judy1234

I've been bouncing between 164 and 165 for the better part of a month now after steady weight loss since the dreaded stall for weeks 3-5. I knew for the 3-5 stall, I just had to play the waiting game because it's a result of introducing non-liquids back into your body.
I was researching on here what other people have done as far as nutrition and exercise changes and saw someone suggested to go back to a liquid diet for 2-3 days just to reset the body. So, considering that was a relatively easy solution I could try first without changing up my exercise routine and such, I gave it a shot. I stuck to Protein Shakes (RTD and recipes), having a little Soup here and there to give me a little of the salty flavor I was craving so I didn't stray to snacking on junk food.< /p>
After three days of the liquid diet, no only did I get down to 163.4, but then after a day of eating normal solids again, I dropped to 162.8! So I lost 2.2 lbs in 3 days after NOTHING for a month!
I'm sure that it won't work for everybody, but it might be worth a shot to try before you go revamping your whole exercise routine (or throw your scale against a wall). Let me know if this has worked for you!

@@Kindle I agree! However, my best friend just lost her father a few months ago. Part of me is hoping that her still being in the grieving process is the driving force behind her behavior. I'm going to play it out for a few months and see what evolves. She typically has a HUGE heart for what it's worth..
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Sorry you had a rough go of it. I encourage you to stick with it though. Not only will you hopefully see a big improvement over these twelve weeks, but once you are post-op and really dropping weight, this will be such a nice baseline for you to look back on to see how far you've come. There are going to be a lot of points along this journey where you are going to have to push yourself further than you expect, so it's good to get the practice in now. And you really might surprise yourself.

I noticed the same thing too after surgery. I developed very fine wrinkles on my face that made me look like I was 100 years old. I expect some wrinkles because I was 65 at the time but this was way more drastic. My wife recommended a product called Bio-Oil which can be purchased at CVS, Walmart and other stores. I put this on my face and the wrinkles went away. I have been using it ever since.
These wrinkles can also be caused by a lack of fluids. So make sure you are drinking the right amount of liquids each day or your skin will dry out.

Thank you so much for the advice. I have not done a good job of keeping measurements but I should probably step away from the scale for a few days. I have increased my exercise and intensity of exercise so I have been wondering if I should be eating more calories but that is such a scary thing for me. It's such a mental thing to break through years of restriction being the answer for weight loss and now trying to figure out what my body needs in order to lose and then what will it need to maintain. I find that to be very overwhelming and frustrating some days. I will feel " full" but not even eat half of a portion and then the next day feel like I am starving in between meals after finishing 3 ounces. I feel like I am up against this time line before my body goes into maintenance mode and this fear that it will happen before I have lost all that I want to lose. For now I will praise my current success and stay focused on my overall new lifestyle!

But I was told I could drink wine.

It's entirely possible that your condition is contributing to a stall, but it's also possible it's just a normal stall that everyone has to deal with. About 5 months out for me, I went into a stall that lasted 5 weeks, and only recently broke it. I have a condition that causes issues for me as well - PCOS. Some people are lucky enough to see a huge reduction in PCOS symptoms after getting the rny, and while I have seen some good progress, there's no denying that there's some kind of hormone imbalance still making it difficult for me to lose with consistency. Every month when i get my period, the stall begins and lasts for 2-5 weeks.
And yet, I've still lost over a hundred since the day of surgery, now at 6.5 months out. You're not far behind, and 70 pounds in 5 months is really amazing! I was around there at 6 months, perhaps a little ahead, but I also started heavier than you. Try not to compare your loss to others. That's only going to lead to frustration and misery.
Also, if you're working out a lot, you may not be getting enough calories. I still get only between 800-900 calories and on the days I work out a lot and don't get enough, I not only stall but sometimes gain. It's a fragile balance between what your body needs to function and what it's willing to burn off, and we unfortunately aren't always going to know how to keep that balance.
Just keep taking care of yourself, and doing everything you're supposed to do (Protein, Water, Vitamins, and sleep!) and you will get there. I have to take my own advice here because I feel the same frustrations as you.
Hang in there! You're doing really well.

Great advice!
I have a worse example. A former boss/colleague of mine was one of those guys who was proud of the fact that he never took any time off of work. He didn't take sick days, or vacation days, or slow down for lunch, etc.
He just passed away at a very young age from something that was probably left untreated for too long.
A great book that I recommend frequently is Dr. Henry Cloud's "One Life Solution". I actually loaned my copy of that book to him and suggested we read it as a department. I am not sure that he ever actually read it.

I am very thankful that my husband didn't give up on me. We've been married almost 20 years, and I have been obese for all of it. Every time I tried to do better he was patient with me and encouraging. Willing to spend money on whatever equipment I wanted to try (treadmill - pilates machine - we even have a puppy dog because I thought it would encourage me to walk and be more active) and watched me eating myself to death a lot of the time when the weight was going back on. He was supportive then, and supportive now. I think all of us have to take a moment and remember we were the obese spouse, and how would we want to be treated?

I agree. That's like saying he should leave her because she had the surgery. She was one way when they met and decided on a change what if he preferred her the way she was? Then people would have all kind of stuff to say about that. Maybe my interpretation of marriage is different. I sure wouldn't want anyone telling my husband to leave me for having surgery. Why tell someone to leave because they won't have it? For better or for worse when I gained my husband didn't leave me.. I thank God for that. I don't think he should continue on the road he's on, but that's what for better or worse means.. Help him the best way you can. Don't give up a marriage because he's not making the decision you want him to make.

I really don't understand everyone who says consider if the relationship is working for you - um hello - they are MARRIED. for better or worse, in sickness and health? yes. this is WORSE, and yes this is sickness but a promise is a promise.
to the OP, I am so sorry you are dealing with this. my husband has Asperger's Syndrome. I spent years while he sorted things out to learn how to find a place to be productive in society. it took us a LONG time to learn how to be married without stepping all over each other. it was worth all the junk we went through and all the trouble it took. I had to learn how to support him - and how to help him - without ENABLING unhelpful behaviors, but at the end of the day that was all I could be responsible for. I am really glad I stuck with it - it was hard some times.
So, I would encourage you to get support and help. Your life changes have changed the balances in your relationship and you will need help to sort out how you can help and support him without enabling him. I hope you two can find a way to be intimate until he is healthy enough to resume normal activities.

I very VERY VERY strongly recommend practicing this habit pre-op. The separation of Water and food has by far been my biggest struggle, leading me to not eat as much food as I should be because I really don't want to give up drinking each time for as long as we need to. Nearly my entire soft food stage was spent consuming little more than Fairlife milk so I could get calories and Protein without having to give up drinking. It's compromising my weight loss! Lol. Seriously though, I foolishly disregarded incorporating this habit pre-op because I believed it would be a snap after surgery, since my stomach should be too small to be able to hold both anyway. It was NOT a snap. Start getting used to this as early as possible.

I don't have the sleeve so I may be off base here but it sounds to me like you're starving yourself and your body is fighting back. When you restrict your calories that drastically (less than a thousand a day plus intense workouts) your systems are going to adjust to hang on to your fat reserves as much as possible because it's in panic mode. It's only been in the past hundred years or so that food has been so abundant and we're battling thousands of years of evolution when hanging on to fat was critical for survival (versus now when it's killing us).
Personally, I would consume more fat and scale back on exercise. Maybe eat a quarter avocado or a handful of nuts as a snack and take a brisk walk rather than spending an hour at the gym doing intense cardio.
The menstrual cycle changes could be a result of starvation/overexertion as well. You need to take care of yourself and be gentle. Remind yourself this is a marathon, not a sprint.

@@Sannah09 I struggled with binge eating disorder for most of my teens and early twenties. Now, my doctor thinks I have "an unhealthy obsession" with tracking my food. She also thinks I starve myself on purpose, though honestly, it's a mixture of a lot of things. When I go over 700 calories, I stall. When I eat more than like... 30 grams of carbs, I stall. Some days I honestly cannot stomach food. I think I'm just adjusting to this new life, but my doctor and my therapist are both "keeping an eye on" my habits because they are both convinced I have anorexia. Neither of them understand what it's like after surgery and how hard it can be to eat, just for physical and practical reasons. Maybe they are right and I'm completely deluding myself because of my fear of stopping/gaining. Or maybe they just don't have a whole lot experiences with patients who have had the bypass.
I know, at the very least, I have serious body image issues. I'm working on it. :/

In the first month after my surgery, I tried a bite of pancake with sugar-free syrup... a nibble of chocolate... a sip of a diet carbonated beverage... half an Oreo... well you get the picture. I was fortunate enough to have a "rumbly tummy" immediately so that told me they were not good choices. But they didn't make me truly sick.
But more importantly, after about 2 months I realized "hey... if I don't use this time to lose my taste for junk food, then I'm going to be faced with cravings forever... and probably gain back the weight I lost." So I've intentionally stopped "tasting" things that I used to like. I've found wonderful replacements, now that I've actually tried to. Moist, dried apricots or dried plums for the sweet tooth. A date stuffed w/nut butter for the candy bar craving. Celery with a little dip, or popcorn with a spritz of soy sauce & sprinkle of brewers yeast for the "salty crunchies" craving.
To be honest it sounds like you might be a little depressed, though. And that's totally understandable; your body has been through an enormous trauma. Plus, if food was a favorite coping mechanism for stress etc, well obviously that's gone too!
Walking, especially outside in the sunshine, can be an enormous help for depression (shoot for a short walk in the a.m. and another one at lunch or mid-day. Even if it's just 5 minutes!). Also sticking to a regular wake/sleep cycle is super beneficial. If that's not enough, though, please don't hesitate call your program to see about counseling and/or an antidepressant... you will want to nip this in the bud, before your "honeymoon" is over!

Many of us need sometime to work out the issues and habits that got us here in the first place. But trying small steps everyday will help you change where you are going. I was a big emotional eater, and right now I am on softish solid food. Even though I can eat many things, I make it a point to eat mainly for my skin and hair. I focus everyday that I drink plenty of Water so that I don't get dehydrated and also helps with maintaining a healthy approach.
You don't have to exercise hard, you can take a 30 minute walk everyday, or do 3 reps of pushups and but lifts. These will help tone your muscles as well as keep the circulation moving. Minor exercise won't cause significant weight loss. I often do pushups right after I brush my teeth in the morning, right there in the bathroom.
The operation is not a magic bullet, the most work is mentally. Talk to yourself, address the real need to eat cheesecake, and use the first year as a gift to speed up your weight loss, as after the first year it slows down and ur tummy grows to accommodate more.
Good luck dear,

sadly most people are selfish and come to work when sick without any regard to impacting their coworkers (not to mention not realizing they are probably staying sick longer themselves by doing that). you can't force them to stay home. you just have to do everything you can to boost your own immune system. Lysol your area like you said, take likes of Vitamin C - and even the airborne supplement. I think it works great as a preventative, doesn't help much once you've already gotten sick. I keep a supply of it at my desk and when a typhoid mary type comes into work, I start taking it!

I think lemon Water really helps kidney stones. Years ago I suffered with recurrent kidney stones. They are so painful. I had read about the cleansing power of fresh lemon added to water and I got in the habit of squeezing the juice of a whole lemon into my bottle of water every morning. Haven't had a kidney stone yet. Could be coincidence, but i say whatever works to keep those painful suckers at bay is worth a try.

I had one about 2 years ago from high oxalic acid. I was told by my urologist to drink Crystal lite brand lemonade since they add extra citrate to it, which helps break down my type of stone.
Believe it or not, what I think helped lead to my stone was drinking a lot of non-sugar iced tea. Tea has a lot of oxalates. So I've quit the tea and moved on to lemonade and orange flavored Water.

I don't know. They did the pulverize procedure and I have captured like 5 grains of sand..don't ask... that I will bring and see if they can analyze. Since 80% ofkidney stones are Calcium based, drinking the lemon Water seems like a rational measure to take. The side benefit is that I have changed no other habits but am dropping down to the low 150s where i was before this nightmare began.

We often coach people to go"back to basics" when struggling. I am conducting a small experiment on myself and preliminary results are interesting.
Background, I don't record consumption AND post sleeve I don't care much for plain Water anymore. I drink disguised water - mio drops, crystal lite, Vitamin water etc. and keep a rough tally in my head.... getting about 64 ounces per day. Obviously, those flavor enhancers have artificial sweeteners.
Due to recent kidney stone, I have been advised to drink 2 liters of water a day and to add orange juice or lemonade. I didn't want to add the sugars from juice so he suggested lemon in my water.
I slice and squeeze a whole lemon into a 4 liter pitcher with the goal to drink it 50-50 over 2 days. Of course, I am not having the mio drops etc.
The stubborn water weight from my surgical procedure has dropped since I started this a couple of days ago.
My initial conclusion is that actual water, without artificial enhancers helps your body way better. I am giving this a solid month experiment but I suspect this will help with maintaining AND prevention of the dreaded kidney stones.
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Here is my bariatric study:
My brother died of a heart attack at age 47, when he weighed 420 pounds.
My mother died at age 67 (just three years older than I am now) of an abdominal aortic aneurysm when she weigh 320 pounds at 5'2" tall. Her mother, who was not overweight died at the age of 98, and she would have lived longer if she had not broken her hip and gotten pneumonia.
Other grandparents, aunts, and uncles who were not overweight lived well into their mid-eighties and early nineties.
Many of my 60 first cousins have already died of overweight-related health issues in their late forties to early sixties.
My older sister weighed about 300 pounds when she graduated high school in 1968 and gained another 100 pounds after that. She got a gastric bypass 15 years ago and is still doing well at age 67 (the age Mother died).
I had the sleeve at age 62 because I just do not want to be done yet. I have grandchildren that I want to see grow up.
One of my younger sisters who weighed close to 400 pounds got a band three years ago. She lost enough weight to get to a size 12, got a Tummy Tuck, breast lift and all that - and looks awesome! She is healthier and happier than she has ever been.
So, my family is my example for life-span. I know I have greatly increased my odds for a longer life with good quality of life.

Congrats on the weight loss! That's amazing. While it is higher than my calories- we're abt the same timelines- your loss has been fantastic and you're continuing to lose at a great rate so I wouldn't change a thing or worry abt it. Ideally you want to lose weight eating as much as you can. You're also exercising so you're burning calories there. It's always tempting to compare ourselves but it seems what you're doing is working so my unsolicited advice would be: if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Lol

You're a smart cookie -- you realize that you are in a strange little world of over-sensitivity to certain foods.
Someone else who wasn't battling your current medical conditions and medications wouldn't have to worry about that and could be incorporating more whole grains, legumes, even breads at this point. But for right now, you sound legitimately like a special snowflake.
I hope you get out of this zone soon and can get back to "normal" WLS territory.
Best!

So for over a month I've been in this stall. 1lb up, 1lb down, 1lb up, and 1lb down. Then, I had a 3lb weight gain over 2 days! I called my NUT and we went over what was going on. I've been trying to deal with a torn knee, being on cortisteriods for that which make you insanely hungry, not being able to do any lower body exercise because of that and lupus flaring up which we have found out is liquefying my knee joint, so we've had to up and change meds to try to get it under some sort of control. But all that doesn't excuse the weight gain. It's merely running tandrum to my weight gain. The weight gain, is coming from the fact that little carbs are sneaking in. 1/4 of a tortilla here, starchy veggies like peas here, maybe some corn in my tortilla Soup there, etc. a half a slice of bread for a sandwich. Apparently some of us are really highly sensitive to carbohydrates so my NUT wants me to cut out all carbs and fruit and go strictly with plain Protein and leafy greens. No fillers and see if that will help. What I wanted to share is that if your stall is going on this long, you might just need help sorting out your diet or something and while a week or two is normal, over a month is NOT normal especially when you are only 4 months out and have an obese person yet to lose. So, if you find yourself where I am, please follow up with your NUT.. It could save you from never reaching your goal.