losing soooooo slowly

I was sleeved on 6/22/12.  I had lost 33 pounds prior to surgery by following my Dr.'s dietary guidelines.  Came home from surgery weighing 20 lbs more than my pre surgery weight due to fluid retention.  Well that is all gone, but I have only lost 5 additional pounds.  I am following my dr. and nut dietary and fluid guidelines srtictly and am quite active (I had my daughters 10th birthday party 5 days post op).  This is making me very anxious.  I know patience and diligence is in order, but I am worried.  Any advice???

I don't think anything is wrong.  I KNOW it's frustrating to lose slowly when you see others losing much faster.  But you lost a significant amount of weight before surgery, so you aren't going to have a big fast drop the same way that someone who didn't really lose much before surgery would.  You are also only just over a week out and have lost five pounds.  That's not bad.  You may have actually lost more, but may still be retaining some fluid from surgery.  And you are a lightweight.  The smaller you are, the slower you will lose.  You can't expect to lose as much as quickly as someone who starts at 300 pounds or more.

I totally understand your frustration though.  I've been a slow loser throught this entire process.  But, like you, I lost a good bit of weight a few months before surgery and I started out smaller than many. But the good news is that I am losing steadily.  I had surgery almost three months ago and have lost 33 pounds since surgery.  It's not a lot, but if I add that to the weight I lost before surgery, I'm halfway to goal less than three months out.

If you stick to your doctor's plan, you WILL lose the weight.  Maybe not as quickly as others, but it will go.  Have you taken measurements yet?  You may be losing inches.  I find that when my weight loss slows, I tend to lose more inches.  I tend to lose, then stall, then lose, then stall.  You may find that you do that too.  You might be at five pounds down now, but in two days, you might be at eight pounds...it works that way sometimes.  But remember, you cannot control what your body will do and what the scale will say.  You can only control what you eat and how much you exercise.  As long as you do well with that, the weight loss will follow.

Thank for your encouragement, it is really helpful.  I cannot every remember being referred to as a lightweight haha, you just made my week.  I know I have to be patient and not compare myself to others as well.  I haven't done my measurements.  I think that is a great idea that I will try because me clothes do seem to be fitting loser.  I think your suggestion of a non scale victory is just what I need.  Thanks!

I am a slow loser - 8 weeks out and only 31.6 lbs down.  I say only because with surgery and following instructions, I would have thought more by now.  I'm ok, for now, with being a slow loser as I can definitly see a difference 2 months out (I posted pics yesterday).  I weighed about the same when I came home from the hospital as the day I went in and did not lose any weight before surgery.  You are doing great, don't worry about the numbers, at least not now.  Just concentrate on following the program and letting your stomach heal properly.  

As a good friend said to me, don't worry about numbers - this time next year you will be saying "I cannot believe how much more I weight this time last year".  

Good luck and keep plugging away.

Thanks for your encouragement, it is really helpful!!!

 Realistic weightloss is 1-4lbs per week. At just over a week out, you lost the 20lbs of added water weight and an additional 5lbs? That is slow? That is very good in my books. Don't stress over it. You are doing just fine.

Thanks for your response.  It has really helped bring me back down to earth.  I know comparing myself to thers isn't too helpful, but old habits die hard lol.

Keep in mind too that you are still undoubtedly swollen. Your tummy stays internally swollen for several weeks after the surgery, and this can affect your weight. ND2BTHN is right... 1-4 pounds a week is about what most of us see in the long run. Don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself with others here. There will always be someone losing faster than you, and there will always be someone wishing they could lose like you are.

I'm also typically a slow loser.  My sleeve is scheduled for 8/15 and I'm really thankful to read posts like yours.  It will help me not get upset if I don't lose as quickly as I had hoped.  I hope that if I post something like this a couple of months from now, you will be one of people who say I've been there and hang in, it'll start to come off.  

Looks like you got some great advice from the very helpful members of this forum.  They make a lot of sense -- stick to the plan and you will succeed.  As a pp said -- a year from now you will look back and say wow, look how far I've come.  

All the best to you......

Besr wished for your upcoming surgery!.  I feel so much better hearing from others who have experienced the ups and downs.  The responses I recieved have been very encouraging, and have helped me come back down to Earth and realize that everyone's journey is different and that comparing myself to others is not a real good idea.