Help, I am really SO very scared.

I know people often post about plateaus. I went into surgery weighing 360. By the first week in December, I lost 65 pounds or so. But, I am terrified. I go to Curves 1-3 times a week. The scale has really not moved since the 2nd week in December. Now, last week I posted a 5 lb loss...but here I am again up that 3-5lbs. HUH???? I am even dreaming that this is it... no more weight loss. WHY is this happening??? A "plateau" at 4-6 months???? I just dont get it. I feel that I can eat a lot since then too. Before that, I would get sick sorta easily. I dont dump on sugar. I do stop when Im full. But I dont feel full for long now. WHAT is going on. Please someone out there tell me that they have heard of this and the person still lost their weight. I have about 120 lbs to go!!! I thought people who weighed more lost easier. Well, thank you for listening and I look forward to hearing from people. Best wishes to all. Lisa from Mass... Surgery 7/28/04.

Lisa, I have experienced some periods of times like that but not quite that long . I do go up and down like that though. I dropped and then played around 2-3 lbs. before the next drop. You know when I have those times of not losing I think my body readjusts itself to the new weight (inches change, clothes fit different) even though my weight is the same. I keep a book and occassionaly write down my weight. I go back and look at my weight about the same times last month and I'm usually down 10 lbs. That helps. My dr. said the first 6 months it falls off and then I would slow down and lose slowly in the next 18 months. By 2 years my body has adjusted to what has happened to it--that's when all your good newly established behaviors will benefit you (walking/exercising, not drinking with your meals, drinking lots during the day, taking vitamins, etc.) If you don't have those habits--your weight might even go up some. So I'm concentrating on establishing those habits and take the weight lose as it comes. I'm waiting for another drop so I know how you feel. Hang in there--it will come! Good Luck Bunny (-95 and would love to hit that century mark)

I've been a slow loser since the begaining it took me until now to lose 67 pounds. ( I started at 311) A few weeks back I hit a plateau and I started puting protein powder in my Crystal lite. That seemed to get things moving again but still very slowly only one or two pounds a week but that certainly is better than non. May be do free weights on the odd days you don't go to Curves or walk??? Start measuring your food and stick to your doctor's recommendations for food amounts. I know its hard I don't dump on sugar either but we have to stay away from the nono's!! What ever you do don't give up !! I'm losing slowly but I know in the end I'll get to where I should be!! We're all here to boost you up if ya need a pep talk .. Sue

Lisa, you are so ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY normal! Since the first of the year, I haven't made much progress in my weight loss. I'll lose three pounds, and then bounce up and down those same three for two weeks or more before losing any more. It's extremely frustrating, and I know EXACTLY how you feel. First, you have to realize that there is no schedule for how fast you're going to lose. Like you, I started out over 350 and expected to lose quickly. I was WRONG! My dietician and surgeon both think that my genetic makeup plays a role in my slow loss (I have a family history of obesity which indicates genetically slow metabolisms). My dietician also feels that my years of yo-yo dieting have also set up a roadblock. You're going to lose at a rate your body will allow you, and there's not much you can do about the genetic aspects of it. Next, you have to figure out the little things that may help spark your loss. I have found that additional protein (without carb counting, even) helps me lose more. I work out at LEAST 3 times a week, sometimes more, with both cardio and weight lifting. Maybe cutting carbs will work for you, maybe just adding protein will be beneficial. Try to make going to Curves a religious habit instead of sporadically going. As for feeling hungry quite soon after eating...well, I've noticed that most of us on the board seem to be having that problem. We're able to eat more and don't stay as full very long. Personally, I've also discovered that my issues with food are getting harder to deal with than they were early post-op because I have so many more options now. Others on this board have suggested trying the "water-loading" technique. I don't know much about it, although I do know that it can be found in the "Pouch Rules for Dummies" article I skimmed a long time ago. I guess it's time for me to drag it out. Finally, I have found that the support I get from this forum helps keep my head above the water. When I have a lousy day or am feeling down about my slow loss, everyone here helps to make me feel better and get back on track. I recommend becoming more active on the board (if you have time, anyway) and you'll feel little bursts of inspiration every day. I hope that this helps you. You are NOT alone! There are many of us heavyweights that are slow losers. It sucks, it's frustrating, it's even depressing. I've cried buckets of tears over it! Take a good look at the things you are doing. Build upon the things that are positive (exercising) and look at where you can improve (like keeping a food diary...fitay.com has a free one). Hang in there! Pamela 352/266/headed toward 200 first

Lisa: Not everyone who has alot to lose loses easily. A few of us on this board who have more than 100 lbs left, have " relatively" slow weight losses in comparison to what we read on these boards. I understand your fears, but please relax, if you are doing everything right there is no possible way for you not to lose. I too have been a relatively"slow " loser. Here is my story. About a week and a half before the surgery after a food frenzy of a vacation i had gained weight -when actually the surgeon had wanted me to lose weight. So at that point I was 367. The day of surgery I was down miraculously to 349. So Ihad lost 18lbs just before surgery. Consequently, because I had already lost the water weight before the surgery I didn't see any huge numbers for weight loss at the very beginning. On average, I guess I lose 8-10lbs per month- some months more, some less. I am now down to 284 which is really only 64lbs since surgery- but it is a total of 82lbs in 7 months. I too have at least 120lbs to go to get to a civilized weight. So sometimes it concerns me that if the weight loss slows down I won't get all of that weight off ( which wouldn't put me at my goal weight- but at what wasthe anticipated 80% of excess they say this surgery is supposed to do.) What I have learned is that everyone's scale moves differently. I don't lose consistently every week, and my weight fluctuates daily- it can do so by as much as 4 or 5 lbs one way or the other. If you weigh yourself every day or every week then a plateau that happens for a month or so seems like forever, whereas if you only weigh yourself at a monthly visit to your doctors office, what you don't know won't hurt you! So, you have to stop measuringby pounds alone. Have you measured yourself? Are you fitting into smaller sizes? Can you move better? Do you feel better? These are all things I try to think about when I get frustrated that the scale isn't moving. I think sometimes our bodies need to catch up to all that is happening to them, and that is the reason for the plateau. For most of this journey ( after the first couple of weeks) I only weighed myself at the doctors office so I wouldn't obsess about what the scale said daily. You might want to try it, and ask yourself if there was no scale, how else might you measure your weight loss success. A doctor also reminded me that this race is not a sprint...it is a marathon. Its also not a diet...its a way of life, so if we keep on doing what we are supposed to be doing the weight is bound to come off. I am also one of the "lucky" ones who don't dump, and rarely get scik but I do get full on about 3/4 c of food. I don't get full when I graze though- and then its my own fault if I am gaining....then I try to put myself back on track the next day. I turn 50 in 2 weeks and I so wanted to be at the century mark, but its obvious that despite my best efforts, my body is going to react the way it is going to react and I can't make it lose any faster than my metabolism will allow so there is no point to stress about it. Hang in there...e-mail me if you need to. Marcy -83

Hi all! When I had my surgery I was considered a "light weight" with a BMI of 40.3. I have lost ~70 pounds since surgery--happy about that--but I'm a little freaked out about how things have gone for me post WLS. My husband had WLS ~3 years ago, and his experience was very different. I know we shouldn't compare ourselves, but we all do it. Chuck, my hubby, was unable to eat larger quantities of food, and he still can't. A big meal for him is 2 pieces of pizza. I can easily eat 3 pieces. Chuck couldn't finisn his 2 ounce meals in the first six months. I licked the cups clean, and wished I could eat more (but didn't--out of fear, not out of fullness). Chuck couldn't eat sweets or bread until he was ~1year out. He couldn't eat stea****il then, either. Sweets, bread and steak are regular parts of my diet. I eat more bread now post WLS than I did pre WLS. My life before WLS (diet wise) was very frustrating. I counted calories and exercised and couldn't lose a pound. I didn't cheat, I cried every time I weighed myself. I had a dietician, endocrinologist, and fitness expert helping me. No one had an answer for why I wasn't losing. I mean, mathamatically, it was impossible that I wasn't losing weight--caloric intake and the exercise that I did alone was worth a 4-6 pound weight loss in a week, but nothing happened. This went on for weeks and weeks at a time. So, I chose WLS--happy that I did, or else I wouldn't have lost 70 pounds. Since WLS, I have defied all rules of diet logic. I have eaten junk food, gone out to restaurants (something I would rarely do pre WLS, and even then, I would only get salads or soup), just plain old bad diet choices that make no sense. I tolerate everything. I get my protein, calcium, vitamins, and exercise in. It amazes me how much I can eat. I eat more than Chuck does on a regular basis. So, here I am, 7 months + out. I am petrified to start "trying" to lose weight by monitoring my intake. I am scared that the numbers wont go down. The running joke in the house has been for me to lose weight, I have to eat some kind of sweet, like a donut or something, then the scale will move. Now, July Babies, don't get me wrong. I'm not pigging out or eating grotesque amounts of food. I just expected to be eating a lot less, and also not able to eat certain foods. I know, I know--just because I can doesn't mean I should--I"m working on this. I think my weight loss is on target--my surgeon is pleased, as am I. In the past 30 days, I have only lost 1 pound, though, and I tell myself that I am to blame because once in a while, I eat a handful of M and M candies. Can I do more? Yeah. Am I scared....hell yeah. I'll get over my fear of trying and failure (or fear of success?) and the weight will come off. FYI, I have another 30-50 pounds to go. Here is a suggestion for those of you who are stalled or worry about what the future holds. Go visit the July 2003 board (or the Jan 2004 board as they are 6 months ahead of us). Ask a question there, and you'll get a response. It will help you to know that there are people who had several stalls, and ended up losing another 20-40 pounds in the next 6 months. Good luck to all Diana

Lisa I copied a question from the January 2004 board. Here's the question and replies. Hope this helps!! It helped me, too. Diana need advice from 1 yr post-ops Original Post by Rondas Losin It at 8:56 AM PST on 02/11/2005 Richardson, TX - RNY (04/07/2004) I had my surgery in April of 2004 but I'm struggling with something and wanted to ask you guys who have been out for 1 yr already for advice. A lot of us on the April board are hitting plateaus BIG TIME! We are frustrated. Did you have trouble right around the 9-10 month mark? If so, did your weight loss kick back in or are we pretty much done? I work out 4 days a week, try to eat right - lots of protein, water, etc. I've lost 100 lbs and I'm thrilled with it but I'd like to lose about 30 more if possible. Thanks for any help you can give! Ronda sw-297/cw-197/gw-170 RE: need advice from 1 yr post-ops Response from Celines Rodriguez at 10:48 AM PST on 02/11/2005 Springfield, MA - VBG (01/20/2004) Ronda it is perfectly normal don't worry you will start loosing again pretty soon. I am one year post-op and had the same weight for 3 or 4 months(144.5 Lbs.) and it is now that I started to loose again, went down 4 pounds and I'm now on 140.5 so I think I will still loose a couple more, who knows. Keep up the good work and good luck to you. Celines RE: need advice from 1 yr post-ops Response from Shirley Arreola at 11:07 AM PST on 02/12/2005 Grand Prairie, TX - RNY (01/30/2004) Hang in there you guys. I lost my first 100 lbs in six months and then lost another 29 in the next 6 monts. Yes you will hit those plateaus and they will be frustrating, then it will trickle off, then once in a while you will see a 4 or 5 lb loss all of a sudden. Just hang on and be patient. It is all worth it. Also look for inches lost, as you all are working out you are building muscle, that weighs more then the old fat, so use the tape measure and be encouraged by the inches as they melt off. Have fun and enjoy the journey RE: need advice from 1 yr post-ops Response from Vera Houpt at 3:34 PM PST on 02/13/2005 Greenville, OH - RNY (01/27/2004) Hi, I had surgery Jan. 27, 2004 and I weighed 252 or so at that time, I now weigh 125. I did hit a point in August when I was not loosing but in Nov. I started to loose again. I lost another 15 lbs. I really do not want to loose anymore and I struggle to keep from loosing more. My Dr. said you usually loose up to one year after surgery and then stabilize out. I did get down to 121 but I worked very hard to gain back 4 lbs. I am happy at a size 6-8....from a 24.... Best of luck and I am sure you will succeed in loosing that last 30 lbs. Trick the metabolism up seems to be the key. Vera Houpt Greenville, OH RE: need advice from 1 yr post-ops Response from Angela R at 9:31 AM PST on 02/14/2005 Fort Edward, NY - RNY (01/28/2004) Hi Ronda, I lost 99% of all my weight by 9-10months out. NOW I fight the last 20# I need too loose.my scale goes up & down 5#. So I've been stuck since october.it's now feburary. I'm 152# today ...I can get discouraging....but now it's allwhat we eat and how much we excersize. Ang~ 275/152/130 I wish...lol!! RE: need advice from 1 yr post-ops Response from Pat Bell at 11:41 AM PST on 02/16/2005 Southeast, GA - RNY (01/20/2004) Plateaus are part of the WLS journey. If you stick to your program the weight will start to come off again. I am just over a year, with 40 pounds to lose and can't seem to overcome my current plateau so I understand. It's so much easier to stay on program when you see the pounds dropping. Maybe we could misplace the scales for a month or so. Best of luck! RE: need advice from 1 yr post-ops Response from Gloria Urban at 1:14 PM PST on 02/17/2005 Summerville, SC - (01/14/2004) True,true.I went to the gym 5 times a week or more for 30 days ok,and gained a pound supposedly on their scale when before I only powerwalked w weights and always lost weight ,and had maintained a low weight for 4 mths joined a gym gained a pound!.Talk about feeling like I wasted a month!But I lost from 27 to 24 inch waist and inches on every part of my body except half an inch gained on my thigh from muscle,and lost like a dress size or 2,can wear 0s now in some clothes lines but usually 1-3 and 4/5 in smaller made dresses.Muscle weighs more,your body needs time to catch up,just because my scale goes up 5-6 pds on my period does not mean thats my true weight.Its more about how your clothes fit,your energy level,if you are not eating bad,and you are exercising I would not worry about it! U work out eat right,the amount u weigh fluctuates and hormones and fluid levels change the number on the scale but truly no one who is doing all the right things should panic about a plateau ,or a number KEEP IT UP IT COMES OFF!Cheers! Glori