Weight is coming off slower than I'd hoped
That's actually a pretty good rate! Remember, that at points you will have some stalls. I went up and down a pound in the last week. I attribute it to hormones and my body just working things out on its own. I suggest you get a tape measure and keep track of your arms, chest, waist, hips, and legs. That's what I am doing. When I see my weight stalling, I check my inches. Sure enough, I'm dropping inches and not pounds. I was also told that people lose at different rates due to shape and body mass. Hang in there and be patient. It's going to be better to lose it slowly. Good luck!
I know it's hard to not compare your weight loss to others because I was the same way but we all lose at different rates. Lightweights wont lose as much as people who were heavier before surgery too so there can be several reasons. I wanted so bad to lose 50 pounds in my first 3 months because 2 of my other WLS friends did but I only lost 48. I know I came close but still, I was disappointed but my weight continued to come off at a decent rate and even with several stalls, I still lost 120 pounds in less than a year.
If you really think about it, 18 pounds in 5 weeks is awesome. I could have never lost 18 pounds just dieting alone before surgery. I think you are doing fantastic. Stay on plan and the pounds will come off.
Jenn
WWBD?
I am down 33 pounds since my surgery - Oct 18. And, I too saw other people that have lost much more weight in the same amount of time. Then, I started measuring my body - waist, hips, forearms, calves, neck, etc. This is where I saw lots of inches disappear. Try it and see what happens. THis way, I am not relying totally on that scale to show myself that I am making progress. Also, I keep telling myself that slow and steady wins the race!
What kind of preop diet were you on? It sounds like you may have lost a pretty good bit before surgery. In people who lose a lot on the preop diet, sometimes part of the big loss that we tend to see immediately post op has already happened, making us think that we are losing slower than those who did not have a preop diet. These people aren't really losing "slower"... they just lost more up front, and we all typically lose more in the first few weeks and then slow done a little. Sounds like your first few weeks started before the surgery, if that makes sense.
Also, as others have said... don't compare yourself to anyone else here. You're doing great, and there are so many other factors that contribute to our rate of loss (age, starting weight, health conditions, amount of sleep we're getting, body composition, stress levels to name a few). A friend of mine and I went to the same doctor for surgery and had the sleeve one day apart, me ahead of her... we started at about the same weight, and she's ten years older than me and is taller, so she had less to lose than I did. One might assume that all of these factors combined would mean that I would lose faster than her, but that was not the case. It bothered me for a while because I was totally jealous lol, but now, nine months out, I've lost about ten pounds more than she has. Lesson learned: it's not a race.
Keep up the great work! :)
LINDA
Ht: 5'2" | HW 225, BMI 41.2 | CW 115, BMI 21.0