Dabliss111114

Not anymore. I toss a scoop (or 1/2 scoop) of whey in my coffee in the morning as Creamer and often do a PowerCrunch bar (cookie) in the the afternoon. Those, combined with a high Protein diet typically get me 75+g per day.

The Protein requirement is a combination of the Protein that you consume in your meals combined with the protein consumed in protein supplements (protein shakes and protein bars). I am 22 months post-op RNY surgery and I consume around 65 grams of protein each day from my high protein meals alone so I have completely transitioned off protein supplements.< /p>
After surgery I was taking 3 Protein Shakes a day but as my meals size increased this changed to 2 then 1 then 0 protein shakes per day. I found that protein shakes tasted terrible. I was able to make them taste better by blending in a banana into the shake.
I found Protein Bars to be important because they gave me the ability to consume extra protein when I was away from home. It is hard to drag around your blender when you are away.

I personally would rather build people up. It's like in life...Always keep the positive around you. You can choose what you read and who you respond to in a forum. So many amazing people in BariatricPal. It far out weighs the people that choose to drag people down.

Karma. 'Nuff said.

Monday, I found out that a coworker died suddenly because of an aneurism. One of my friends underwent surgery to remove a tumor...6 hours of surgery later, it was actually many tumors and now needs to go through chemo & radiation therapy. My sister in law just had a double mastectomy and is half way through Chemo.
Yet we (veterans, newbies, & the in between) are on a support board arguing with one another over some petty stuff in comparison. SMH. Isn't it exhausting to be mean, condescending, judgemental, sarcastic, and argumentative? Goodness gracious!

Yesterday I weighed in a 185.2, which puts my BMI at 29.9. So I am now officially only "overweight". Woohoo! Even though it's only been 2 months and 12 pounds since my last set of progress pics, I had my husband go ahead and take new ones for this major milestone. You can see all of my pics in my gallery, but here are a couple showing my 54 pound loss since the pre-op photos were taken:
       

Hi to everyone. I haven't posted in a number of days, so I just now read through many of the recent posts.
I'm so glad this thread is here. It gives me some hope that no matter how frustrated I am there are others in the same boat. I swear I've been messing with the same few pounds for almost 2 weeks now. I was so excited to break into the 250's but it took me over a month to get past that and into the 240's. Now I can't shake past 247. I go up and down within the same 2 lbs everyday. It really wouldn't be such a big deal if the scale at least kept going down even if it was only by a few oz. each day.
I've tried everything..... more Protein, more fluids, a tiny bit more good fats, etc. I am ashamed to admit that I probably haven't been getting as much exercise as I should though. I've had a lot going on this past couple weeks and haven't been able to get to the gym or out for my long walk so that I'm doing SOMETHING every day. I know the exercise is important, but I'm doing the best I can, even when I do get in done. The thought that for the rest of this journey I'll struggle just because I'm not killing myself every day with lots of exercise is so scary. I keep wondering if that also means that once I reach my goal weight I'll battle to keep it off if I don't always be a slave to a workout.
Does anyone else worry about it.?

You DO have Support!!!!! You've got all of us, each with our own stories and circumstances, but ultimately the same goals. Don't be afraid to reach out to us. That's what this group is about. We're all pulling for each other and that now included you too, no matter where you are in your journey!!! So there!!!!!!

@@kndoster Hopefully this response will be "non-generic" enough...
A weight loss stall is an extended stretch of time where your efforts are not resulting in weight loss. Some patients may experience a stall in their weight loss days after surgery, some weeks after surgery, and some may not get their first stall until months after surgery. Regardless of when it happens, you are not alone. But why do these even happen especially when you are eating so much less? Let’s talk about some related topics.
When you lose weight rapidly chances are you are losing lean body mass (muscle) and fat. Your muscle plays a big part in the burning of calories by keeping your metabolic rate higher so you want to hold onto your muscle and even make more muscle. Eating 60 to 75 grams of Protein per day will help maintain lean body (muscle) mass. Metabolic rate is the amount of energy (calories) your body will burn at rest while just maintaining your bodily functions like breathing, circulating blood, repairing cells and changing hormone levels, for example. An increased metabolic rate is not the only reason for keeping muscle. You want to keep muscle so you can use them to exercise and burn even more calories. Weak muscles make exercise more difficult so build muscle with strengthtraining and aerobic work.
We always hear that eating too much causes weight loss to stop. But how about not eating enough calories? If you are losing weight rapidly due to a drastic drop in food and/or calorie intake, your body will naturally slow down its metabolism in order to conserve energy. It goes into kind of a hibernation mode. Your body thinks you are “starving” and holds onto every last calorie. Make sure you are taking in the correct amount of food for the amount of time you are post operatively.
Never skip meals. If you are exercising frequently, you may need to add an extra Protein shake to fuel your body. Of course, the opposite may be true. Are you eating more than you should which is causing calorie abundance and fat storage? Refer to your manual for meal measurements and calorie intake suggestions and make sure you are drinking plenty of Water throughout the day. Water aids in maintaining bodily functions.
Another thing that can slow down weight loss through increased hunger is sleep deprivation. Those who do not get at least six to eight hours of sleep per night are at greater risk of increased ghrelin levels (hormone that makes you hungry) and decreased leptin (hormone that decreases hunger).
If you do the same routine every single day your body may be accustomed to this. Make a change to get things moving again.
Here are quick tips for getting through a stall:
Exercise! And if you do the same exercise, change up your exercise routines. Use different muscle groups. Concentrate on Protein to help keep muscle. Stay well hydrated Make sure you are getting enough protein/calories if you are exercising a lot or if it is time for a meal-volume change. If it is not time for a volume change or you are at maintenance, make sure you are not eating too much throughout the day. Get at least six to eight hours of sleep per night. Follow all the rules of the pouch/sleeve every single day and for life. If you fall off the wagon, just get back in and start over.

@RJ'S/beginning
That's hysterical! Oh, unless it is me they are talking about (their mistake!!!).

That and Doctors bury their mistakes....LOL

What I do to keep my head in the game (and away from freaking out) is remembering that this is a marathon, not a sprint. My weight loss "stalled" for about ten days.. No worries! I was still twenty pounds lighter than I was. I just decided to not worry. And eventually the weight loss resumed. My "no freaking out" policy is really helping me. ????

@@kndoster - Sounds like your surgeon is one of those doctors who is not a gifted communicator! I've had a few of those over the years. I had an orthopedist who was a total jerk every time I saw him, but he fixed my foot better than anyone else around, and that was the job I needed him to do. It's tougher with something like WLS because we also need ongoing followup and emotional support too through all this. We aren't done when our incisions heal like we are with most surgeries. Most of us will see our surgeons only 2-3 times more after the surgery, so don't worry too much about him. It's probably not too unusual for him to be a bit disconnected from the post-op side since his job is more of a mechanical process (cut, move things around, sew, done!)
So I hope you have a good nutritionist who can help support and guide you and cheer you on as you continue with your journey because you will need that for years. You will get the "real scoop" of how things go for real WLS patients from the NUT or from a WLS support group. You are doing great BTW! You have the hardest part behind you.

I've read all the posts in this thread and if I were you I'd only pay attention to about half of them. Don't worry about apologizing for what you said your meant. Some people that come off as being harsh really do mean well, and obviously none of us has all the answers. If we did, we wouldn't be asking for information or support on this site.
Yes, stalls do exist and they can be called a number of different things. I think all the reasons people have given for the possible reasons for the slowing down of weight loss are valid. Our bodies definitely have a mind of their own, and I'm learning that as frustrating as it is, we'll only lose as quickly as our own body will let the fat go.
At this point try to focus on the fact that if you're following the program you'll get to your goal eventually. My doctor is much like yours. He's a total jerk and talks down to everyone. He also says there's no such thing as a stall OR a plateau. He always question whether or not I'm doing what I should as far as Protein, fluids and exercise. I try not to let it bother me any more. There actually was an appointment right before my surgery where I almost left in tears. His nurses and my nutritionist assure me that I'm on track and not to worry so much about how many pounds I lose each week. They all look at the big picture and pay more attention to the fact that the scale IS moving in the right direction.
Hang in there, as I'm sure you're doing just fine. Keep positive thoughts and don't sweat the small stuff.

I'm not trying to tell anyone what to say-- I also said in my post that I would like to hear the medical explanations others' surgeons have given, hoping to hear something other than that. If that's what everyone surgeons have told them, than it is a sufficient answer for me. I'm sure everyone can understand why it would be confusing to leave the doctor after he told me "stalls don't truly exist"
Truly just searching for answers...

​I won't be generic comments....so I will say this.....Your body can be referred to as a city. If one thing breaks down or changes it causes the whole city to turn into ciaos. So if he thinks that it is possible for you to lose 11 lbs. every week, something in your city is going to shut down to protect itself from keeping things running smoothly.
It is impossible to lose that much weight every week. It is recommended that to keep weight off we should lose between 1.5 to 2.5 lbs a week. To keep things balanced. Our bodies go into a kind of shock when we dramatically change it and weight gain or loss can bring that on. This is due to the surgery and the honeymoon period. But it won't last forever. Depending on how much we have to lose each one of us lose at a rate our own bodies see fit. If you stay on course you will lose the weight....
Call it a stall, plateaue or body at rest. But we need that to keep healthy. Going into starvation mode which will eventually give you the chance for your body to eat its self is a prelude to much worse things or conditions such as Anorexia.....
Is it his thing to have all the star losers on his watch or is he just being a dick head....It does not even make sense that he should say that.......what a dipwad thing to say!

Hi, all! So, I had my two week follow up today at 2 weeks and 2 days post-op. I am down 12.5 lbs since surgery and 22 lbs total since beginning my journey. I lost 11 lbs in my first week post-op and only 1.5 the second. So, I asked my surgeon today if I should expect stalls-- Now, let me preface this by saying that while I have total faith in my surgeon's ability to manage my care and he truly is an excellent physician, he has a horrible bedside manner. This is something I was made aware of before ever meeting him the first time. So, when I asked him about the stalls, he said there is no such thing as a "stall" and that the word is something people made up for periods of non-loss when they aren't eating and/or exercising as they should.
Now, I know there are people on here who haven't lost weight, despite doing everything by the book, and maybe he meant that that wasn't a "stall" but that that is just how weight loss ebbs and flows. I'm not sure, but I left the office feeling so disappointed in myself because I only lost 1.5 last week even though I know I did everything right. Just wondering, has anyone else heard this from their physician? If so, what did they say about periods of non-losing? If not, what exactly did they medically attribute "stalls" to?
***Please refrain from generic comments such as "it has to do with glucose and your body catching up and adjusting to your weight loss"
thank you!!!

Hi, and Welcome to our little group. Albemarle isn't all that far away, so it won't be too hard to get together.
I'm thrilled that you've had your surgery about 7 months ago. That means that you have probably learned so much more than I have in the 4 months since I've had mine.
How has all this gone for you overall? Do you feel like you're losing the way you should be? I worry that I'm a slow loser. I've been messing with the same 4-5 pounds for almost 2 weeks now. I go down 1 and up 1, then down 3 and up 2. I get my 60+ gms of Protein in everyday, and my 60+ oz. of liquids, but still can't seem to drop a regular amount every week. Even though I try to get to the gym to exercise at least a few days a week, I'm sure my doctor would say that I'm not getting enough exercise, but I'm doing the best I can.
So far it looks like we've got at least 5 of us in our group. We're thinking about trying to meet somewhere after the Easter holiday. How long would it take you to get to Monroe from where you live? Since I started the group, I don't mind volunteering to have everyone come over to my house. We could have some "WonderSlim Pudding" and some Decaf as a snack.
Have a great week, and keep on posting......
Deb

It's encouraging to me that you are still plugging away at it 16 months out. So much of what I read on these forums is about the "honeymoon" period and it really makes it sound like you have to lose all the weight in the first 6-12 months or you're out of luck. I know I won't make goal within my first 12 months, so it is good to hear that there are people more than a year out that are still making progress.

@@AuriP, Like others here, I’d say you’re doing just fine! There are so many ways to look at this, and they all point to the fact that you’re doing fine!



First, how long did it take you to put on the weight? And you’ve already lost 50-something pounds in five months??



Second, like someone else pointed out, what’s the rush? Does it matter if you hit goal weight this year, next, or in 2017? You’ll still be eating right for the rest of your life! I don’t know how old you are, but you may have 30, 40, or 70 years left! Who cares when you hit goal weight? Eat healthy and be proud, and that’s all you can ask of yourself – and all you should need.

No
I know how you feel, my surgeon is the same way!

I am still pre-op so take this with a grain of salt, but I have done a ton of research into low-carb, high fat, moderate Protein eating. I realize you have to get the high Protein in b/c it's needed to maintain/build muscle, keep hair from falling out, etc. and there is less room for it as well as less absorption for bypass patients. But, when you keep fat very low, your body can use protein and turn it into glucose (sugar), which then gets stored as fat. If you can tolerate a little more healthy fat (coconut oil, olive oil, real butter, grass-fed beef, etc) in your diet, keep the carbs low, you may start seeing the scale move faster. Low-fat products automatically have more carbs to improve flavor.
Also even after bypass I believe the body hangs onto fat when it thinks you are in starvation mode. So cutting calories back further can have the opposite effect of what you intend.
YMMV

Hello, I'm from Albemarle, NC. I had RNY on 8-6-14 weighing 219, & today I weighed 158.7

I am interested in a support group in Charlotte. My surgery date is 4/23.