Stubborn plateau...some questions....need some help here..

OK. This past week has been very disappointing from a weight loss standpoint. I weight everyday in the morning right after I get up and use the bathroom. About 10 days ago my weight was 290.2. I was so looking forward to seeing it dip below 290. Well the next day it was back up to 293. I know weight fluctuates so I wasnt too worried. Well for the next several days I gained weight every single day!!!! Not a lot but by Monday I was back up to 298.8. Thankfully over the past two days its been either steady or falling just ever so slightly. Ive kept a close eye on my caloric intake, always trying to eat protein first and trying to get at least one serving of veggies and fruits per day, etc but thats about it. I got hungry for the first time since the surgery over the weekend, but even on my worst day Im nowhere near my current BMR of @2600 calories per day. Seriously Im running a caloric deficit of at least 1000 calories every day and most days its more like 2000 calories. Im doing SOMETHING different here. My weight since the surgery has been falling every week, althought sometimes slowly; until this week. Question Number One... What am I doing wrong here and do you have any pointers on how to get past a plateau? This past weekend I had a bad case of "head hunger". I wasnt hungry really but I wanted to try everything. Before surgery I would do this when I was nervous or not feeling just right, etc. Most often it would happen when my kids went to their mothers for visitation. That always makes me nervous, but I thought I had made good progress putting that behind me. Well last weekend they wer at their mothers and I guess that may have done it. Question Number Two... How do you handle issues of head hunger?

I have a suggestion for you. Go find something fun/interesting to do for awhile and give the scale a break. Your body needs to adjust to all this weight loss and it takes time. Keep busy and use your clothing as a guide to success. The anxiety and stress of the scale will lesson, I promise you. I don't know if you should be counting calories at this point since we don't absorb them like other folks do. Just eat balanced meals and snacks. I thinks maybe you are trying too hard. Take some deep breathes, go do something fun for yourself. huuugzzzz Paula

Thank you for the reply Paula. Not sure if I can abandon my scale.... Its like the teddy bear your kids has to sleep with at night...lol. Ive just started really but Im already the smallest Ive been in several years. My biggest problem with food is most of the time I forget to eat and at the end of the day (around 5PM) I remember I need to eat 60 grams of protein so I end up trying to eat that much which is not easy on short notice...lol. Someone told me to drink more water and Im trying that but that seems harder than remembering to eat. Im just not thirsty.

Hi, Thank you for your honesty. I guess you will have to deal with the disappointments the best way you can. We cannot help you if weighing makes you upset but you can't do without it. As far as the eating is concerned, you MUST drink fluids. You MUST set a schedule to eat your meals. This is not a choice. Even if you have to invest in a PDA to send you reminder alarms to eat and drink. Whatever it takes. For your own health and emotional well-being, you have to make the time. I don't mean to sound harsh, but this is our reality now. We have to take charge and be well. huuugzzzz Paula

I also weigh myself everyday but pick one "weigh day" a week and use that as my weight. Over a week I will go up & down, down & down, up & up... its just one of those things. I chart my weight loss weekly and Ive noticed over the span of a month I average out pretty much the same even thou the weeks can be all over the place. plateau is when you do not lose pounds OR inches for 4 weeks or longer.... what you are experiencing is not a plateau. Start by picking one weigh day and stick to that day as your "actucal weight"... keep charts so you can start to see trends and how your body loses weight. Besides watching calories also make sure you are watching your carbs... you could be eating too much or even not enough when it comes to your daily requirements! Not sure if this is the case with you but I noticed salt makes a huge difference on me... if I eat too much salt one day I can easily weigh 5lbs more in the next day or two and feel bloated. Are you getting exercise in?? Exercise is important and makes a big difference when it comes to losing weight. Head hunger... some things I find help is stepping back and asking myself if I am really hungry? I try and listen to my body... does it need fuel?? Is it just my head/mouth wanting to eat something?? Distractions also help... drink some water, go for a short walk, read a little, call a friend... have some time pass and still see if you are wanting that food. Sometimes if the head hunger is too much I will have a little nibble of whatever it is I am craving... I find a lot of times just a little taste will be more than enough!

Not sure about this but 2000 calories is a bit too much. when i was a few months out i was getting between 500-1000 calories a day. i still may just get 1000 calories a day so when you say 2000, thats just like a normal diet.

Im sorry. I think you misunderstand. Im running a deficit of 1000 to 2000 calories per day, meaning Im eating 600 to 1000 calories per day.

I know this is going to sound crazy, but to lose weight, you have to eat more. Your body needs it to function or it will start eating away at itself, especially muscle mass. Paula

How much were you able to eat at 6 weeks after surgery? Im basically eating as much as I can and just counting the damage later. I make sure what I eat is quality food and not junk and I eat all I can eat of it. The problem is when Im done and I think I must have blown my diet or something I look back and see that I didnt really eat much at all. Ill eat maybe a 1/2 cup of something and Im usually full. Ill go sit down and wait for the fullness to pass. Sometimes Ill go back and eat some more but most of the time Im more thirsty than hungry by then and I end up drinking something which precludes eating as far as my stomach is concerned. I can eat more than 1/2 cup of thoroughly cooked pinto beans or some other soft food but again when it comes time to add up the calories I end up not having ate that much. I got 1200 calories in today and it feels like Ive had some food in my hands all day long. Seriously Ive been eating on something I made at 4PM all day and just now finished it. A year ago I could have consumed it all in 30 seconds no kidding. Ive noticed Im able to drink more than I used to now. Im not just sipping and making sure I dont drink too fast as much anymore.

Six weeks? I can't remember. That was seven years ago. Just do your best. Keep an eye on your energy levels or if you get dizzy. Ok? Paula