18 months out and I've hit a wall!

[ChronicJam 40]

I was sleeved Dec 2014. I made excellent progress, starting weight 235, lowest was 153. My goal is 145. The problem is I've been stuck in a holding pattern for about 4-5 months! I've even started gaining a few pounds back. I've gone back to being extremely mindful of my Protein intake, etc, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I hate to have worked so hard and fall just short of my goal - or worse yet, undo all of the progress!

Any suggestions?

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Have you talked to your NUT about your goals and challenges?

I would suggest that you go back to basics and focus on your Protein and fluids.

Are you exercising?

Embrace the Stall

http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

[Healthy_life2 8,322]

@@ChronicJam

You have put in a lot of hard work. Might be time to change things up a bit to stop the weight holding pattern

If you are working out..Delete my post...

Make your workouts count. SWEAT! Leave your workout winded. Push the resistance. Never do the same activity over and over. Calories in/calories out.

[Momcat 29]

I feel your pain! I could have written your post, as I'm going through exactly the same thing. Was also sleeved in December, 2014 and have hit that same wall. I have been losing and gaining the same couple of pounds for about 4 months, even though I would like to lose another 20 pounds or so. Like you, I have tried everything but nothing works. I see my surgeon in a couple of weeks and hope he has an answer. I'd be happy to share any solutions...

[MichiganChic 3,262]

Disclaimer: MY experience and opinion

I had the same experience. I finally had to come to come to grips with it. I am never getting to that goal weight I had in my head. It was a bitter pill to swallow. So I had to take a closer look at the progress I made, the physical and mental changes (all improvements) and my general state of improved happiness due to the success I had. Just because I would like to be a different number doesn't detract from the huge success I've had. I'm a very healthy size 8, 53 year old woman who looks better than I did at 33. So it's all perspective. And I made a decision - to be ok with it, and not feel like a failure over something that probably wasn't worth the effort because it wasn't going to add value to my life, and was more likely to do the opposite.

Having said that, it doesn't mean you can't get there. Lower your calories, exercise more...there's probably something you can do. For me, eating 800 calories and exercising an hour a day might have done it, but I don't want to live like that FOREVER. It is a fact that the closer we get to goal, the harder it becomes for most of us. When you hit that wall, something will need to change if you want to keep losing.

[RickM 1,747]

Congratulations, you are in maintenance. At this point your caloric deficit is around zero, or negative a bit if you are gaining regularly. To continue losing you need to get that caloric deficit in the positive again, by reducing your consumption or dramatically increasing your activity levels (exercise); we tend to need more exercise than we expect so this rarely brings about the expected result unless one goes into marathon-training mode. Increasing Protein isn't going to do much nutritionally if you are already consuming what is needed to maintain your lean body mass - excess is just excreted or stored as fat. Likewise, fiddling with carbs may produce some temporary changes due to body Water retention/excretion, but nothing in the long term unless it promotes less overall consumption. Changing these things might alter your hunger or satiety (carbs, particularly the junky ones tend to induce more cravings leading to overeating, Proteins tend to be more satisfying, curbing hunger longer,) but the fundamental change needed is to reduce your overall intake.

[James Marusek 5,244]

I am almost 3 years post-op RNY surgery. This is my approach in the "Maintenance Phase". http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

[Momcat 29]

Michigan Chic, I love your perspective. That's a really good way to look at this. I also am convinced that age has a lot to do with our weight loss. I too am in my 50s (though late 50s), and believe I have to resolve myself to the fact that I will not lose as easily as someone in their 20s. Anyway, thanks for your post.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Just sayin' that I was sleeved at age 68 and am now 70 years old. I have lost 100 pounds and have been maintaining for many months now at 135 pounds.

So you will understand if I say that I don't think age alone has much to do with losing weight, reaching goal, maintaining, etc.

I do think there are individual differences with people re their metabolism. And there are certainly individual differences among patients in how much they eat -- and in how much they think they're eating vs. how much they're really eating. IMHO, if you're not tracking, you probably don't really know how much (and how much protein) you're really eating.

One last word -- it took me 9 months to lose the last 15 pounds. So don't give up the fight. Reaching goal could still happen.

Good luck to you.

[jane13 2,256]

If you are working out then maybe you need to mix it up a bit.

Different exercises and really weigh everything out, monitor carbs and possibly bump up calories a little to kick in weight loss.

[findingnish 39]

I am almost 3 years post-op RNY surgery. This is my approach in the "Maintenance Phase". http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

Enjoyed your information thanks for sharing and nice car

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