Frustrated!!
I am so frustrated and depressed!! I am wondering if I have made a huge mistake. I am 6 weeks out from this surgery and I have only lost 15 pounds. I am wondering if I should have gotten the gastric bypass instead of the sleeve. Several of my friends had the bypass and the weight just fell off of them. I lost 7 pounds the first 7 days while on the protein shakes and now that I am on solid foods, I am confused as to how many calories I should get and if I can have carbs and how many. All my doctor says is 60 grams of protein and water and exercise. I haven't exercised because I am so tired. I have very little energy and I feel like I am not getting the proper nutrition. I hardly ever eat a vegetable because I am stuffing myself with protein. I find myself drinking the Atkins meal re placer shakes because it takes the guesswork out figuring my protein. Are they bad for me? Could that be why the scale isn't moving? What am I doing wrong? I have got to get those scales moving and get some energy back!!
I'll tell you what I did and you can take what you want and leave the rest. I'm sorry you are frustrated. I was very weak and didn't have much energy for the first 6 weeks and then, almost like a light switch, it changed and I felt much better. By 6 weeks I was eating regular food but only protein. You said you feel like you aren't getting proper nutrition because you can't eat veggies. That didn't seem to be a concern with my doc. I ate an ounce or two of protein for breakfast...part of a scrambled egg, some leftover hamburger, some Greek yogurt...then after an hour I would start drinking water and then a bit later I would drink an 8 ounce Isopure Zero. I preferred that to other protein drinks because it has the consistency of water and no carbs. Then I would repeat two more times...an ounce or two of protein and then water and a protein drink. The only carbs I ate was the occasional bite of mashed potatoes and the carbs in the yogurt. I got at least 60 grams of protein a day, usually more, with at least 45 from the Isopure drinks. I lost 100 pounds in 7 months. The yogurt I ate, and still do, is Dannon Light and Fit Greek yogurt. I drank all the time and still do, but other than Isopure I only drank water. I still only drink water. I hope you can fine something helpful in this.
In the spirit of being helpful, not judgmental, it sounds to me like you are letting the sleeve do the work. Unfortunately, for most people that doesn't work so well. You really need to be mindful of how you eat and what you eat. Here is the basic plan that I was given:
Daily you need to eat....
80 grams of protein - very low carb shakes, lean and dense proteins
It sounds like you've got a bit of buyers remorse kicking in & a lot of people here go thru it at 1 time or another. All I can say is stop comparing yourself to your friends. This is your journey now & you can make the best of it for yourself or get frustrated cuz it's not like your friends.
Mind you I'm still a newbie but I'd start weaning myself off the Atkins shakes, there's nothing wrong with them but it's not filling either. If you're up to dense protein stick with that, it'll keep you feeling fuller longer. Everyone heals at different rates so it might take longer for your body to get its groove back. Track, measure & log everything!
Be kind to yourself! You're just starting out. There's plenty that you'll learn & discover along the way. It's not a sprint it's a marathon. You've got a great tool that'll keep working for you as long as you use it properly. Good luck on your weight loss journey!
No one surgery is better than the other, what works for one may not work for another.
T-Rebel
Look at the positive you have lost 15 llbs. What does your Doctors plan state? Do you have a NUT? No where on my plan did it say to use Adkins meal replacer shakes. With that being said your doctor may be okay with it. At six weeks out I was able to consume all my protein thru eating softs and solids. Shakes weren't needed. Are you getting all your liquids in?? You have to put the work in and figure out what works for you. If you have a NUT or Doctor I would highly suggest following their plan? Energy was not an issue, if anything I had more energy.
Age: 40 Height: 5'8" Highest Weight: 325 Starting Weight: 291 Current Weight: 166 Goal Weight: 160
VSG 10/24/14 with Dr. David Chengelis
First, take a deep breath, you can do this! I agree with the other posters about feeling better at the 6-8 week mark, so you can look forward to that! I'm only a few weeks farther out than you are, but I remember the frustration you are feeling. My doctor also just said "60g of protein a day, 64oz of water and exercise".
I still have 1/2 to 1 protein shake a day to meet my protein goals, but they are the bariatric approved ones my doctor recommends (Celebrate or Bariatric Advantage are what he offers, but there are other brands out there). I would stop using the Atkins ones unless they are approved by your doctor. It looks like those have about 1/2 the grams of protein compared to what I use, with the same number of calories! Yikes!
Second, calories - my doc didn't give us recommendations for this, but I've asked him and my nutritionist and they finally gave me some info. At 6 weeks out I was barely getting 400-500 calories. When I asked, my doctor said this was normal. I'm about 11 weeks now and I'm getting 600-700, they said this was close to normal (which is 700-800). I also rarely get veggies because protein has to come first. Eventually we will be able to get veggies in. Also, you didn't mention how much water you drink, but you might increase it. I'm doing around 80oz per day.
Finally, could it be that you are in the middle of the dreaded stall? Around the 3 week out mark I hit a stall that lasted 3 weeks and 5 days. Then BAM! Dropped 6 pounds overnight.
I hope this helps! Hang in there!
HW: 378 | 1st Consult: 363 | Surgery: 339 | CW: 182
"We all have two lives. The second begins when we realize we only have one."
Hello..
My nutritionist approved Atkins shakes and premiere protein shakes for me. I however; only drink one shake a day now and I alternate between the two based on how many grams of protein I need. I eat Greek yogurt, lots of protein in that. It wasn't until my 6 week appointment I was approved to add fruit and veggies back into my diet. I still don't get a lot of them in. However; I eat those dole fruit cups that are packed in 100% juice for snacks when at work and for veggies, I try and make things where it can be mixed in with my proteins. Like hamburger and green peppers chopped up and baked with some cheese. It's fairly good.. With some added spices of course.
At 2 weeks post-op I had lost 27 lbs and then I gained 6 lbs!! I was freaking out! My doctor told me it was normal, there are many factors. TOM = huge water gain for me. I added more foods into my diet, ect ect.. By week 4/5 I had lost the 6 lbs plus some. I made it a point to only get on the scale on Monday mornings and on my surgery date. That way I am not consumed by the number on the scale. I know by my clothes that I am losing inches. Sometimes that's even better than the pounds. I am approaching my 2 month mark this coming weekend! I found that I lose about 1-3 lbs a week. It varies but by the end on the month the total is nice to see.
Its not going to happen overnight. We didn't get over weight overnight.. So we aren't going to get fit or lose the weight over night either. My advise to you is to not worry and stress so much. It will happen. My feelings on it is the slower it comes off the better it is, for one to keep it off and two to work out and tone up.
As for exercise .. I only walk about 1 mile with my dog. I don't even do it every day.. If it's raining or I work late and it dark, I just can't go out and do it. Dark country roads and me don't mix. Lol.
Keep your head up.. I'm the most laziest and lack of willpowered person you will ever meet, and if I can do this anyone can!!
Best of Luck!
Karen
on 12/1/15 1:25 pm, edited 12/1/15 6:42 am
Re calorie intake: Most sleevers do not lose weight unless they keep their total calorie intake between 600-800 calories (this is for women; I think it's a bit higher for men). To keep track of your calorie intake, weigh and measure everything you eat and keep track of it on a site like myfitnesspal.com. Make it your new religion to do this.
Re carbs: Only in the form of low-starch vegetables and fruit (if you can tolerate fruit; it sets off carb cravings for some people). No bread, crackers, cookies, or anything else that contains flour and/or sugar in any form. A bit of fat for your veggies is okay, but be sure to measure and track it along with everything else.
Re energy: You're still recovering from the surgery, which takes some people at least 6 weeks or more before they feel like themselves again. Your energy will soon start to return and when it does, start exercising as much as your body will comfortably tolerate. You can push harder when you've lost more weight.
Re "stuffing yourself": Never eat to the point of feeling stuffed. Whenever you do that, you've eaten too much. Try to eat to the point of being "almost full," or what some sleevers call "undereating your sleeve." Also be sure to slow down your eating (my surgeon said 20-30 minutes per meal) or you will hit the stuffed stage before you're even aware of it.
Re protein shakes: My own opinion about shakes is to use them only when necessary, such as: when you're too tired, busy or ill to cook, or as a brief jump-start when your protein levels are too low. Real food is always preferable to processed food, IMO. If they're helping you for now, keep using them.
Re frustration: Your weight loss quest is as much about the journey as the destination. The eating habits you develop for everyday use are more important than what the scale is telling you. Form good eating habits (protein first; eat slowly, etc.), measure and track your food, find the calorie limit that allows you to lose weight (always remembering that as you lose, this limit will change), and exercise as much as you can when you can. The sleeve is not designed to automatically make you lose weight. You have to learn to work with it.
Good luck!
psychoticparrot
"Live for what today has to offer, not for what yesterday has taken away."
Everyone's body responds differently, everyone's weight loss pattern is different, and everyone worries that they'll be the one person surgery doesn't work for. I had bypass, gained about 6 lbs in the hospital, and stayed up that 6 lbs for a couple weeks after surgery. Then the loss started veeeeerrrrrryyy slowly. Then it sped up. Then it slowed down again. Then I lost 4 lbs in a week. Then I gained 2 lbs in 2 days. My stalls seem like they haven't been at all near the typical plateau points.
My husband, on the other hand, had VSG and has lost over 100 lbs in his first 6 months.
Everyone's experience is different, and you're still very fresh from the OR. Hang tight!
