Plateau: giving up or just taking a break?

It's been 9+ months since my surgery last July.  I've lost around 150 pounds (from my high of 425).  In the past month, I have not been strict about my carbs.  I've been eating around 150-200 grams a day, mostly in the form of bread or potatoes, some veggies and fruit.  (Not so much sugar, which I eat rarely.)

I find that I'm able to eat a "normal" amount of food at a sitting--not very restricted.

My weight loss has pretty much halted -- at 275 pounds.  I'm not going crazy about this.  I feel really healthy and I'm not going nuts with dieting. 

Has anyone else had this experience, especially around 9 months to a year out, especially people who started off with a very high weight?  Did you get just tired and aggravated and irritated with "dieting" on the DS by that point?  Did you take a break, then get back to it?  How did you deal?

Julie....I started out with a BMI of 60 +     was 387 pounds at 5' 5" tall....the first BMI they did was 60.4 and the day of surgery was 64.4......same weight and dont know why the different BMI except that I calculated the first one and got 64 so I think they miscalculated to begin.....oh well.......I stalled for almost 3 months at about 11 months out....didnt lose anything at all.....then again at 13 months out I again started losing.....not like at first but just a little slower.....I too had not been as good about the carb watching as I was to begin with......and thought that I had hit a final plateau.....thank goodness I hadnt.....at 1 1/2 years I had lost 225 pounds and have maintained that for the past 5 1/2 years now....I didnt take a break though I think my body did....stalls are just our bodies adjusting to the new stuff going on....there are so many changes in especially those first 2 years following our DS and it does take us an adjustment time every so often.  They arent final plateaus....just adjustments.  Do watch those carbs and keep on doin what you are.....you will lose again.  This ride aint over til its over dear.....

Thanks for sharing, Colene.  I suspect I'd have to Atkins it to lose more weight.  Grrrrr....

"  I suspect I'd have to Atkins it to lose more weight."

Come here you BBTHANG and let me thump you on your beautiful head! Wasn't it that ATKINS thing that got your body into a "starvation mode" and allowed it to become a very efficient fat storing machine?? 

As a graduate of the DS school, lift your hand   and repeat after me..."I will never do Atkins again. I will never do silly "diets" again."

That said...your body is just playing catch up. My feeling when I went into surgery is that I would "diet" for a year. That is, be sensible about what I ate before I ate crap. PattyL had told me just do what it takes to get the weight offf. I never forgot that. I would have treats when I wanted but not a lot. I did not want to get my taste back for junk too soon because I knew it would come back soon enough. You have done so well! (I remember before your surgery.) Be sensible...protein first, veggies then the carbs. BUT NEVER cut out ALL carbs or even go TOO low on carbs. Don't do that to your new wonderful system!

Dianne from FL

Thank you, Dianne, for the wise words.  Protein first, for sure.  I need to get back to that, and to cut out carb snacks (like tortilla chips and potato chips,  the recent bane of my weight loss, I think).

I started at BMI 73 (440 lbs).
I stopped losing at BMI 52 (298).

I've heard from more than one DS surgeon (cuz I've researched getting a DS Revision, in case I don't, or can't lose any more) that those of us who started at such a high BMI sometimes need a resleeve to get the rest of the way to goal. 

Sorry to be the bearer of the news, but I've done some calling, emailing, and research.

Currently, I've been tracking all of my intake, putting myself into ketosis (on purpose, Atkins induction). If this doesn't work, I'm going to move much more urgently toward a resleeve.

PM me for more, in you'd like.

-anne s.

What have you found out about the resleeve?  I'm frustrated and want to know....

'Betty

Thank you for posting this.....this is some great info....always glad to learn new things....

Hi Annie,

Thank you for sharing that with me.  It sounds very challenging and frustrating.  I'm curious as to why we very high BMI'ers might need a reslieve.  Is it because we eat more for some reason, and stretch our stomachs?  Or is it because it takes us much longer to lose most of our excess weight, since we have so much more of it? 

I suppose that to lose weight like we did at the beginning, we'd have to eat the very tiny quantities like we did in the beginning.  Hmmm.... 

By the way, no matter what your BMI is, you look positively gorgeous.  Are you feeling well?

Hey Anne, is Dr. Smith going to resleeve you?

My surgeon acts like this is just not even an option! I know I am early out, but this is something I, too, am keeping on the back burner.