Taking in too few calories? Weight loss stalled for 2 months!

[ValAnn 31]

Hi everyone,

Banded last year on Jan 27 and love my band. However, the last 2 to 2.5 months my weight loss has stalled and I am at a loss as to why it has. I have lost almost 73 pounds so far and while I am happy with that, I still have quite a ways to go.

I feel like I am at the green zone and don't really have much of an appetite. And that might be part of my problem. I work out 5 days a week doing Zumba and boot camp(usually alternating nights). So I work out really hard! My calories consistently seem to hover around 1200 a day. And that is not taking off the calories I have burned off working out.

Am I possibley not taking in enough calories with what I am doing as far as exercise? Not sure how I can increase the amount of food I can eat while in the green zone. I can tell I am losing a little on inches(not much, I have measured) but nothing on the scale. If so, what number of calories/food combination should I shoot for?

Any ideas? Thanks

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

Check with your nutritionist.

[Kime-lou 648]

What is your Water and Protein in take like? Both of these are key for weight loss. I upped my Water intake and that broke my stall and now I am moving nicely again.

I would look at both of those first. Then maybe count your calories. Once you have looked at all this and if things haven't changed call then nutrionist and take all the info to them and see if they can help figure out what the problem could be.

My doctor did tell me though that plateaus are common and ok. He never worries if a patient hoovers around the same weight unless they stay there for longer than 3 months, when it hit 4 or 5 months they need to look at what the patient is doing.

[line-dancer 810]

Iam having the same problem...mu intske is low so zi am upping it and adding fruit and more Water and I am in a cleaning mood so I am burning with something stange to my body so out of shock I hope its shskes loss

[cheryl2586 3,053]

You are probably exercising too much for the amount of food you are eating. I would either only exercise three days a week or up your calories or eat higher calorie foods.

[ValAnn 31]

I do plan on making an appt with the nut. It just takes a while to get in to see her. Protein averages around 50-60 and Water intake is good. As in at least 64 ounces a day or more.

I just hate to exercise less as it really hopes my mood in this crazy cold Ohio winter. I plan on tracking for the next couple of weeks to gauge exactly how much Protein, Water and calories I am taking in though.

Thanks for all the great suggestions though

[honk 780]

In the same boat. Met with an oncologist to discuss possible thyroid/pcos. Have to wait until my next period to do hormone/ blood tests. I do at least an hour of cardio 7 days a week and stay below 1200.

[JustDoIt130 369]

Hey Val! Do you track your food with something like myfitnesspal? That will keep track of the Protein and nutrients- you might up the calories a couple days a week, with nuts or something that's full of protein...just a suggestion..

[Stephleupagus 35]

Don't drop your exercise! It's so good for you. I'd look into upping your calories every other day for a week and see what happens. Add a Protein Shake.< /p>

[Baba Wawa 543]

I do plan on making an appt with the nut. It just takes a while to get in to see her. Protein averages around 50-60 and Water intake is good. As in at least 64 ounces a day or more.

I just hate to exercise less as it really hopes my mood in this crazy cold Ohio winter. I plan on tracking for the next couple of weeks to gauge exactly how much Protein, Water and calories I am taking in though.

Thanks for all the great suggestions though

My nutritionist recommended 60-80 gr protein per day, perhaps adding protein is the answer?

[laurigee 545]

When I stall I like to change things up! Maybe change up your exercise routine! When you do the exact thing every day your body adapts to that! Do an exercise that targets other muscles every other day! I will increase my calories a few days a week by 100-200 calories. Also watch that you don't put the exact same food into your body every day! Your body will also get use to metabolizing certain foods that are eaten repetitively and daily. Changing it up makes your body have to work harder to digest different foods! Good Luck on your journey! Remember, your overall objective is to be healthy. Your eating right and exercising! Give that as much importance as the numbers on the scale! Be proud of yourself! The scale can measure our weight, but it can't measure our healthy lifestyle! Thin without being healthy is just as destructive as obese and unhealthy! Use the scale as a guide to success not the factor!

[willowcat 93]

Someone on an old,old post shared how she jumped off her plateaus and went from being a slow loser to a steady loser by adding Protein here and there to her meals. I'll see if I can find the original post and link it back here. Good luck finding what will work for you.

[willowcat 93]

Someone on an old' date='old post shared how she jumped off her plateaus and went from being a slow loser to a steady loser by adding Protein here and there to her meals. I'll see if I can find the original post and link it back here. Good luck finding what will work for you.[/quote']

Couldn't remember where I had posted remembering an old post--I've ended up reposting this several different places! Oh well. Here it is. Newsho posted this a long time ago, but maybe her approach will help you. I copied her post and am pasting it below. Good luck.

LENGTH ALERT! (This has very detailed tips and tricks, so this is not a short post. Just a "heads up")

People asked me a lot how I went from Slow Loser to getting to goal. I did better my second year of banding and when the weight came off - it really came off.

This is something that worked for me, and I recommended to other Bandsters.

Granted, these are tips that's not in any LapBand brochure or doctor's manual, and YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY - but if you already think of yourself as a Slow Loser like I was, then maybe you will be open to trying something to shake things up a bit.

When I needed a weight-loss push, I didn't cut down on calories much (if I'd recently had a fill adjustment, that's different) but in general:

I *added* Protein to every thing I ate.

This helped me to lose steadily (although it sped up my weight loss, more importantly it kept it steady). And it worked! Some Bandsters in my same banding date were better at counting calories - I wasn't. Some were better at counting carbs, I wasn't, but I excelled at ADDING protein. And I did well and later, other fellow Bandsters were asking me for help and tips.

How did I do it? I did not reduce calories or the amount I consumed (without a fill it wasn't much need to try that) and yet, I still lost. (I added a little bit of Beans, or a sprinkle of cheese (my favorite), or eggs - whatever I could. I didn't reduce what I ate, but I "upped my protein" - and it worked.

With the band, if you eat more protein, you generally will find yourself eating less overall - it doesn't feel that way but you do.

Every single time I added more protein to my regular Band-friendly meals, I lost more weight, even though I wasn't eating less calories sometimes. Sounds crazy - but in my particular case, if I didn't keep my protein levels up, my body held on to calories a lot more. Who needs their bodies "hoarding" calories?

If adding a bit of food meant I would lose more, it was worth a try. It worked.

And I paid attention to the TYPE of protein I ate. (Even before banding, I didn't eat beef or pork at all. And the band was developed in other countries where the pork and beef consumption is a lot lower than it is here in the 'States. I'm not a vegetarian, I just eat seafood and poultry only. My doc said this helped my weight loss a lot because the protein I ate was leaner, not fattier protein like pork/ham/bacon or beef/hamburger/fatty red meat. So I didn't have to regulate my portions as much as some Bandsters did. My can of tuna did more for me than a hamburger ever would have.)

Also, I'm a single/childless Bandster who lives alone, so I eat out for almost every meal. If I could make it to goal - while eating out - ANYBODY can.

How did I do it? Here were some tips.

At Breakfast, with my morning egg(s), I added a bit of cheese on top. Or I would have cottage cheese added. For protein and hunger reasons, cottage cheese did better than yogurt for me - unless I just had a fill or was very very filled or adjusted. The most filled I am, the less I eat in the mornings. So especially if you are not at your sweet spot, try Proteins that "stick" with you more to keep hunger away. Yogurt alone was not good enough of a Breakfast for me, with the band it just went through, and wasn't really filling. Now if I charged up my yogurt with lots of nuts, seeds, and wheat germ - then BAM! I'm not much of a cold Cereal eater (I prefer hot cereals) but if I had one I made sure it was a protein-packed one (I LOVE Grape Nuts Cereal best. Go Lean is awesome, and several of the Oatmeals & Cream of Wheat cereals have good protein content. I also added a few nuts to those, too. If I had a yogurt smoothie drink as a snack, I had them had a half scoop of Protein powder (a full scoop can make it too thick sometimes) or some soy or nuts.

Lunchtime was easy to get more protein in. I'd eat a scoop of tuna salad or chicken salad for lunch - and have them add some shredded cheese, some seeds and/or some nuts. I also love Soup. Usually a cup is a nice start to my lunch if I'm having a scoop of salad or tuna. If it's my whole lunch I get a bowl of Soup and eat what I can from it. My band will tell me when to stop. Almost any kind of any soup is great with a sprinkle of cheese or nuts added. Beans, too!

With my dinner I always like a cup of soup to begin. Gets me going, jump starts & 'primes' my band and it's a great protein opportunity. Then if I could, I concentrated on seafood. ANY type of fish worked great with my band - From catfish to salmon to snapper to Tilapia. Or even shrimp or my all time favorite, calamari. I enjoy oysters in season and clams all year. The weeks that I ate more seafood, I lost more weight - across the board. Usually grilled is a good choice to be honest I even ate it fried (sorry, weight loss experts) and I still did well. And with my seafood, if I could I added beans to almost everything. With my steamed veggies, I added nuts and a sprinkle of cheese sometimes. I know it's not very It really does work!

See when I restrict my calories or even when I try to cut down on fat - I usually just end up cutting down on protein. And no matter how "well" or how much less I eat, if I cut my protein my body won't 'burn' up the fat. It holds on to it. I know that protein is the fuel that helps the LapBand machine work and not trying to diet or 'cut down' was a blessing to me.

I've had other Bandsters try this, and yes they are skeptical at first but when they start seeing inches lost (muscle really does weigh more than fat, so your clothes tell you before the scale ever will) then they get on the bandwagon. So don't just 'cut down' - ADD some food on your plate. That's right. ADD MORE nuts, boiled/diced egg, beans, cheese, seeds and other yummy forms of protein. Your body and your LapBand will thank you for it. Also adding protein allowed me to eat fewer carbs and save them for what was really a nice treat - a nice martini or occasional glass of wine, with dinner. Yes, I'm a drinking Bandster. All the successful European Bandsters I knew drank a glass or two now and then and they were my role models. I can't drink a lot AT ALL - a little goes a long way, but it was nice to get to goal weight without ever missing a Friday Happy Hour. I got the band to enhance my life, not take away some of the things that make it enjoyable. I eat out at restaurants, I go have drinks with friends - and I feel and look great. BRAVO!

Good Luck to you. (And since so many people asked me the same question in private posts - that's why I am posting it on the Slow Losers board too...)

Keep up the good fight. I did it - and you can too.

[ValAnn 31]

Thank you all for the awesome words of advice! Especially you, Willowcat, for finding that awesome thread! That was very sweet of you to take the time do that for someone you've never met. That is what I LOVE about Lapbandtalk. There are always people here to encourage you on your journey. So a very hearftelt thank you

I agree that it seems I do need to up my Protein and maybe change up my food some. I do tend to eat the same things regulary(food just does not do much for me anymore) and I am a little low on my Protein. I hope to get back to some other exercise once the weather warms back up here in OH. I love to exercise outdoors! Miss that a lot in the winter.

I plan on getting back on to Myfitnesspal again as well. I have it as an app on my phone so there is no excuse not to journal more regularly.

Thanks again everyone!!! Best wishes to all of us on this journey!