMCA and took lessons. I did just three laps a day because I wasn't strong enough to do more than that, and I have a lack of coordination that prevents me to breathe in and out in a regular pattern, which is necessary when stroking and swimming laps.
Anyway, try to relax and believe in yourself. And of course, stay in close touch with your medical team, including a nutritionist, if you have one. No matter how many pounds you need to lose, you can do it with your new, powerful tool. But if ANYTHING feels wrong, get medical assistance.
And congratulations on your weight loss so far. That's a huge amount for a body to lose. You're doing great.
dianeseattle
Member
Not at all. There ARE no marks. Every body is different. We all have that friend who eats junk food and milkshakes and never gains an ounce. And then there are people who eat very little but gain weight if they binge one time.
Don't compare your insides to someone else's outsides. You are you, glorious you, and imagine how lovely it would feel to spend a day loving yourself and being grateful that you're alive and in this body. We all have flaws and we all have spectacular traits.. There's nothing to be gained by constantly measuring yourself. Relax, Breathe deeply. Close your eyes. Say "I love you" to yourself. You may not believe it, but your brain does, and the more good things you think, the more positive feedback your brain accepts and the more positive thoughts it puts into your consciousness.
I just mentioned this the other day, but search this group for "affirmations." See what you think.
You're awesome.
This is so important, kindness to self is a must in this process!!! Hopeful, I hear that you are afraid, and feeling discouraged, but you've come to the right place. There are so many here that can really help with just about any aspect of this situation, but also just send good wishes, and just warmth and support. This is a difficult process, honor your courage and effort that got you this far. 40 lbs is a lot, I know it makes such a difference for me already in how I feel and look, I'm sure it is for you also.
missyinacage
Member
missyinacage
Member
I have shared this a million times. As you you can see AVERAGE weight loss is much slower than many of us expected or were led to believe. Those who started out heavier tend to lose more faster, of course. Those who don't have as much to lose lose slower. You are right on track or close, right?
I was told I could reasonably expect to lose 60-80% of my excess weight in a two year period. Do people lose ALL of their excess weight? Yes. Did that happen for me? No lol Nor has it happened for anyone I personally know who has had the surgery. I know at least a dozen people personally, in real life, who have had WLS.
Now days surgeons are much more experienced in this surgery and are unlikely to leave you with a too small pouch. Or bypass a little too much intestine, which left so many earlier patients with malnutrition. Although they did end up skinny. But at what cost?!
Follow the process and take this time to learn healthy lifelong habits that you can use, along with the tool that is surgery, to keep it off. Eventually you may be able to eat more, so you want to put healthy habits in place now. Like fruits and veg as snacks. Not everything actually has to be protein based once your able to meet your protein goals.
If you're able, speak with your programs nutritionist, or find one of your own, to help put a healthy, sustainable plan in place for lifelong eating.
And try to stress a little less and give yourself some grace. Allow your journey to progress as it will. As long as you're doing the right things, you'll get where you need to be.
I was told I could reasonably expect to lose 60-80% of my excess weight in a two year period. Do people lose ALL of their excess weight? Yes. Did that happen for me? No lol Nor has it happened for anyone I personally know who has had the surgery. I know at least a dozen people personally, in real life, who have had WLS.
Now days surgeons are much more experienced in this surgery and are unlikely to leave you with a too small pouch. Or bypass a little too much intestine, which left so many earlier patients with malnutrition. Although they did end up skinny. But at what cost?!
Follow the process and take this time to learn healthy lifelong habits that you can use, along with the tool that is surgery, to keep it off. Eventually you may be able to eat more, so you want to put healthy habits in place now. Like fruits and veg as snacks. Not everything actually has to be protein based once your able to meet your protein goals.
If you're able, speak with your programs nutritionist, or find one of your own, to help put a healthy, sustainable plan in place for lifelong eating.
And try to stress a little less and give yourself some grace. Allow your journey to progress as it will. As long as you're doing the right things, you'll get where you need to be.
amyfife71
Member
It won't be forever! You haven't failed, either. However, if you have stopped losing you need to take a look at what you're eating and drinking g and talk to your bariatric doc or a nutritionist. I have a friend d who stopped losing because within a few weeks of surgery, she was drinking wine again! She was drinking her calories which is far too easy to do. Evaluate your diet, talk to a nutritionist and switch up your exercise routine. You'll get back in track and you will succeed!
Reallypurple
Member
Oh gosh honey. I feel ya. I have had times of those feelings. 40# is such a victory. They keep telling me focus on nonscale wins. And gosh you missed NO MARKS. I kept comparing myself to friends who "totally succeeded," and it sent me into a depression. I felt exactly like you, I'll be fat forever. I missed this important magical window. So for however much it helps, you are NORMAL. I sure hope you can get to a good nutritionist. Mine did help me. Turns out you have to watch FAT. Gee, why did NO ONE tell me that at first. And the literature does not mention this enough. For instance, they almost never tell you how much to have. I was eating too much cheese, even diet cheese. Once I started tracking fat, the needle moved. I sure hope you'll discover a little thing that snuck in. The science of this can be really demanding sometimes. Maybe get with some friends who can really love up on you and remind you how great you are. Coz you are. You are brave and courageous and vulnerable. That is beautiful.
dianeseattle
Member
You're experiencing something most of us do. You've hit a plateau which has caused a stall. No matter how little you eat, your weight won't budge. It's very depressing, but don't let it control you. You have not failed. Don't try to make yourself feel better by going back to bad habits.
When I hit my months-long stall, I had lost 75 pounds and believed I would keep losing at the same speed. But no. That's isn't how your metabolism works. When you get to a point where your body starts to believe it's actually starving and it needs calories to live, it stops burning at the higher rate and tries to conserve calories.
I broke my stall by increasing my activity. Specifically, I began hiking in the mountains around here, carrying a backpack and eating energy bars because cooking was difficult. The weight just melted off in large quantities, to the point where I actually had to work at gaining some of it back.
Anyway, just try increasing your activity in whatever form works for your brain. Some people turn to exercise machines, swimming, aerobics and structured activity. Others just get up off their couches and walk in place while watching tv. The type of activity you choose doesn't matter, so long as it's aerobic, meaning you're driving oxygen through muscle tissue, using calories from stored or recently eaten fat and calories.
It doesn't even have to be a big effort. You'll be surprised when you try it. But make sure you stop eating the bad stuff and try to decrease things that really help fat grow, like sugar and other carbohydrates.
good luck to you.
GiantsLola
Member
As my surgeon has said to me multiple times, there is no average. Everyone is different. Keep at it, you can do this!
How do you guys go about meal prep? I feel like I don’t have my stuff together enough to do that well. And I feel overwhelmed when it comes to it. So I end up eating out a lot. Smaller portions of course because that’s all I can manage but I feel my meal prep is lacking a little.
Like how do you keep from falling into old habits?
Like how do you keep from falling into old habits?
GiantsLola
Member
For me, I keep in mind the easy to grab stuff for things like lunch (yogurt, etc). For dinner, I tend to listen to what my stomach wants. Sometimes I have an idea for dinner but then that changes that day. I try to keep at least a few things in the fridge that I could make. Although, I've learned I do better with fish when it is fresh and not the frozen. I don't think eating out occasionally is too bad as long as you're sticking to what your surgeon/med team say is ok to eat and like you said the smaller portions.
I haven't done real meal prepping per se, however I do keep lots of options on hand at all times. I have cottage cheese, smoked salmon, canned tuna, cooked chicken, protein pudding, protein shakes, bars, snacks, etc. Yogurt, walnuts, grapes is a favorite breakfast on days I do a big work out. I make a pot of lentils and freeze them in small 2 oz portions to be able to have some easy food. Tasty Bites makes Madras Lentils, really delicious. Recently I mixed canned chicken with Better Than Bouillion roasted turkey gravy, then put it over cauliflower that I had boiled in chicken broth with seasonings. It was really tasty and felt like eating a comfort casserole. That I can also freeze in small containers. I ordered 2 oz containers, and 3 oz containers from amazon, they've been extremely helpful. I measure and portion everything by weight or volume and track everything. A favorite meal right now is tuna mixed with mayo, spread on gluten free wasa crisp bread with a slice of colby cheese and broiled in the oven. That totals 187 calories, 5 grams of carbs, 17 grams of protein and 11 grams of fat. (2 oz tuna, 1/2 tbsp mayo, 2/3 oz colby cheese, 1 Wasa crisp)
FlandStalaync
Member
Hey everyone!
I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to reach out to the admins here about the possibility of purchasing some links for my website. I'm willing to pay for them, of course.
Here are a few examples of my links:
42:00
25:34 Alexis and her friend caming in their bathroom
If anyone from the admin team is interested, could you please shoot me a message privately? I'd love to discuss further.
Thanks a bunch!
I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to reach out to the admins here about the possibility of purchasing some links for my website. I'm willing to pay for them, of course.
Here are a few examples of my links:
42:00
25:34 Alexis and her friend caming in their bathroom
If anyone from the admin team is interested, could you please shoot me a message privately? I'd love to discuss further.
Thanks a bunch!