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I haven't had the surgery so I can't really answer your actual question but I wanted to comment on your signature. I have that problem too. When I weigh myself and haven't lost as much as I think I should it makes me wanna eat. So on the first after I did my weight and measurements I put my scales in a dresser drawer fully intending not to weigh again until the 15th. Last night though they called to me and I weighed more than I thought I would and went to Jack in the Box and ate a LOT of food. Usually I handle it better than that but yeah.... I completely understand. If those suckers are sitting out I weigh every time I walk into my bedroom.

Pookie, my little monkey, you definately are being hard on yourself. You know even if you are loosing weight slowly, you are still going in the right direction. It's really only been 2 1/2 months. You and I are in the same boat, I too hit plateaus and I'm not loosing as fast as I would like either. But, having said that, I am happy that I've lost anything at all. I was worried that the surgery wouldn't work for me. I'm with you. I wasn't stuffing my face either before surgery. That's why I was so worried. The big thing for me is that I'm not seeing the scale move upwards anymore. I do see a slight gain once in a while, too. Are you weighing everyday? If so, the upward gain, might be water retention. Are you just seeing it more because you are weighing frequently, maybe? Don't worry little Pookie Pie. Slow and steady is the way to go. If you loose really fast the more loose skin appears. A slower loss is better for you skin. I'm not saying that we won't have that problem, but a slower loss helps. You're getting there sweetie.

I don't do a whole lot when I notice that I've hit a plateau. I know that my eating habits have drastically changed, and I know eventually, I will see the scale move again. I do try to be more active, and do a little harder work out, which isn't extremely vigorous anyway at this point. I do watch what I eat, like you. I think you are doing great! Give you some credit!

darlins... i am concerned about you both.. would you mind terribly posting what you're eating and when? and the amounts? and the water? and the exercise? something just doesn't make sense to me here..

and i DO want to help...

come on... share!!!!!

Pookie, don't worry about posting. I love to read your posts! So keep it up! And, don't worry about you weight loss stopping. I really think things are going okay with you. You have been loosing steady, and you had already been loosing before you had the surgery too. The great thing about WLS, is that when you hit a plateau you can't really get discouraged and go off the diet wagon, so to speak. Your tummy is only going to let you eat so much, and you know what happens if you try to eat the wrong thing, ick....ouch.

Oh gosh Jiff, I don't really journal what I eat, but I'll tell you what I had to eat today. I try to drink around 64 oz of water/fluid a day, but at the very least around 50 oz. I like Crystal Lite, I have a hard time with plain water. I never use to drink this much before surgery. The only time I really have a hard time drinking what I'm suppose to is when I'm at work. I'm a nurse, so I don't always have the time to stop and take a drink. Anyway, here is what I had to eat today, and it's pretty typical of what I eat. The amounts of the things I eat is really small. I only eat until I start to feel that full feeling, and then quit. I never stuff myself. I never feel like I need to throw up after a meal. The only time that I felt that way was when my opening was nearly closed. I stay away from sugar, but I don't always worry a great deal about the amount of fat in some things.

When I wake up: I drink an 8 oz glass of orange juice mixed half and half with water. Sometimes I have another glass late in the afternoon. I love OJ.
Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg, sometimes I have a half of a peice of toast but not always. I use pam to cook it, and I cook it different ways, often. I have oatmeal sometimes, but I try to have as much protien as possible, so I don't have it real often.

A couple of hours later I have a 4 oz protien drink

Lunch: Tuna fish plain with a little salt and old bay seasoning with a couple of saltines. I like grilled Salmon too, I eat it often.

A couple of hours later I had about 1/2 of a container of nonfat yogurt

Dinner: Half of a small hamburger patty, it was 92% lean. Mashed potatoes (a little less than tablespoon, and I did have a little butter on it), and 2 green beans.

Later, I had another 4oz protien drink.

I will admit, that I don't always have the protien drinks like I should. Sometimes it's really hard to get them down, because I don't really care for them. I have a hard time eating dense meats like steak or chicken, so I only have those kinds of meats if they are really moist. I'm really not feeling badly about the amount of weight that I have lost up until this point. My start weight was 232, and I've lost 43 pounds over the course of 2 1/2 months, so I'm loosing. I just don't think it's as much as a lot of people loose at this point. Out of that time, I did have a 3 week plateau, but I think that I went into a starvation mode (I don't know that for sure, it's just my theory) after my opening nearly closed. I was throwing up everything, and I had a really hard time even getting 2 glasses of fluid down a day. And even after they dialated the opening twice, it still took a while to get to a point where I was eating and drinking enough. It really took about two weeks to feel like I was hydrated well again. My BMI wasn't as high as a lot of people who have WLS, I don't know if that has anything to do with my slower loss or not. My big downfall is that I haven't been as active with the exercise as I would like, and only because my kids have kept me so busy lately. I walk my great danes in the mornings (really they drag me behind them), and on days that it isn't raining I walk my 6 year old to school. I drive him if it's raining or too cold. It rains at least a couple of times a week here. I live in Washington; we get a lot of rain. I have been to a WLS support group here, and from what I understand, not everyone looses a huge amount in the first few months. Some people naturally just don't loose as fast. By a huge amount, I mean like Carnie Wilson who lost something like 80 pounds in the first couple of months. If I were to have lost that much, I would be pretty close to my goal weight right now. So anyway, I'm not really worried about it. Even if I didn't loose another pound (which I really don't think is going to happen right now), I'm way better off than before surgery.

I'm far enough out that those early days seem like a distant memory, but I do remember this much: it seemed to take forever to lose enough to really see a difference.

I have a couple of ideas: First, instead of comparing pounds to pounds (I would love to tell you to quit comparing altogether, but I'm not sure anyone would listen!), what about dealing in percentages of excess body weight? Those who start out with more excess body weight will lose larger amounts more quickly, but you may be losing the same percentage of body weight at the same general times as they are, it just doesn't look as "impressive" numbers-wise, simply because you have less to lose.

What does your doctor say? Is he/she pleased with your loss? Do they see a problem? As an outsider looking in, your losses seem more quite impressive, given your starting weights and short time since surgery.

Plateaus are normal, even small gains. We still have the same normal fluctuations as everyone else.

Are you weighing every day? Any chance you could STOP THAT and go to once per week? Throughout my weight loss journey I weighed on the same morning each week, and kept a written record. I also kept a written record of what I ate and drank, and my vitamins. Might seem excessive to some, but it helped me to be sure I was taking in adequate protein, getting in my vitamins and all that. I've gone back to this journaling several times in the ensuing years, when I saw less than stellar eating habits re-emerging. It really helps. I was also able to share my journals with the nutritionist at my weight loss surgeon's office, and get advice there during my postop visits.

Honestly, I really think it just takes time. Unless your surgeon has a concern, it may just take time to get to the kind of losses that are visible to all and to those big numbers. I think we all have the fear that we'll be the only one surgery doesn't work for.

If you ever need someone to talk to, vent to, obsess with, whatever...please contact me.

Dawna

Pookie, drink your water w/a straw. Get a container that you know is 16, 32, or 64 oz. This way you'll track the right amount. At work I have a 64oz mug that I fill up w/water and at the end of the day if its not empty, I know what I have to do. I couldn't keep track w/out it. A straw helps the water go down much faster (not to fast) and easier.

Ohhhhh and by the way, I love to read your posts too. Not only are you helping the lurking wls people, you are also helping ME! Your struggles are different than mine, BUT they are also the same. Notice the # of views, so obviously there are folks who are interested in reading what you have to say.

Hugs and kisses to you !!!

Love your #1 Fan !!!!

Pookie,

I just wanted to say that I read all of your posts....don't apologize for "blabbing" too much...as someone who's still on the fence I like to hear how you're doing and what your going through. Sorry you're feeling down but I find you to be an inspiration . Keep posting!

Deb

I'm guilty I weigh every day. I know I shouldn't, but that scale just screams my name until I do it. It doesn't upset me when I don't see it move, but when I do see it move, it gives me a huge lift (even if it's just a tiny bit). It has been over three years since I've seen the scale move even just a little bit in the downward direction. Before I had surgery, I hardly ever weighed myself because it was so depressing. I love looking down at that scale and seeing it say that I'm below 200 for the first time in a very very long time. Eventually, I will go to a weekly weigh in, but for now, I just can't do it

I've tried using a straw, but it makes me drink too slow (I don't drink fast by any means, but I can pace myself better if I just sip), and I just can't get down all that I need to. I don't notice any bubbles though. As far as using it, I don't have any problems with it. I use a 64 oz water bottle like Leenie does, except mine has a spout to drink out of. It makes it really easy to keep up with how much I've had to drink.

This idea may not help anyone else, but I thought I would throw it out there just in case. For some reason, I had a terrible time getting fluids in after surgery. This is not a common effect with the surgery I had, and no one could quite figure out why I was so "blessed". I could never explain exactly what it was about it that bothered me. It didn't hurt exactly, just made me uncomfortable. It was actually almost two years after my surgery before I could drink anything that wasn't warm. Yes, that's right, I drank hot tea and decaf coffee over the summer here in the desert. It worked though!

I am not sure why, but I am guessing that the warmth of the liquid sort of enforced the proper pace for me. I still prefer warm liquids, although now can drink cold ones. I'd say my ratio is still 90% warm liquids to 10% cold.

It takes time for me to get in the liquids I need. I can't just gulp a glass of water every few hours. I have to sit down and drink for awhile. This is fine when I am at work, as I am sitting anyway. But on weekends or when I am away from home, I tend not to get in enough liquids. Still a work in progress!

Dawna