Super Long stall, and what do you all eat 8 months+ out?
Hey All-
So I have been in the same range for the last 2-3 months. I am currently at 290, but have been below 300 for at least 3 months. I blame some grazing on carbs for the first bit of it, but I have also started heavy lifting workouts with a trainer a few times a week in this time period as well. I have definitely gained a ton of muscle and my body shape has changed during this time more than ~10lbs the scale says I have lost.
I was wondering if any of you have had long term stalls, and also around what level of calories are you all eating. I have been tracking of late and I am around 1400-1800 (which I know is high for surgery) and I am still shocked that a level of calories like that could stop my weight loss like this for so long. Do I need to go back down to 800-1000? I have been trying to be patient, but mentally as the months tick by it is getting harder.
I am less than 4 months from my year anniversary now and I am starting to get really worried about not getting into the mid 200s by then. :/
Thanks,
Dwayne
-Dwayne
As you know, muscle weighs more than fat. I'm sure your waistline is doing better with the workouts. That being said, over the long term, the reason for your surgery was because of health. Since you probably won't be competing for Olympic medals or going after a multi million dollar sports contract, you might want to consider working on toning rather than bulking at this time. There is a time for bulking (at or near goal). But getting to goal is more important than gaining muscle. Yes, gaining muscle is great...No problems with that. I would just like to see a swimmers body type near goal, before you consider going for the bulk.
Here is where the problem lies. As you bulk up, you can justify the extra calories...Especially the simple carbs..."Well, I'll be burning them off anyways." If your weigh loss stall has lasted more than a month, I would say you might be trying to justify those carbs.
Proteins that would be good for weight loss and muscle growth; Whey protein isolate (be careful to not use too much...Bad for the kidneys), milk, plain Greek yogurt, Plain nuts (walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, roasted pistachios, dry roasted peanuts, pecans), beef jerky, beans, peas, lean meats, Wendy's Chili, roasted soy nuts.
You may want to add more vegetables and a small amount of fruit. But the biggest issue you need to take a hard look at is the simple carbs; candy, cookies, pastries, breads, soft drinks, ice cream. These things stop your weigh loss in their tracks...You need to limit them.
I want to be supportive here...You are doing good with the weigh loss and the bulking up. But, now is the time for the golden opportunity to work on the weigh loss. The simple carb are addicting. I know. I was at about 300 pounds. I got down to 187 (RNY)...So I started to reward myself (Hey Brian, You're doing pretty good...Relax, don't take this food issue so seriously). Over the next 3-4 years I had regained to about 235...Pepsi being my carb of choice. It took me getting a second heart attack to wake me up to try and drop down below 200. I'm at 197 today (over 11 years out). Stay with the program...You'll be happier in the end.
Thanks so much for the response. I am definitely currently guilty of the workout and weight loss justifying some bad carbs creeping in. I am going to adopt a more strict 900-1000 calorie, protein focused diet to try to get myself moving again. My doctor told me that where people are at after their first year is about their range and I was hoping to be much closer to my 240 goal than I am currently.
-Dwayne
I wrote the above late last night. Halfway asleep I thought of another thing that happens quite often. Athletes will be at a high calorie count since they are burning so many (weights, exercise). An injury occurs or they stop exercising so they don't workout. But, they are still use to their same amount of calorie intake...Since it's been a pattern for months. It becomes really hard to drop the calories and they have a major regain. I'm a SF Giants fan...We saw this in San Francisco and Boston had to deal with this with Pablo Sandoval (Kung Fu Panda)...Brian
I wrote the above late last night. Halfway asleep I thought of another thing that happens quite often. Athletes will be at a high calorie count since they are burning so many (weights, exercise). An injury occurs or they stop exercising so they don't workout. But, they are still use to their same amount of calorie intake...Since it's been a pattern for months. It becomes really hard to drop the calories and they have a major regain. I'm a SF Giants fan...We saw this in San Francisco and Boston had to deal with this with Pablo Sandoval (Kung Fu Panda)...Brian
This is how I managed to put on my excess weight. I was always chubby, but as a younger adult, I had several very demanding jobs from a physical point of view. As long as I worked hard, I was fat, but not too. But then life got easier. And I had well established eating patterns.
I am like a reformed smoker these days. The protein list is pretty much what I follow. I am adding more fruits to that. Since most of the vegetables I like are starchy, I stay away from them.
Yep, What He said and be sure to watch your serving size on ALL carbs...including fruit. 4" of a banana is ONE serving ..per .ADA. adding in fltered water, avoiding bottled water and "city, treated" water... I would go back to the protein and carb amounts prescribed by surgeon until weight loss is complete and limit carbs, depeding on your surgeons instructions. Some people who exercise in irregular amounts..ie heavy one day and light the next - have problems maintaining sugars on heavier days..so being aware of your body response is crucial.
Its your time to finish your weight loss to your goal now. after the first year it slows down very muchmore than in first year.. Determine your goal and press toward those goals now.
I would increase all proteins, including a shake balanced with SMALL CHO amt to balance it..( a serving of fruit? OR maybe one of the organic veggies you normally don't use but have outrageous benefits. (one half serving beets?) Rembember most carb loaded vegs are high in vitamins, if you react to a full serving back it up to 1/3- 1/2 serving and see if that also helps to make you less hungry for the things you really don't need. ie... I often crave foods and later find some other problem has lessened, after eating the craved for food.
If you are having Carb cravings , My surgeon recommended... B complex in sublingual form. I started for 3 days with 2 cc a day then backed off to the one cc day normal dose..
I am very close to you in weight and caloric intake. I will confess to not knowing exactly how many calories as I have not been tracking them lately. I am still losing about a pound a week. Right now I am at 276 lbs and have very little left to lose in the way of fat. I am not stalled yet, but it is slower now than since surgery, which was October 2016.
I would suspect carbs as the main villain. Taste great, less filling, right? So you get hungrier faster, plus, your body is busy converting them to fat. I stick to protein, some fruit, and a piece of raisin toast (80 calories, 15 carbs) in the morning with my eggs and cheese.
Oh yeah, beans. I eat lots of beans. We will make up a huge pot of chili with ground turkey, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, and a little bit of corn for color. Tomato sauce and onions provide some vegetables. It is great for fast meals during the week, full of protein, and the fiber in the beans is good for us as well.
Thank you for sharing this situation! I've been in the same boat although albeit as a female. Sleeved almost a year ago, stalled around the same weight for three months. I am not where I wish to be as far as weight loss goes. I'd say I have another 60 pounds to lose (I've dropped about 110 from my highest so you know I am happy to be able to move more easily, lose the CPAP, bend over to pick stuff up, etc.).
I think I started to freak a bit about the loose skin and flappy arms and somehow I justified upping my carbs... Although I also think I do indeed have an eating disorder that needs 12 Step meetings and not simply WLS and MyFitnessPal. Thanksgiving brought just enough sweets to fire up my addictive brain and it's been exceptionally tough getting back to abstinence from sugar and flour. Having Christmas lie ahead with all the sugary malarkey that comes with that (I'm a grade school teacher) is something I am absolutely not looking forward to.
Plus I think I am bummed to recognize that my "new" life requires that I never eat those kinds of foods again. I think I am having a bit of a rebellious baby reaction to that, even though I was fully warned before the surgery.
Your comrade in the trenches,
LG
