Stalling near significant milestone numbers?

[katesuccess 990]

Hello folks. I'm finding myself stalled at 201.5 to 202.5 for the last few weeks. I know it's not just about waiting it out, because I'm feeling tempted more than ever to go over my calories and to eat things I know aren't part of my plan. Cookies and Hershey's kisses call my name constantly! So far nothing too over-the-top, but I can definitely see a difference in my cravings and behavior since coming close to this number, but I"m also doing my plan much better the past few days and still stalled. I log food, exercise significantly and get all my Protein, etc. Also I did my body composition the other day, and though I wish I'd lost more actual pounds, when I saw the fat to muscle ratio had shifted considerably (in a good direction!), I was happy about that.

So what have you all learned about crossing those milestone numbers? I can't help but think this is an emotional barrier as well as a physical one! There just seems to be something mental going on--and yet I feel great, am enjoying the gym and running, and even not too stressed in my work lately - likely because of all the added energy I get to bring to bear - hah! I'm really feeling ready to work on whatever this barrier is, so any help or input or ideas would be most welcome.

Kate

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

I'll tell you what I've learned over the years... you will stall at the worst possible times. No way around it except keep doing all the right things and keep praying that tomorrow morning your scale will give you what you want to see.

Good luck!

[labwalker 1,177]

I guess patience, and staying the course. Some folks think took the easy way out with WLS, but I think we all realize it is not a cakewalk!

I stalled at a few milestones. It seemed like it took forever to break under 300, and hold there! The next challenge was getting under 290. Now i'm stuck at 280 and it seems to be an impossible barrier! But, I know eventually it will fall,just like the others!

Your exercising, eating Protein, and tracking your food. That makes you a model patient. Don't keep any temptations in the house! I find if something bad is around I will eventually nibble at it. Don't let the stalls bother you. I track my weight, but I threw away the calendar.

[jacileggs 402]

How far post op are you?

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

I am 6.5 years post op, not sure who the question was directed to but that's me!

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

I've been hovering right over 200 for weeks. Maybe this will be the big week I enter Onederland? I know it was my eating. I think there is definitely an emotional component and something subconscious going on.

[Rogofulm 2,440]

I also had to face a stall before the doors to Onederland would open for me. Now I'm stalled at 0.7 pounds above my double-milestone of 185, which will be 80 pounds down and finally achieving "overweight" status on the BMI. So yep, I agree that the emotion of a big milestone can slow us down. Don't know that any scientific folk would confirm that, but it sure feels like it. Good luck to everyone who's hanging on the brink of a goal! If we keep making the right choices, we will eventually "break on through to the other side".

[Bandista 7,466]

Agreed there is a lot of subconscious chatter at the brink of a goal....mine is to get out of the eighties into the seventies. Perseverance will win the day!

[esskay77 785]

That is so interesting! I also am having similar issues, though I did break through into Onderland. But I am stuck at 195 and am having food issues such as cravings, sneaking a little snack here and there, finding myself in places where I can't get the best meal for me and have to make do. I'm not doing horribly, just not good enough to keep moving the scale apparently. I'm back to keeping a journal as of this morning. Keeping a journal has magical powers!! It's weird, I know. Personally, I wish I would get dumping syndrome when I sneak food I shouldn't have!! Would make life much easier. I've always had an Iron stomach and can eat anything. How do you get back on track? I didn't think about maybe being near a milestone might have something to do with this. Very interesting!

[katesuccess 990]

Thanks LilMsDiva, labwalker, Justwatchme, Rogofulm, esskay77 and Bandista – that’s my plan at present, and I hope your progress is going along too!

I’m also keenly aware that the higher loss rate is this first year, and don’t want to feel like I’m wasting that high-burn time on stalls, since it’ll be harder as the months go by. I’m six months post-op, eating about 700 calories a day (70 gms Protein, no starchy carbs), alternating gym with jogging six days a week. My next post-op appt with the doctor is not under early December.

A couple times earlier on I hit stalls and then when I upped my calories for a couple days and then dropped back down, that seemed to fix it and move my loss along again - but that's not helped this time, sadly.

I agree about that subconscious chatter, and what a good term for it. I just wish I were more adept at ‘listening in’ on it and knowing what’s going on that keeps me here. My insurance doesn’t cover seeing a therapist unless I’m referred as depressed or some other malady, but I’m about to ask for a referral, (even though I’m feeling great psychologically in other respects) – just to see if I can get some professional help with figuring out if this has a significant emotional component to it.

Until then—I’ll keep logging food, and YES – it does seem almost magical. Of course entering two Cookies and three Hershey’s kisses wasn’t much magical fun last night, but it sure motivates me NOT to eat them today!

[Bandora 136]

I am on a month-long plateau and its driving me crazy. I work out harder than ever. I just had to put the scale away. It makes me to angry. This happens every few months. I have been in the 185-187 range forever and just want to get under 180.

[katesuccess 990]

I feel that pain Bandora! It's so hard when they last so long. I went to a support group meeting today, and talked about mine – I'm still stuck but now have eaten some of the foods that got me here in the first place, like two Cookies yesterday and two much lunch today. I'm going back to logging more faithfully, and trying to ignore the scale a little more. My weight actually went up by 1.5 pounds today, and I know it's the result of eating the wrong stuff, (or perhaps more salt then I usually have) but I am determined to reverse the trend and look hard at why I'm doing what is basically self sabotage when I feel frustrated by lack of progress. I'm so used to enjoying positive feedback from weight-loss, and feeling so much better physically then I did prior to losing these 75 pounds, that I'm realizing I don't have as much emotional resources to withstand a long stall. I guess developing that resource is my next work, eh?

Kate

[katesuccess 990]

FINALLY! I hit 199 today. I'm so happy I could...do darned near anything! Just had to share the moment.

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

FINALLY! I hit 199 today. I'm so happy I could...do darned near anything! Just had to share the moment.

Hurray!!!! I'm so happy to read this!!! Celebrate!

[katesuccess 990]

Hurray!!!! I'm so happy to read this!!! Celebrate!

Thanks so much - I'm looking for a way to Celebrate. I bought myself some flowers tonight on the way home, and then opened them and found the stems were all rotted with black and white mold - sooooo not what I had in mind! Ick. I'll return them and retry tomorrow though. I did load a picture of what my scale showed as my lock screen on my phone, and that felt good. I"m almost afraid to step on the scale tomorrow for fear it'll turn out to have been a fluke or a mistake. Hah! Thanks again for the good cheery message and encouragement!