What am I doing wrong?.

You are fine. I had issues my first few weeks too...I just didn't seem to lose like I had anticipated. The important thing to remember is that everyone loses at a different rate, and these aren't my words. I had posted something similar and had been soothed by some pretty awesome people. I stalled within the first 2 weeks and seem to hit a stall every other week, but it is coming off. I know that once I was cleared to workout...I made a beeline to take some Zumba classes. I credit Zumba for shortening my "stalls". Anyway, It is fine... trust me, the results will come and it'll be fan-freaking-tastic!!! Good Luck!!!

I know years of yo yo dieting has messed with my metabolism...I had hoped it would be smoother with the surgery.  Hopefully my body will adjust and let go of the weight.

Thanks for the encouragement!

I'm glad to see that I am not the only one having this problem, I also thought that I was doing something wrong and I am just 4 weeks out and 1 day and have lost 28 pounds the first couple of weeks and have lost absolutely nothing this last 2 weeks. But I remain hopeful and know by reading all of these comments that the weight will come off.

Hopefully our bodies will adjust to the new "normal"

We'll stick together!   Congrats on the 28!

I too am four weeks out.  I feel like I am losing weight so sloooooooooooow!  I have lost 19lbs and I know I am not getting all my protein or water in.  Each day I struggle to get it in.  My dietician said to just keep trying every day and it will eventually get there.  I started at 250, but I went home from the hospital weighing 267.  So I figure my body was under a lot of trauma from the surgery and my healing time was a lot longer since I strained my abdominal muscles.  It sure is frustrating though.  I want to see the scale moving more quickly.

Sadly, there isn't really anything you can do during this stage but continue with your plan, exercise, and drink your fluids.  Your body is playing 'catch up' during this phase and re-distributing everything in your body.  Measurements will change so you could track that.  

Amp up workouts by adding some small hand weights to your routine.  Building muscle helps with fat loss and you will challenge other parts of your body.  Squats will help too as this builds the biggest muscle groups in the lower half of the body.

Mallisa

Couple things to consider: 

1) you started at a lesser weight then some folks and we do tend to lose slower.

2) you're averaging 3.5 lbs per week; the weekly average is usually between 3-5 lbs per week

3) many hit the first stall at week 3 and it can last a few weeks (you are probably there)

4)  keep following your program; get your protein in, get your liquids in and MOVE.

5)  stay off the scale for a few weeks

6)  have you taken your measurements, if not, do it tonight and record them.  For many of us when the weight loss was low the inches were coming off quickly.

How many calories are you getting each day? Sometimes we are too low in calories and that will stall the weight loss. I found that the first couple of weeks I was okay at 650-750 cals/day but then the weight loss slowed down. I upped my calories 100 each week to see the best place and my best weight loss is at around 900-950...right now anyway. I keep my carbs below 50 and protein is 75-90g.

The factors that will affect your weight loss:

- calories (too many or often early on not enough)

- water (usually not enough...80-100 oz a day is often what it takes)

- protein (70-90g seems to work for most but as your calories go up, so should your protein)

- carbs (some need to be as low as 30g but I seem to be good at 50g if I avoid sugar and wheat flour carbs)

- vitamins (your body will not let go of the excess weight if you are not getting in enough nutrients)

- exercise (a ton of new exercise will slow your weight loss temporarily as you build muscle but will pay off 2 fold eventually)

- stress (you got this...if you are following your plan the weight will come off...sometimes slow, sometimes fast...be patient)

Not everyone loses weight steadily. I seem to have one good week of 3-4 lbs then a slow week of like 0.5 lbs, then a good week so it averages out at 2 lbs a week. It also depends on how much water you are retaining. If you are on your period or are sensitive to salt intake then consider that also. The biggest factor I have found that affects my weight loss is WATER. 8-10 glasses a day might not be enough for you...add another glass or two and see if that helps.

Its trial and error often and a lot of patience. I only weight once a week because weighing daily is too frustrating and I refuse to let the scale dictate my mood. It is not unusual to have a stall at a month out...search the OH archives for 3 week stalls and you will see there are a ton. So you are not alone.

Hope that helps :)

Hi Deb!  Thank you so very much!

I have bumped it up now to about 700-750 cals/day.    I was about 600 prior to the stall.  I honestly believe the many years of yo-yo dieting has messed with my metabolism, so my body may be resisting a bit.  So hopefully by bumping up the protein and calories a bit it will help.  I am thankful for these boards ... otherwise I wouldn't have known to bump up the amount of protein to help with a stall.

I will have to continue to work with the amounts of protein and carbs so I start to see the scale drop.  I believe what you say about the trial and error -- I need to find what level of protein will work for me.  I have been pushing it up to about 110g protein for the past few days.  I need to see if I keep it at that level or drop it back down to 80 or 90.     I knew I would still need to diet and exercise  after surgery and I am thankful for what I've lost so far -- It is so much better than where I was!

I guess I just assumed that the first couple months after surgery, weight loss would be a little easier and I would see a greater drop.  That isn't to say it wasn't a success because it is!  I don't have the hunger or cravings I had prior to the surgery and I am doing well. 

I weigh myself once a week and will continue to do that.  I have taken measurements now and that will help also.

******

Thank you so much to all who have responded!  It helps to talk about what works for others -- and how to play with the protein percentage along with carbs and water.

I track daily on MFP and always make sure the protein percentage is the largest.

I think you have the right approach. It's important to be able to stand back and analyze what you are doing and what could be adjusted. Sometimes there are things you can try. Other times is just your body taking a breather and adjusting in ways you can't see on a scale. Measuring is a good idea too. That is a tangible that you can refer to for gauging your progress.

I am on MFP too if you want to find me...I'm NadurraDeb there too :) We can compare notes.