Re: Feeling down about slowdown in loss

[Guest guest]

> My head knows this, but the rest of me wants this weight gone now.

>

> I am not looking for an answer, just needed somewhere to vent.

>

> Kathy M.

> DS 7/19/01

> 213 pre-op

> 154 today

Hum…..Well I guess I kind of understand what you are saying here. In

the beginning we just cannot lose fast enough, we want the fat gone and

the rest of our lives to start now.

Now stepping back just a bit. You are pretty damm lucky to begin with,

I had surgery almost 9 months ago and still cannot fathom weighing 154

yet! I is coming, slowly, but it will happen, at least I hope that it

will.

Instead of venting about what you don't have, why don't you rejoice in

what you do have. There are people on this list who weigh so much more

to begin with, who go through hell and back to get this surgery, and

thinks a miracle is weighing ONLY 213 pounds. You should be glad

you're slowing down, if you kept up the fast weight loss, you may end

up underweight and that is a bigger concern.

Teri

BPD/DS 2/5/01

Dr. Hess, Bowling Green, OH

Highest weight 305 pounds

Weight 287, BMI 50.8, 2/5/01

Weight 174, BMI 28, 10/22/01 The future is yours to make -- so make it

a good one!

[Guest guest]

Kathy,

By dropping from a BMI of 40 to 29 you have already lost 63% of your

excess weight in only 3+ months. There is no way you can sustain a

loss that is so rapid. You end goal should be a BMI of about 26

corresponding to an excess weight loss of 80% or an end weight of 143

lbs. So you only have 11 lbs to go to reach you expected weight.

Even if you loose only 1 lb per week you will reach your weight at

around the 6 month time period.

If you continued to loose at 3 lbs/week for much longer you would

need a revision to slow your weight loss down. Now it looks like you

will not need this extra surgery. This is good news not bad!

Hull

> I had my DS July 19, 2001, so that makes me about 3 months post-

op. I

> started with a BMI of 40 and I am down to BMI 29 already. I have

been

> averaging about 3 lbs. a week loss until about 2 weeks ago. I know

this rate

> of loss was too fast for me (since I didn't have as much to lose as

others),

> but I was really enjoying having the weight fall off. Last week I

lost 2 lbs

> and this week it was barely 1 lb. When I first weighed myself

today, it was

> the same as last week. I checked it again and I was down by only

one pound.

> I have felt so depressed since. I know I have a long time left in

my window

> of weight loss, I was just hoping it wouldn't take that long.

Everyone tells

> me I need to be happy with what I have lost and the slow down is

healthier.

> My head knows this, but the rest of me wants this weight gone now.

>

> I am not looking for an answer, just needed somewhere to vent.

>

> Kathy M.

> DS 7/19/01

> 213 pre-op

> 154 today

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

-

Kathy:

There are thousands of people reading your post who wish they had

such problems. You need to keep in mind that there are people who

want this surgery so bad they can taste it, but their insurance

companies won't pay for it and they can't afford it on their own. Be

thankful for the opportunity that you have been given and quit

sniveling. I am sorry to be so bitchy about it, but I got a call the

other night from a woman who got my name of the AMOS list and she has

been trying to get this surgery for years and her insurance will not

approve it. There is no way she can come up with $20,000 to $30,000

on her own to pay for it. Can you imagine how depressed she is

knowing there is surgery out there than can give her her life back,

but it is just beyond her reach? You will probably reach your goal

weight in 6 short months, how many other post-ops can say that? Be

thankful!!!

>

>

> > I had my DS July 19, 2001, so that makes me about 3 months post-

> op. I

> > started with a BMI of 40 and I am down to BMI 29 already. I have

> been

> > averaging about 3 lbs. a week loss until about 2 weeks ago. I

know

> this rate

> > of loss was too fast for me (since I didn't have as much to lose

as

> others),

> > but I was really enjoying having the weight fall off. Last week

I

> lost 2 lbs

> > and this week it was barely 1 lb. When I first weighed myself

> today, it was

> > the same as last week. I checked it again and I was down by only

> one pound.

> > I have felt so depressed since. I know I have a long time left

in

> my window

> > of weight loss, I was just hoping it wouldn't take that long.

> Everyone tells

> > me I need to be happy with what I have lost and the slow down is

> healthier.

> > My head knows this, but the rest of me wants this weight gone

now.

> >

> > I am not looking for an answer, just needed somewhere to vent.

> >

> > Kathy M.

> > DS 7/19/01

> > 213 pre-op

> > 154 today

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Kathy,

I would urge you to get counseling for your food issues, as you

behavior could be a sign of aneorexia. With the rate of weight loss

you should eat more and let it come off slow. Within a few months you

will be good. On the other hand, if you don't resolve your food

issues you could wind up with a much more serious problem then morbid

obesity, and a restoration of intestinal continuity would then be

required.

Hull

> In a message dated 10/24/01 5:38:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

> duodenalswitch@y... writes:

>

>

> I think my biggest problem is that the weight loss can be

addicting. Having

> so many people tell me how good I look is hard to turn down. My

close

> friends are all very worried about me and my surgeon is watching me

very

> closely. I have been told by my surgeon that if the loss doesn't

slow down

> soon I would have to start taking an enzyme with my food to absorb

more. I

> could never understand people who would have a hard time eating

enough food

> until now. After having weight problems for years, it is so hard

to make

> myself eat more. In my case, surgery is working a little too

good. As much

> as this may make some people feel like they wished they had the

same problem,

> it isn't as good as it sounds. I obsess over everything I eat and

have

> nightmares if I eat anything without nutritional value. Last night

I had 1/2

> biscuit and was upset all night about it. Now that I have seen a

slowdown in

> weight loss, I feel even stronger that I need to control everything

I eat.

> My brain knows slower weight loss is better, but the rest of me

just isn't

> listening. I think at this point I may need to see a counselor to

work this

> out. It seems I have traded one food problem for another. In my

case it was

> correct to say my weight problem was due to an emotional issue.

>

> I am sorry if I upset anyone. I know my problem isn't common and

when you

> are overweight it is very hard to sympathize with someone who is

losing at a

> fast pace. It is even harder to understand when the loss gets to a

normal

> point and I complain. If you are pre-op, please understand that

this can

> happen and you need to prepare yourself emotionally for it. I

figured it

> would be great to lose really fast and at first it was. Now the

reality has

> hit and I need to re-evaluate.

>

> Kathy M.

> DS 7/19/01

> 213 pre-op

> 154 today

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kathy-

Hang in there girl. We all hit our little plateaus! I know it

doesn't make it any easier to get through it, but you have plenty of

time and it will come off. Your body has just been losing double-

time and maybe it needs a few weeks to slow down and catch-up. Drink

some water, stick to your protein and do some exercise, you'll be on

your way again soon.

As for those out there who would tell you just to shut up and be

grateful- they need a little reminder that this list is here for

support. We all have alot of different feelings no matter where we

are in the process, be it struggling to get insurance coverage or

struggling to deal with our new bodies post-op. Everyone has the

right to come here and discuss their issues without being the dumping

ground for others frustrations about not being approved or weighing

more.

No one deserves to be burdened with the crap that goes along with

being fat, and a BMI of 40 is a BMI of 40 whether its at 300lbs or

200 lbs. For someone to suggest that you are somehow less deserving

to be enjoying your new life and body simply because you weighed less

in pounds to start with is absolute bunk, so don't even listen to

that crap.

Take care,

Amy Y.

Fremont, CA

DS July 6, 2001

Rabkin/Jossart

BMI 47, now 36

-75 lbs

[Guest guest]

Let me clarify that I didn't really expect to be at goal by 6 months. I am

also just past 3 months post-op. I know I have lost very fast, too fast. My

brain knows all this stuff. The problem I am having is the addictive feeling

I have come to have towards watching the scale drop. It has been so many

years since anyone told me I look good. Now I hear it every day. People I

barely know at work come up to me and tell me how wonderful I look. I just

don't want that to stop. I definately have a body image problem. I look in

the mirror and all I see is the flaws. I am not complaining about *only*

losing 59 lbs. I am feeling depressed and I was wondering if any post-op

could relate. I am thankful every day that I was able to have surgery. I am

thankful that I found out about surgery before my weight got any worse. I

still feel obese even if I don't look it. I don't *feel* emotionally any

different from before surgery. I have made an appointment to see someone

about this tomorrow. My sister told me today that her and some of our close

friends are worried that I may be becoming anorexic. I don't throw up my

food or anything like that, they are just very worried because I eat so

little. Partly it is physical as I get pain when I eat, but mostly I just

worry so much about the weight coming back. Does any of this make sense?

Kathy M.

DS 7/19/01

213 pre-op

154 today

[Guest guest]

I don't believe I ever said one person is more worthy than another

person in having this surgery because they are super morbidly obese.

I don't feel that way at all. I believe we (post-ops) should be

thankful for the opportunity to have had this surgery because there

are a lot of people out there, for whatever reason, will not be able

to have the surgery. I started out with a BMI of 46, I didn't

consider myself to be SMO, actually I had one of the lower BMI's. I

still feel I was worthy to have this surgery and so is anyone else

who meets the criteria. This woman has lost weight very rapidly and

now at 5 months post op only weighs 154 and is not satisfied with

that. She obviously, by her own admissions, has some emotional

issues to deal with. I wish her all the success in the world, I was

simply reminding her that she has had great success already with the

DS, better than most, and she should not be complaining about it.

For God's sake, she is whining about not reaching goal weight by 6

months. I'm sorry but it's hard to be sympathetic of that. Very,

very few people, if any, reach their goal weight by 6 months. You

need to be realistic here.

3/23/01

7 months post-op -97 lbs. and happy as a clam about it!

[Guest guest]

First of all you shouldn't have pain when you eat, I would contact

your surgeon about that.

Second it sounds as though your family and friends are right to be

concerned, your comments are typical of someone who has anorexia. You

are doing the right thing by going to see someone.

Good luck!

Open DS with Dr. Anthone 7/6/01

I have made an appointment to see someone

> about this tomorrow. My sister told me today that her and some of

our close

> friends are worried that I may be becoming anorexic. I don't throw

up my

> food or anything like that, they are just very worried because I

eat so

> little. Partly it is physical as I get pain when I eat, but mostly

I just

> worry so much about the weight coming back. Does any of this make

sense?