Discouraged by a stall? - Read this

[HopeandAgony 566]

I was sleeved 11/16/15. My high weight was 265 and I am 5'4", female. I wore a tight size 22 jeans, and 2x or 3x tops. My breaking point was realizing a lot of the 3x clothing in stores were too tight and that was the largest size without going online.

After my sleeve I lost a load of my weight quickly. By the end of March I was down to 186 lbs. I was comfortably wearing a size 14 pants and large tops.

Then I stalled...until May 2nd!! Ugh. So depressed.

Then I started losing and got down to 176 by June 9th.

And there I've sat. At 176 lbs. Consistently for almost 2 months again.

I eat good 95% of the time still and work out. I've really bumped up my cardio and have been increasing my weight resistance & training steadily.

I haven't bought many jeans because I refuse to believe I was done at 176. However, the 2 pairs I have were getting increasingly big. I finally retired the 14's in the picture and went to a 10. I had to add a belt though and looked pretty frumpy. I am amazed to say yesterday I bought a size 6 jeans (and medium tops!). Are the jeans snug? Sure. But they button and don't create a muffin top.

The moral of my lengthy story is that I have only lost 10 lbs since March 27th, including 2 LONG stalls, yet I've dropped 4 pant sizes. My body is shifting.

I often struggle to see my weight loss (and have expressed that here) so this was a real ah-ha moment for me today.

I cannot let that number on the scale or that BMI chart dictate my success.

Thanks for reading!

Edited August 2, 2016 by HopeandAgony

[Armygalbonnie 643]

Whenever I used to work out intensely, I would drop clothes sizes without seeing as much change on the scale. Your body is building muscle, toning and shaping itself. I'm so happy you are seeing the rewards of your hard efforts, without solely depending on what the scale says. That is a very difficult thing to do when we have been trained to live by the scale. Keep up the great work! Proud of you!

[KristenLe 5,979]

@@HopeandAgony Look at those little jeans!!!! Congrats - great job and excellent post!

Edited August 2, 2016 by KristenLe

[HopeandAgony 566]

@@HopeandAgony Look at this little jeans!!!! Congrats - great job and excellent post!

They are so little. When I hold them up I can't imagine getting in to them even though I'm wearing them right now. It's such a mental hurdle for me.

My weight/height according to BMI says I am still obese. It's mind boggling.

[KristenLe 5,979]

@@HopeandAgony Just goes to show you how unrealistic the BMI chart is!

[L. Knight 36]

Wow congratulations on your results. Im happy for you!

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[fiestygirlee 8]

Thank you for posting. .ive been in a stall for a couple weeks...and needed to hear your story

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[wonder woman 12 36]

Thanks I am at the beginning of my Journey this was really nice to hear

Also I am very happy for you keep up the good work

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Edited August 4, 2016 by wonder woman 12

[ridgerunner 115]

This is a very important message. I hope everyone who has had or will have wls reads this post. Thank you for sharing this ????

[sleevedinseptember 69]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience . I have been stalled for 2 months although today I noticed I finally lost 1lb. I wasn't losing hope or getting too discouraged but I was wondering what on earth is going on with my body. I've been doing cross fit 3times a week plus yoga plus walking for one of those months and nothing was happening.

I'm going to just hang in there cheerfully and see what happens. I started at 287 and ant to get to 165 so I'm hoping my body is not done yet. I'm focusing on how good I feel rather than the numbers. Your post was a great reinforcement on the value of that approach. Thanks again.

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[PaulStephens1975 62]

I too hit a stall about a month after surgery. I wasn't able to exercise because I had serous Fluid and kept 'leaking.' Now that I am healing more I have started exercising more consistently and I am seeing the benefits. While the scale isn't moving as fast as I'd like, my clothes are fitting better and people keep asking me if I've lost more weight, so I know it's working.

[HopeandAgony 566]

Interestingly since I posted this I've lost 2 lbs. And to be honest, I am happy but that isn't as important to me now as it was before I had my ah-ha moment.

I have lived by those numbers, both on the scale and on the BMI chart for so long that I wasn't looking at the bigger picture. My health, the way I feel, the things I can do that I couldn't before.

I have muscle in places that I didn't know muscle existed. Do I have loose skin? Sure, but I am 39 years old. And when I "flex" I watch a lot of that skin firm up around the muscle developed underneath it.

Last night in the mall I was still in awe at the knowledge that I could've walked into any store to buy clothing. I haven't done that...yet. I've been buying cheap things because I am still not confident in myself.

But I WILL get there. In this body, or a body maybe even a little smaller.

Thank you all for sharing. Don't fall into the mental trap I fell in. Realize sooner then I did that numbers are nothing more than numbers. Any step you make in he right direction is a good one.

Edited August 5, 2016 by HopeandAgony

[Armygalbonnie 643]

sleevedinseptember, I bet you are losing inches!!! Whenever I used to work out all the time, I was heavier but wore a much smaller size in clothing because I was toned and losing inches.