OK, its been 9 months since my surgery and I'm down 106 lbs.

I joined a gym to do some cardio (treadmill and elliptical) and also signed on with a personal trainer (started about 2 months ago) working out with him 3 times a week (weights and core exercises). I've been doing cardio at the gym 2 X a week for about 30-40 mins.

In the last 2 1/2 months, I have not dropped 1 single lb. UGH!.

I bust my butt with the trainer and then do moderate cardio at the gym with NOTHING on the scale.

I've been struggling getting in my food per day, because now that I'm more active, I'm even less hungry. My trainer would like for me to get in 1200 calories per day, but that is very difficult for me. My surgeon is happy with my progress and says that eventulally my body will start to lose again. But at almost 3 months with no loss, I'm beginning to get really worried. I still have another 67-77 lbs to lose.

My trainer says that since I am building muscle, my weight loss may slow down initially, but once I build more muscle, the muscle will help me burn fat and I will start dropping weight again.

I've come so far to hit a wall like this.

Has anyone else been in this boat? What am I doing wrong? HELP!

Have you measured lately? You may have lost inches with the intense work-out..The scale is important, but dont forget your getting healthy and shaping up as well!

First, congratulations on your loss so far--and way to go with the exercise/training routine!! That's something I still haven't gotten in place yet, so I think you're doing GREAT!

I got to a point about 9 or 10 months out where I plateaued for a LONG time, several months, in fact. I wasn't doing anything different--my body just sort of settled in place. I eventually got to goal and realized that I had additional weight to lose; I'm 6'2", and nobody "official" had given me a goal, so I was sort of flying by the seat of my pants there. Back to the point--this summer, I've been focusing more on eating tons of fresh vegetables and fruit and incorporating as much raw produce as I can into my diet--my sleeve is still really small and picky, so I don't eat a lot of junk anyway, but I've been making an effort to eat a much more veggie-heavy diet. In the last couple of weeks, I've dropped three pounds--and I'm 14 months out.

So my suggestion is to keep doing what you're doing in the gym--GO, GIRL!! and maybe tweak your diet to take advantage of the summer crop of vegetables. Sometimes I think our bodies just need to chill for a while at a particular point, and then they start losing again. Don't give up hope--you're doing all the right things, but maybe shaking things up diet-wise will move you off that plateau. Check your salt intake, too. HUGS to you, and I can't wait to see your continued progress!

MegInNola - Thanks so much for the advice. I will say, that I've been eating fars less, but just-start the weight loss, but maybe eating more (esp. veggies) is the ticket.

Congrats on your 123 lbs. lost? I hope to be there soon,

AsI think about it, I'm going to start journaling my intake more diligently and see what patterns I notice. I can already say that my Water intake is pretty suspect some days. It's just really tough to get it in.

Happy Monday Folks! It's a new week! Let's rock it!

I really like the ideal of fresh produce, especially organic! I am going to cut my protein to 2 ozs and have a salad and fresh veggies with it too. Yummy! Thanks Meg!

Have you measured lately? You may have lost inches with the intense work-out..The scale is important, but dont forget your getting healthy and shaping up as well!

I have not measured, but my clothes are all fitting looser. So that's a good sign right?

Hi Pagie,

If I were you, I would take what your trainer told you to heart. Muscle weighs more than fat, so when you are building muscle, your weight loss may slow down initially, but once you build more muscle, the muscle will help you burn fat and you will start dropping weight again. Muscle speeds up your metabolism as well. The goal is not to lose weight, it is to lose fat only.... so anything you do to help improve fat loss is the right thing. Building muscle is the right thing to help improve fat loss, even if the scale temporarily doesn't drop as fast as you would like. Overall, you are doing exactly what you should be doing, and in the long run, they weight will come off even better with more muscle. Don't worry about the scale so much..... Listen to your trainer.....

Thanks NOL for the advice and I will stay the course.

Im sure you appreciate just how frustruating it is. but this too shall pass...

I feel ya. I started exercising consistently about 4 weeks ago and I have stayed the same weight for 4 weeks now! I feel firmer and a pair of shorts I wore memorial wk end are loser now BUT it is annoying and scary to not see the scale move at all! This will pass I'm sure ! NOT soon enuf tho

Congrats, on your weight loss. I'm about four months and have been a really slow loser which my doctor says is ok. One thing that keeps me,motivated are before and after pictures. Each week I take pictures front, back and side shots. Even when the scale doesn't move I notice my body transforming maybe it's my arms being a little smaller. It's always something. Good luck and congrats

do a no carb diet with that and it should start back

have you figured out how many calories you are actually getting in a day? If your calorie count is too low and your burning off a ton of calories then your body may go into "Starvation mode" and is holding onto all of it. Ive read alot of people that upped their calories by a few hundred and weight started to come off again.

I know it must be frustrating to not be losing the lbs but youve lost a ton already so congrats on that and you said yourself your clothes have been fitting better. Keep up the good work!

I feel ya. I started exercising consistently about 4 weeks ago and I have stayed the same weight for 4 weeks now! I feel firmer and a pair of shorts I wore memorial wk end are loser now BUT it is annoying and scary to not see the scale move at all! This will pass I'm sure ! NOT soon enuf tho

I feel ya. Congrats on losing 45 lbs...

do a no carb diet with that and it should start back

Thanks for the suggestion Mr. Worm . My only concern with going no carb is that I'm working out 5-6 times a week. I'm already light headed most days I exercise due to lack of enough calories. If I cut carbs, will I be able to do any exercise?

have you figured out how many calories you are actually getting in a day? If your calorie count is too low and your burning off a ton of calories then your body may go into "Starvation mode" and is holding onto all of it. Ive read alot of people that upped their calories by a few hundred and weight started to come off again.

I know it must be frustrating to not be losing the lbs but youve lost a ton already so congrats on that and you said yourself your clothes have been fitting better. Keep up the good work!

Jen - Most days I get in 800-900 calories. Most recently (this weekend) I struggled to get in 1200 calories. I literally felt like I had to eat too often and it made me really uncomforable, because I'm only supposed to have 3 meals a day. Yet I cant get in enough calories in those three meals to get me to 1200. So I have to eat more often.

Not to mention that getting in Water is a pain because I shouldn't drink one hour before or after I eat. So I basically feel like I'm spending my day watching the clock thinking, can I eat now, or, can I drink now? LOL It's insane!!!

Thanks for the suggestion Mr. Worm . My only concern with going no carb is that I'm working out 5-6 times a week. I'm already light headed most days I exercise due to lack of enough calories. If I cut carbs, will I be able to do any exercise?

Cutting calories isn't always the best way. As long as you are exercising regularly, you can actually increase your calorie intake. Your body is just going to burn them off anyway. Aim for a min of 1000 a day