How I got my weight loss back on track....

Hey everyone. I've been reading the posts about stalling and being worried this is it, etc. I just went thru the same thing. This is what I did to get going again. Take it for what it's worth. To make sure I am following my surgeons program, I log everything into Fitday - vitamins, food, fluid intake and exercise. I can't over emphasize the importance of daily logging. If it is written down, you and/or your team can evaluate where to make changes. But, it has to be logged daily to have an accurate picture of what you are doing. Remember, YOU determine your success. Be accountable. If it helps, be accountable to us here. I use this website to determine how much fluid I need per day. (Thanks Felicia!)http://www.thinnerself.com/files/calculator.htm I was drinking 64 oz a day. Now I drink 80+ oz per day. The site says water, but my surgeon says non-calorie, non-carbonated, decaf fluids. So, crystal light type drinks, decaf tea and coffee, etc all count for me. Your doc may say to drink plain water. Follow your doctor's instructions! These were developed because they have seen what works best for their patients. Do what they tell you. It's important to your success. I increased my protein. I was eating a minimum of 60g protein per day. Now I make sure I eat 70+ g protein per day. My doc recommends 60-90g protein per day. I track my calories. Our bodies need at least 600 cals per day. Any less and your body thinks it's starving and holds on to every calorie. To jump start my weight loss I ate about 800 calories a day for a week. Then, I went to about 700 calories per day plus the fluids. The weight started dropping. Sometimes I have to trick my body by switching things around - what I eat, my exercise routine, or both! I constantly adjust what I am doing. WLS is a TOOL. If used properly, I will succeed. If not, then I will not succeed. So, I follow my doctor's program. I am in contact with my surgeons office, PCP, and nut on an on-going basis. If you are having problems, give your team a call. They are there for you and want you to succeed! Finally, EXERCISE is ESSENTIAL to your success!! It may be time to shake up your routine. Walk faster, longer, more. Add strength training. The key is to make it different. Remember, stalls are common. Don't stress over it. Stress causes you to stop losing or gain weight! Good luck. I hope something I said here will be of help. This is a talk I give myself FREQUENTLY! Love you all, Susan

Thank you for these words of inspiration. I have been stalled for like the last month. I find some much that can help in this post. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge with us. Thank you again! I am hoping to get back on the losing side very soon!

I totally agree Susan. I have a few tips to add: 1. plan AHEAD - this may not work for everyone, but for me it is essential. I make my plan first thing every morning, before the first morsel of food hits my mouth I plan out for the entire day what is goign to go into that mouth. I post it here on the board for accountibility. Even if no one reads my posts, I feel that if I put it in print and made it public, I should be expected to stick to it. On weekends, when I turn off the computer to focus on developing a "more active lifestyle" - I still plan, in those lazy moments before fully climbing out of bed to join the world, my day. It may be looser ie: look more like "must remember to stick a protein bar in my purse since I will be out around lunch time" etc. But the plan is there and the options are available to make sure I get in all my body needs. 2. Carbs are not EVIL - I used to feel guilty about every carb craving and my carbs would log in less that the initial phases of Atkins (below 20g a day)...I wasn't loosing. We need some carbs - they are essential for proper function of the brain even. Now I allow some "good carbs" into my life...beans, multi-grain crackers, brown rice mixed with bulgar, etc. The carbs are always eaten WITH protein, early in the day or before a workout. The minute I did that and upped my protein and BAM down came the scale. 3. Eat "backwards" - normal people have a light breakfast (bagle etc), a light lunch (sandwhich) and then pig out at dinner. I have found that if I eat heavier during the day (I try to hit 60g of protein by the end of lunch), then "back down" as I head toward evening my body responds much more positively scale wise. Just my tips - may not work for everyone but in conjuction with what Susan said - especially more calories, more protein, more fluid and LOADS Of excerice, they got my stall stopped and the scale moving again for me.

Thanks for all the good input, Susan! Lisa

Guess there are a few things that I need to start doing tomorrow to get the scale moving again!! Thanks for all the tips. I'm very excited to see if this will work for me this week. I would love to lose 5 lbs in the next 12 days. Maybe this will be the kick in the butt that I need. I'll let you know how it works for me. Hugs, Tabby

Thanks Susan and Patricia! This is just want I needed. I am about to go bonkers with this stall. This should help me out a lot. Hugs, Sherry