Post Date: 6/2/06 8:23 pm OK Folks, We see this all the time- "Plateau Buster! Will someone Re-post?" Many times I've just copied the "Plateau Buster" From my hard drive and posted. More and more I started including the Caveat of- "Stalls or Plateaus are normal. Stay with protein first And stay the course, but don't fall back into the 'Diet Mentality' That didn't work for you before WLS." Well, that's not what they asked for, So who am I to "tag on" the little But what to do? Then it occurred to me.... What about a whole NEW PLATEAU BUSTER! A "Life-Style for Life." Not just a terse little list that reinforces the Diet Mentality that "Yo-yoed" so many to where they needed WLS to get a new start. So Here's my "beta-version". I'm not sure about the feasibility of it at all. But Like Me, It's a "Work in Progress." --------------------------------------------------------------- To Break A Plateau: BEFORE DOING ANYTHING- Realize many, in fact Most Post-Ops Share this common experience- Done everything right and lost weight steadily, Suddenly- the scale won't budge. Like many others, you've reached a plateau. When weight loss slows and comes to a stop. Before you get discouraged and abandon Your long-term weight loss Strategy of life-style change, Understand that plateaus occur in any slimming-down process. Stick with the program and your weight loss will kick in again. Before you rush to "prosecute," And take drastic action, Do some investigation. Figure out if you really are on a plateau. The scale may be a less than least reliable reflection of fat loss. Look at other indicators. Are you feeling better? Do your clothes feel looser? If you're losing inches but not pounds, Your fat cells are still shrinking. Figure in the duration of the stall. You're only on a "plateau" if there's NO change at all For more than four weeks. And even at 4 weeks, don't "assume" anything. There may be a very Tangible Reason For the slowdown and Plateau. If you Truly want to BREAK a Plateau, Identify and understand the true "Culprit" Before you just "Open Fire!" Get this one out of the way first By being scrupulously honest with yourself. Are you "Cheating?" Cheating? It's not a Diet! Correct, But weight loss is directly the result of - Calories in versus Calories Used. Are you putting in any "unplanned" nutrition? Empty Calories? A little thing will be the "tipping point." Emotional and compulsive behavior May allow you to "sabotage" yourself. It certainly does so many Pre-Op. Yes? Look at what you are doing with extreme scrutiny. Then- Check for hidden sources of - Calories / Carbs / Sugars / Un-wanted Fats- Read Your Labels Carefully! Sugar goes under many different names And in some cases does NOT appear as "sugar" on the label. Many vitamin tablets have sugar fillers. CHECK! Conversely, Are you taking in too Little Nutrition? Many times you carry over habits from other diets & eat too little. EAT UP... Food is Necessary Fuel, not the Enemy! Don't skip meals. Just eat Protein First, Higher nutrition, Lower Calorie Foods. Don't cut your caloric intake to less than 1000 calories per day. Increase the amount of protein in your meals. Don't starve yourself. Cutting calories to an extreme will Not help you. Try cutting excess fat and calories to a reasonable level (usually 1200 to 1800 calories a day, but determined by YOUR Size.) And divide these up into frequent small meals (of about 200 to 300 calories each) every few hours. Eat a decent amount of protein with each meal To help you feel satisfied longer. If you keep your carbohydrate intake to no more than 20 grams a day Your body will go into a state of Ketosis and it will be Hard Not to lose. A frequent eating schedule will provide a constant source of energy, Keep your metabolism higher without the insulin rebound. Six small feedings a day are better at maintaining level metabolism Than 3 large meals. (notice I did not say that 6 meals are better than 3, just better at...) Perhaps aim for foods with a lower glycemic index. Check into it at- http://www.glycemicindex.com/ You may have a mineral imbalance. How's your blood-work? Such as zinc/copper. Or a trace mineral shortage. Such an imbalance can definitely slow the metabolism Reducing your "resting consumption" of calories. Certain nutrients are often recommended to aid in weight loss, Including chromium, pantethine, selenium, vanadium And biotin to help stabilize blood sugar and metabolize fat. Getting enough Potassium? Potassium shortages are common For early out Post-Ops. How's your blood-work? Exercise? Exercise can improve circulation, Stabilize blood sugar & other important metabolic benefits. If you're walking, great. But at some point in your loss, Walking becomes just Activity And no longer "Exercise." Are you Breaking a Sweat? If you have been only walking or cycling, Try doing some weight lifts and vice versa. If you are not yet exercising Try to add some sort of activity to your regular schedule. At least 20 minutes a day is recommended for beginners. Walk, Walk, Water, Water... There's a reason for that "Mantra." Increase your water consumption to stimulate lipolysis (The breakdown of fat stored in fat cells ) And clean your system of excess ketones. Many Nutritionists recommend Avoiding eating within 3 hours of bedtime. Especially avoid any foods that are higher in carbs As this can trigger insulin production which in turn Will inhibit fat-burning while you are asleep. Have you considered Food Allergies? These may cause all sorts of problems, fatigue, headache, etc... Check possibility of such causes by dropping out one food From your diet and checking for changes in how you feel. The most common culprits are- Milk, Eggs, Nuts & Peanuts, Fish, Shellfish, Soy and Wheat. Perhaps checkout- http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/index.html Maybe you have issues with food additives. Some food colorings cause metabolic responses Such as sluggishness or hyperactivity in some sensitive children. Example- YELLOW 5 ... Artificial coloring found in Jell-O, baked goods, etc... Causes mild allergic reactions, Primarily in aspirin-sensitive persons. Check some of the food additives that show up on your labels. Perhaps a look at- http://www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/index.html Caffeine? Yes, it's a "fence sitter" when it comes to "Dieting" But- Coffee, cola & tea stimulate release of insulin With a temporary lift in energy followed by hunger, Fatigue & slower weight loss. Are you Drinking Alcohol? Empty Calories and Alcohol stimulates insulin. While we're on "the bible-belt vices," Smoking? Smoking uses up vitamin C & stimulates the adrenal gland. Although quitting smoking is classically A cause for weight increase, Long term non-smoking, actually aids The metabolism to remain a constant fat-burning, healthy machine. None of the above? It may be medications you are taking. Many drugs, even aspirin, can cause or increase incidence of hypoglycemia. Watch out for hormones, amphetamines, diuretics, antihistamines, Anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, anticoagulants, antidiabetics, Antibiotics, tranquilizers, clofibrate, acetaminophen, and propanolol. Beta-blockers, can make your body extremely resistant to weight loss. Sometimes it isn't what you ARE taking But what you WERE taking that slows you down. Different meds last month? Hormones? They can slow down weight loss And stimulate the production of insulin. Estrogen (used in birth control pills) and Testosterone have much the same effect. Too much Salt? Typically early on this is not an issue, But later, excessive salt can cause some water retention. What about 'plain old' portion sizes? Many people misinterpret the instructions regarding Eating as "Just Eat till you are Full! The pouch size will 'tell you' when it's too much." That assumes you have "re-learned" the feeling of Satiety As opposed to "Full." You may need to track your caloric intake and exercise more closely. Many people find "tracking at fitday.com" a very useful tool. Check it out at- http://fitday.com/ So you've made it through this long list and everything Checks out. Perhaps you have a metabolic resistance to losing weight, And if that is the case, you must consider everything - Except giving up and admitting defeat. Your Plateau, if it continues, could possibly require Medical attention. Continued thyroid problems would definitely call for medical solutions. Excessive yeast infestation may be part of your problem. Overgrowth of yeast in the digestive tract has been shown To provoke food intolerance, headaches and immune-system weakness, And can keep you from losing weight By causing unstable blood sugar. If your plateau WON'T Break, Enlist your physician to help find the problem. Done all of this and still looking for the "short list?" Then what can I say- "Eat Meat, Cottage Cheese and water for 10 days! - NOTHING ELSE! NO EXCEPTIONS! Just try Not to Think of it as a Diet." You will most likely get a "Bang!" That will jolt your metabolism into losing. But if you want more than a bang, If you want a real "Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster" To make your system Un-inhabitable for excess fat, For generations to come, Then adjust your "Life-Style for Life." Best Wishes- Dx I borrowed this from the main board moths ago.. Shel

Hey linda....Seems like you've been busy.....not something I want to look forward to anytime soon since my daughter is 13... Sounds like its going to be a day to rember though.....inlaws pretty much suck in my book... but i am just the daughter inlaw...your daughter knows who her mom is and beleive me she wont forget it... Miss you too....thanks for the birthday wish. Heidi

I'm sorry I haven't been around - life has been just a little crazy - Kerri (my oldest daughter; 22) got engaged for Thanksgiving and has decided that they really want to get married in August (no she's not pregnant...thank God!)...she is 9 hours away from me in Rochester, NY (graduating from college in May)...her fiance is from Buffalo (10 hours from me)... he is very close to his grandparents (Kerri doesn't have any alive) and they can't travel so the wedding will be up there near them -- against my better judgement but it's HER wedding - and honestly it's for the best since I can't afford to give her a $40,000+ Long Island wedding!!!! They have rented a private house - it's gorgeous - on 15 acres of wooded and flat land for a week - the wedding will be on August 11 - Mom (me) feels a little out of the loop being so far away and already having a bit of a hard time with the new in-laws...Andrew (the fiance) has 2 sisters - one married and one slightly younger than him - this woman has her own daughters...why is she pushing to get so close to mine? Kerri called me 3 weeks ago and told me that Mary (his mom) wanted to take her "dress shopping" and would I mind if she went with her just to look...I don't know, call me selfish, but I wanted that to be something that Kerri & I would do together...something just for us, so I guess I got a little upset..(okay maybe more than a little) and started to cry on the phone...(I think that was the culmination of everything building up) - she said that she wouldn't go...I told her that I was sorry and she should go look but that she shouldn't buy anything until I got up there (March 14 - 18) (Kerri is 5' and weighs in at 117 lbs - she can buy a dress of the rack) -- she agreed to that. They went to this store...the sales woman was so pushy about Kerri trying dresses on - Kerri said that she didn't want to do it until "mom" was with her...Mary told her that it wouldn't hurt to try them on...Kerri said she wanted to leave and ended up walking out of the store in tears ..she called me when she got back to the house and had calmed down...needless to say now I was annoyed ...she will wait now until I get up there in 2 weeks and we will find her a dress! It's bad enough that her sister is her maid of honor and in Ireland until June so she doesn't have her to help much either...while I am there we will work on the caterer, the photographer, the tents, the waitstaff, the florist, booking a block of hotel rooms for guests to stay at (Kerri's entire family will be coming from Long Island and around the country!) - it's going to be a very very busy 5 days in March!!! At the same time I am busy planning her bridal shower to be held on July 7 here on Long Island - oh and did I happen to mention that I am dating and trying to meet Mr. Right during all of this???? I haven't lost any weight which isn't helping my frustrations any - I have been going to the gym very very sporatically - if I get there 1x a week it's good - this week I have promised to put myself back on track and get back to ME - I went out last night and bought all my fresh vegies and fruit for the week - went home and cut them up and put them in containers so that when I get home I can just cook - I drank 5 bottles of water (25 oz) yesterday and made sure I got all my protein - I'm already at 3 bottles in today and I brought my gym clothes with me for after work...I WILL get back to this - besides I have incentive...if Kerri's dad chooses to show up for her wedding (I won't hold my breath) I want to be in that size 8!! (I'm in a 10 now) just to see the look on his face...I was in a size 16 when we met and got married and in a 24 when I changed the locks - so he's never seen me this small and I really hope he brings his girlfriend (she weighed about 200 last time I saw her!!) - I just want to see the look on their faces I know this was very very long - I'm sorry - I think I just needed to vent! I feel better now so thank you - any suggestions you have about the new "in-laws" would be most appreciated!!! hope I didn't bore you guys too much... I have missed all of you...and have read every single word you guys have typed for the last month! Shel - you look wonderful and I love the pics of "bean" - you are still my inspiration!!! Donna - I miss your smile and words of wisdom - don't worry hon that pilates twit WILL get hers - what goes around comes around - screw her - you're so much better than she is!!! Heidi - I'm sorry I missed your birthday - Happy 35th!!! Paula - what's doing with the move? do I need to come up there and kick your butt into packing mode? Barb - sweetie don't rush into things with the boyfriend...just move slow - don't jump from the frying pan into the fire!!! make sure it's what you REALLY want - oh and that picture he took? WOW - you look WONDERFUL! good for you! and kudos for putting it out there for us to see...I'm impressed! Ila - my thoughts and prayers are with Jo****hink of him often Everyone else - I hope you're all well and I look forward to contributing more - I will never just leave - I like the idea of checking in on the first of each month Pam - Great Idea! Stacy - damn you look good - I'm jealous! I miss and love all of you - and I thank God you're here for me to vent to!!! You guys are the best Love...Linda 300/164/150 (personal goal to be achieved by June!!!)

You look beautiful. !!!! Congrats Tammy O

Thanks for the update. Keep us posted on him and on your hand/thumb! Pam