Frustrating- these stupid stalls

I know. I know, it's normal and actually good for the body as it adjusts to us and our new way! Yet, stalls still suck,  are frustrating and can be down right discouraging! This is my 14th week since surgery (8/26/14) I've been at the same weight for 4 weeks now. I eat no more than 1200 calories a day, making sure it is mostly protein, veggies and then fruit. I drink my water and protein drinks, take vitamins and I exercise at gym doing both cardio and strength training at least 4 days a week. Yet for 4 weeks nada!!

Yes I feel better and this morning at check up with my personal physician he said my health is coming along nicely. I have to see my Gastric Dr beginning of January for a 4 month check up-I just hope that my weight loss is going as he expects it to. I know we have to stay on this road and stick to the program and it will work. In the meantime getting more healthy, energetic and confident are certainly benefits but let's be honest-as pre scale-obsessed fatties what we see on the scale is what affects us the most even when we see the inches coming off. It's the scales that influence us the most. The poundage! I know that many suggest NOT looking at the scales-at least not daily, but in the beginning I think that is what most of us do. Anyway, gonna keep on keeping on no matter what, but a nice drop on the scales would be a big boost toward my psyche!   

1200 calories is what many of us eat to maintain.  I need to cut to 900 to lose a pound a week.

Throw your scales away. Weigh only at your doc's office. It won't change how fast you lose weight, but it will certainly change how you FEEL about your rate of loss.

I would never have lost on 1200'calories a day,that would be maintenance for most ppl with WLS. Fruit will also keep you from losing as it turns into pure sugar when it hits your mouth and as long as there is free flowing sugar in your blood stream you body will use  that and not burn off the stored fat. Same with veggies. Are you eating any white refined carbs or even whole wheat carbs . They will also stall or stop your weight loss.

are you getting a minimum of 64 oz of liquid a day? How carby are your shakes . What do you mix them with? What does a day of eating look like for you?

Usually for me I have either a boiled egg or 1/2 banana w/ teaspoon of peanut butter before going to gym-or just a baby bell cheese with water or protein shake. I call this the 5:00am pre-work out meal. After my workout on way to work around 7:00am I drink a protein shake. Then at work I drink a 20 oz water and around 9:30-10:00am I have oatmeal or yogurt or Wheaties with Silk milk. Lunch may be my problem-I will sometimes have 1/2 a sandwich, either whole wheat or 7 grain bread or I will have a 1/2 a salad w/ balsamic dressing or seafood salad or tuna or chicken salad with veggies. Sometimes I will get the small Wendy's turkey chili, or from Kings supermarket a chicken noodle or Manhattan clam chowder soup (hmmm, high sodium?) . I do have fruits in between and also olives and tomatoes as snacks, and admittedly during this holiday season I may sneak in a few crackers or tidbits but not much and not often. usually I have an afternoon snack of a fruit- 1/2 grapefruit, small apple, grapes or berries with 20 oz water. Then for dinner usually 1/2 a chicken thigh with whole wheat pasta, mixed veggies, or 4 oz fish or 3 oz of some other meat, with 1/2 yam. Sometimes for dinner I will merely just drink a protein shake. All in all when what I record in my Fitness Pal comes out to around 1200-1300 calories. I have it set for 1200 calories but I think I will reset it for 1000. From what I wrote down I can see I am having too many carbs and not enough protein. I do try to drink water throughout the day having at least four 20 oz Poland Spring bottles. To add to this I do work out and burn 400-700 calories 4 days a week. Yet Fitness Pal will say if I am under 1200 calories that it is not healthy for a man my size to eat less than 1200 calories. Please feel free to let me know what changes I may make in my diet? Thanks!!!

I agree you are eating way too much fruit and grain carbs. I would cut out all the fruit and all the grain products and instead eat mor meats,cheeses,nuts and non carby Vegs,like broccoli,cauliflower,peppers etc. Phill pickles are also good. Jerky,eggs of all kinds,boiled,scrambled,fried,deviled. 

Skip the fruit for snacks and have another shake or other high protein snack,nuts,Greek yogurt that you flavor yourself with sf jam,etc. cottage cheese etc.

The guidelines in MFP are for ppl with normal anatomies. While it might not be healthy for ppl who have not had WLS to have so few calories,it is ok for us who are morbidly obese,because we are living party of burning our stored fat,which in turn causes our weight loss. If we eat too many calories,esp carbs,out lazy bodies will not burn our stored fat. 

Promise,you will not starve to death if you only eat 600-900 calories. But you will lose weight. 

Wow, you almost repeated word for word what my nutritionist said last night! She looked over my daily diet and said I definitely needed to take in more protein and less carbs. Fruits are healthy she said but they add extra sugar so we have to be careful in what we eat. She also said that I was getting enough protein in my meals so adding the two extra protein drinks just for the protein gave me an additional 320 calories per day. She said it would be better if I wanted to drink then to use as a "meal replacement" She also said the Fitness Pal application does not take into account our surgery and that I need to to eat less so as to burn into my fat reserves. So I put my app down from 1200 to 900 calories. Not surprisingly my soups had too many carbs and too much protein. She said it would be better to eat chili for it is chocked full with protein and fiber-especially turkey chili which has less fat. Also Cottage Cheese, Greek Yogurt as you said and rolled up turkey&cheese, nuts as snacks. So it's almost as if we are on the Atkins Diet or low carb with our surgery? Anyway, I have a better idea of HOW to eat now even with this surgery. I kind of got lost for while feeling the Sleeve would do everything but I see I have to be more aware of what I am eating. Thanks for the suggestions, hope I can break this stall in a few days!!

1200 calories is a lot of calories at 14 weeks out.  I was eating about 600 calories a day at that point.  

My doctor's plan is for me to be getting 900-1200 calories a day.  As guys, this intake could be fine for us to lose weight, but maybe not for women. 

It sounds like you are doing everything right, so I would have to think you're due for a breakthrough.  My stall has only been a week and a half, and I'm getting frustrated, so I can only imagine what a month would be like!  You're a little ahead of me, but we started very close to the same weight, so I'm interested in seeing how things go for you.  It sounds like you have the right attitude toward it - keep it up!

WOW, YOU'RE DOING VERY WELL!  Like you, I lost a lot of weight my first two months even with the 3 week stall. I was really thinking that by January I would be in the 260's but now I am more realistic-probably won't make it. From what my Dr told me all in all it will average out to about 2 lbs a week over a year-so that's 104 lbs! But these stalls are frustrating although I do notice that the inches continue to come off during them. I'm 6 ft tall. I started with a 54 inch waist and now I can wear-although a little uncomfortable-a size 44 so I can buy pants from Walmart now!) and I also went from wearing a 4x shirt to a snuggy 2x. I'm going to try less carbs and as a Dr said on YouTube "go back to the basics" of what we were suppose to eat the first few weeks. On one end I am happy I can eat more food and normal food, but on the other hand it's what cause me to gain weight in the first place. 800 calories daily is just too low for me, and probably for most men our size. I mean let's be honest, we should easily be able to lose weight on 1200 calories a day - especially with exercise! So it most be the TYPE of food I am eating-so I'll try low carb-less fruits, etc... I'll keep you update. Wish you well!!!