Need Help! 1 yr post op & not losing!

I will be one year post op on 6/23/04. My high weight was 260 pounds. I lost 11 pounds right before surgery, so I was 249lbs at time of surgery. I know weigh 150lbs. i know thats about a 100 pound weightloss, but I'm concerned. I drink my water (most of the time), exercise 3 days a week for 45minutes to 1 hour (just as I have all along), and I certainly get in all my protein. I can eat a lot more now thatn I could a year ago, that's for sure. But I don't eat sugar!!! No caffeine, no sugar, no carbonation, and watch my carbohydrates. I recently got off the NuvaRing for birthcontrol and started taking pills again (OrthoTriCyclen). I was down to 148lbs, gained 4 or 5 pounds and went back up to 152/153. This morning the scale said 151lbs. I'm disgusted with myself and don't know how I'm going to ever lose these last 20 pounds I need to lose to get to my goal weight of130lbs. I'm only 5'3" tall. Please, someone help me. Give me advise, knowledge, information, whatever you can offer! I'm desparate to lose these last 20 pounds! Thanks for your time and concern!

Jennifer, A number of thoughts come to my mind as I read your post. First and foremost, you are doing great! It sure sounds like you are doing all the right things and I wish you wouldn't be stressing over those remaining 20 lbs so much! How long have you been at your current weight? A true plateau is 3-4 weeks. It could be that you are just stuck temporarily and the weight will start to drop again soon. Are you still losing inches? For me, I only lost 4 lbs in the past month, but I lost 4.5 inches which is about average for me. Try not to be a slave to the scale and look at the larger picture...how your BODY looks! Have you considered tracking your eating on www.fitday.com? When my losses slow and I start to track what I am eating, the problem quickly becomes apparent. What is your age? Is 130 a reasonable goal for you these days? I am 41 and 5'5". I weighed 130 when I went to college. I looked really good at that weight but that was over 20 years ago and I wasn't exercising then. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat so 130 might not look as good on you (or me) today as it once did. Now that we are working out, we might be able to carry a little more muscle weight. I do find that my weights fluctuates a lot more at one year out than it once did. I'm sure that is common. If you are stressing over daily gains and losses, perhaps you should consider only weighing once a week. Just my thoughts. My sense is that the weight will come off if you continue to do the right things (just as you are now). Please ease up on yourself! Good luck.

Try this site for realistic weight goals... and I agree, the scale is not always the best choice, because when you gain muscle you gain weight even though you lose inches... http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

hI THERE JENNIFER. i HAVE BEEN STUCK AT 150 FOR AWHILE ALSO, ACTUALLY A YEAR TO BE EXACT... STARTED TO DO THE WEIGH****CHERS EVERY WEEK, COUNTING EVERY POINT THAT GOES IN MY MOUTH, ALONG WITH THE EXCERCISING, SLOWLY STARTING TO MOVE AGAIN, LOST 1.6 POUNDS THIS WEEK , IN COMPARISON TO NOTHING. tRY IT OUT, IT MAY WORK FOR YOU, PLUS THE SUPPORT SYSTEM THERE IS VERY USEFUL & MOTIVATING...EVERY WEEK , INSTEAD OF ONCE A MONTH AT GASTRIC SUPPORT MEETING... AND DON'T FORGET, SOME OF THAT EXCESS SKIN THAT YOU MAY HAVE, ASLO WILL COUNT TOWARDS YOUR GOAL...SAD ENOUGH TO SAY... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. CAROL