Dealing with a Long Stall??

Just wondering if anyone has experienced a long stall?  I started to stall (I have gone through lots which lasted a week or two over the last 6 months) but this one ha**** week 6 now.  I am still loosing inches but the evil scale has been bouncing between the same 218-221 for the last few weeks.  I have met with the dietician etc and they are fine with my food intake etc.  The only major piece is that I have been working with a trainer at the gym since the stall started.  I did expect a bit of a stall but this is going on for a long time and it is starting to get a bit frustrating at this point.  I am just past the 6 month mark now and lost about 108lbs.  I am only 18 pounds for my goal weight and these last 18lbs don't want to let go.

Any advice would be helpful...

Are you weighing or measuring your portions? We tend to overestimate portion sizes. If you are being honest with yourself, then just stay the course and the stall will break.

I went from 340 to 140 and never really had a stall. I was extremely diligent with my diet during the losing phase.

I have been weighing/portioning everything when the stall started to happen to ensure I wasn't cheating myself.  I think this is what is frustrating me the most.   My protein intake is where my clinic what's it to be at (80g).  They don't want us to track calories but I have been and have been eating between 1100-1200 a day.  The only major change is working out at the gym 4-5 times a week with a trainer, I suspected some slow down with muscle increase but not a flat out stall for this long.

Then it sounds like you are fine. Try to relax and keep doing what you are doing!!

I don't lose unless I am under 900 calories/80 gram+ of protein and less than 40 g carbs a day.  

950 and I am in maintenance.  I walk 3 miles every day and work out 3 times per week at the gym.

It is very hard for me to believe that with exercise and eating only 1100-1200 a day at 220 lbs..yu are not losing... 1-2 weeks - i could understand .. but5-6 weeks?  unless you are eating mostly processed food (protein bars, food that are mislabeled - i.e. someone subtracted the fiber - not counting that as calories..etc.).unless beside exerics you just stay in bed all day... something is not right... 

it just does not make sense... 

I know that when I try to eat prepared food (fast food, diet food, etc) - some of that is not right and i think a lot of companies underestimate how much calories is in the portions. 

but when I cook my own food - or really eat clean - meat + veggies,  I not only can eat more and lose weight - but I am also less hungry... 

please look for "hidden calories y may be eating... or drinking...

for a guy yours iz e with exercise- 80 grof proteins may cause your body to break down yourown muscles... 

are you  retaining water... ???  swelling in legs?  muscle breakdown = inflammation / water retention... that may be it???

while working really hard- body needs energy - or it may start cannibalizing itself.. breaking down your muscles. 

at 6 months post op - without heavy exercise I had to increase my protein intake. to 100-120 per day...because my blood work show low normal protein level.. 

if you are getting smaller - you may be losing not only fat but your muscles... please have that checked ...

I questioned the nutritionist about my protean I take at my six month follow up with was a couple weeks ago.  I have not heard back from them about my blood work at this point.

For the most part I only eat "real food" and don't eat much out of a box.  With the exception of a protein shake before my workouts.  Eating "real" food is something that I have focused on long before my surgery.  I know I have had a major gain in muscle mass since starting with the personal trainer.  I can see it and feel it.  Before though there was a lot of muscle loss which my doctors have been worried about since about the 3 month mark.  So far they are happy with that progress of the regrowth of the lean muscle and don't seem worried of the stall.  But personally it is frustrating and discouraging when trying to figure out what is not working to get the weight to go down.

You cannot, cannot, gain muscle mass while on a calorie deficit. You just can't. You can build lots of strength -- making existing muscles stronger -- but you cannot add muscle on a long term calorie deficit. The only time you can add new muscle is if you are eating more calories than you are burning. But you will also gain fat.

If you are truly eating at a calorie deficit, you are still losing muscle mass. If you are lifting heavy you are minimizing the amount of muscle lost, but you will still be losing some lean body mass.

But if you haven't lost in 6 weeks, it's very possible you are eating at maintenance level.

Since you're tracking everything you consume, could you copy/paste a few days here so we can see what you're eating and try to troubleshoot? 

How much liquid are you getting every day?