This is more than a garden variety stall...

[apw0 7]

So, when I had my surgery on 4/4/11, my pre surgery weight was 333. Today, 7 months and 13 days later, and I'm at 280 lbs. Now granted, I haven't been as diligent about my exercise for the past month, due to some lower back issues. But I have been really diligent about getting in my Water, and Protein first. I'm trying not to get discouraged, but it's hard when I read posts from folks that have lost 100 lbs within their first 6 months, and so on. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I've only lost 53 lbs. I have been on this super, duper stall for a few months, and I AM PISSED!!!

I don't know what to do, and I'm really getting kind of down about it. I started smoking again a few months ago (after I had quit for a solid year!!), when I couldn't break the stall then. But I have since quit, because this was supposed to be my year to get healthy, and the whole smoking thing was just a bit contradictory. Anyway...here I am, only 53 lbs down, and 80 lbs to go, and I just don't know what to do about this. Other than the not exercising as much because of my back, I'm doing everything right. But here's the thing....even when I was exercising on a regular basis, my weight loss was very slow then too! I've heard of folks that go through all of this, and then only lose 50 lbs., but I never ever dreamed that I would be one of those people! WTF??? :banghead:

[mamasez 9]

_{I truly wish I knew what to tell you. I would be pissed too. I am only 4 weeks out so I have no experiential advice other than what I have read on these forums which is to change it up, eating wise. Examine what you are eating and eat more or less than you currently are eating. Start eating different things, and check the carb level (I think you should be eating around 20 but no more than 40 carbs/day - someone correct me if that is wrong). Get EXTRA Water in to flush out those toxins. Also, have you joined MyFitnessPal to track what you are eating? I have heard it really gets people's weight loss going from a stall when they track carefully.}

_{I want to commed you for stopping smoking. You know that smoking is self-sabotoge and it will NOT help you be healthy. It will only make you feel bad about yourself! I know how hard it is to quit for good. I walked around looking like an idiot (but who cares?!) because I missed the hand-to-mouth action of smoking so much, I would "puff" on a toothbrush at home and blow out in long, slow breaths, just like I had just taken a calming drag. Did it in my car too. So, deep breathing in and blowing out to simulate that effect might be helpful. It was for me.}

_{With your back issue, can you go to a physical therapy place? Do ALL exercises make your back hurt? Could you do some gentle Water aerobics? I am prone to injury and there's nothing to stall weight loss like not being able to exercise.}

_{I know things are going to get better for you. God has a plan.}

[JenniLee0628 3]

The biggest thing is to keep a positive attitude! Instead of saying I have only lost 53 pounds, be proud of losing it! Is there anyway you can get cardio in on an excercise bike? I know you have lower back pain, but I am thinking if you are sitting down on the bike it may not bother your back as much but you still get cardio in. Also, what about Water aerobics? Just some thoughts for lower impact. I was diagnosed with arthritis and fibromyalgia at the age of 2 so I can understand back pain. Keep a positive outlook, everyone is going to lose at their own pace and have stalls!

[thinoneday 445]

Totally feel you girl! When I hit 1 year out (I had been clipping along at a good pace) I stalled for 7 months. . no matter what i did the weight wouldn't budge, really irked me needless to say. . .then it moved a bit at the 8th month lost about another 10 lbs and then NOTHING no more. . . I'm 2 years out on Dec 29th but i'm thinking my body has had enough. . . so i'm not going to kill myself anymore, i'll just watch so i don't gain tons back. . . good luck to you, hopefully after your back issues you can get back to walking or something. . .it doesn't have to be the gym, walking around helps alot too and is good therapy for the lower back.

[apw0 7]

First, thank you all so much for your support and encouragement. Many years ago, I fell down the steps in my house. I fractured my tail bone, and I had a few herniated discs. I ended up having surgery about 2 years later, and as I gained more weight, my back would just throb. When I first had VSG, and I started losing, my back was feeling so much better. I was so happy and excited! I stopped taking the daily doses of Oxycontin, and life was great! Then I noticed that it started hurting again. I went to a chiropractor, and he told me that I have severe arthritis in my lower back. It hurts the most when I sit, and of course, I sit all day, because I'm a programmer. I normally do the treadmill when I go to the gym, so I'm going to get back on schedule with that. As far as the Water aerobics go, sadly, they only have it during the day, and I'm working. For me to go to physical therapy, I would have to start the process all over again of going to an Orthopedic doc, get xrays, and blah, blah, blah. And with everything going on, I just don't have the time. (I really hate HIPAA!!) So for right now, PT isn't an option. My carb intake is reasonable. I don't normally go over 60 g, but I try to keep it at 40. I am a complete carboholic, so I had to change that up. I found that when I eat those sugary carbs, I want more and more. So I stopped eating those things, because I knew what they were doing to me. So, I'm going to go back to the gym on more of a regular basis, and I'll check back in next week. I realize this is a marathon, and not a sprint, but enough is enough! So thank you again for your support, and for letting me vent, and whine.

[Escape_Pod 358]

Annette,

I know it's frustrating, and you should absolutely feel free to whine and vent, and stamp your foot, and do whatever makes you feel better. But the BEST thing you can do for yourself is to STOP paying any attention at all to how fast others are losing weight! We are all different! Some lose fast, some lose slowly. Age, gender, starting BMI, and a bazillion other factors can all play into your weight loss rate.

It's a marathon honey, not a sprint. And more importantly, it never ends. We've made permanent changes to how and what we eat, and to the extent we can, to how much we move. We eat to live, not live to eat. Celebrate every last pound you've lost so far, ban the word "ONLY" from your vocabulary, and keep doing what you're doing. Talk to your surgeon and/or nutritionist for advice on your diet, but try not to get discouraged.

Hugs,

Beth

[Raine 170]

Being a slow loser is HARD. Its hard enough what we are doing in the first place, but add slow losing on top of that and it is so much harder on the head and heart.

Easier said than done but try to stay positive. I agree with changing up your eating habits too. Every month or so I try to do something different. I was sleeved 4/27/11. For a couple of months I was hard core exercising. When that seemed to stop, I went to eating little to no carbs for a while. Then I went (currently at) to eating strictly healthy during the week, Protein, veg or salad and relaxing on the weekend. This last part seems to have come to an end now and I have to start something new. I guess my advise is, our bodies may get bored just like we do and sometimes we have to kick start it again to give it some umph, make it interested again, if that makes sense. Have I lost a lot since surgery, NOPE LOL. I lost most of mine pre - surgery and since surger about 24lbs, total 71lbs. If you look at my numbers vs. yours, I have lost about 12.5% of my weight since surgery, you have lost about 15% of your weight since surgery. You were sleeved a couple of weeks before me too, so I say we are almost in line with each other % wise.

Good luck!

[ldytrkrbrenda 0]

I have read post on gastric sleeve.com that when a few folks had long stalls they went back to their first few weeks of Protein Shakes and Water, and it helped overcome the stalls

[former_vbg 198]

You mention that you try not to go over 60g of carbs a day. To be honest, that is pretty high. My recommendation to you is to cut your carb inake way back. I think you could jump start your weight loss by doing a few days of liquids, and then ease back into the post-op diet and really watch what you are eating. Some people (not all) are carb sensitive and I'm going to guess your body might be one of those.

Watch processed foods and anything with sugar. I would recommend trying to eat more fresh food even if its frozen. For example, I found Aldi's has great frozen fish options including sammon, white fish and some others I can't remember at the moment. Sometimes i will put some of that in an egg with a slice of cheese for some variety. I have started buying broccoli and asparagus, cooking up a bunch for the week and incorporate that into my lunches.

Another option if really feel your diet is ok, is to find a registered dietician who has experience w/weight loss surgeries. Bring them a food diary of what you eat for a typical week. Ask them for some input on how to get things back on track. I really think though that you need to really evaluate the foods your eating to be sure that hidden carbs and calories aren't causing you issues. Now, personally, I never pay attention to calories- only carbs. I still have stalls and in fact the past month, I have had a really slow loss. But, I also notice that anytime I have something with sugar or processed foods, it's like my body latches onto it for dear life- thus causing problems with regular weight loss. We are all human, so don't take this as bad. It's a process. At least you are keeping it off.

Find a professional who can really sit down and look at what you are eating.

[apw0 7]

:lightbulb: Well....I figured out what the problem is. Since I quit smoking, I have been sucking on wintergreen lifesavers. 4 of those little things has 16g of carbs, ALL FROM SUGAR!!! Even the sugar free ones have the same amount! Now that I have found the culprit (and I have to thank VBG for bringing this to my attention) I can absolutely do something about it! I did all of my research, and I looked out (and avoided) the pitfalls that got me here in the first place. I can't believe that it never even dawned on me that this was the problem. I thought I was smarter than that.

The important thing is that I found it, and now I can take action!

Annette

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Hi apw... I'm just going to state a few things here and I haven't even read any of the other responses. These types of posts can get a little tricky because you're going to get all sorts of different advice.

Here's mine, which I tell everyone: we are all different. You have to find the positive in your journey. So, you are not losing as fast as most others, so what??? ...but what about your losses so far can you find that would make you feel good about it?

A few I can pinpoint and I don't even know you:

• You are losing an average of about 1-2 Lbs per week right now. That is a very healthy rate of weight loss, you can ask any health professional.
  
• You are exercising on a regular basis, which, did you do that before you decided to make healthy changes to your life? I realize right now you can't but once you can again, I'm sure you will get back to it.
  
• You are getting all your fluids in, which is great!
  
• You are eating healthy, great job!
  
• You are no longer in the 300's, and you never will be again!
  
• Last but not least, you have your sleeve. In fact, I'd say this is the best. The sleeve does not have any kind of expiration date attached to it. It will ALWAYS be there for you, to keep you from eating too much. Just going forth to do something like this takes a lot of courage, and for that you should be commended.
  

Now, I encourage you to see the forest for the trees by looking for all the good treasures of your journey. Don't focus so much on others losses - and I say this all the time too, that more often than not you will find yourself on the losing end of that. Just like cars on the freeway, there will ALWAYS be someone driving faster than you. Don't do that to yourself, it's unnecessary punishment.

Things you can do to note your losses are to compare your before photos to your photos now. Are you wearing a smaller size than on surgery day? There are sooo many ways to measure a loss... the scale does NOT DEFINE YOU!

[former_vbg 198]

I'm so happy you were able to find the culprit!!! I look at the labels of EVERYTHING, and if I am in a situation where I can't because someone else prepared the food or I'm at a restaurant, I really try to stick to things I know are pretty safe- Protein, salad and such. I also have found that the "fat free" things actually are higher in sugar and carbs than the regular stuff- not always, but often. When I'm at restaurants and I order salads, I request no croutons, and dressing on the side so I can control the dressing portion I'm eating.

Again, I'm so happy for you. I know how difficult stalls can be, I really do. Keep up the great work!!!

:lightbulb: Well....I figured out what the problem is. Since I quit smoking, I have been sucking on wintergreen lifesavers. 4 of those little things has 16g of carbs, ALL FROM SUGAR!!! Even the sugar free ones have the same amount! Now that I have found the culprit (and I have to thank VBG for bringing this to my attention) I can absolutely do something about it! I did all of my research, and I looked out (and avoided) the pitfalls that got me here in the first place. I can't believe that it never even dawned on me that this was the problem. I thought I was smarter than that.

The important thing is that I found it, and now I can take action!

Annette

[apw0 7]

_{LilMiss Diva....all I can say is WOW!!! I never really looked at my situation in that way. And I certainly do need to focus on the positive, and not compare myself to others. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Thanks so much for the wake up call.}

_{And VBG, thank you for your encouragment and support. I don't normally eat anything that is labeled 'fat free', just for the reasons you mentioned.}

_{And I especially appreciate the point about my sleeve not having an expiration date, and that it will always be there for me. My doc told me that I should be at or near goal at my one year surgiversary. He said that it seems that after the 1 year mark, your body 'wakes up', and realizes that something is going on, and it tries to hold on to everything you put in your mouth. I guess that's another reason why I'm panicking a bit. By April 4,2012, I want my goal weight to at least be on the horizon.}

_{Nevertheless, thank you all!}

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Well, I can tell you this - I'm working on my 15th month out and I'm still able to lose weight. :wink1: I don't know why some Dr's like to force that kind of scare tactic on their patients. I'm sure he has his reasons, but I've always preferred to be the exception rather than the rule!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!