Exercise more! That's what I do when I'm on a plateau. Do more cardio....do an hour or more if you can. Or switch the type of cardio you do. I found that the eliptical machines burn off twice as many calories as the treadmill or bikes, so I use them. Are you supposed to be eating 5 times a day? I only eat 3 times a day and for the most part don't snack in between. You certainly don't want to add more calories in between meals. I make sure I get about 20-25g of protein per meal from food since my surgeon is against protein supplements. He feels they add unnecessary calories to our daily intake and I agree. I have 18 more pounds to lose to reach my goal of 130. I started at 276 and have lost 128 pounds (my surgery was on June 14th, 2004). As of today I'm technically only 7 pounds overweight, which makes me giggle when I think about it. I've lost 12 pounds this month, so despite being 8 months out I see no signs of the weight loss slowing up yet. I do about 45 minutes of cardio (usually the eliptical machine) and about 45 minutes of weights and abs 5-6 times a week. I don't feel like going today so I'm trying to talk myself into going by telling you to do more. Ok so I have to practice what I preach so as soon as I get done here I'm going to the gym. Isn't it amazing to think that a lifetime of struggling with being overweight is almost over? I can shop in junior stores now and wear tiny size small tops and size 6-8 pants. I tried on a pair of size 8 pants yesterday and they were TOO BIG! I giggled to myself in the fitting room and though wow.....8's are too big. What a thrill! So be patient and you will lose the rest of the weight. Increase the exercise and really watch what you eat and it will happen. The weight loss never seems to make sense. I was on a cruise a few weeks ago and ate more, exercised only a few times and came back 2 pounds lighter. Other times I eat very little and kill myself in the gym and don't lose. I remember my surgeon telling me at the very beginning....he said "you're body will fight you every step of the way losing this weight," and he was right. Good luck, Terry 276/148/130 sometime soon?

I can't answer your question, but I'd like to add to this thread. I quit my Prozac (10 years use) 6 months before surgery, as my life was more calm and I wanted to see how I did. I was pretty stable, in my opinion, though my DH would always say "You need your prozac" everytime I got upset or angry or ruffled in life. sigh. This past month (I'm almost 9 months out, down 105#) I was feeling very blue....didn't want to go to work, crying alot, etc......so I went back on my Prozac. I feel much better already, after a week of use. I take 20 mg in morning, and 10 mg in evening......and I feel much better. My doctor is concerned about malabsorption and is checking to see if lab can do a prozac level test. Best to you, Tracey

6 meals? omg I would die! i get 60 g protein from 3 meals need 2-3 oz meat or cheese at each meal and a glass of milk in between. 1 oz meat or cheese is 7g protein 8 oz milk is 8 g 1/4 c cottage cheese is 7 g 1 egg is 7 g so i eat 1 egg c/1 oz cheese and 1 oz meat = 21 gram protein always eat your protein first then the rest if room allows. hope this helps!

I was told protein is the key to minimize hair loss. You should be getting at least 60 g of protein a day. 1 oz meat = 7g milk 1 g per oz cottage cheese 8 g per 1/4 c egg 1 = 7 g cheese 1 oz = 7 g Most of your protein should be in solids as they stay in pouch longer, liquid drinks flush through almost immediatedly with little absorption. Hope this helps you, it's helped me.

Hi Everyone, Hubby and I went on a short cruise last week, got back this Monday and guess what? I came back 2 pounds lighter. I was amazed since I ate more than usual on the cruise. But I did order off the diet menu, ate mostly salad and protein....but they had some great low fat, sugar free cakes that I gobbled up. By the last day I was getting brave and experimenting with small amounts of sugared desserts and I was ok with it. Except that the flavor was way too sweet since I haven't eaten sugar in 8 months now. Went to the gym one morning at 6am while on the cruise....yes there are gym on cruise ships and I was surprised to find it packed. I wasn't the only one exercising while on vacation. Actually eating on the ship got boring and made me realize how my attitude about food has changed. Cruising doesn't have to revolve around food. We stayed active, ate sensibly and had a great time. As of today I've lost 126 pounds.....I'm only 10 pounds overweight and 20 pounds away from my goal of 130. Terry 276/150/130 sometime soon