Question:
Is 6 months all I have time to loose. HELP11111111111

I had a rny on 12-12-01 and have lost 105 started out at 377 and now at 272 is this all Im going to loose? I seem to be at a standstill. I want so badley to get under 200 what is the chance I can? Or is this going to be it. I thought you loose for 18 months but now I keep reading that 6 monthsis the grestest lost and now I will only loose a little I still need to loose alot more HELP!!!!!!!!!    — Joyce C. (posted on July 16, 2002)

July 15, 2002
Hi Joyce! Don't despair. From what I've read is that the 6-12 months is a window where it's easiest to lose weight without much effort. You can still loose outside of 6 months but the loss might be less per week, and you will need to work a bit for it. Are you following your surgeon's recommendations for eating? Are you exercising at all? If you only lose 1-2 lbs per week from the 6 month point out, that still totals up to a 50 lb loss in 6 months, which ain't bad at all. And don't forget about the plateus too, that you may be losing inches instead of weight. Do you measure at all? Try not to get locked in the numbers, go by how you feel and if you need to up the activity and watch what you're eating. I hope this helps, good luck!! =) Sarah
   — Sarah C.

July 15, 2002
Please don't worry. You started out with a high weight. Almost as high as I was! I started at 407 lbs. It has been 16 months since my surgery, and I have lost 187.5 lbs. so far. I still lose an average of 1-2 lbs. per week and my doctor says I may continue to lose weight for up to 24 months from my surgery date, which will put me under 200 lbs.! It's possible. I'm at 220 lbs. now and only want to get off about another 30 lbs. in the next 8 months during this "window of opportunity." It's the "lightweights" who only have 6-12 months.
   — Terissa R.

July 15, 2002
Look at my profile if you'd like. (I have every months weight loss recorded there). It pretty much came to a stop at 6 months. It waited around three months before it picked up again. Man was I scared! ;)
   — Danmark

July 15, 2002
You can increase loss by getting lots more exercise, like walking a few hours a day, or tennis or swimming. This will help peel the weight off, With summer swimming is great, and easy on the body too.
   — bob-haller

July 16, 2002
my surgeon put it this way, JACKI, I CAN PUT YOU IN THE DRIVERS SEAT, BUT I CANNOT MAKE YOU DRIVE THE CAR PROPERLY. Your respb will be, exercise, eat right , and take your vitimans and RESEARCH on your own. I have done the above !!!! Down to 179
   — Jackiis

July 16, 2002
I've seen people drop over 300# in a year, others drop 60# and some who just plod along til they're done. Don't panic or sabotage yourself when you're fresh out the gate. If you've messed up, fix it and move on. If you've been as near perfect as possible, keep going. There is not a time-stamp on us. Some are at goal in 6 months, then what? The window is as long as you're losing, you're losing. Might be step, rest, step, rest, step. For a few lucky ones, it's just a slide to a gentle stop, but not many. Everyone's weight loss style is a little different. In my local group, I was one of the slowest, but I still got there. And I'm still at goal wt.
   — vitalady

July 16, 2002
Wow, 6 months and look how much you've accomplished. Plateaus happen...work with them. Check your water intake, increase your activity level, and make sure you're getting enough protein. My surgeon's nurse told when I thought I was slowing to a stop at 7 months that I needed to increase my calorie intake due to exercise. Your body responds to things differently than we would imagine. If you are burning lots of calories, sometime your body thinks you are starving it and so it starts protecting itself by conserving the stored fuel it has. That's fat. By eating very small portions and increasing them to 6 times a day you fool your body into believing that it's getting plenty of fuel. Just remember to make smart choices...lots of fruit and protein, avoid breads and starches. It only takes a few days to get it out of protection mode and back to burning what's stored, but you must exercise if you aren't already. I got really serious about exercise at 7 months and boy it been great...the inches have melted away and the lbs. have come off steadily. I have always lost in spurts...a couple weeks with no change then a couple where I lost. The first few months I lost 10-15/mo. then it changed. The last few months I lost any, I lost about 3-5/mo. I've been maintaining for about 2 months now. I'm 14 months post-op and I don't want to lose anymore...I'm down from 252 to 121 and in a size 4-6...plenty skinny...hope this helps...Teri.
   — Teri D.

July 16, 2002
You know what I can't stand? It's when someone like you posts a question like this, and some people immediately assume that you've got to be doing something wrong. maybe you are just not a super fast loser. It happens! You have lost 105 pounds! That is truly amazing. Sure, there are people who lose faster...there are some that lose slower. You've probably heard it a hundred times, but don't compare yourself and your loss to other people here. I am sure this is not all you are going to lose. I have seen people who continue losing for up to two years. And frankly..I think those are some that lose the most. Whatever you do, don't let yourself get bogged down by this - many of us know that will only lead to self-sabotage. you have received some helpful advice here today, so *if* you haven't been, then keep up the protein, cut the crabs, lots of water no snacking and EXERCISE! I was five months out this past Sunday, averaging almost 20 pounds a month...last week I only lost about 1.5 pounds. I have been a major exercise slacker all of a sudden. This week I am back on it. Hopefully it will pick up. Maybe it'll stop completely and then start dropping sometime next month. Who knows. My feeling is that as long as I am doing everything in my capabilities to make this work, eventually...be it now, 6 months from now, or 1 1/2 years from now, then it will. And the same will happen for you, my friend. Best wishes. ~Paula M.
   — PaulaM

July 16, 2002
You don't need any help. 105lbs in 6 months? What more do you want? That is alot of weight in a little amount of time. I've lost 80lbs in 4 months, part of me wants to lose quickly but then the other part of me would prefer to lose slower and not have all the hanging, sagging skin. How much research did you do on WLS before you actually had the surgery? You should know that the weight loss isn't going to just stop. Everyone hits plateaus.
   — Angie B.

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