It's been a while since I've been on and I apologize. Things had been going really well until about 2 months ago, and then my losses just sort of tapered off and stopped. It's really starting to mess with my head. I'm doubting what I eat, I'm pushing myself with exercise and then not seeing results and getting frustrated and stopping - only to start again in another week. I'm playing around the the pouch test, then eating high fat and sugar. I've been going to Weight Watchers, but have a hard time staying in points (HOW is this possible unless I stretched out my pouch, which makes me sick thinking about). I'm all over the map. I need to get control again because this limbo is really starting to feel like what it felt like before surgery when I had to move mountains to lose weight. It's pretty scary! I'm only 15-20 pounds from goal, which is the most frustrating. Now - I've done great up until this epic stall. I started at 225ish and I'm at 172 (lowest on record was 166 at WW). I just want to stop this cycle before I'm back in the 200s and all this was for naught! If any of you have gone through this, or have suggestions on how to break my stall and get control back, I'm open to it. Thanks for your support!

May not be stall you may have maxed out surgery results. Pre surgery 235 ideal 150. 50% expected surgery loss of 40 lbs now 190. That is it. My goal 180 may not get there can't reduce food intake more. Exercise will not do it alone as you

metabolism adjusts to caloric intake. Take some time off add calories then start again to jump start metabolism again.

Reality you may be at surgery weight. I did that at month 4 now ending 6. Not a stall I reached Eden

hi, well you sure do know what is going on and what you need to do, but i'll answer the other question, yes it had happened to me. First off, I got rid of that scale as soon as i came home from surgery and only weighed myself at the doctors office on appt days. This helped me a lot and i didn't notice stalls or any negative things. After my first year, i had lost 150 lbs. Now i brought the scale back in because the doctor appts would only be yearly. Well for the next year I didn't lose anything. Nothing, Nada, Net, Nix,

So I left the scale alone and just carried on being me, weighing in every week with no losses. Good for me cause i did reach the doctors goal after all but really wanted to get to my own personal goal. So during the 2nd year, I lost nothing, actually gaining 2-3 lbs here and there but losing them right away as well, not going below 200 however. Ok, that is fine with me. I looked at it this way, at least i didn't weigh 350 lbs anymore, and could do so much more and "felt" healthier. So why kill myself now to get to 170? Now I've started year 3 and am just living my life. I weigh myself every now and then, just to make sure I don't creep up. Other then that, I'm happy where I've been plopped at, and if i'm to loose more, good for me, if not, well good for me. It's tough, even with this great tool we have been given, unfortunately however, if we didn't train ourselves to eat and live more healthier during our first year, it's going to be tough to reteach ourselves that. So you have 6 months left before your one year anniversary, I would highly suggest you get into a healthier routine of 3 meals a day, no snacks, drink lots of water, and some form of exercise. Get rid of that scale for now and try really hard. The high sugary things are just in your head. When this happens, take a moment to reflect, go somewhere quiet, like the bathroom and listen to your stomach. Is it truly growling? Are you hungry from you stomach? If not, that is head hunger and that is the toughest to compete with. . . if that should happen, chew gum, or drink more fluids, you may be thirsty and not really hungry. . . good luck and don't worry we are all in this together, its tough and not easy, but remember too, only you can change what is not good. . . hope this helps a bit.

As I read your post, I noted a couple of things. First, I'm sorry you're experiencing a stall. We had surgery around the same time (mine was 4 days after yours). I can tell you that in November and December, my weight loss slowed rather dramatically; it picked up again this month with the addition of exercise, which I wasn't doing before.

I do notice that you're following the Weight Watchers program, which might be a challenge for post-sleevers. Are you following the "Protein first, then veggies" rule at meals? I suspect you've fallen into the "balanced meal" approach of WW, which, while it might work pretty well for some pre-sleevers who stick to it, has way too little protein and way too many carbs for us post-sleevers. Think about it--what exactly are you fueling your tiny sleeve with? Rice/pasta/bread or protein/veggies?

So I think maybe you want to start eating clean again--just ditch the flour products, anything with added sugar, high-carb juices, etc.--and do light exercise consistently. You're young, and you have a great tool to help you stay slender and healthy. And you're only through losing if you are ready to be through losing--unless you're 6' or 6'2", like ThinOneDay and I are, in which case, you might be at your goal at 172 (I know I would be THRILLED to weigh 172--I'd be like a size 8 at that point!).

Hang in there, sweetie--you haven't "stretched" your sleeve. Just go back to eating the way you know you should, with real food, protein first/veggies, and do some moderate walking and/or weight work, and you can work your way through this. More importantly, you can set yourself up for long-term success. HUGS!!!

I agree with the above post, and want to add that a food diary is invaluable for keeping track of what exactly you are eating and the breakdown of carbs/fats/protein. There are several online sites. I use MyFitnessPal and have been very pleased. Remember: Protein, protein, protein! Also, are you not drinking anything for 15 minutes before and 30 after each meal? That's important to keep that sense of fullness and not flushing out the food. Keep up the exercise. And you might want to measure yourself. Often we are not losing pounds, but are losing inches.

Good luck!

I agree with Meg. Unless i stick with Protein first I am hungry and eat more calories without feeling full. Eating protein first was a big change for me. I was never very protein-oriented pre-surgery and it was the last thing I would eat on my plate. But I notice how much better I feel if I eat protein first now and how much more satisfied I am after meals, so I'm a convert!

I also think exercise is key. I exercise five days a week. For me, it's key to keeping my moods on an even keel and I think it has really made a difference it how my body looks.

The last few pounds to goal are always the hardest. I've been whittling away at mine for the last couple of months.

Lynda

Yes, I agree. Protein, protein, protein and veggies. I like to basic stick to the basics of boot camp by lisMissDiva. You can find it under the food and nutrition section. Take 1 day at a time and enjoy each day. Take a walk daily to refresh your mind and perspective. Try a couple of days of liquids, loaded with protein. this includes protein drinks. I've learned to love them.

You all are great! Thank you so far for the thoughtful and encouraging responses. From what I'm reading, I'm getting the following. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

1) drop the WW journalling and go back to regular food journaling to see more of what I'm eating

2) keep up my circuit training 3 days a week, but perhaps add another 2 of some other form of exercise to mix things up

3) eat more Protein and eat it first

4) drink almost double the Water that I've been drinking

5) chill out and don't judge success by the scale, but by my measurements - and don't measure too often.

Sound about right? I think all of that is really sound advice. Diva sent me the link to her Back To Basics plan, which also seems very reasonable and makes sense. If other people have more advice, keep it coming. It's very motivating!

I am in the same boat as you and I actually got rid of my scale once for a couple weeks. I have my surgery on 10June at 228 and today Im at 158, which is about 20 lbs shy from my goal. My doc told me that I've met my max, so Im assuming the weight loss is now all up to me. Im training for a marathon and run about 20 miles a weeks with zero weight loss. I would lose a lb or 2 then it comes back and stays at 158. Im not a big eater becaue i still get full pretty quickly so I don't know if it's food. I may suggest changing your work out and food routine for a few weeks just to shake things up a bit. I totally understand how frustrating this can be, but I think if we stop obsessing about it and just continue to eat right and exercise it will happen... very slowly.

I'm not disputing any of the advice you got here - all of it is good. But I'd also point out that these longer stalls do happen to a lot of us. My body hit happy weights at 190 and 160 and it took FOREVER to get past those two points. It was like my body was so happy that no matter what I did I couldn't lose weight. And the sad news? Once I was within 20 pounds of goal it took a whole SIX months to lose that last 20 pounds. Some months I only lost one pound the entire month, and some it flew off in short bursts of five at a time. Oh, and once I hit goal? I immediately bounced up three pounds and it took another three weeks of two Protein shakes a day to get them off again!!

Sometimes, as much as we hate it, the best answer is to keep plugging away and wait it out.

So my advice is to track that food again using a more traditional calorie counter, not the points system. Find what works for you without causing a gain. I discovered prior to surgery with metabolic testing that my basal metabolic rate is significantly lower than the average and that I need a lower calorie diet to lose weight. If you're eating the standard 1200 calorie diet now, it might be too much. Or even too little, based upon your exercise regimen.

Make sure the issue isn't denial about what you're eating. That's my biggest culprit every time. I may only be able to eat one cookie at a time but I'll be darned if I don't get carried away sometimes and eat one at a time four times a day! Record every crumb you put in your mouth and if your intake isn't the issue it's likely that your body is at a happy spot. Persistence will pay off and eventually you'll be down to goal, even if it doesn't happen quickly.

It took me 17 months to get to goal but man, life here is sweet. You'll be there if you keep trying.

~Cheri

May not be stall you may have maxed out surgery results. Pre surgery 235 ideal 150. 50% expected surgery loss of 40 lbs now 190. That is it. My goal 180 may not get there can't reduce food intake more. Exercise will not do it alone as you

metabolism adjusts to caloric intake. Take some time off add calories then start again to jump start metabolism again.

Reality you may be at surgery weight. I did that at month 4 now ending 6. Not a stall I reached Eden

Thomas, personally I don't believe is maximum surgery results. I started at 246. The surgeon said that we expect you to lose 50% of excess weight which would put me at 183 and still obese. I expressed dismay and he said that you could not argue with a bell curve.

I call bullshit. I've been reading these boards for months that are full of people achieving goal in 6 months to are year and a half. I don't think this is a statistical standard bell curve we a dealing with.

I would tell the OP to get back on Protein shakes and 1/4 to 1/2 cup meals. Fill up that sleeve with protein and then veggies. Lay off the carbs.

and no, you can't stretch out this sleeve. It has a little give, but the stretchy part was removed. Weight loss slows WAY down as you near goal.

Beach - your surgeon has support groups right and a nutritionist right? I would go to both of them. Part of the cost of surgery for me was access to the nutritionist and weekly support groups. If not included I would go to the nutritionist that you saw pre-surgery or find one specializing in WLS nutrition.

You look incredible BTW.

Cheri............It took me 17 months to get to goal but man, life here is sweet. ...that is so cool you feel that way.......very happy for you and thank you for your words of encouragement..............

just wanted to thank everyone for the advice on this thread. im struggling ( been struggling ) and i am so scared that ive hit a wall, and this is where ill be stuck at . Im working really hard at it, and now im soooo scared that this is it. I wonder if theres any long term sleevers that hit that " surgery max weight loss " and never loss anything else. i hope that isnt true. I really do

Like I said, I think it BS. There is no logic in that at all. You can loose as much weight as you want to. the sleeve is still the size it is and still a tool. It doesn't magically stop working.

Re: Calories. It's so hard to figure out what the right calories are! Sometimes I feel like there is an excuse for everything - I'm not losing because I'm eating too much, then it flips and I'm eating too little. But it totally makes sense. I had such a hard time taking off weight before surgery that it would make sense that my body just functions with less naturally. It's such a slippery slope between eating just enough, or too much and too little.

Re: Calories as Usual Main Target. This is very true. I noticed that I get awfully liberal when I'm not food journaling. And when I do journal, I notice how a little can go a long way in the "tastes" area. I have 2 kids 5 and under, so I've had to shy away from "tastes" when I'm really trying to control those calories. And who can have one cookie?!? I'd rather not have one at all! lol

Re: Weight Limit. My doctor also talked about this weight limit thing, but I can't help but feel that it's a little BS myself. Calories are calories. Input and output are scientific - so it makes sense that if I'm inputing less than I burn on output, that I can still lose weight - even beyond this ceiling. I think the doctors are talking about average loss before the really hard work begins. Honestly, it's the really hard work that scares me - especially since I've been burned so many times before where my efforts reflect so little. But I think (and here is where I probably need to take my own advice) that this tool helps us get past the past challenges where we faced "failure" so many times before. I feel like my negative feelings are coming from the person that I used to be and sometimes I'm not giving my new tool a chance to show me that it's still working. I'm so used to immediate gratification, it troubles me when things take longer and I start to freak out, not because it won't work, but because I am used to expecting the worst from my body. Let's face it - if diet and exercise worked for me before surgery, I probably would not have had the surgery.

Re: Support Groups. I agree. I need to find one locally. My hospital provides them, but often no one shows - including the doctor or nurse who is supposed to host it. I find this forum is a great support group, but I do agree that I need to find some human contact to hash things out with.

Everyone - once again, fantastic discussions and great things to wrap my head around. Please keep commenting. Very thought provoking!