Hi All,

I've kind of come to my wits end with seeing any kind of results. For the past 5-6 weeks I've completely cut out all form of breads/carbs cheese, dairy etc. I've been working out consistently from 4-5 times a week doing elliptical, boxing and lifting and the scale does nothing but creep up and sometime flux down. If I take off from the gym for 2 days it goes down. I've noticed my clothes do fit differently but the scale hasn't reflected anything and it's very frustrating. So much so I'm considering going to see my doctor, but before I did that I wanted to reach out to you all and see if anyone has struggled with something similar. I was originally sleeved in 8/16 my starting weight was 308 and my current weight fluxs from 265-272. I feel like I've seen 270 or at least the past 11 months. Any advice is totally welcomed.

How many calories per day are you obtaining? How many grams of protein? How many ounces of water do you drink daily? Do you track?

I'm asking because some WLS patients keep their food intake too low for too long, thinking this will promote continued weight loss when it won't. The combo of over-exercise and underfeeding is notorious for causing prolonged stalls and plateaus.

A weight loss of 36 pounds in 12 months is concerning...

With cutting out those things, what is your typical diet. The key to losing weight, isn't just about carbs, but it's great you're starting there. Also, even w/out losing the weight, you can still lose inches.

5 minutes ago, Introversion said:

A weight loss of 36 pounds in 12 months is concerning...

I agree, that's two month weight loss.

I haven't been tracking on my apps, but I don't think over eating is the culprit maybe undereating. I do have PCOS and the doctor did just start me on Metformin 2 months ago. Only 500mgs/day. My day usually goes:

BF: protein shake(almond milk) /coffee

snack: oatmeal or more coffee

lunch: Asian baked chicken/veggie pasta or salad brown rice with veggies occasionally

snack almonds/nuts

Late evening: (Oatmeal or sweet potato prior to working out if going)

dinner: shake (almond milk)

I haven't really tracked my water I just go from the color of my urine. (I know that's terrible)

I know I've been loosing inches. Somedays I feel like my muscles are inflamed from working out and then if I take a break for 2 day I feel lighter and leaner if that makes sense.

Im just wondering when I'll see something reflected on the scale. ?

Edited August 7, 20179 yr by bwillia08

2 minutes ago, bwillia08 said:

I haven't been tracking on my apps, but I have been I don't think over eating is the culprit maybe undereating.

I notice you eat an excessive amount of carbohydrates for someone with PCOS who is attempting to lose weight. Sweet potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice, pastas, etc.

The hallmark of PCOS is insulin resistance. Those with insulin resistance remain in perpetual fat-storage mode when they don't curtail their carb intake. The manner in which you're eating stimulates a continual stream of insulin production, thereby keeping your fat stores from being burned off. Therefore, you won't lose weight.

Think of it this way...carbs are the easy, preferential way for your body to burn for fuel and energy, so why would it waste precious effort metabolizing your stored body fat when it obtains all the energy it needs from the constant stream of starches you feed it?

My advice is to curtail your carb intake ASAP. Good luck to you.

I did have insulin resistance! Which is why she started me on metformin. So I shouldn't be eating oatmeal at all or the veggie pasta? I thought it wasn't really a carb because it was made out of veggies. ? I was eating those two things because I felt too weak at the gym only eating protein. I'll cut the oatmeal and veggie pasta for a week and try only salads then maybe? Any other recommendations? I try to stay away from dairy since I'm lactose intolerant and I don't really eat yogurt. So any recommendations I'd love! Thank you.

11 minutes ago, bwillia08 said:

So any recommendations I'd love!

Although I don't have PCOS, I'm insulin-resistant due to a family history of diabetes. Here are my suggestions. See if these tips kickstart your weight loss once again.

1. Track your protein intake. Consume a minimum of 80 grams of protein daily, preferably from animal-based sources like chicken, beef, lean pork chops, etc. Protein boosts our metabolic rate due to its thermic effect and promotes satiety.
2. Drink 64+ ounces of water daily. The liver needs a certain amount of water to metabolize the fat you burn. In addition, water-induced thermogenesis helps us lose weight: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/88/12/6015/2661518/Water-Induced-Thermogenesis
3. Curtail your carb intake due to PCOS. Strive for less than 50 grams of carbs per day and see how you respond: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/
4. Avoid exercise for the first 3 to 4 days of these dietary changes because you'll likely feel weak. However, by the 4th day or so, you'll begin to feel energetic as your body switches to stored fat as its preferential fuel source.

Good luck to you.

Edited August 7, 20179 yr by Introversion

You seem to still rely on protein shakes as the source of most of your nutrition. And at a year out, doesn't look like you are eating enough calories. Try eating real food.

My NUT recommends the following: 4 - 5 mini meals eaten 3 -4 hours apart consisting of 3 - 4 oz protein eaten first, followed by green veggies if there is room. She also allows 2 servings of multigrains and 2 servings of fruit daily, eaten with protein and NOT eaten at the same meal. Also 3 fats are allowed per day - nuts, avocado, olive oil.

My daily meal looks like this:

Breakfast: 1 egg and 4oz black beans

Lunch: 4oz chicken with salad or veggies

Snack: 1oz nuts and 3oz fruit

Dinner: 4oz meat or fish and nonstarchy veggies

I supplement with low sodium v8 or coconut water (for electrolytes).

This is how to meet protein goals and low carbohydrate goals with real food and without dairy.

20 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

My daily meal looks like this:

Breakfast: 1 egg and 4oz black Beans

Lunch: 4oz chicken with salad or veggies

Snack: 1oz nuts and 3oz fruit

Dinner: 4oz meat or fish and nonstarchy veggies

I supplement with low sodium v8 or coconut Water (for electrolytes).

This is how to meet Protein goals and low carbohydrate goals with real food and without dairy.

Very nice! If I may ask, do you have a hard time eating a salad? The moment I start eating one, I'm full after several bites.

9 hours ago, heycrystal2052 said:

Very nice! If I may ask, do you have a hard time eating a salad? The moment I start eating one, I'm full after several bites.

Really? Salad is a slider for me. I can basically eat endless amounts. What is in your salads?

Really? Salad is a slider for me. I can basically eat endless amounts. What is in your salads?

Weird! Salad fills me up super fast even now at four years out! Even when it's just the leaves, any kind!

7 minutes ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Really? salad is a slider for me. I can basically eat endless amounts.

Same here...I can eat a decent amount of salad and be hungry 30 minutes later, even if it contained a decent amount of protein in the form of grilled chicken, cheese, boiled eggs, ham slices, etc.

I can polish off a large restaurant-sized salad in about an hour if I wanted to by eating half now and eating the other half in 30 minutes. My stomach treats salad as a slider.

2 hours ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Really? salad is a slider for me. I can basically eat endless amounts. What is in your salads?

I'm not even 5 months out from surgery and I have noticed that it's totally a slider for me as well, and it scares me a little.

I'm hoping that my logic of "I chew it really well, it doesn't need that much space in my stomach as on my plate" logic is right.

Ok, I admit I rarely eat salad. Protein fills me up so fast that I eat my veggies in a separate meal, and even then it's 4oz lightly cooked spinach. Before I cook it, 4oz of spinach is a HUGE plateful, but as soon as it wilts, it's just a normal looking portion.

I am still having issues with the visual sizes of food. A big salad looks so intimidating that I don't want to touch it.

So I actually split those 3 meals up into more smaller meals, same food though. It is simpler to write it as 3 meals for those that can eat more at once.