need some encouragemnt...

yes folks , i need some encouragement. Let me give you some background on me a month after i had wls this would be may of 05 i started having migraines, sever migraines, i have been to the docs i have been to the neroulogist (sp?) and they put me on some pain meds, but i dont want to be on pain meds for the rest of my life. another thing is , i stopped losing weight i understand the need for plautes that your body needs time to adjust. But it got to the point where i was living for 4 days off of isopure and nothing else just trying to make the scale move in the right direction, and i know people will tell you not to comapare yourself to others or whats your protein intake and things like that, i had apost a few weeks back about this and everyone seem to suggest that i ws not eating enough so i doubled up on the calories and protein and nothing, zip, zilch. I am starting to get very depressed that i cant make it to the centruy club like my fellow peers that had surgery in april 05 some have lost alot more than that like 140 lbs. granted i know i started as a "light weight" at 265 but really whats a girl gotta do to make the scale move in the right direction? i exercise every other day i am drinking enough and i take all my vits but nothing seems to help when i stopped eating for the 4 days my family threated me with a feedtube so i went back to eating . now that i am eating again this is day 2 , i have gained that 1 pound plus another 2 pounds....... can someone please give me words of encouragemnt on how to handle this? and does anyone else suffer from migraines since thier wls? thanks Danielle 265.171.145 pre.now.goal

Honey, I wish I could. I am in the SAME BOAT. Haven't lost a pound since November!! I have no idea what's going on with my body either. I too compare myself with others and can't seem to figure out what's wrong here! Girl, I just don't have any good advice because I'm stuck in the same spot you are. I started at 231 and I bounce between 140 and 145. My goal is 130 and believe me I still need to lose some more. But please, why I've stopped is beyond me!! Hang in there and keep talking about it, it feels good to know your not alone, I'm right here with you! Hugs, S

Patience, that's the key. Understand that your body went through a major trauma with WLS, it takes time to adjust. Change your food plan. If you're having protein shakes for breakfast, then try switching to cereal and milk. Increase your protein intake by 50%. Increase your water intake. I found that the best way for me to jumpstart after a plateau is to change my foods. If you're having a piece of fruit, have a handful of nuts with it. Things like this helped me a lot. Also, change your exercise routine, if you're doing cardio, try running... I started at 255 and I'm now 155-157, depending on the day.

. Hi Danielle! Don't give up hope! I've gone through several plateaus ---- and in fact, in January, after I had a 21 pound loss in a single month, I managed to GAIN 9 pounds in 5 DAYS when I was in New Orleans! What a shock that was!!!! I managed to lose those 9 pounds and then went through a plateau for a month. I changed my food intake - started protein shakes again - and now I've lost 5 pounds in 3 days. Sometimes you just need to jumpstart your body again by throwing it a curve ball. Good luck! Dayna

Hi there You will have those weeks yes I said weeks were you will not have weight loss. Take it from someone who did not lose for almost a month. But I realized I had to do something different. Food was not the issue for me but I needed to excercise and excercise I did. I just went to the gym 1 day a week at first and used the eliptical. Then went and worked on the nautlis machines. Let me tell you I saw the difference in my body shape my clothes size went down 1 size but my weight went down about 5 pounds in a month. So you have to decide what will make you happy and remember we all have setbacks but this surgery works. Bernice 389/235/165 RNY 4/4/05 was/now/will be

I too started having migrains after wls. I was told by my dr that it could be several different things. One of the main things that causes the headaches after wls is the fake sugars that we are getting into our systems with all the sugar free foods and stuff we are intaking. The fake sugars cause headaches, and can also cause diarhea...fun fun. As for the weight loss, I know it can be hard when you hit those plataues, but starving yourself is not the answer. By doing that, the first time that you actually do eat something, you body will hold onto every single calorie because you have been depriving it of what it needs. Try eating like 6 or 7 small meals thru out the day. try snacking on protiens (like jerky and nuts) just try switching things up. Hopefully this will help. I am one of the fortunate ones and havent really hit any major plataues yet. I am out 10 months and down 165 lbs. I had a LONG way to go though from the beginning. i started out at 420lbs...so I am greatful for any and all weight that I have lost so far. Just keep your head up and try to look at it this way. Even with all you have lost so far, your better off than where you were when this journey started. Dont get discouraged, it will come off eventually. Anita B 420/255/220 soon

Hello, Just wanted to let you know that I also had surgery in April and started at 256. I'm currently at 172 lbs - so you are doing better than I am!! My weight loss has slowed or shall I say stopped. I've tried a variety of things and think that we just need to wait it out a bit. I was also hoping to have joined the century club by my one year - but I'm not going to kill myself to get there. Because we had less to lose than a lot of other people, I think its hard to see those big numbers and everyone passing us by. I think you are doing fabulous and that with time and exercise - you will reach your goal. I've accepted that I might not reach my goal - but if I can get within 10 lbs of it - I will be happy. I could never have done that without this surgery. Good luck and hang in there! Linda

Well, I can make you all feel better because you have lost more weight than me. I had the LapBand in 2002 and lost 42# with a beginning weight of 286. After 3 years and a dilated esophagus, I had the band removed and converted to gastric bypass. I lost another 40 something pounds. I teeter between 195 and 202 since October. Exercise has been a big problem for me but I finally found something I can do and have been vigilant for the past 9 weeks. I tried to do Atkins after 7 weeks when my weight didn't change and all I ended up with was a kidney stone. I have found I have to eat at least 1,000 cal/day and not more than 1,500 to lose at all. If I drop to 800 for a few days, I actually gain weight. I guess my body thinks it is starving. Hang in there, we'll all get there one day and even if we don't, we are way better off than we were pre-op.