Hey everybody

So I am officially 6 months post-op and I have lost 100 lbs. I am thrilled, except I have hit a HUGE stall. I used to lose 2-3 lbs per week, pretty much no matter what. If I didn't lose one week than I lost more the next. At this point I have gone 3 weeks without any scale movement at all. I know my shape has changed as I've dropped some sizes, but I'm worried that my body is going to like this weight and remain there.

I still have another 25 lbs until I am just at the "normal" BMI range and I have another 40ish to hit my "goal" (which is not set in stone, but I want to be firmly within the normal range if I can).

I hit my Protein goals every day and I get in Water. I have trouble getting in lots of water though because I still have restriction when it comes to liquids. I can only do a few sips at a time, so between my Protein shake and my meals, I try to get in all the water I can but I generally just don't have enough time. Many nights I will stay up later just sipping at the bottle to get some more in. Any tips on this?

Also, this last month I realized that I am eating a bit more than before. I'm not sure if its because I stretched it (ahhhhhh!) or if it is just normal since I hit the 6 month mark. I'm still not eating a lot, but I can finish a 5 oz yogurt in half an hour, whereas before I could do 3 oz in half an hour.

Then, my final question has to do with skin (eww lol). I know I have lots of extra skin, so when I get close to my goal weight how do I know if I still have "fat" to lose or if it is just skin weight? Like do I try to stop a few pounds above my goal weight and assume its skin? I have seen many shows where people have skin removal surgery after weight loss and they always remove at least 10 lbs worth of skin, sometimes even more. Is this something I should even worry about and just assume it will even itself out?

Help please! How do I beat this stall and keep going with the weight loss?

Thanks

I can't answer your questions (not yet sleeved), but just wanted to say congratulations on losing 100 lbs!!! That is amazing!

Your doing GREAT!! I believe the rest of the weight will come off in the next few months just like the 100 pounds has! Keep on doing your thing!!

Congrats. There is a fat composition test that can be taken.

I've heard it said that it takes 6 months for ALL of the surgical swelling to completely go away in some cases, and that is the point where your capacity increases to about 6 oz. if it hasn't already. I'm 5 weeks out today, and I've noticed my capacity, and therefore, caloric intake have increased already. This could be contributing to the stall I'M in as well. I like the word "plateau" better than stall, because at the other end of a plateau is usually a big drop off! Just keep on keepin' on!

A wise person once said "....it is the courage to continue that counts!"

Congratulations!!! Things do slow down a bit as time goes on. that has been the case for me at 9 months out. However I've heard this is true for all people losing weight across the board and not just weight loss surgery individuals. your body is always searching for balance. It likes maintaining one weight more than losing. Sometimes you have to shake things up. Do you exercise? If not, I would start with that. I think you will find that by adding exercise or if you are already exercising switching up your workouts...you will see the scale moving . Don't worry too much about stretching. That intsills lots of fear I think at least for me. You will be able to eat a bit more than you did orginally. Nothing you are doing sounds wrong to me.

Yep. I stalled when I was a certain weight despite me being a gym rat. They usually say you have to switch up the routine.

Emily,

firstly I want to echo others congratulations... you've lost an incredible amount of weight in such a short space of time.

The best advice I can give you is to have patience- yes I know, it is hard... I am currently in a 5mths stall but I am 19mths post op and sorta expected things to be like this (I also think my hormones are a contributing factor!). MY body is soooo stubborn to change, but I refuse to give up and refuse to believe that there is this window of opportunity. My tummy is the same size now as it was nearly a year ago, so I am going to stick with what I am doing and practice what I preech... employ patience!

Stick with what you are doing and let you body have a 'whiff', you will continue to lose. It might be a little slower, but that isn't such a problem... is it? If you feel that you need to 'do' something, try changing things around a little to shock your body... perhaps switch foods? Change your exercise routine? Add more liquids? Increase/decrease cals... anything that you feel will be beneficial. I have tried the above and although they didn't work for me I have read on here that they work for A LOT of others - we are all different - and like I said, my body is a stubborn lil minx!

Remember our bodies are sensitive things and they don't really like change!

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done! Good luck in getting to goal! =]

Thanks for your input everyone I think I am going to go lower carbs again. I have certainly not gone "high" but I have definitely been higher than I was in the beginning. It is difficult right now because I just moved to Brooklyn and my family has taken it upon themselves to bring me to all of the "must sees"... which are normally restaurants lol. For the most part it's easy to stick with Proteins but here and there I will try a treat (like a few bites of the famous Juniors cheesecake).

So maybe if I go back to strict low carb and add in some more exercise I'll boost myself back into some weight loss. I had contemplated joining a gym, but honestly it is just too expensive here. But, I recently found this park that has a 5k loop around a lake... now that my cousin (i'm a nanny for her 3 month old son) is going back to work I'm planning on making that a daily routine (weather permitting) so that will be plenty of walking, potentially jogging (depends on if his stroller can handle the jogging).

I have always been pretty flexible, and I have found with the weight loss that I am extra bendy lol, so I found this yoga program on tv that I may try a couple times a week.

I'm trying not to worry about the eating more, I kinda forgot that they say it can take up to 6 months to fully heal and I did have a LOT of restriction (even yogurt I couldn't eat more than a couple ounces). So I suppose what I am eating now is more like my normal.

Thanks again!

Welcome to Brooklyn. I was at Juniors the other day. That's going to be my pre-op last full meal celebration restaurant.

I too am 6 months out (well tommorow I will be) and have lost over 100 pounds.

I found a couple of weeks ago I could consume more food than I had previously. I would look at what I had eatten and think wow did that all just go in? But I feel like I am getting more nutrition, usually when I can eat what feels like alot of food ( i mean like 2 chicken tenders, couple of veggies and some low GI rice). I get closer to 1200 calories those days. This is nothing compared to what I ate pre-op.

I do work out alot, have a gym at work which I go to daily, walk/run 5-6 kms home each day. So do need to keep getting some carbs in to fuel me or I do feel a noticable difference in my energy. I do eat low GI carbs, wholemeal/wholegrain etc.

Anyway, keep up the hard work and you will get there. Keep positive.