:)This is kinda long but i figure it might help someone going through a similar situation. I have been on a really bad plateau lately. I had not lost one single pound since my last small fill (.25cc) on 10/8/07. I was banded on 1/19/07 and have had four fills since with a total of 2.75cc. Prior to this last fill I had throught that i was experiencing a plateau because I was losing but very, very slow. I now know what a plateau is. I had been so frustrated and depressed because I knew I had good restriciton, I was not overeating and I was exercising (going to Curves at least 4 times per week, riding bike 3 times a week and doing cardio exercises at home). I was however, still losing some inches.

I had been racking my brain trying to figure it out. There had to be an answer, I was getting more and more discouraged and I didn't want to go backwards due to frustration. I have been tracking my food in fitday.com religiously. But had been focusing more on the big picture as in every two week and every month "averages". When I went back and really looked at it daily and did my own percentages, I discovered that there were many days in a month that i was actually not getting at least 60g of Protein. And there were several instances of 2 (or 3) days in a row where i was low. What was making the difference was that on some days, I was getting in 75 or 80+g of protein and that was making my overall average at least 60g for the month. The consecutive days of being below in my protein consumption, coupled with my exercise were evidently screwing with my metabolism and slowing it. Seems simple and I know protein is very important but I THOUGHT I was doing good with my protein until I looked at it further.

So after coming to that epiphany, I made a more conscious effort to ensure that I get in at least 65g of protein EVERY DAY and I also increased my Fluid intake because that has been lower than it should (since the surgery, it has been so hard to drink all of that). Sometimes I feel like I need to walk around with an IV with Water and protein in it. To make a long story short, after almost 8 weeks of nothing the scale has once again started moving downwards. I have lost 6.5 pounds in the past 11 days. I really hope this continues. I know this is not the answer for everyone experiencing a plateau. I just wanted to convey that sometimes we can lose focus especially with work, family and relationship issues.

Good for you!!!!!

I'm just as guilty as anyone else, but I'm a HUGE advocate of always getting your Protein in however you have to. Oh, and try to keep the carbs at 30g/day max, if possible.

Yes, I'm guilty of low Protein as well....and Water. Sometimes too many carbs!

Fitday really helps me see where I'm lacking, I need to get back to recording my food intake more regularly.

Crishell, good job! Thanks for the tip.

Crishell, thanks for sharing your epiphony.

I keep track of everything on Calorieking.com (recommended by my nutritionist). so I do a pretty good job of monitering on a daily basis. I'm glad to see that this tracking has paid off. I know I gained weight pre-band to not paying ANY attention to what I ate and not caring.

I too find it VERY challenging to get in all of of my Water (in between my 6 mini meals all day with the waiting 30 min) but I can tell I feel better and my digestive system works better with more water for sure. Water and Protien are my top priorities for sure. I also find it challenging to get all my protien in while staying under my perscribed 800 calorie a day limit... I play around with meal plans and find good fits, so I make it work. but it is a little bit of work. It pays off though. I need this time to make new healthier habits.

I try to get 20 grams of Fiber in a day, so I need more carbs to do that, but I seem to be losing ok.