Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Recommended Posts

I'm only 11 months post-op and I've been stalled since Christmas. I haven't lost a single pound my entire spring semester and this week I even gained a couple back. I had short stalls here and there in the first 7 months, but they quickly resolved when I upped my Water or salt intake. Now I have been tweaking my diet, my exercise, my Protein intake, my water intake for 4 months and NOTHING HELPS. I'll admit the last month or so I haven't been a star bariatric patient with my carb and sugar intake, but I think that only started because of how frustrated I was with how long I'd been stalled despite doing everything I needed to be doing.

I've always been the kid who constantly tried to eat healthy and exercise and could never lose the freaking weight and now I just feel like I'm right back there the way I was pre-op. I keep going to my surgeon and nutritionist and do what they are telling me to do and it still doesn't work.

I recently added a weekly cheat day for the sake of my mental health and I found it helps keep me on track during the week. Every Saturday I eat to my heart's content with no guilt in the hopes that it will shock my metabolism a little bit. However, despite being completely clean during the week and going to the gym at least 3 times a week the scale is not budging.

I try not to count calories because my surgeon always advised against it and I think it's a little unhealthy too. And before anyone tells me to restrict my calorie intake, I have TRIED and I just get shaky and lightheaded throughout the day and feel like I'm starving myself. I'm over here trying to build a healthy relationship with my body, not trying to starve it.

If anyone has any words of advice or crazy outside-the-box tricks that got them out of a long stall, I'm all ears.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just like there is a difference between War and Peace and Cosmo there is a difference between tracking your food and counting calories. Tracking your food provides Info. You cant make good decisions without information.

1 hydrate (i should learn to cut and paste this ****)

2. Protein

3. no added sugar

4. no simple carbs

5. complex carbs from veggies

6. No snacking - if you need Snacks for your mental health you need help with your mental health period.

Do not use food to self medicate- that is what got all of us here in the first place

Track your food - lots of free apps that do this

weigh your servings - package labels allow 20% variability

No less than 12 hrs between last calorie in for the day and first calorie in the next day. You will be asleep the vast majority of this time it should not be difficult.

You asked so do with it what you want.

Edited by allwet

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey Alexandra. I am right there with ya, have stalled for 6 months and I’m only 8 months post op. It’s hard to be enthusiastic cuz how long can u when you see no weight loss? I do sugar free everything , obviously no soda .. my surgeon and dietician were of no help. I’m also hypothyroid & have history of pcos. I’ve started metformin pills again, hoping it would help. My weight moves 2-4 pounds up and down but has always been on this weight since 6 months. Very annoying! Motivation is a finite source and can’t just keep going on like this! There’s got to be something else going on but I don’t know what it is. I exercise 5-6 times a week for an hour & half with cardio HIiT & weights for 45 mins. I’ve no clue what to do and frustrated... I dont have cheat days although yes once in a way I might eat out but even then I pick healthy options! And come on even if we cheat we can only consume like 70ml of whatever! I can’t even have an entire drink !
Give me some info bout u...
do you have hypothyroid pcos?
What was your start weight? How much have you lost so far? I lost only 44 pounds from Pre surgery till 3 months post op and stopped altogether!


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry, the end of the semester has got me scrambling so I wasn't able to respond sooner! But I completely agree, it's so hard to stay motivated when there are no results. I don't have hypothyroid or pcos that I know of, but I actually have been having extremely heavy periods lately (the normal to bleed during a period is 10-35 ml, I bled 135ml on my last period) so I'm wondering if there's a hormonal imbalance happening that might be at least partially to blame for the stall. I'm planning on getting that checked out soon. I know a lot of people say it could be something as small as not enough Protein or Water or too much carbs, but I have jiggled my diet and exercise so much I'm convinced there must be an underlying cause out of my control.

You stalled very quickly though, I can't imagine how much more frustrating it is for you. I'm nearly 1 year out, by 7 months I had lost 75 pounds and then stopped. My starting weight was 271 and my current weight fluctuates between 190-200.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Have you seen your surgeon or NUT to discuss your concerns? They may help you come up with a real plan...


HW 270
SW 238
CW 182
VSG 11/7
[emoji146][emoji146][emoji146]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My nutritionist sucks ! She asked me what I had every day and asked me to continue the same ! Clearly it’s not working ! How do I break stalls I’m very upset about this


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So I'm going to just address the naked king in his new clothes standing in the middle of the room.
IMHO, you are both maintaining. You are NOT stalled for 4 months. You are eating the amount of calories along with your surgery that allows you to maintain. But beware. You are both approaching the end of the honeymoon period within the next year or 14 months ish. Then those same calories you're taking in right now, will quite likely cause you to start creeping up on the scale.
It's impossible to help you. You're not giving us enough information. I could come to you and ask the same question. But because I track every bite of food, good and bad, I can present samples of my day, I can present an excel spreadsheet showing the relationship of macros in a month to average weight loss. I have a LOT of data to look at and tweak. You don't have any of that, even a food log.
How can you possibly know what it takes to lose weight? You've no earthly idea. This is not magic bean surgery. It's WL surgery. It's SCIENCE!!!!! You HAVE to count sh*t. The End. And any RD who says you don't has a butt-load of peeps keeping her in job security who never forking make goal!!!!
I read yesterday that this surgery is 40% surgery and 60% you. I don't know if that's the exact ratio, but the reality is, weekly cheat days are just that...weekly events that derail your progress. They can do nothing but create a GHDWL situation (Ground Hog Day Weight Loss=where you gain and lose the same 2lbs over and over and over again until you want to chew your own leg off to see a drop on the scale).
Go back to basics. For me, and from a lot of vets, the ideal losing phase is a caloric intake average of about 600-900 cals per day. Maintenance is personal--anywhere from 1000+ depending on so many variables.
  1. Go back to no eating or drinking 30-30
  2. Water >64oz per day
  3. Vitamins every damn day
  4. Exercise (walk) every damn day--don't go cray with working out right now
  5. Weigh and measure everything (60-80g Protein for the day;
  6. Log EVERY bite that goes down your piehole
  7. If you're drinking alcohol--stop that sh*t right now!!!!
  8. Eat 3 meals a day + 1 snack (no grazing, no crap foods, no slider foods)
  9. Eat your meals in a window of 15-30 minutes
  10. Protein (dense) first 3oz per meal
  11. Veggies next
  12. Healthy Fats next
  13. If any room leftover then low glycemic fruit/berries (but if you have more room, fill up on fibrous veggies)
Accept that you are gonna feel like jack sh*t for about 2 weeks. You're eating carby crap and sugar. What do you really expect. Sadly it WILL be fuc*ing hard! You don't have the excitement of the looming surgery, you've got diet boredom, you've lost faith in your tool, and you're being self-indulgent and going back to bad habits. It's gonna hurt and you WILL have to force yourself to get over that hump. Get mad! Do it! Suffer. And do it. In 4 days it will get easier and each day after.
If you do those things, I can ALMOST guarantee you will both start losing again. And remember, you can NEVER out-exercise a bad diet.
Oh and get your butts to the counselor (someone who specializes in bariatrics).
P.S. And I "get" that you want to have a normal relationship with food. I "get" that you want to eat intuitively like all the other skinny girls in the world. But what you don't realize is that many (maybe most) of those skinny girls are secretely limiting calories, fats, sugars, foods or worse, purging, or anna stuff to "effortlessly" look like they are naturally skinny girls.
If we were capable of having normal relationships with food, we would have never made it to the obesity ball in the first place. If we didn't have seriously, and I mean SERIOUSLY broken metabolisms, we would never have become MO.
Once you are MO, the "normal" rules of skinnydom no longer apply. You can not take the set of rules for naturally skinny people and apply them to the subset of MO and formerly MO people. You just can't. It's like trying to feed a lion a peanut, or trying to feed an elephant a dead gazelle. It's apples and oranges. DUE to our disease, we will ALWAYS have to be more vigilant, try harder, do more, and live differently if we EVER want to maintain our weight loss.)

Well put


HW 270
SW 238
CW 182
VSG 11/7
[emoji146][emoji146][emoji146]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Tealael said:


Well put


HW 270
SW 238
CW 182
VSG 11/7
[emoji146][emoji146][emoji146]

Thanks. It wasn't me, though. I was channeling Dr. Now...

(And everyone has my permission to forcefully remind me of this when I'm in the OP's position in a few months. Cuz I might not see the forest for the trees then and may need my ass kicked back into reality. Deal?)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Logging every bite is the best start - but you have to be honest about it and log EVERY BITE. It's very easy to get back on track by looking at this list and go - how the holy heck did I eat all that crap. After a week of serious logging, look at your data and then go back to FluffyChix's basics - weigh, measure, log and Water. Then get out and move.

You can do this.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think that is a great idea, I hope the collective board can help identify a strategy to get you losing again.:) Its tough when you know there are "super-losers" and people that don't lose much at all.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Apple203 said:

I think that is a great idea, I hope the collective board can help identify a strategy to get you losing again.:) Its tough when you know there are "super-losers" and people that don't lose much at all.

Oh my gosh. THIS!!! ^^^^ A thousand times this!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am a slow loser. I am well behind the average. It sucks :-(

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×