How soon do I lose weight???

[JoCoBumpkin]

Can anyone please share with me the speed at which you lost weight? I am day 17 post op and have only lost 4 lbs. I am not hungry, but my head says I should be melting with no more than I'm eating. I lost 10 lbs. with the pre surgery diet and was eating much more!

Is this normal? Is my body in shock that I stopped with the groceries??? Please help. I am feeling that maybe I spent this money and am not going to get results. I am still on the liquids and am doing fine with it, I just thought I would have lost more by now.

Thanks!

Angie

[Kittycat]

Hi there, everyone loses at different rates and speeds....sometimes your body needs time to adjust to the lifestyle change and holds onto the weight. Make sure you are eating 1000-1200 calories per day and taking your multi-vitamins. If your body goes into starvation mode, it won't drop the lbs. I find when I eat more protein, I lose.

I am 40 days post op and have lost on average 4-5 per week. I started solids on July 11th and eat healthy meals, protein, veggies, grains and fruit.

So eat more protein, try not to be so strict and your body will let it go!!!

Best of Luck!

Cathy

[JoCoBumpkin]

Hi there, everyone loses at different rates and speeds....sometimes your body needs time to adjust to the lifestyle change and holds onto the weight. Make sure you are eating 1000-1200 calories per day and taking your multi-vitamins. If your body goes into starvation mode, it won't drop the lbs. I find when I eat more protein, I lose.

I am 40 days post op and have lost on average 4-5 per week. I started solids on July 11th and eat healthy meals, protein, veggies, grains and fruit.

So eat more protein, try not to be so strict and your body will let it go!!!

Best of Luck!

Cathy

Thanks Cathy!

[Guest sdejong]

I am having the same feelings, I am 20 days post op. I had totally told myself before surgery that I shouldn't expect to loose anything until after either my first or even second fill but I am struggling. I have lost 6lbs post op and I am not eating anywhere near what I was eating before. Keep strong and just know that we are all going through this process at different speeds.

Just think you are almost to solids...... From everything I have heard it is normal to gain a couple of pounds back when you start solids, don't be shocked. It will eventually come off.

Shy

[JoCoBumpkin]

I am having the same feelings, I am 20 days post op. I had totally told myself before surgery that I shouldn't expect to loose anything until after either my first or even second fill but I am struggling. I have lost 6lbs post op and I am not eating anywhere near what I was eating before. Keep strong and just know that we are all going through this process at different speeds.

Just think you are almost to solids...... From everything I have heard it is normal to gain a couple of pounds back when you start solids, don't be shocked. It will eventually come off.

Shy

Thanks for sharing that because I have never heard it. Though, it does make sense, I don't want to get even more discouraged when it happens. I am a huge fan of salmon and I can't wait until day 22 so that I can have some! Maybe Cathy is right about the protein, because I am having 2 slim fast shakes a day and then a can of soup, usually tomato (because it's my favorite and I don't get tired of it.) That is only 20g of protein. Maybe my body is storing everything it gets because it thinks it's starving. Some days I vary that and have a drinkable yogurt instead of a shake, then again, some days, I have all of them, just because I am frustrated. Thanks Shy!

Angie

[julieburns]

Yes I do think our bodies certainly have a m ind of their own, no matter what we eat or don't. At this point maybe you arn't eating enough as suggested by Cathy. And yes eat your protein first. Are you drinking enough water? At minimum it should be 8, 8 ounce glasses but for good results double this. I have a hard time getting in my water some days. I have lost about 12 pounds post-op and have gained and lost the same 2 pounds for at least 2 0r 3 weeks now. It's maddening. I just had my 1st fill so hope to takeoff again. I for one must remember to be patient as many of us also need to remember this. I know we know this is not a magic bullet but some how we still want our weight to always be faster than what it actually is.

:lb4: it is very early in this new way of life. Also losing the weight at a slower pace will help keep you skin from not sagging so much I hear. Also the fact that losing it slower helps to keep it off for good and that's the goal. Each few pounds you lose is gone forever by doing it this way.

[PAMMIE]

I am feeling that maybe I spent this money and am not going to get results. I am still on the liquids and am doing fine with it, I just thought I would have lost more by now.

Thanks!

Angie

NOW ANGIE, RELAX, THE BAND HASN'T EVEN STARTED WORKING FOR YOU. THE FIRST 6 WEEKS IS ALL ABOUT HEELING. WAIT TILL AFTER A FEW FILLS BEFORE YOU DECIDE IF YOUR SEEING THE RESULTS YOU SHOULD BE. WATCH THE POUNDS COME OFF,THEN I THINK YOU MAYBE RETHINKING "WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER"

[utahmom]

Everyone loses differently. I began by losing more in inches than in weight. I only lost about 4 lbs between surgery and my first fill. Once I had my 2nd fill, the weight began coming off...quickly!!! Don't worry it will all even out in the end and you will be sooo very happy!

[MamaMichelle]

I think that water and protein are the most important things that you need to keep up with at any point during your lap-band journey!

I made sure to get 60-100 grams of protien per day during my post-op diet (I mainly used the Optifast Soups and Shakes as well as added Unjury unflavored protein powder to both) and also drank 80-100oz of water each day...

I just found this from my blog post.. On the plan below I lost 15lbs in my 3 weeks after surgery before moving to solids:

My Post OP Daily Diet-

I have gotten a few emails about what my diet was pre-op and about what I am eating now, I can't think of what else to post so I figured that would do.

First off I have to examine my past habits- Before the band I was the type of eater to skip breakfast, often skip lunch (sometimes I would grab some fast food for lunch) and then overeat at dinner. My husband works in a fine dining resturant so he usually isn't at home at night so instead of cooking something for my son and me I would order delivery or go out to eat with him and binge binge binge! I'd order a small pizza give 2 slices to my son and eat 6 of the slices in one sitting, or eat a McDonalds Quarter Pounder Value Meal and still finish the half of my son's cheeseburger after he said he was full. Just awful stuff in retrospect...

Next I have to add that for me to succeed on a diet (no matter if it's atkins, slim-fast or whatever I've tried them all) I have to put myself on a schedule. I am lucky enough to be at home for most of the day and night so I am able to do so. I've always heard that it is best to have small mini-meals throughout the day so I have tried to impliment that stragey and that is what works best for me!

The main source of my meals (both pre-op and now) have been using Optifast800 program- The 800 part comes from the number of calories you consume in a day... Each shake, or soup or bar has 160 calories and 14 grams of protein per serving so you end up eating 5 Optifast "meals" per day. To help get my calories around 1,000 I have been adding 1/2 scoop of Unjury Protein Powder which provides and additional (1 full scoop has 80calories and 20 grams of protein) so by adding 1/2 of a scoop to all 5 of my meals I am getting another 50 grams of protein and another 200 Calories.

My Daily Diet- Part Two

So as I said I am on the optifast plan, basically I alternate between their Chocolate Shake Mixture and their Garden Tomato Soup Mixture, and I doctor both mixes up to make them taste better and more nutritionally sound...

Here is the Chocolate Shake Mixture:

Optifast Chocolate Shake Packet (160 cal and 14g protein)

+ 1/2 scoop of Unflavored Unjury Powder (40 cal and 10g protein)

+ 2 capfuls of DaVinci Vanilla Syrup (0cal and 0g protein)

+ 2 tsp of Benefiber (25cal and 0g protein)

MEAL TOTAL: 225cal and 24g of protein

Here is the Garden Tomato Soup Mixture:

Optifast Garden Tomato Packet (160 cal and 14g protein)

+ 1/2 scoop of Chicken Soup Unjury Powder (45 cal and 10.5g protein)

MEAL TOTAL: 205cal and 24.5g of protein

Here is the Time Schedule:

8:00am - Chocolate Shake Mixture (225cal and 24g protein)

11:00am - Tomato Soup Mixture (205 cal and 24.5g protein)

2:00pm - Chocolate Shake Mixture (225cal and 24g protein)

5:00pm - Tomato Soup Mixture (205 cal and 24.5g protein)

8:00pm - Chocolate Shake Mixture (225cal and 24g protein)

DAILY TOTALS: 1085 calories and 121g protein

In hindsight I probably only ended up doing 3 shakes and 1 soup on most days... I never think you should eat when not hungry so if 5:00pm rolled around and I wasn't hungry I would just skip that meal and eat at 8pm.