Please help with a LONG stall!

Hello all, I used to read here every day, but haven't been on in a while.   I hope that some fellow Hoosier can relate to my super long stall, and suggest something!  I just posted this on the main board, as a reply to someone else talking about a stall, but I thought I would also post it here:

I haven't been reading on here for a while, but I decided to see if I could find some information about my LONG stall one more time.   I have lost about 70 pounds since my surgery which was last Sept 10, but it has been weeks and weeks of just staying about the same, no matter what I do.   I just went on vacation and walked on the beach until I literally had blisters on my feet!  And I did not feel that I ate all that wrong, even on a trip.  I usually shared a small entree with my daughter, etc.   I feel like a total failure.  I still have at least 20 or 30 pounds that I want to lose, so what the heck does one do???

and, by the way, I just wrote an article for the new (July/August) issue of Evansville Living, if anyone has access to that, about my surgery, etc.

The main advice on here seems to be PEW (protein, exercise, and water). Increase one or more of them. If you do the same exercises all the time, shake it up a little bit with something new. You might also contact your dieticians.

Good luck!

Are you tracking measurements/inches lost? I hit 155 on Christmas Eve 2008, only 8 months post op, and I felt I wanted to lose another 20 pounds.  Hm.  Here we are, July 2009, and I weigh 153.  However, I've lost inches, and my surgeon told me in May at my one year post op that my body is likely telling me it's done losing.  Not what I was thrilled to hear, but if this is where I'm gonna stay, then it's a heckuva lot better than the 245 I weighed before surgery!!! 

Your body could be in 'shock' mode as well, saying "Heeeeyyyy, what's going on here?" and clinging to everything like crazy.  People at church started telling me in June "wow, you're losing again! you're getting really tiny!" when I hadn't lost an ounce....but since I was running more, I've been losing inches and tightening what I've got, so I can now wear a smaller size than I did over the winter. 

Just my random thoughts!! I too thought it was a stall, but PEW didn't change a thing for me, and once I realized I was still losing inches, I quit stressing.  I'd love to get under 150, so we'll see how things go after my hernia surgery on Aug 4.

Hi...

I would also advise changing your PEW. It does work. It may not in the way we relate to 'working' in that you may lose inches instead of pounds..but smaller is smaller, right? So...increase your protein &/or water...and increase &/or change your exercise. If you typically walk, dance. If you typically do the treadmill, try some water arobics. Use different muscles. As was said, sometimes our bodies just want to take a breather from all this losing weight stuff. Be patient with yourself. You didn't gain all that weight over night and you aren't going to lose it that way either.

Lastly, track what you are eating. SparkPeople.com is an excellent resource for this. Many people quit losing weight because they aren't getting enough calories in and their bodies go into starvation mode. After you have journaled it for a week or so, then contact your nut and ask them what you should be getting in for you to continue losing weight. Ask about # of calories (probably 1200-1400), grams protein (probably 50-70), grams of fat (probably less than 30) and grams of carbs (probably +100 with 30 g being fiber). Be sure you are getting in enough water. Don't stop at 64 oz. some people need more. A good guide is how dark your urine is. It should have very little color to it. It's heard one time that you should drink at least half of your body weight. I typically get in ~120 oz or so. Oh..what I was advised by my nut..and I know there are different schools of thought on this...but in order for it to count as 'water', it must be: decaf, no carbonation, calorie free or VERY low in calories (like Crystal light). In that regard, your protein drinks would NOT be included in that tally since they are not low in calories.

Good luck...
Sherri

Hello, and thanks to everyone for your replies.  I always think that this Indiana group goes out of their way to be helpful.   I KNOW that I do not drink enough water, but I never have been able to drink all that much from the beginning.   I try to drink other things, though.   And I probably need to up my protein.   I went through a period in the early spring that started with a stomach flu, and ended with me not being able to tolerate a lot of the things I had before, including the protein shakes.  I have just recently started them up again.   And I also recently became able to eat chicken again, but still can't do eggs or fish in any form.   I can eat small amounts of beef.   I have consulted with my dietician and she thinks I am doing okay with what I am eating, though.   I guess I just have to keep working on it.   Mainly, I just want to give myself another 20 pounds off, so there is a "cushion" there, so if five pounds should ever creep back on, I can control it.   I greatly fear gaining any back.   Well, thanks again for the imput and everyone have a super weekend!