Is it possible for your body to rebel against weight loss?

My surgery date was  7/30/14
By January I had lost 100 pounds (5 months)
Since then I've only lost 22 pounds. 

I think I've made a few posts about being frustrated in the last couple months already so this is more of a rant.  

22 pounds in 5 months is devastating for someone who's had weight loss surgery.  I'll stall for like 3 weeks and then drop 1-2 pounds just to fluctuate up 2 pounds 3 days later and then wait another 3 weeks to drop like one pound.  I've lost 2 lbs this month.  I lost 4 pounds last month.  WTF is happening.  Nothing has changed except I've increased my calories slightly from 800 to around the 1,000 mark and I've also increased my activity.  I increased exercise when I stopped losing weight.  I know exercise can cause your muscles to retain water and muscle weighs more than fat BUT I'm doing mainly cardio and it's been weeks...more like MONTHS so I should be seeing bigger results by now.  I know you're going to say to stick with it and it'll happen.  But this slowly? Really?

Is it possible that I had such rapid weight loss in a short period of time that my body is just like "whoa.. wait.. let me just chill for a while... In the meantime I'm going to store every single calorie as fat and reject all of your attempts to burn it away *evil laugh*"

Is it starvation mode????

I started to cry this morning after I stepped on the scale.  I haven't done that since the day I began thinking about weight loss surgery. I wrote a blog post about it too if you want to read that as well.  I feel like this is it... maintenance mode.  I just don't know what to do anymore.  I tried calling my surgeon's office to make an appointment but the lady who makes appointments isn't in today.  That office has like 5 women who sit at a desk all day and only one woman makes appointments.  WTF do the others do there?  

Rant over.  *sigh* 

starvation mode is a myth it only happens to people after they burn almost all there fat

 the less you weigh the slower you lose

 you may have to eat less cal

I'd say that increasing your calories by 200 a day is far from being nothing!  That's kind of a big thing and is probably responsible for your slowed loss.  

Starvation mode is a myth.  

You are still losing weight, though, so clearly you're not in maintenance.  The closer we get to goal the slower the weight comes off.  That's just how things work.  

How much protein are you getting a day? How much liquid?  What, exactly, are you eating on a regular basis?  Are you seeing a therapist?  

I've only increased my cals by 200 a day because my surgeon told me I should be between 1,000 - 1,200.  And because now that I'm farther out I'm able to eat a little more.  Should I go back down to 800?

I'm getting between 60-90 grams of protein a day and I'm drinking 64 - 100 oz of water per day.  A typical meal will consist of scrambled eggs and 2 small slices of bacon for breakfast, a salad with ham, cheese, and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinaigrette dressing for lunch, and for dinner I'll have chicken or beef with a small side of veggies.  Sometimes I'll get a wendy's chilli and eat half of it.  I rarely snack and if I do it's string cheese, almonds, or a tsp of peanut butter to fight head hunger.  

I'm not seeing a therapist.  It's too expensive. 

If I wasn't losing the way I wanted to be, I'd definitely decrease my calories, yes.  Diet is always the primary culprit.  :)  

Your food choices seem pretty solid.  

Are you able to attend a support group?  Or perhaps find a therapist who works on an income based scale?  

Thanks I'm going to try that and see if it makes a difference.

My work has weigh****chers support meetings and a weigh in every week but I feel like it's for people who aren't going through the same thing as I am.  The bariatric dept at the hospital I got my surgery at has support groups every Monday but they're always at like 2:00 and I'm working at that time.  I could try and find a therapist that would be "cheaper" but trying to find a cheap therapist that's close by and that I "click" with sounds next to impossible.  This forum has been my therapy every day since I began looking into surgery.  And it's always worked.   Except now I feel like my emotions are getting the better of me because I'm so frustrated.  

Maybe it is time for labs? Make sure they check your thyroid...detail panel

A lot of time, while low carbing (that to are doing for a while) Would cause our body to stop making enough T4 or convert that to T3.  My T3 is often below normal now.  That it's the active form of thyroid hormons that is responsible for burning fat. Yea...it sucks. 

Also look into "calories cycling". On average - during a week or 10 days my intake would be 1000-1200, but my daily woukd 800 or 1600. A few low calories days, followed by a higher calorie day (i am addcted to PB also...) 

On higher calories day ~ i would try to eat simmilar foods, but maybe a littke more nuts, or even some low glycemic fruits (like berries.)  but always paired with fat and proteins.

Good luck. 

While the forums are certainly helpful, I agree, I don't think they're a replacement for an actual therapist or good support group - very few of us have training and those who do probably wouldn't use their credentials on the forum!  I definitely understand what a pain it is to find a therapist you click with, but it's really invaluable.  (Of course it's your call, I'm just sharing my thoughts.)  

It might be worthwhile to check out the weigh****chers group - it might be beneficial to you!

Almost everyone sees their loss slow down after the first few months. Could you have lost 22lb in five months (and KEPT it off) prior to surgery? And kept that slow-but-steady pattern going? For many of us, the answer is a big fat no.

One thing to consider is that many of us experience "portion creep" as the months tick by. Make sure to keep weighing and measuring what you eat, even if you "think" you know what a serving size is. It's entirely possible that you're eating more than you think you are.

We are almost surgery buddies!  My date was 7/29/14!  I started at 260, so I was less than you, but I too lost about 100 by January..I think it was the middle of February when I hit 100, and I have since lost 14 lbs.  My feeling is that it probably just slows down a lot after that magical rapid weight loss period.  I would decrease your calories a bit, keep an eye on the carbs and keep on trucking.  If you need a shoulder to lean on, I'm here!