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AliceWoolf

Member
Hello!
I am Alice. I am 31 years old. Thank you for reading me. My surgery (VSG) was May 11th, I am just over a month post op. My starting weight was 109.5 kg, I am now 99 kg. My height is 1.60 meters. I feel extremely discouraged by these results. I feel like I should have lost at least 15 kilograms, but I fell very short of that. I know statistics dictate I should lose about 50% of my excess weight in the first three months, with the first month having the steepest decline. My excess body weight, as calculated by my doctors, is about 50 kg, so I should lose at least 15 kg more in the next two months. I know I sound somewhat frantic, but right now I am seized by fear of failure. I feel disappointed in myself and ashamed.

Having said that, I really know I could be doing more. Tomorrow I have an appointment to see a personal trainer and will be starting training program next Monday. Right now, I walk about 5-6 days a week, for about 45 minutes, but have no exercised any more than that. I also have not incorporated resistance training as recommended. I will be changing that. My meals consist, mostly, of protein shakes morning and night, with soft food (I.e. half a can of tuna and about the same amount of vegetables with it, no bread or crackers). I also eat half a pear of half a cup of fruit during the day, with Greek yogurt and some granola. I believe I have mostly followed guidelines, with the exception of a teaspoon of sugar with tea sometimes. No carbonated drinks, no beverages with added sugars at all. Naturally, no alcohol. I must say I also have weighted myself twice since the surgery, once at my sutures retirement (May 22nd) and today. On May 22nd I had lost 7 kilograms. These past two weeks I have lost only 3.5.

Am I eating too much? Is this about my failure to exercise properly?

I hope you all are having successful stories and have been able to turn your life around. For those who are pre-op, I truly believe you are making the best possible decision. Don’t let my whining discourage you. Even if I turn out to be a failure, I don’t regret this decision. I am trying to be as proactive as possible with my goal weights.

Thank you so much for your time. Your insights are highly appreciated.

Best of luck,

Alice.
 
Everyone always thins they haven't, or aren't , losing enough. I'll be honest, I'm not going to go to a calculator to figure out kg to lbs for all your stats. I did the beginning and current, so I know you've lost 20lbs in 4 weeks. That seems pretty good to me. And I have no idea about losing half your excess weight in 3 months. That seems extremely difficult. But IDK the stat so, maybe?

As long as you are following the plan and losing weight, you are succeeding. DO NOT talk trash about yourself. Especially TO yourself.You've made a hard choice to improve your health and life. That is AWESOME. Celebrate yourself. This isn't easy and look at all the things you are doing. Walks almost every day. Following the food plan. Getting your protein in.

It is hard to adjust in the beginning. I had a stall and was positive I had screwed up the whole surgery and was going to be obese forever. Give it time. The weight will keep coming off. You don't have to work out 7 days a week. You don't have to worry you've ruined the whole thing with a sugar cube in your tea. Breathe. Then put on the work and let it come.
 
Thank you! I hope you are well. Today I am a bit calmer than yesterday. I went to a personal trainer and we will be starting next week. You are right, the scale seems like a common concern in bariatric patients. I believe we are all so used to failing in classic diets that minor setbacks are cause for near panic. In a way, I feel as though I cannot afford to not succeed, given how drastic a change this was, so there really is a lot of fear. My stats are as follow:
*Starting weight: 241.4 lb
*Weight loss by May 22nd: 15.43
*Total weight loss since surgery: 23.14 lb
My biggest concern was how little weight I seemed to have lost after May 22nd, and I was feeling very disappointed in myself. However, today I feel a lot more motivated to do as much as I can, within reason, to meet my goals.
Thank you for your reply. :)
 
Hi Alice, It sounds to me you are losing weight, which is fantastic! The bariatric surgeon and his team of PA's have explained to me that each individual loses weight at a different pace. He said that some people lose a lose very quickly, others lose more slowly, others lose at a constant rate. As for my case, I think I lost about the same as you in my first month. At my last appointment (I am 5 months out), they said I had lost over 40% of my excess weight, and now 5 months out, I have lost 60 pounds, but feel I have a ways to go to hit my target. It's a journey, not a marathon....
 
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