Is This All I Will Lose, Does It Stop Here? PLEASE HELP!!

I am so scared right now, I am 8 1/2 months post-op and have lost 99 pounds I am at 251. But for the last 6 weeks I have been going from 251 to 254. I cannot get to that 100 pounds off mark. I seem to be hungry all the time, I want to eat eat eat,,,, I never did this before and I am so scared, nothing makes me sick anymore. I try to get my proteins in, no pop, no bread, rice, pasta, no sweets at all unless it is sugar free. has anyone else just stopped at some point and just not lose anymore. Right now I am so depressed, cause I see how much people has lost on here since November and I am so far behind. everything just seems be going so slow for me, it has been from the beginning it seems. PLease tell me this is normal, that this has happpen to other people on here. before it was so easy and I was never hungry, now it is so different.... PLEASE HELP!! HUGS REBA

Hi Reba. Welcome to the November forum. Many of us have felt the way you are feeling. It's so hard not to compare ourselves to others. We are all different and will lose the weight differently. A lot of it has to do with age, metabolism, activity level, etc. You are doing good to stay away from the bad carbs. I would recommend that you log your food in fitday.com or some other means for counting your calories, carbs, and protein. I know for me when I stop counting, I start gaining. Also, if I eat between meals or eat sugar free desserts, it seems to trigger the munchies in me and I'm bad all day long. Maybe you could try planning your meals ahead of time and not varying from it. It may re-set your hunger switch so that you aren't experiencing that out-of-control hunger. How about your activity level? 25% of weight loss is exercise. It burns calories, increases your metabolism, increases your energy, enhances your mood, and makes it easier to eat better. I really feel that without exercise, it will be very difficult to maintain long term success. I've read that people that stay connected in support groups like ours, have a much higher rate of success. I try to post even if I may not feel like it. It keeps me honest and more on track. Keep in touch and I'm sure this group will rally around you with love and support.

http://livingafterwls.blogspot.com/2007/08/five-day-pouch-test.html The author wrote a follow-up article the following week. Here's my favorite quote from it: There are two things I know about human nature. First, nobody ever wakes up and declares, "Today is the day I will relax my enthusiasm and get off track." Second, nobody ever wakes up and to get back on track without first saying, "Today is the day I get back on track and I have a plan." Falling off track happens without a plan or script. Getting back on track requires a conscious decision, a carefully designed plan and the determination to make it happen. It was an interesting article. It may help.

Reba, Wanda said everything I was going to say in her wonderful post so I'll just tell you I felt the exact same way as you for the past couple of months. The weight loss has slowed down but now is the time we really have to work for it. I've gone back to practically basics and the scale is moving again. I think the main thing those of us who are "middle aged" have to remember is that we aren't going to lose as fast as someone in their 20s or 30s. We will get to goal, it just might take a little longer. When I am fearful or frustrated, I tend to snack and graze and we all know that stress can lead to weight gain. So, when you feel that fear coming on, try to sit quietly, center yourself, take some deep breaths and give yourself a very positive pep talk. I had a very long, intense weight workout on Thursday and I knew my body was going to retain fluid to rebuild the little muscle tears from that work. Before I weighed Friday morning, I reminded myself the scale would be up and it was. I didn't berate myself and today (Saturday) the scale rewarded me with a new low! I also wanted to mention that I read your blog and wanted to send my sincere sympathy in the loss of Shiloh, your Yorkie. And, congrats on the new one. We had Yorkies for 30 years and showed them for a short time. We even brought 4 back from Europe! Our oldest Yorkie lived for 18 years. We can remember the dates that each died. We now have two Miniature Pinscher devils who had eaten a couple of the tainted pouches. I'm now very thankful that I would switch the types of food they ate frequently (so they wouldn't get BORED!!!). They were tested and all right but I was horrified with that incident. I'm so sorry it happened to you.

I am at 99 pouds too and have been there soince 7/31 its driving me nuts!!! It does happen - (stalls) and they stink Wanda gave you some sound advice ... log your food WWW.FITDAY.COM UP your water Exercise Protein protein protein Stay away from snacks hang in there, Britt

Reba, Hang in there. if you are following the guidelines and staying away from the bad stuff then it will start up again. One other thing to try is perhaps add back in a little more carbs than you are eating right now. Some people need more carbs than others and your body might be using the lack as a reason to decide it's starving. I'm not saying go nuts or anything but try adding some whole grain bread or pasta to one of your meals a day and see if it helps. I know I have to keep more of the "bad" carbs in my diet than others or I quit losing. I also have days where I am hungry all day long. And it will be several days in a row where I just want to eat constantly. On those days I allow myself to do it (as long as it really is hunger not boredom) but really stick to healthy choices. It usually subsides and I go back to normal which is often forgetting to eat because I'm not hungry. Also you might try to stay away from sugar free stuff for awhile. They sometimes act the same way as eating sugar even though it's not and will cause a stall in weight loss. You might want to look at how much stuff you're eating that is in that category of being sweetened with artificial sweeteners especially sugar alcohals and cut them out for awhile. You've done great so far!!! Almost 100 pounds is pretty darned wonderful. I know I look at the people on here who are already at their goal or already wearing single digit sizes and think...why am I not there...I just have to keep reminding myself we all have a different journey to take and we'll all get there in our own way and time. The great thing is we're all here to support each other and I can't tell you have invaluable that has been for me!! Best of luck Corinna Q

I totally understand where you are coming from and I have the same questions and concerns. I am only 70 lbs down and it's depressing. I have currently started to exercise more and I have seen 5lb weight loss within 2 weeks but to me it's not enough! I stopped drinking coffee I started eating more fruit and veggies, upped my water intake and I want to lose 35 more lbs by my 1 year and it's so discouraging. I don't eat a lot of bread..maybe 1 serving a week. Here's a hug, keep us updated! (((((((((((((((((((((HUG))))))))))))))))))))))