Daily Post--1/6/08

I am still very new, and the only stall that I had was at the 3wk-5wk stall. I was still trying to get my water and vitamins in along with all of my protien. I really didn't do anything just stayed patient and tried to get a routine down. This week I am adding in the gym or a dvd exercise to get going.

Wow, I hate to post this for fear of jinxing myself, but I've never had a stall. I have had weeks where I only lost half a pound, but I was willing to take that over nothing, lol. Wish I could be of more help. Denise PS. My buddy and I have made contact

My journey hasn't been all that long, only 8 weeks. But I did stall for two weeks already. It was awful. I just kept telling myself "Yes it's awful and yes it's sooner than expected but I KNOW THIS WILL WORK FOR ME, I'm not going to be the only person this doesn't work for and I CAN WAIT. I've had a whole lifetime of being fat and I can wait a few more days or weeks for the progress to begin again." And it did, a few days ago. I did check my food and fluid intake carefully and my exercise time as well to be sure I was on track. I also looked at the stall as an opportunity for my skin to catch up a little. I really am not loving the idea of looking like the incredible melting woman.

man I hate those stalls! Mine lasted for darn near a month! I'm a DS'er, so my way of breaking it is definitely not like an RNY'er would do. I don't think anyway For me, it's a HIGH fat diet. The more fat I eat, the more I go to the bathroom, the more I lose. It always helps kick start the loss again. Weird, but it works for me! lol As far as preventing a stall.. I'm clueless... Hopefully I'll learn some ideas here for myself. Cheers!

I had a two week stall only two months after my surgery and I was in a bit of a panic. I knew I was eating so little and couldn't understand why I wasn't losing. I just hung in there and kept weighing myself and eventually it broke. Now I record my weight every two days or so and I can see the patterns in my weight loss and when I stay the same and it makes me feel not so panicked when I do stall. Best of luck. Just hang in there!

I am 8 months out and have had my share of stalls. I am in one right now actually. The scale hasn't moved much in the last 2 weeks. I have been bouncing back and forth between the same 2 lbs. I am contributing this stall to some medication the doctor gave me. In the past I think it is our bodies way of figuring out what we have done to it and it's trying to compensate. I believe as we get further out from surgery part of my stalls is snacking or cheating a little and thinking we won't get caught. I also believe that our protein intake and water intake play a very big part in stalls. Exercise is also a factor in the big picture. To overcome a stall I think we have to increase our protein and water, watch our carb intake and get moving physically. It is hard to not beat ourselves us during these stalls, but we have to realize that they are going to happen. We just have to be strong through them. Sally

I'm very familiar with stalls and plateaus, had them when dieting before WLS and the same after my WLS. First, are you having a stall or plateau? Officially, a stall is an extended period of time without weight loss, usually 3 months. A plateau is a shorter period of time without weight loss usually 2 weeks. Of course, this is when you haven't changed anything in your diet or exercise regimen. I know not losing for a week or two can seem like forever, especially when you are used to seeing your weight drop on a daily basis. Plateaus are perfectly normal for everyone, whether you'd had WLS or not (actually I believe I'd had 'more" since my WLS) and it's your body's way of adjusting to the new composition of fat to fluids as you've lost weight. When you lose fa****er rushes in to redistribute itself and to prevent your body from going into shock, your system will compensate for this to help ease the transition. Just stick with your diet plan and don't panic!! If you begin to "gain" weight (more than a few pounds) then you need to reevaluate things. Basically, your body needs to rest, I learned I need to give it a break putting it through so much, lol! I used to freak so MUCH when I didn't lose after a couple of days, there is no reason for this stress. Let your body readjust and the weight will continue to come off. Please don't forget weight loss isn't just in the numbers, check your measurements!!! I've lost inches and no pounds, as a matter of fact, I've gained a pound in the past and still lost, because muscle weighs more than fat, this is especially true when I started using weights. You should NEVER weigh yourself more "once" a week. (I had a bad habit of stepping on the scale daily and had to stop this, don't be a scale slave!) If it's only been a fews day or a week, it could be something as simple as fluid retention from a high-salt meal or premenstrual bloating. You can flush out excess water by lowering your salt intake, drinking more water, exercising, eating more fruit - especially cantaloupe, honeydew and oranges (bananas are helpful, too, because of their water-eliminating potassium, but they're higher in calories than the other fruits suggested). Our bodies are capable of adjusting so very quickly. So, if you haven't changed anything and still seem to be stuck, try adding more exercise. If you walk for half an hour, walk 15 mins. longer and/or faster, or break up your routine, doing half in the morning, half in the evening. Exercise is exercise, I hate doing it more than anything, but doing it several times a day adds up and whether you do 45 mins. once a day or get that 45 mins. in 4 times a day, it's the same. I find I actually do more this way. Besides exercising, one more thing I find can jump-start weight loss again is to alter what you are eating. If you're eating the same amounts of carbs, proteins on a daily basis, try switching things up. I've found that when I get stuck, I'll have a day with only proteins and water, this seems to trick my body and get it working again, lol! I've found I'm much more sane when I stopped stepping on the scale daily, sometimes hourly. Heck, I've gained 2 pounds from morning to evening, lol! We put our bodies through so very much and it'll take care of us, we know when just have "just a taste" of something we shouldn't or pass on exercising. The most important thing is consistency, I love when I have one of those "whooshes", you know what I'm talking about? After not losing for a week or so, I suddenly lose 5 or 6 pounds in what seems like overnight. Sorry for such a long post, I just know how incredibly frustrating getting stuck can be and I can be my own worse enemy, being so very hard on myself. Try taking it easy on your body, stay consistent and I promise, you'll see things balance back out. I wish I had a simple answer, unfortunately, there isn't one, but as you continue this amazing journey you'll learn more and more about yourself and what works best for you. I never forget how lucky I am to have this "WLS" tool. Try to remember those awful days when you dieted, starved and was miserable...and know this time, it's going to be different. Go take a bubble bath, curl up with someone or something you love (not FOOD) and smile that we have a secret weapon in our war against fat. You can do it and so can I, it just doesn't always go as fast as we wanna darnit, lol! Hugs!! Carol

I can't wait to read about how everyone has broken their stall. I am in one right now and an working hard to try to lose the last 15 pounds. Thanks for everyone's input. maryann

I weigh 2-3 times a week and have stalled 3 times. The stall lasts about 5 days and is usually because I didn't get in enought protien. I find that if I up the protien like crazy (3 -3 oz of food that is all protien and 24 oz of milk) I will drop 10-15 lbs over the next 2 days. I am in a stall now. I weighed this morning and weighed 552 (which is up from my 446). I had protien all day and went to the YMCA for water aerobics. I weighed again tonight and weighed 442. I am going to have protien all day tomarrow and hope to drop another 9-10 lbs before I post my weight tomarrow. Prevent stalling by eating lots of protien.

Sorry it was 452. I am so use to being over 500 lbs I wrote 552.