I have a couple questions

I had my VSG surgery on 2/27/12. I am just at a month out. I have lost about 25 pounds but have hit a second plateau already. It is very discouraging.

At what rate should the weight be coming off with the VSG?

I feel like I should be dropping more than 25 pounds in a month.

How do you get past the plateau?

 Wow!! 25 pounds is nothing to be discouraged about! I am only three weeks out and have lost 14 pounds. You have done wonderful. Don't let the numbers start playing with your head!! I know that is so much easier said than done! Good luck to you! 

Wow, that's a big loss, even for month 1!  To expect much more than that... or to expect that rate of loss to continue is unrealistic in my opinion.  We didn't gain weight overnight and won't lose it overnight either.  

This is so much more than just about losing the weight.  This is time to build healthy habits and embrace this as a JOURNEY, one we'll be on for a very long time.  

Stalls (or plateaus) are very normal.  I lost all of my 96 pounds like this:  lose for a week, stall for 2-3 weeks, repeat.  Here's an explanation:

Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.

As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

Please do not get discouraged by this.  Simply stick to your surgeon's post op eating and exercise plan and you will be fine.  Good luck!!!

25 pounds a month is unrealistic I think. I am averaging 10 pounds a month . Some lose more some lose less. Don't worry and just keep on doing what your Dr. Wanted.
Julie

 I also had VSG on 2/27/12.  My loss for 4 weeks out was 20lbs.  I stalled right after my first week check, and took me 10 days to get through it.  I made sure to get my fluids, and still struggle with it.  DON'T GET DISCOURAGED.  Like someone told me.  When was the last time you lost 25lbs in a month, and know it won't be back.  Put the scale away for a couple of weeks.  More fluids, more exercise and our favorite More PROTEIN.  Just my opinion, and what helped me.
Alison 

Please re-read your post and think about what you are saying and the viewpoint in which you are looking at your journey so far.

Alot of us lost around twenty something pounds in the first month. After that, cut it by half or more. As your body loses weight there is less weight to lose so the amount coming off slows.

For example..Losing 25 pounds off a 275 pound frame is alot easier than losing 25 pounds off of a 175 pound frame.

This is not some fad diet. This is a lifestyle change. The weight you packed on over years is not going to come off over night. Its just not. It takes time. Some people stall. Some dont. The point is that unlike some fad diet where you magically lose 25 pounds every month, this weight loss is permanent (if you comply).

So please, try looking at it differently. You were given an awesome tool, you are (hopefully) using it the proper way and the weight will come off, as it is meant to, in time. For good.

And there is no rate at which it should come off, each and every person on here loses it at a different weight, stalls or doesnt. To maximize your loss, follow your plan and exercise accordingly.

 I understand how you can feel discouraged! I am very impatient too

I believe what the others have said-that we all lose at different rates, that losing super fast is not good, that over time we can appreciate the weight loss better, and that by following our plan and learning to set good habits now we will succeed. 

Having said that....I feel your pain. People who have had the RNY, or have known others who have had some mystery wls, constantly tell me, " the weight will just fall off, you are in the honeymoon period of weight loss, it takes no effort on your part this soon after surgery...etc"....This frustrates the hell out of me because-I have followed the plan beyond perfect all but 2 freak out days, I exersize much more than average, I take all my vitamins, etc and still if I see the same number on the scale for a few days I start to worry. What if this won't work for me? What if this "stall" lasts for weeks? What if eating so little has jacked up my metabolism to the point where I will actually gain weight if I ever eat more than 500 calories again????

Actually eating a bit more than usual ( but good protien) has usually caused the scale to more after it was stuck for a few days. Maybe this made a difference, maybe my body just needed a few days to adjust. 
  
I lost 29 the first month, and am at 9 or 10 ( last three days it goes back and forth) in my second month. I still have 10 days of month 2 for 10 pounds to stick. And I am telling myself that 10 pounds per month is good. At the usual recommended 2 pounds per week we would average 8, right? So we get a bonus of 2 pounds lost at 10 per month. Of course I lay in bed at night and think if I could just lose 20 per month, by the 4th of July I could weigh......but honestly....I guess what I am trying to say is that it is never fast enough in the moment, but looking back it goes pretty fast. My jeans are too lose today. I could not button them a month ago. 

Thank you all for the encouragement. A nurse at my dr. office said I was losing it slow.... oh well....

I also fear that it is going to "not work for me" even though I do what I am suppose to. Guess old habits die hard

Going to treat myself tomorrow for what I have accomplished this far.... new hair cut and color...new glasses... hopefully it will pick my spirit up...

Again, thank you all for the advice!