Band vets 2 years plus please

I am almost 18 months out and have lost 57 pounds.  I am very happy for this loss BUT I am puzzled as to what is happening and not happening.  What is happening is that I am going down in size (as of Saturday size 16 bottoms and 1X to Extra large tops from a 22-24 bottom and 3x top) but am up and down with weight. It seems it is the same 3-4 pounds that I am gaining and losing and it is frustrating.

I'm exercising, usually getting 60-90 grams of protein in daily and I do struggle with water (can get at least 48 oz. in daily) so I don't know what to do or not do.

Please help with suggestions.  I would like to be 4-5 pounds down a month from today (vaca in Panama City Beach for a jazz concert and going alone) so I can adjust to not having control of my food preparation/ knowledge as to what the nutritional stats are in some of them and some limited activities there due to the hotel not having a gym). 

I have found that you just keep doing what your suppose to be doing & don't forget to get tha****er in. Your body could be thinking "starvation" and freaking out. Holding on to some water weight even though your fitting into smaller clothing sound like what this could be.

I use a toddler's size plate to maintain food portion control, or if I'm out at a restaurant I order my food & ask them to bring a smaller almost salad plate size w/my food & portion it out that way. You might be surprised the amount of exercise activities you're gonna be able to get in while on vacation w/o ever stepping into a hotel's gym.

Thank you for the reply. I'm trying not to be upset and let the plan continue to work. I think part of me is going back to the old way of looking for the 'quick fix" so I'm working on being patient. I've never heard of a hotel that does not have a gym (I'm so spoiled when I travel) so I'm am going to pack my five lb weights in my suitcase.

Congratulations on your weight loss and your upcoming vacation -- sounds like fun!

I have discovered two things about my stalls:

1. Every 10 pounds I go through a self sabotage thing. It takes me several weeks of bouncing around  2-4 pounds before the round number sticks and I start to move on now. Very frustrating, but after enduring 5, almost 6 (still battling the 200#) of these I just know that's how it's going to work for me and to not give up.

2. Protein --bumping up the protein always seems to help me.

I know it's frustrating - just keep hanging in there!

Trixie

Hi, I agree with the others. Eat off of a salad plate. Change your exercise routine. You may even need a little tweak of a fill. Good luck. Mona

I know Im not two yrs out but I think your water is very low 48 oz a day is not much water at all.

I am like you I struggle every day with water , I just can not drink if Im not thirsty and to get 60 oz plus in a day it kills me.  My doctor yells at me every month on my water intake *sigh*.

So we both really need to work on our water :o)  That is a huge key right there for weight loss is drinking lots of water

Hydration is essential, especially if you're sweating.  Up your intake of no-calorie beverages to 60+ oz  a day. 

You're going to experience plateaus along the way.  They are completely normal.  If it lasts for more than 3 weeks, take a honest look at what you're eating.  Have things slipped back into your diet that you weren't eating before?  Tracking your food is the only way to really know what you're eating.  Try it faithfully for a week and see how things are adding up.  Also, watch your sodium.  The daily reommended amount of sodium is 2000mg.  It adds up quickly and sodium will make you retain water which will not only slow weight loss, it can make your band tighter than normal. 

There is a Plateau Buster diet, ( I have it posted on my blog), pg. 4 or 5 I believe.  It's basically a very strict low carb diet, but it does work.  It will also kick the carb cravings if you stick with it for the full 10 days.  I lost 6 lbs in 10 days once when I was at a plateau but I followed it to the letter.

Hang in there.  You can do this!
Lisa O.

Do you need a fill...you may need an adjustment if:

You have stopped losing 1-2 lbs per week

You are hungrier between meals

Your portion size is increasing

You can eat foods that tend to swell in the stomach such as breads, pasta and rice.

When one or more of the above are happening you may be ready for a fill and should call your surgeon to discuss whether to have one or not.

I just had my second fill two weeks ago, .5 cc (I had just 3cc) and that little bit made a huge difference.  I am back to half cup meals, cutting my food into 1/4 inch pieces and chewing it to death and cannot eat the trouble foods again AND I have lost nearly 3 lbs!

If your clothing size is going down but not your weight, it makes me think that you're replacing fat with muscle, and that is good news in many ways, one of which is that muscle burns more calories than fat just to maintain itself!

Hang in there!

Jean

Thanks to all that responded and please keep responding if possible.

  I had an unfill about three weeks ago due to being too tight then had that fill put back in due eating all things not nailed down and being so hungry that I seriously thought of driving to a fast food place at 2 am.  This is the one thing I VOWED I would not return to because when that happens all bets are off.
 
I'm honestly not ready to try another fill at this time but I will do so if I don't see results from above suggestions and find that my appetite is increasing by next month. I know what too tight fills like and it is very scary for me.  I just don't want to go on vaca and get too tight there with no doctor within reach if I can put it off.