Stalls, plateaus... whatever you call it, I hate it

I am trying sooo hard to be positive about this first stall, but aaaahhhhhh!!!   I have got to hide the scale because I've started weighing myself every day.  I've just hit the 3 week mark without any movement on the scale (except UP sometimes).  I know this is normal, I know I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, and I know the weight loss should start back up soon, but its sooooo frustrating.  That's pretty much it.  I just needed to whine.  What was your longest stall, and how do you keep yourself from going crazy? 

When I hit the 3 week mark, I stalled, big time. For an entire month! I had an old scale that I could barely read, so I threw it away and didn't weigh myself for about 6 weeks. I was shocked when I went to my 3 month follow-up and saw I had lost 75 pounds! That totally blew me away, I really was clueless. I don't remember much from those first few months, i was dizzy and queasy most of time. But I am so glad I didn't weigh myself all the time. I think it would of driven me bonkers! And at the time I really thought I was going to be a slow loser, I lost 20 pounds the first 3 weeks, that was it. But, now look at me. Almost 200 pounds gone in a year! I know you will hear this from others, but stay off the scale for a while - it really does help your mental state, I promise. Remind yourself that you are in this for the long haul, not just the 'right now.'  A year from now you won't even remember what you weighed now, you'll just be marveling at all the small size clothes you can fit into! I have to admit, I now weigh myself every morning - it helps me keep on track. I have had gains in a day, losses overnight and all sorts of weird things. But I know it's just the way my body is and in the long run it will all even out. However, there have been times that I get a little wiggy and actually give my scale to a neighbor! I wait until I feel a little more sane to get it back. Take a deep breathe then lock up your scale and take a break from the whole weighing yourself. Just enjoy the ride you are on, it just gets wilder and wilder!

Haha, I wonder how my neighbor would react if I showed up at her door with a scale.  Thanks PJ.

I know, I can't stand it. It just seems that we go from eating tons of calories to practically nothing the weight should just pour off of us, but it is not to be. Soooo I am going to weigh myself once a week on Marge's Monday morning thread. Otherwise, I may snap!!!

Are you stalled too?  I've found a bunch of people who had surgery around the same time as us who are all in a stall, so it must be pretty common 4-8 weeks out. 

I totally agree with PJ on this one; put the scale away for a while.  At this point, as long as you keep following the plan, you will lose weight.  Lots of weight.  But the day-to-day ups and downs can be super frustrating.  I only weighed myself occasionally for about the first 6 months; I'd get on the scale every 2-3 weeks.  And the numbers were always lower each time.  That was a great boost for me on those days, and it helped me know that the surgery was working.   I started weighing myself daily at about 6 months.  And I had to work REALLY hard not to get upset with the daily weight fluctuations.  But I also started tracking my food intake and exercise daily at the same time, in some software for my PDA from calorieking.com.  (Same kind of program that's free online at fitday.com.)  I needed the daily weight, calorie, protein, etc., info. to help firmly establish a relationship in my head between what I eat and what I weigh.  So I really worked hard to change my mindset about my daily weight.  I now focus on how I'm doing week-over-week and month-over-month.  Even at 23 months out, I'm still losing 2-3 pounds per month.  So I have LOTS of daily up-and-down with my weight.  But I stay the course.   So step away from the scale, Dunny.  At least on a daily basis for a while.  You'll be much happier!  And when you do need to whine, you know where to find us Kellie

I use calorieking.com on my laptop also.  I like it a little better than fitday.  Right now I mainly use it to track protein but I was planning on getting more out of it later on also.  Thanks!

Dunny, I feel your pain!  I've been on a stall for several weeks now (or maybe it's maintenance and I'm too stubborn to accept it). My first stall hit at five months post-op, and then the stall lasted for several weeks.  (Hm, must be a pattern with me, when I hit stalls, they last for way too damn long!)  I wanted to tear out my hair and run screaming down the street! Here are the obvious questions:  are you getting enough protein?  Are you drinking enough water?  Sometimes changing up something as easy as upping one's protein intake or increasing the amount of water consumed daily will shift things. Saving your sanity by not weighing every day is a good idea.  I did not follow this advice.  I weigh every day because I need to stay on top of my weight.  If my eating habits turn evil, I want to know before I weigh 500 lbs again. I remember WLS vets telling me to take my measurements, because sometimes when you stall weight-wise, you are losing inches.  I didn't do this, either, and I should have done so. So, I'll offer the advice I didn't follow myself (how's that for setting a good example?  ): put the scale away for a week, take your measurements, and try increasing your protein and water intake.  Things WILL shift. Hugs, Kix

Hehe Kix, thanks for the advice you don't follow I have finally got my protein up to 60 for the past few days, and water is a constant struggle but I am doing better.  I carry a 1.5L bottle and a little cup with me everywhere (if I drink out of the bottle I swallow too much air and feel like the goodyear blimp).  I make sure I've finished the bottle by the end of the day, along with 24oz of soy milk, milk, and herbal tea.  I still need to get in more than that because I barely pee, but getting in that much is already tough because it takes so long, and if I am doing anything else I forget to drink.  So I frequently find myself trying to down half the bottle in the evenings before bed.   Hopefully I'll be able to take somewhat larger swallows of water in the future without feeling like I wa*****hed in the chest. As per others instructions I am going to TRY weighing myself less often.  Once a week may be doable.  More likely twice a week though because I am a crazy person with that scale.  I was doing it twice a week before (sometimes 3...4...haha) and its just been maybe the last two weeks that I am obsessively on that thing morning and night.

Stalls are VERY frustrating!  I'm stuck right now, and it's really bothering me, as I keep thinking that maybe I'm finised losing, or that I'm over eating or this or that.  I haven't lost much this month at all, BUT I am seeing that my clothes are getting loose again, even though my weight has not changed.  I've really increased my exercise over the past 5 weeks because I'm teaching swim lessons, which means that I swim for 3 hours each week to do that.  I think that I'm building more muscle, and since it is more dense, it weighs quite a bit.  I'm also taking a medication for this yeast rash on my stomach, and I've been taking it for weeks -- I think that also has something to do with it.   All we can do is to keep doing the "right thing" -- eating according to plan, exercising and drinking our water, getting plenty of protein.  It will come off, but sometimes our body has to adjust.  I lost quite a bit in August, and I think that my body is doing something this month in relation to all of these other things. Hang in there Jen!