Losing soooo slow

I'm just a little over 10 weeks out (11 since starting the pre-op diet) and have only lost 40 pounds total...including the pre-op diet. Have only lost 9 pounds in the last 5 weeks!  

I know this is not slow by "dieting" standards, but it IS slow by RNY standards.  I'm trying not to be discouraged, but I am.  It's a little disheartening to work so hard (getting in all protein, counting every calorie *which my surgeon said NOT to do*, moving moving moving) and to lose so slowly!

I know there's nothing anyone can do to help speed it up, but maybe some other slow losers, who still reached goal, could chime in with some encouragement :) 

Um...that's not slow. Did you read my Good Morning post this morning? 

--gina

Most of the folks you are comparing with are Heavyweights, NOT lightweights. We don't lose slower, we just have less to lose...the percentage is typically higher in the case of a lightweight.

It's not POUNDS, it's PERCENTAGES!
by Carolyn M.

Two people, both 6 months post-op. One has lost only 63 pounds and feels bad about her "slow" weight loss. The other has lost 96 pounds and thinks she's doing great.

They are both wrong.

Person A had only 105 excess pounds, so she has already lost 60% of her excess weight. She is actually ahead of the game at 6 months out and is on track to lose it ALL.

Person B had 265 excess pounds. At 6 months out she has only lost 36% of her excess weight. At this rate, she will end up retaining 28% of her excess weight, enough to keep her in the obese category.

See what I mean? Don't compare pounds to pounds, that's like apples and oranges.

Percent of excess weight lost: pounds lost divided by total excess pounds
Use a BMI of 25 as a goal weight

On track to lose it all is 25% lost after 2 months, 50% after 6 months, and 80% at one year.

Please note: These are averages. Your mileage may vary.

This is a fantastic way of assessing progress, with this methodology I have lost 75% of my excess weight and I'll be six months out on the 11th, hope to loose a few more by then, but am overwhelmingly happy with my progress. 

so I am terrible at math...I can't figure out if I'm on track.  to get to a 25 bmi I would be 145.  I have lost 32 lbs so far..which means I still have 41 pounds to lose.  Am I on target....please help because I have been bouncing between weights for the last 2 weeks. & can't seem to get below 186.

Okay, you have lost 43% of your excess weight. Since I don't know how far out from surgery you are (or what surgery you had), can't tell you if you are on track.

As to bouncing, it happens...called a stall. Upping your protein and fluids is the best way to break a stall.

sorry.. had RNY on 12/13/12 so I'm a little over 7 weeks post-op....

Then you are definitely ON track! Congrats

Thank you sooooo much for this explanation, I knew the surgeon and NUT were not concerned with my weight loss but I was feeling that it was going really slow by by doing the math at 2 months post surgery I am down 26% so right on track.

Thanks Iris.

I suck at math but if I can figure it right it looks like you have about 65 lbs left to go and you are less then 3 months out.  That is wonderful progress.  As others have said, you can't judge your progress by others who may have a lot more to lose.  Yes, they may lose 100 lbs in 6 months but still have more then 100 left to lose.

What always encouraged me when I felt discouraged was looking at it this way.  With 65 lbs left to lose, even if you only lost about a pound a week (unlikely) you would still reach your goal in a little over a year.  I know that seems like forever right now but believe me, it will pass in a heart beat and then you have the rest of your life to learn how to maintain your loss.  It seems a little easier for the "slow" losers to catch onto maintenance because they don't really need to make any drastic changes in how they eat.  You just continue to eat what you are eating until your body decides that the amount going in matches the amount being burned every day.

One piece of advice that really helped me feel good about my loss was to get in at least 100 grams of protein a day and 100 oz of fluids.  I kept my carbs under 50 while losing and I was very happy with my rate of loss.  I lost better then I ever did, even being a revision.  Give it a try if you aren't already and see if that doesn't help.