Help, ive been stuck for 3+ weeks

[Holloway10315 0]

I had the gastric bypass May 11,2023. I was doing good with dropping the weight. But once I got to 160 I’ve stalled out. Idk what to do. Can some one please give me advice. It’s getting really discouraging and depressing. My dr wants me at 135. I’m so close.

[Arabesque 6,510]

Firstly, stalls are a normal part of weight loss. Frustrating & stressful though they can be. While on average they last around 1-3 weeks they can last longer. It just depends upon how much time your body needs to reset itself (metabolic rate, digestive hormones, etc.) in response to your current needs at your lower weight. You just need to let your body taker the time it needs - don’t stress it more by making more changes.

Not everyone reaches their goal weight. The average weight loss is about 65% for sleeve & bypass of the weight you’re to lose to put you in a healthier range. So, if my maths is correct, you’ve exceeded that average so far - yay! Doesn’t matter what weight your surgeon wants you at, your body will greatly influence your final weight - your new set point. There are also lifestyle & personal preference choices to consider too - what weight are you happiest at & allows you to enjoy your life as you want without you having to restrict your choices to maintain your weight.

Our rate of loss slows as we get closer to our final weight. Sometimes it’s so slow it seems like we’re not really losing at all. And remember it doesn’t matter how long it takes to reach your stabilised weight - you’ll get there in the time that’s best for you.

Don’t give up yet. Stick to your plan. Stay off the scales for a week or two. You may be surprised when you eventually weigh yourself again.

[Holloway10315 0]

Thank you for your reply. As soon as I’m over this sickness I’m going to try a pouch reset maybe? I would love to loose a little more. I’m definitely going to stay off the scale for 2 weeks.

[Holloway10315 0]

Thank you for your reply. As soon as I’m over this sickness I’m going to try a pouch reset maybe? I would love to loose a little more. I’m definitely going to stay off the scale for 2 weeks.

[catwoman7 10,885]

21 minutes ago, Holloway10315 said:

Thank you for your reply. As soon as I’m over this sickness I’m going to try a pouch reset maybe? I would love to loose a little more. I’m definitely going to stay off the scale for 2 weeks.

there are mixed feelings about pouch resets. Many say they don't really work, and also, they reinforce "diet mentality". Probably better to either wait it out, or else maybe drop your calories by 100 or so and beef up your activity. Arabesque is correct, those last few pounds are a BEAR to get off. I got to my goal, but it took me 20 months. After the one year mark, my loss slowed down to a crawl - there were months I only lost a pound or two. But I just kept at it. She's also right in that stalls are a part of weight loss. There were so many times during year 2 that I thought "well, this must be it...", and then a couple weeks later I'd drop another pound. Frustrating, yep - but that's the way weight loss works!

Edited November 10, 2023 by catwoman7

[Holloway10315 0]

It’s definitely frustrating for sure. I’ll take your advice as well and drop 100 calories. And double my workout

[The Greater Fool 1,956]

The first thing you should do is get rid of your scale. It is causing you to look for fixes to something that is not broken.

If you're eating to plan, continue eating to plan, you're doing great. If you're not eating to plan, start eating to plan, and you will be doing great. Neither of these require making changes because of the scale.

Good luck,

Tek

[catwoman7 10,885]

2 hours ago, Holloway10315 said:

It’s definitely frustrating for sure. I’ll take your advice as well and drop 100 calories. And double my workout

I wouldn't double my workout. That's a pretty substantial change. Just make changes (if they're even warranted, which they might not be. I like the advice above that if you're eating to plan, you're good. If you're not, then get back to eating to plan) - anyway, if you're going to make changes, esp if they're warranted, then make ones you can live with long term. Yes - I could get back to my lowest weight - 138 lbs. But that would mean substantially cutting my current calorie level and/or really beefing up my fitness routine. Am I willing to do that, possibly permanently? I wrestled with this for a long time and finally decided no, it's too much of a struggle for me. My body seems to want to be where it's currently at. And I'm OK where I am. But it took me awhile to get to that point mentally.

nevertheless, if you're eating according to plan, you may not be done losing. Those last 20 lbs are so are notoriously tough to get off. Remember I said I had months near the end where I was only losing 1-2 lbs a month, despite working pretty hard at it.

[Holloway10315 0]

I’m going to have to get there mentally. That’s going to be the hard part for me. I was prepared for all the exercising portioning cutting food out but I don’t think I was totally ready for the mental load it puts on you.

[ChunkCat 690]

If I'm calculating right, you are about 6 months out. You lost all that weight in 6 months?! Take some time to be fiercely proud of yourself and your body! At 6 months out you are probably not done losing, but you are in the realm of stalls for sure. Are you keeping track of your body measurements? Sometimes when the scale doesn't move the inches do. Your body has a lot of reorganizing to do as you drop weight, sometimes it needs a time out to make sure everything is going to continue working! Losing weight this fast is actually pretty hard on the body. I wouldn't stress it by changing up a bunch of things trying to force the scale to move, it'll just take your body that much longer to recalibrate. Honestly, this is probably just a stall and will take TIME. The body will not let go before it is ready to, no matter how much you punish it...

Surgery is rough and I swear the majority of the struggle is with our head game. If your mind isn't right with these things, you will experience it all as a suffering and be angry at your body for not cooperating. I think most of us have spent chunks of our lives hating our bodies. This surgery and weight loss is an opportunity to heal that, but only if you take it. Let go of the diet mentality. Show yourself some kindness. Celebrate how far you have come in such a short period of time. And trust things will move when they are ready to move. I'm talking to myself as much as I'm talking to you, I have to remind myself of this EVERY DAY. ❤️

[SomeBigGuy 108]

Also don't forget possible "excess weight" from any loose skin and also Fluid retention from certain foods, but also from building muscle during your workouts. You can continue to burn fat, which is the weight loss you want, but may add pounds on the scale since muscle weights roughly 1.5x that of fat. That's why the NSV's become more important towards the end. You may not be the goal weight number, but your BMI may already be there.