Losing slowly

I?m now at 6 weeks post-op and my rate off loss has slowed significantly.I lost 20 lbs in month one, stalled for 7 days week 3-4. Down 3 lbs since and now stalled for 5 days.

I?m experimenting with different solids now, eating three meals and two snacks, 50-60g of protein and less than 40 carbs a day. I average 400-500 cals per day.

I eat protein, occasionally with 1/4 cup of shreddies as a side because of low blood sugar. Usually low fat protein, occasionally not.

I struggle to stay hydrated though - I?m lucky if I hit 50oz of fluids per day.

Not exercising yet.

Any suggestions?

It may be a temporary stall. Give it a few days and see what happens. Could be monthly cycle issue where you are retaining fluid. The only change I would suggest immediately would be to get the fluids up. We need a min of 64 oz a day. Supplement with a couple cups of hot decaf herbal tea (no cal sweetener if needed) or flavored waters (zero cal). Even broth can be counted as a liquid. Veg broth has almost no cals and counts toward your fluid goal.

Curious...what are shreddies?

Totally normal for loss to slow and for stalls to happen.

You should be getting 60-80 grams of protein. And you need to figure out how to get in at least 64 ounces of liquids. What's hindering that? Are you having trouble remembering to drink or having trouble actually drinking?

Shreddies are a delicious cereal made from wheat. :)

Thanks for the tips - I am not PMSing but I am on the other side of ovulation, so maybe I am retaining, hmm.

Gwen, good to see ya! I hope you're feeling well and able to enjoy the weekend.

Drinking - ugh. I don't know how ppl do it! It takes me about 45 minutes to eat, plus half an hour before and after the meal of no drinking x 3 meals a day is 6 hours of no fluids. And then there are snacks.

Capacity-wise, I can't get more than a cup of fluid in under an hour. I get so full and feel a bit nauseated. I can only finish 3/4 of a Premier protein shake.

For example, I have 2.5 oz of chicken for dinner and I've been picking at it for 1.5 hours now. I only got one oz in.

I drink water, sugar free Gatorade, peppermint tea and sometimes diluted Slim Juice with ice when I'm really struggling to get it in. I'm always cold, too (O Canada) and except for the tea, the beverages make me colder.

I'm trying to eat more "wet" foods for snacks, like chicken stew and cottage cheese and yogurt.

I will keep trying. Do you think more protein and fluid will help with weight loss?

I was feeling pretty down about it earlier, but then this afternoon, while purging my closet my husband encouraged me to try on my wedding dress. It was too big, but even after 10 years and a 10lb baby, I looked awesome! So my spirits are back up. ;)

What date was your VSG?

Platea sucks, even if it's totally normal. I do have a suggestion- you shouldn't be eating for 1.5 hours. 30 minutes for a meal, & when you're sated stop. It's ok if you only eat an oz. of protein, you can make it up with shake (s). In the 1st couple of months, you may only be able to eat 1/4 cup of food per meal. If you cut your mealtime, you're freeing up more time for liquids. Good luck!

I agree with Journey. I stop when I am full. When I'm eating dense protein, I sometimes only get in an ounce. With jerky, it can even be only 1/2 ounce. I limit my meals to 20 minutes max. Then don't eat again for another 2-3 hours. If you are low on protein, do a shake or add some unflavored protein powder to some lukewarm broth. The cold shakes make me queasy, but the lukewarm soup/broth and some powder goes in much easier AND counts as fluid. Double win!

If I spent only 20 minutes eating I would get almost nothing in! Our program encourages slow, mindful eating. As I mentioned, I typically take 45 mins.

WBeing hypoglycemic, I was told to slow it down and keep a schedule through the day.

I see that some VSGers on here drink before esting but not after, maybe I?ll try that.

Thanks so much for the tips and insight.

This is 100% normal. Do a search on the forums for "three week stall."

Most folks tend to lose very quickly for the first few weeks, then slow to 1 - 2lb per week. This is absolutely normal; keeping up that rapid rate of loss would be extremely dangerous.

Does your surgeon approve of shreddies for blood sugar? Those would be considered a "slider food" and are generally best to be avoided.