Hi all, I know that I will probably get a lot of flack but I really am looking for answers or ideas because I don’t know what to do anymore. This is a long one so please hang in there with me.
31F/285lbs/5’4
Background:
At the beginning of the pandemic, I decided to get serious about losing weight and decided to go low carb/Keto since the temptation of eating out was non-existent. Everyone in the house was on board (my husband, my mother, and my best friend who lives with us). We did it for 6 months and everyone else saw weight loss, but I didn’t. I felt better and had more energy but hardly lost even 5 pounds. I knew that it was probably my portion sizes, but I just constantly felt so hungry.
In September of 2020 I decided to pursue getting vertical gastric sleeve surgery, a type of bariatric surgery where they cut out 80-85% of your stomach). I did everything they asked of me and got approved, with a surgery date of March 17th.
Around this same time, I was hospitalized over 20 times from October to the beginning of January with something that was eventually diagnosed as Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome. By mid-January, my episodes seemed to stop.
At my highest weight in December, I was at 340lbs. By the time it came for my two-week pre-op liquid diet, I was down about 325lbs. The two-week pre-op diet consisted of consuming 3-4 Premier Protein shakes every day and that is it. The first 5 days were the hardest but honestly after that I wasn’t really hungry and felt fine. By the time of my surgery, I was down to 301lbs.
My surgery came and went without incident. Everything was smooth and my pain was minimal. After having pretty good success before the surgery losing weight I was really hopeful. In the first week after surgery I lost 8lbs, down to 293lbs. But then it all just stopped. Another week went by and at my first follow up with the Nurse Practitioner she mentioned that I was not losing weight at the rate they had expected. She said to just give it more time and that maybe my body was just resistant. She suggested that I stay on the post-op liquid diet longer. The post op liquid diet was identical to the pre-op diet.
Weeks went by and I didn’t lose a single pound, just stuck at 293. Then suddenly at the end of April I dropped another 10lbs. Which is where I sit today at 283lbs. I have not lost a pound since the end of April despite only consuming 4-5 Premier Protein shakes a day.
My bariatric surgeon doesn’t really seem to care all that much, he just keeps saying keep waiting it will come off. But I feel like now that his part is “done” he isn’t interested. My primary care physician is an absolute gem and has been on my side this whole time. He wants to figure out what is going on. He has ordered tons of tests and bloodwork. I have type 2 Diabetes and at some point in September my A1C was a staggering 12, but as of April it has come down to 8. Other than that the rest of my labs are totally normal. My thyroid, my hormones, my cholesterol, etc. the only thing he hasn’t tested me for is cortisol.
I am so desperate and am really just looking for any ideas at this point. A direction to point myself in. All I keep hearing is calories in, calories out. If you aren’t losing weight then you aren’t really in a calorie deficit, etc. but I can’t be incorrectly logging my food since all I have are the protein shakes. If I am understanding correctly, each Premier Protein shake has 30g of protein, 160 calories, 1g of sugar. Even on the days where I have 5, I am not consuming more than 800 calories a day. Before my surgery, they did a body composition analysis thing and it said my BMR was 1874. If it is calories in, calories out shouldn’t I be losing something here? I just don’t understand.
To address some things that might come up:
-I have severe vertigo and dizziness and don’t drive. My husband or best friend does all of the food/grocery shopping. I cannot drive myself to sneak cheat meals or snacks. Even if I could, it takes me so bloodly long to consume even the protein shakes and even that is sometimes a struggle. Cheat meals just aren’t a thing, at least for me far out from surgery.
-I am not sleep eating. We have security cameras around our house and in our kitchen because there is a door to the outside there. We have checked, I am not suddenly a sleep walker/eater.
-Even before the surgery, I did not consume: alcohol, coffee, soda, or juice. I drink water, unsweetened tea, and water with crystal light.
-I was not a big fast food, processed food, or sweets person. My number one issue has always been portion sizes and hunger, which is why I thought the surgery would work for me.
If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it.
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