Freaking out about lack of weightloss

Hi Julie!! I'll give you the same advice I received when I was about 6 weeks out and posted a scenario along with some feelings/concerns VERY similar to yours. I know you just spent money on a new scale but put it in the closet. (actually the advice I received was to take the scale out to my driveway and run over it with my car) We get so excited that we just had surgery and can become consumed with the scale using the diminishing numbers to make us feel better. Trust me, you WILL lose. You can't help but lose. THIS WORKS. Don't let the numbers on the scale take away from this journey. You are doing absolutely fantastic Congratulations!!!!! Denise

Denise, Believe me, I really thought about running over it. It seems to just blackly and malevolently stare at me very reproachfully. Thanks for sharing that you felt the same way. You really made me feel better. Julie

Hi Julie, i can totally relate to where you are coming from. Almost a month without a loss is a long plateau. Can you call your surgeons office and see if you can go in there and weigh to see if it's the same there? Otherwise maybe your body is just adjusting to all the changes still. Could you be retaining fluids for some reason too? I hope you get this all worked out. I'm also worried that I'm not losing enough. 6 days after surgery and I've only lost 5 pounds, I see someone else has lost 15 pounds in 7 days. It's very discouraging. I know things will catch up for you though. jacie

Jacie, This whole thing is definitely an emotinal roller coaster. Yesterday i was so pleased with my long 45 minute walk and I felt thinner, and then I weighed myself and instantly felt fatter than ever. Can we say 'HEAD TRIP!"? I've read and read people worrying about this and never thought I would be one, but here I am. You and I should make a pact to not let each other get discouraged since we had our surgery so close together. At least you will not be surprised if you have not lost much at 6 weeks, huh? i hope you lose way better than me though. Hang in there, girl. Julie

Hi, Muscle weighs more than fat and the water in your system shows up on the scale too. I drink a gallon of water a day, so that is 8 lbs of water I am putting in each day. I am a slow looser too, I am 1 month out and have lost 22lbs. I started at 453. SHellie

One additional comment about ditching the scale. Although it doesn't work for a lot of people, I'm a daily weigher. I get on the scale every morning and record my weight. I also keep track of what I eat every day and my exercise. I can then look at my history and see how my diet and exercise are affecting my weight loss. I'm a data junkie, so that information is invaluable to me. It allows me to see trends in my weight loss so I have some idea what my body will do next. It also helps me figure out what I might need to change in order to start losing again. (Am I not getting enough protein, too many carbs, not enough fibers, etc.) The key to this is not to get hung up on the daily numbers. For some people that's impossible; if that's you, then I totally agree with the folks who said to put the scale in the closet! For this to be successful, you have to be willing to focus on your progress over a longer period of time - personally, I use 4 weeks as my measure. So as long as I'm losing weight over every 4 week period, I'm doing okay. Anyway, just thought I'd share this in case you think it might work for you. Good luck! Kellie

Thankyou for posting your weightloss and gaining concern. I have been depressed and thinking I am screwing up at gastric bypass weightloss. I am 15 weeks postop and had lost 70lbs as of week and a half ago (started at 355) but the last few days my scale says I have only lost 65??!!!!! I am so freaked I have been doing something wrong. I guess all the responses show its normal to not be dropping continually like some people do and also that weight gain can happen and not to beat ourselves up. I feel i am drinking enough liquids, trying to increase my activity level but question if I am eating enough through the day so our body does not go into starvation mode. Something to consider Julie so make sure you are eating what you are allowed daily. I also read somewhere that when you feel you are slowing down or struggling with weight gain to go back to the first 3 weeks postop eating to get it going again. I might start having soup for dinner and stay away from potatos and bread which i had been incorporating into my eating. Good luck to you and know that many of us have the same concerns and worries. Jennifer