Confused...

Echoing and expanding what was already said.

Stalls are natural part of weight loss. It seems the body “catches on" to what we have been doing, and holds onto everything. After a while, the lost restarts and things go well.

However, stalls can also because by eating (a) too much (b) not enough. I know it sounds a little contradictory, and I will try to explain.

Too much: While we need to make sure we hit our protein requirements (60-80 grams, or whatever your Doctor told you), we need to make sure the carbs, calories, etc are “acceptable". Remember, you don’t want to make your 80 grams of protein by eating 4 gallons of ice cream or a starchy carb.

Not enough: Again, make sure you are meeting your daily protein requirements. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO WEIGHT LOSS. The body is a marvelous machine, and it will protect itself. If one doesn’t eat enough, the body’s metabolism will slow down - in order to keep itself functioning. If a person intake is less then what it expels, the body will start to “store" food.

ADVICE WARNING: TALK TO THE DOCTOR/ NUTRITIONIST BEFORE CHANGING YOUR EATING PLAN.

When I first had the operation I noticed if I ate 4 ounces of protein I didn’t feel full - however if I ate 6 ounces I did. I spoke to my Doctor about it. FOR ME he said that those “numbers" are somewhat guidelines. He went on to explain there are some folks who feel full on 2 ounces of protein while some need 6 or 8. He also explained that the calories intake should not be too much of a concern in the beginning. The way he explained it to me was: Prior the operation I may have been taken 3,000 calories per day. After the operation, with the amount of food I was taking in - I may have been taking in 1700 calories. While that’s 500 calories more then the recommended daily allotment - it was actually 1300 calories less then what I normally took in. So not only was I loosing weight, but was also feel full. We need to worry about calories when out weight slows downs/stops or starts going up.

ADVICE WARNING: TALK TO THE DOCTOR/ NUTRITIONIST BEFORE CHANGING YOUR EATING PLAN.

When I first had the operation I had the same concerns as you. A close friend, who is a Certified Fitness Trainer, gave me a valuable lesson concerning losing weight. He gave me some information I found interesting, and thought I’d pass it along. The first thing he said is “You have to EAT in order to lose weight". I know, it sounds strange. He further explained, this does not mean to OVEREAT, but eat sensible portions. That means eat until you feel full (not stuffed).

He explained the body is a marvelous machine, and it will protect itself. If one doesn’t eat enough, the body’s metabolism will slow down - in order to keep it functioning. If a person intake is less then what it expels, the body will start to “store" food. If a person stay on this type of eating regiment over a prolonged period, the body starts to “eat it self" - which is extremely unhealthy and could be fatal.

According to my friend, the first thing the body will first start to “eat away" at is all the stored sugars in the body. After that has been depleted, the body then attacks all the (both good and bad) carbohydrates and fats. Finally the body starts to “digest" the proteins in the body. The proteins are mostly stored in muscle. One of the most important muscles our body has is the HEART. That’s why many anorexia patients die of heart problems - basically the body ate it away. 

He said don’t worry if you’re loosing right away. He said as long as we follow the guidelines our Doctors/Nutritionist has set for us, we will loose weight. The body sometimes takes a while before it “resets" itself.

ADVICE WARNING: TALK TO THE DOCTOR/ NUTRITIONIST BEFORE CHANGING YOUR EATING PLAN.