Question:
does the weightloss slow down at 6 mo out

i am 6 mos out and it seems like i have stopped losing. i weighed 262 the day of surgery which was 7/6/04 and i now weigh 206. somebody please tell me it's not over yet.my email is [email protected]    — valerie C. (posted on January 13, 2005)

January 12, 2005
It sure did with me. I should have taken more care to lose more during the first six months. It comes off so magicily that it seems it will always be that way. By a years time, my window pretty much closed.
   — Danmark

January 12, 2005
My weight loss DEFINATELY slowed down. I had one point where I didn't lose a pound in 7 WEEKS!! However, if you continue watching your calorie intake and exercise, it will start up again or continue - just at a slower rate.
   — Patty H.

January 12, 2005
I stopped losing at 8 months out. HOWEVER, I don't necessarily believe in the "window of opportunity" being some magical number of months. Is it 6 months? 12 months? 18 months? True, the fastest weight loss will occur in the first months after surgery. But keep in mind that every one of us is different, and have damaged our metabolisms in countless ways over the years. I am just over 2 years out and I have not gained, and in fact have really put my mind (and body) to it and have started losing again. It isn't over until YOU say it is! Unfortunately, the time where the weight melts off doesn't always last, and then you have to to the hard work, but you have a marvelous tool that will always be there - just use it!
   — koogy

January 13, 2005
Everyone has already given you the best advice there is--- that we are all different, that we have all messed up our metabolisms in countless ways and that the weight loss isn't over until you say it's over. I can share with you what has worked for me-- by maintaining a very high protein intake (over 80 grams per day) and restricting carbs (to around 15-25 per day), I was able to consistently lose. Admittedly, I didn't drop as much in month 12 as I did in the first month, but I did continue losing for my first 22 months (when I finally got my BMI to around 25). The secret that worked for me was in sensing when my weight loss slowed and then jumpstarting it by increasing my protein (to closer to 100 grams per day) and restricting my carbs to less than 15 grams per day. You can win this battle and ultimately win the war.
   — SteveColarossi

January 13, 2005
Good responses so far, to which I'll add the old tried-'n'-true standard: Exercise.<P>I really think it is *the* difference for many people in reaching and maintaining the weight they want.<P>I notice your last profile entry (from July) says your doc was encouraging you to walk, but that you found walking "boring." Well, I won't do exercise that bores me either, or that's too hard, or too inconvenient. But by golly, I do have to find *something* to do regularly or my metabolism will slow down to a glacial pace and I'd have to eat like a bird (not a pteradactyl!) to maintain, let alone lose.<P>Get humpin' on that exercise, if you are physically able to do so. Not only do you burn calories when you do it, but even at rest, a body that's had good, heart-pumping cardio (not a mere stroll) will be burning calories more efficiently all day. This allows you to park your butt in front of the t.v. in the evening and "feel the burn" of more calories being expended, even in that sedentary act, because you "worked out" earlier in the day. This was a big sales item to me, when I committed to exercise.<P>Plus, if you work on building muscle, muscle burns more energy than fat. Meaning, it takes more calories to maintain it, even at rest. Again, free calorie-burning all day, *if* you set aside the time to build the muscles during at least a part of that day (or every other day).<P>If you want to see progress with weight loss at this point, exercise is hands-down the best way to do it.
   — Suzy C.

January 13, 2005
Are you doing lots of pre-digested low sugar whey protein shakes? Made with water, no milk? At six months, my weight loss sped up when I went from 4 to 6 (30 grams of protein) shakes/day.
   — RWH G.

January 13, 2005
Valerie, I had my surgery just two days after you. I weighed 281 the day I left the hospital and my weight loss hasn't slowed down yet. I weigh 182 pounds, down 99 since surgery and I feel like it is due to the fact that I walk three miles a day for cardio and I don't eat any breads, pastas or drink my "beloved" regular cokes any longer. By doing the things I have listed I feel that is why I'm still losing on a regular basis. Don't get discouraged because you are probably not finished losing, just on a temporary plateau.
   — Belle

January 14, 2005
My weight loss slowed drastically at 6 months but I continue to lose about 5lbs a month without exercise. I have severe back problems that have improved greatly with the loss. 12/16/03,334 - 199
   — boonikki29

January 15, 2005
I haven't had my surgery yet, buy with the surgery I have choosen recommends that you only eat proteins untill you lose 75% of youe excess weight, which means no breads, or rice, or pasta untill 75% is gone. I have been to his Education semiar and all the patients that stuck with the proteins only did great. One women lost 100 in 4 months, it's like the Adkins diet untill you lose that first 75% of excess weight, then he recommend you add in Carbohadates one at a time to see how your body takes them. Or you can contiune with just protein untill you lose all your weight, also he recommends that you don't drink anything with your meals and 90 minutes afterwards. Hope this helps.
   — Anna H.

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