Almost at a year and frustrated!!

I had surgery on May 5th, 2004, and I have lost 110 pounds (thank you Jesus!!). But I have been at a stand still for about 6 months now! I have only lost 20 pounds or so in the last 6 months. I am so frustrated!! I have 75 more pounds to go. Has anyone else been where I am at? Have you had plateaus and still hit goal? HELP!!!

Hey sweetie, I had my surgery on May 24th 2004, and was doing really good until 6 months post op. Ive lost like 30lbs from november to april and it is very fusterating. Ive lost a total of 114lbs about. Im very cncerned about not being able to get to my goal. I worry more now that I am expecting a baby in November. I really hope it is possible to lose more weight after being 18months post op. YOu are doing great, everyone gets frusterated. Just keep working on it and watch your protein and water intake. I am sure you will reach your goal, everyone just at a different time.- Melissa

Hi Autumn, I'm right in the boat with ya, I have lost almost 170 but I have also been at a stand still for about 6 months.It's very frustrating I also have about 60 lbs to loose and I know how you feel.We are thankfull that we have come this far ,but you want to actually hit a weight goal for once in your life.At least I know thats how I feel. I do praise God tho cause I can ride a bike again and I can even beat the kids in a race at 360 lbs that wasn't happening. I have gotten advice from my barri buddies and the doc, they told me to write down absolutely everything I put in my mouth because I may be grazing and not even know it. I also am starting to up my protein and liquids...Irish pixie had a great post on protein and it made alot of since.I got 123 gr of protein yesterday and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I hadn't been doing any protein supplements ,most of the shakes make me . I got some Isopure and mixed it with crystal lite and it's tolerable so I will keep drinking it....it's 50 gr so I figure it's worth it if it will help me to start loosing again. I just really understand how you are feeling and wanted you to know you are not alone...and I will pray for you . You are doing great !!!!! God Bless, Angi 360/193/135

SAME HERE!! At about 6 months...it just stopped... No matter what I ate or didn't eat. But, in the last 3 three weeks I have lost 5 or so pounds. I have started walking again, since it has been so nice. And, started up my extra protein powder. Maybe that's what it is. I too am soooooooooo frustrated. But, a little more encouraged now. Jeannie

Hope this helps ... Sometimes just adjusting your protien and exersise can boost the ole metabolism ... ******************************************************* Symptoms of slowed metabolism Fatigue, feeling cold, dry skin, constipation, slow pulse and low blood pressure. These symptoms could be the result of a medical condition rather than low metabolism - MAKE SURE YOU SEE YOUR DOCTOR to rule out any type of medical problem. How can I increase my metabolism? Begin to exercise and stop dieting. You can increase your muscle mass by doing some type of resistance work (i.e. lifting weights, using exertubes, rubberbands, dynabands, hand weights, etc...). You can also decrease your level of body fat by doing some type of aerobic exercise at least 3 days a week for longer than 20 minutes. This is exercise such as walking, jogging, step aerobics, hi/low aerobics, biking, swimming, etc, that will increase your heartrate and keep it there for the duration of the exercise session. You also need to eat! Do not diet, jus****ch the types of foods you eat, and drink your protein!! How can I lower my metabolism (but why would you want to)? If you eat a very low calorie diet, your metabolism will slow down in order for your body to survive (your body thinks it is starving). If I drink protein shakes and eat too, won't I gain weight from the added calories? Eating a low calorie diet actually slows down your metabolism. Diets containing more protein can reduce the drop in metabolic rate seen with low calorie diets. To lose fat, you need to cut down on calories, to consume less energy than you expend. But. Here is the problem. Your body responds to this drop in food intake by slowing your metabolic rate, to keep you alive, which makes fat loss increasingly difficult. Our ancestors had to deal with large variations in the availability of food. Those who survived were the ones whose bodies could adjust to this fluctuation in food availability. Those, whose bodies couldn't adjust, died. The result? Our bodies want to hold on to our stores of energy for survival. It thus preserves fat by lowering the metabolic rate whenever food intake drops. High protein diets reduce the drop in metabolic rate, and also lead to a greater feeling of fullness. Dr Scott Connelly writes in, "Body Rx: pages 18-19...."Why do MASS protein? To escape fat-storage mode, you have to eat more protein. If you want to shut down your metabolism and stay in fat-storage mode permanently, stay on the standard diet prescription- the high-carb, low-protein, low-calorie, low-fat diet. Protein is the key metabolic currency of the body. Your body was designed to run on it. Protein molecules drive all the chemical reactions involved in the breakdown and absorption of food, including carbohydrates and fat. In other words, protein drives virtually all aspects of metabolism. Many studies, including some of my own, show that simply adding protein to your diet turns on your fat-burning/muscle-building switch, even if you make no other lifestyle changes. When I gave one group of body builders extra protein along with their normal diet, they gained two times as much muscle mass as a second group of bodybuilders doing exactly the same workout and eating the same diet but without the extra protein. When you're stuck in fat-storage mode, you need a powerful protein boost to jump-start your metabolism back into fat-burning mode. In most cases, you cannot easily get enough protein from food alone to do the job. To fill the protein gap, in addition to increasing protein consumption through food, I recommend a daily high-potency protein powder. It is a simple, safe, efficient way to repair your metabolism and build a lean, shapely body." Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. Peole who are more muscular (and have a lower percentage of body fat) are said to have a higher metabolism than others that are less muscular.

Hi! I had surgery May 24. I have been on a plateau for 3 months now. I have tried everything to break it. I think this is pretty normal. I am down 105 pounds, but I would still like to drop another 15 or 20 pounds. I'm hoping that if I kick up the walking it will help. Good luck, Teri don't feel like you're alone!!!

Hi Autumn... I had surgery May 20th, 2004 and I have been at a stand still myself....Very frustrated as well....I have lost approx. 105lbs and have about 45lbs to go (according to the doctor's estimate). I have tried incorportating exercise to my life...The first week I lost 7 additional pounds. Ihave since slacked off due to back problems. Have you tired exercising.

Hi ME TOO!!!! Hey, I know how you feel. My surgery was May 4, 2004. I was down 145 pounds at Thanksgiving and since then I have be bouncing back and forth from 243 to 246. IT IS SOOOO FRUSTRATING!!!!! I would like to lose about 70-75 more also. You are obviously not along looking at all these post I guess it is very common. I have been concerned that it's over and well....I am not done yet!! I have increased my water from 80 up to 100-120 ounces a day and have increased my protein too. I also started aquatic aerobics last week. I do walk at least 3 days a week sometime 1 mile sometimes 2 depending on what time I get to work. Thank God tax season ( I do taxes) is over and maybe I will have more time now to exercise. I am deteremined to get under 200 and out of size 20. I want no 2's!!!! I wish you luck. If you find something that is working to break this plateau please post it. A lot of us could use it. Take care and keep up the good work. WE WILL MAKE IT!!!! Hugs, April 388/243(today)/looking for 170

I'm soooo there with all of you! It's frustrating and depressing. I have been at the same weight since around Thanksgiving. I suppose that's good in a way (since I didn't gain any weight over the holidays). I cannot seem to hit 100 pounds. I keep teetering at 97, 96, 98 - Uggghh! I've been walking but also snacking alot. I know I need to really get down to business but it gets harder and harder. It's scary because all these thought go through your head, like - what if I'm one of those people that the surgery will not completely work - what if I'm one of those people that stretch out their stomach - what if I'm one of those people that needs to have surgery again - what if, what if, what if... I am glad I read this post and saw I was not the only one out there stuck. Good luck to all of us that we can once again become losers. Becky