Peekin in from October board up for ?'s

Hi Everyone I had surgery on 10/5/04 and OMG are things differant now. I still can't eat much at one time but I am constantly wanting to chew. I buy gum to chew on but it is disappointing at first I didn't want anything in my mouth I guess it is catching up. I don't eat bread I can eat a few crackers like maybe 6 with cheese and ham. or something of the like. For the last few months I have been loosing slower which I expected, This month so far nothing and if this isn'****er I have gained 3 pounds. I am not eating nowhere near like before surgery, but nothing like after surgery either. I have 45 pounds till goal and starting to get scared that this is it, I know this is normal but for some it is true. I don't want it to be true for me. So I got the idea to come here and see What Ya'll were going through mentally at my stage and How it turned out in retrospect did You worry for nothing. I will be 6 months out in 2 weeks. Thanks for taking the time to read this appreciate any insight. 5' 5 1/2" 287/198/150 Shell

Hi Shell, First of all, 89 pounds in 5 1/2 months is tremendous. Its no wonder that your body is taking a breather from losing. I have had to work quite hard at losing since about month 3. I exercise 4 times a week and really watch what I eat. So don't be discouraged if you have to work for the last 45 pounds. I found that I got in a rut with my workouts and eating. Mixing it up can really give you a little boost. Try some new protein sources, if you haven't already. Try some new form of exercise. Hope this helps, Michelle

Hi, Shell. Welcome to the August board. I go lurk on the June and July boards as well to get an idea of what might be coming up, so I think it's a great idea for you to come and ask us this question. When we hit the six month mark, there were many, many posts here about slow-downs and plateaus and having to work a lot harder to get the pounds off. Not everybody, of course, but enough of us to safely say it was a trend. There are lots of us who will go weeks now and only lose a pound or two, or nothing at all. Many of us are still in that stage. Depends on how close to goal we are and stuff like that. My surgeon told me at my 6-month appointment that 5-7 pounds per month would be normal and acceptable for me at this point. Freaked me out, but it's been true. Statistically speaking, it is probably not over for you or for us--the vast majority will keep losing throughout the first 12-18 months. But you are correct that there are some who stop losing within the first year and that's it. Based on my research, conversations with my surgeon, and my personal observations, regular exercise is the key. Your body is adapting to the change of WLS, and by the end of the first year it has managed to "fix" much of the malabsorption that was present in the early months. Your body can make use of most of the nutrients and calories again by that time, so you have to start working for it like a normal person. The surgery only accounts for about 50-70% of excess weight loss. The rest is diet and exercise, just like everyone else. The good news is that by the time the surgery has knocked off 50-100 lbs, most of us are mobile enough and energetic enough again to bring exercise back into our lives. Plus, we have the added bonus of restricted food intake because of our pouches. So, the short answer is that it is probably not over. There are lots of us here stalling out and having plateaus, but most so far have come back to say that the scale is moving again, even if it's slowly. It definitely isn't over if you are exercising and keep it up. It might be over if you're snacking, grazing, etc. and not exercising. I can tell you that the June and July people seem to be having the same trends on their boards. Some moving along slowly but steadily, some on plateaus, some stopping and starting, but pretty much everyone who is not already at goal is still losing in some way. Hang in there. Keep doing what you're supposed to do and increase your exercise for awhile to see if it helps. And stay in touch to let us know how you're doing! ---- Leslie -98