Question:
I had the sleeve on 7/29/09 - and have only lost 18lbs -Is this normal?
I am approaching my 4th week and have been eating soft foods, like mashed potatoes, chicken and noodles etc. Am I throwing my wieght off by eating this or is 18lbs a reasonable amoun to have lost. Not sure what to expect. Thanks! — ashley315 (posted on August 24, 2009)
August 24, 2009
Almost 20 pounds in a month!! Thats awesome. Your doing great most people
have a stall around the 3-4 week time as your body is fighting back. I was
around 400 - 600 calories a day (I still use Fitday.com to log) I didn't
have the sleeve but the beginning diets are pretty similar. Good luck,
— ToniLee
August 24, 2009
I had surgery on the same day. I have lost 26 pounds since that day, but
46 pounds since the week before when I went on a pre-surgery diet.
— bbell
August 25, 2009
You are doing awesome! Please don't compare yourself to others. Men tend to
lose faster, and higher bmi's lose a higher number of lbs at first. I lost
at a slower rate than higer bmi's but I also hit goal at 6 months, and they
didn't. Each journey is different, so please don't worry. If you're doing
everything the way the dr said, you will lose the weight. Also, you will
more than likely have a stall, so please don't freak out over it. It's
normal, and the weight will start to move again, but sometimes it takes 2
to 3 weeks, which is very frustrating. It's just your body's way of trying
to catch up to everything that's happened. The body thinks you're starving
it, so it tries to hold onto everything you have.
— Teresa V.
August 25, 2009
Yes that is about normal. I had the sleeve 4/30/2009 and there is almost 4
months out and I have lost 50 pounds. It slower weight loss than all the
other gastric by passes but my doc told me the slower I lose the better it
will stay off. As long as I lose pounds and inches I am happy. Good luck
and keep in touch. Always, Liz
— joy2others2
August 25, 2009
Hi there. I had VSG surgery on June 23, 2008. I lost 20 pounds within my
first 2 weeks. But you have to realize that all of us are different. I
feel I must be honest with you though and say that you have to remember
that the sleeve is simply a tool. The surgery alone is not going to make
you lose weight. What matters most and will make your success with your
weight loss goals is how you retrain your thinking towards food. And right
now at the beginning of your journey is the MOST important stage of how you
will train yourself to think of food for the rest of your life. You have
an opportunity to program your thinking to eat high protein, low calorie
foods. It is a fact that what you train your body to eat right... now
these are the foods that you will crave. We train our body to crave
certain foods and usually we will return to what we are accustomed to
eating. Forming new habits right now is so very important. I realize that
soft food is the stage you are in right now. But the soft foods you choose
is oh so important. Mashed potatoes and chicken and noodles???? While they
may be very healthy compared to what you ate before surgery, they are not
nutritious enough to give your body the protein it needs right now. And
both are high in carbs. If you are anything like most of us.....CARBS is
what got us here to begin with. I remember that because carbs was my main
downfall I wouldn't allow pasta, potatoes or bread of ANY kind to cross my
lips till after I was 1 year out and even now I am VERY cautious of how
much of it I allow myself to eat. You should be training your brain right
now while it is going to be easier for you right after surgery to BREAK the
carb habit. Choose foods like egg, fat free yogart....and if you like
mexican food??? My nutritionist told me about Fat Free refried beans. Now
I am a person who doesn't even like beans. But let me tell you, I love
mexican food. She said, take some of the fat free refried beans, mix in
like a teaspoon of salsa, top it off with Kraft Fat Free Cheddar Cheese,
warm it in the microwave and eat with just a few Baked Tortilla Chips....oh
my gosh is it good.....For months, most of my diet consisted of fat free
yogart and fat free refried beans. Remember, the higher protein foods you
choose the better you will feel...you will have more energy. When you
think about the foods you used to crave, find something healthy that is
similar in taste and texture and offset the craving. You are training your
thinking for how you will eat for the rest of your life. This isn't a
diet. You are learning to eat and be healthy. You can't eat mashed
potatoes and chicken and noodles for months to come. I'm sorry but to me,
you are forming bad habits again already. I'm just trying to help you
cause I have been there. and I never want to regain the weight again. 18
lbs. isn't a bad weight loss but it could be more....Beyond the number of
pounds though, what is most important is your health. Make yourself think
with everything you start to put in your mouth...what's the protein
content in this? Is there any real nutritional value for me in this or is
it wasted calories? I wish you the best and success. Be healthy and
strong.....God Bless....hope this helped. Not trying to preach just wanted
to help you on your journey. I have lost a total of 80 pounds and have
maintained for 8 months now. What you teach yourself right now is how you
will live from now on.
— Jodi L.
August 25, 2009
Congratulations 18 lbs in a month is great. I lost about the same amount my
first month after VSG. Then my doctor told me to up my exercise to 150 mins
a week and work up to 300 mins a week. That's when I really started seeing
great results. I have lost 75 lbs in 5 months. I need to get back into
exercising again because I have hit a stall for the past month. I did hit a
stall at about 3 weeks out too because of my body being schocked by the
change. I think your doing great and I believe that if you keep eating
right and exercise you will keep losing. I hope you have great success.
— Lisa von Wallmenich
August 25, 2009
Congrats on the 18 lb weight loss. I do think Jodi L. is right though. I am
25 days out from LapBand Surgery and have lost 22 lbs. However, I have not
lost a single pound since the 21st. When I emailed my doctor to see if
there should be a concern, we went over what I had been eating. I am in the
soft food stage and I was eating mashed potatoes, pasta, even soggy cereal
just so it will go down soft. It is the TYPE of food I am eating that may
have stalled me. This morning I started a new mindset. I had a small amount
of oat cereal, and for lunch I had tuna. Also, I don't know about with your
surgery, but I am just now getting into the stage where I can do more
exercise than just walking. I will start going back to my aqualogix class
on Thursday. I can't wait to start back! I just know once I wake the rest
of my body up, things will kick back into gear. Good luck with the rest of
your journey! .. Jennifer F.
— Jeppa
August 25, 2009
I don't think it is the food you're eating; I think it is the type of
surgery you had. It is too early in your journey right now to really be
worried about carbs and what not. As long as you control them at your goal
weight. Most readers will disagree but my doctor said as long as I am
losing and not to little or much, the amount of carbs you are able to
consume at this point really won't hurt your loss. You are not throwing
your weight off, it is just the way your body wants to lose weight and the
type of surgery you had. Keep up the good work.
— Kristy
August 25, 2009
I am one year out from the sleeve as of September 5. The first month I
lost about 20 lbs, and it has averaged about 10 lbs a month since. What
really helps is to take your measurements once a month. You may hit a
stall (I hit several of them - one that lasted 2 weeks!), but I was losing
inches, and just seeing that helped keep me motivated and optimistic. The
further out you are from your surgery, the more difficult it gets - you
think that one cracker won't hurt, or one piece of bread, or a bite of
this, and a bite of that - and pretty soon you will find yourself grazing
if you don't curb it right away. But for now, you are doing great. I do
tend to agree with a couple other people that responded in that simple
carbs were my downfall before surgery, and they could easily be my downfall
after surgery. Simple carbs turn to sugar as soon as they enter your
bloodstream and tend to make you want to eat more! It may not hit you
until you are further out, but if you change your habits now and avoid them
it will be much easier on you. And do try and eat soft foods that are
higher in protein - this will help prevent hair loss and thin/weak
fingernails - and will give you more energy. Keep up the great work! And
congrats! You are going to feel so much better. (NOTE: I started out at
351, and a year out I am down to 224, and still losing about 8-10 lbs a
month.)
— Wendy M.
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