Howdy,

I've had my gasteric sleeve surgery on July 18th, 2012. My original pre-surgery weight was 330lbs. I've lost 140lbs after my surgery. I am officially one year out as of this week. I went from a size 30/32 to a size 12. I am 26 years old. I am 5'4". My build is somewhat petite. Of course, I am still heavy to me. My daily calorie in-take is 800 calories. I use myfitnesspal to track everything I eat. I stay away from carbs and non-starchy vegetables. The Protein shakes I use are Atkins vanilla and strawberry. The Protein Bars I use are Powercrunch. I use both of those brands, because I can actually stand them and stand eating them everyday.

I have been working out on an exercise bike for roughly 2 weeks. I decided that I would continue this promise to be healthier. My fear is that my body has decided to just stop at size 12. It actually has started regaining 5lbs. When I noticed that, it made me do a blood curdling scream of "No!"

What am I doing wrong? Could somebody please help me?

Thanks,

texasbelle

I don't think you are doing anything wrong. Weight fluctuates, especially with women. Are you making sure you are getting your protein in??? What is your target weight??

I bounce up on the scale when I start exercising. It eventually adjusts but it takes a while.

I hit a nine week stall between 9-12 months post op and my loss slowed down to a crawl from 12-17 months, when I finally hit goal. I think that you've lost a tremendous amount of weight in one year (good work!) and that your body is going to lose more slowly now that you're closer to goal.

What is your goal weight? Let's assume it's 145 since that's out of overweight on the BMI chart (damn that thing, I hate it) and it's not unattainable. So that's approximately 45 more pounds to lose? I'd keep doing what you're doing and possibly work on increasing your calories if you find yourself totally stalled out now that you're exercising.

Give what you're doing another week or two and see where you're at. It's normal to see our loss slow after a certain point and you've just thrown a new thing (exercise) at your already shocked body.

Good luck - I doubt you'll find this is your stopping point. But I regret to say that it's likely that your days of shedding several pounds a week are either at or coming to an end. It happens! So just work on that mental shift you need to do and keep plugging.

Great work so far - that's a me-sized person you shed in the last year. That's amazing!

~Cheri

I saw you said the last two weeks you had been using an exercise bike. Had you been on an exercise program previously post- surgery? I think the only way for you to continue to lose weight is to step up the exercise, big time, to the best of your ability of course. If you are new to working out then I suggest you seek the guidance of a fitness trainer in the beginning.

I wanted to add that a 140 lb loss in a year is astounding, and something to be truly proud of, especially since it sounds you've mostly worked on the nutrition part of it. Congratulations on your success so far! The home stretch is always hardest as Cheri said but with hard work, sweat and determination you'll get there!

You also have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so in the beginning of a new exercise program, it is not unusual to gain a few pounds as your body builds muscle. But don't worry, because that is only temporary. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn, so the pounds will come off as you continue to exercise and exercise with a higher intensity. One thing that I like to do is measure myself with a tape measure rather than only by pounds on the scale. You will see that you are losing inches even when you are not losing or even gaining pounds, and that will keep you motivated to continue.

I had my surgery July 17, 2012 and started at 321. You and I are right together on those but I am 5ft. 9in. and I am at 194 now and yes it is a LOT slower now. My surgeon has told me that you will lose almost all you are going to lose in the first 18 months but it is slower those last few. I have decided that I am EXTREMELY happy with my weight loss this far and if I didn't lose another pound, I am much happier and healthier than I was. I am really trying not to focus on a number (which is hard) but I would like to get to a "normal" BMI for once in my life, even if for one day!! Just keep doing what you know got you this far and it will continue. Consult your nutritionist if you feel like you need help. Good luck with this and keep me posted!!!

Thank you to all of you who have posted replies! I deeply appreciate it.

As for my target weight, I would like to get to my 'normal' BMI for my height. Which is 120lbs. It is a tough goal, but I really want to get there.

As for the Protein question, I am maxing out between 100 grams to 149 grams of protein. I had to look at myfitnesspal.

The only part that I am concerned is that I think my fat content is a little high in my book. I am not sure if that is normal for us or not considering we eat *A LOT* of protein.

As for the exercise program, I did not have a exercise program prior to two weeks ago. I am just starting out. I figured that I would just suck it up and do it, because I noticed I was losing weight at a slower rate.

As for the nutritionist, She is on my e-mail and I e-mail her immediately when I think something is off.

As for my Water in-take, my mother (who lives with me) observes me drinking. She thinks I drink enough.

Good example: One day, she made me drink a massive glass (I think it was 32 oz) of Powerade Zero with ice to see how my drinking was. We were walking around and I was drink like a fish. I finished drinking all of it in like 2 or 3 hours. I think the fact I was moving and it was usual Texas weather of super HOT helped that factor though.

Since you have additional information, What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

texasbelle

I personally cannot lose any weight no matter what my calorie intake unless I exercise. You eating 800 calories and managing 100 grams of protein out of it sounds pretty good. I really think you've hit a plateau because your body has become aclimated to the diet. Exercise in some form (elevated heart rate) every day will kick the weight loss back into gear. Take it slow and enlist the help of a professional, if you can, to prevent injury.

Unfortunately, I have limited funds. Otherwise, I would hire a personal trainer in a heartbeat. I just don't want to keep gaining weight. I am 194lbs as of this morning and I am screaming "NO!". It depresses me greatly, because I want to keep going down.

I emailed my nutritionist and maybe I will get an answer soon.

I got an email back from the nutritionist. She said I was eating too much Protein and too much fat. Not enough vegetables.

On the way home, I stopped off at the grocery store. I made a stew out of fajita seasoned chicken breast, green cabbage, yellow onion, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, and cauliflower and chicken bullion.

According to the email that I got today, the nutritionist said this, " I think your body is actually building muscle and maybe causing it to appear that you have gained weight when you are actually getting more toned!"

Interesting article in regards to BMI charts......

http://news.yahoo.com/bmi-best-8-steps-healthiest-weight-op-ed-154110381.html

According to the email that I got today, the nutritionist said this, " I think your body is actually building muscle and maybe causing it to appear that you have gained weight when you are actually getting more toned!"

This is probably what is happening. Fat and muscle actually weigh the same. 10 pounds of fat and 10 pounds of muscle are both 10 pounds. The difference is that muscle takes up less room than fat so you may still be getting smaller in inches because you are losing fat but can be putting on a few pounds of muscle.

Try not to worry about the scale too much when starting an exercise plan. Take your measurements and go by those and by how your clothes fit instead of the scale. Your clothes should be getting bigger if you are gaining muscle. You will notice your body start to tone up and tighten in different areas.

I also suggest drinking more Water when you are exercising regularly. I workout a lot and I drink at least 160 ounces of water a day. You may not need that much depending on what kind of exercise routine you decide to do but I would up your water intake. I also enjoy water so that is part of the reason I drink quite a bit. Also, I would up your calories a little and see if that works.

The BMI chart is the devil, especially if you workout a lot. I am 5'6'' and weigh 160 pounds. I am still overweight on the BMI chart. I wear a comfortable size 8 and wear size 6 in some things. I wear a size small shirt and some of those are getting too big....my body is still changing at over 2 years out. I believe for me this is because of exercise. With exercise you can always have more goals and change your body in different ways.

You have done a wonderful job with your weight loss! Congratulations. You will get to where you want to be, it will take time and things will happen slower now that you are farther out.