Hi guys,

I am writing because I am 16 months post op. I have stopped losing and am bouncing back and forth between 139-142.

This is a great place to be-BUT I would like to have more of a buffer between my ideal weight (i.e. what it currently is) and any bounceback I may have.

It irks me that my weight loss has stopped.

Here is a sample menu from last week

1) Breakfast-Coddled/shirried egg. A ramkin (single sized) containing pepperoni sauted iwth onion, black olives, LF mozella cheese, italian seasoning, an egg -broiled together.

2)Lunch-1/4 cup chuck roast rubbed with salt , pepper, ground expresso coffee, garlic powder, chiptole cayenne pepper, black pepper, splenda,  1/4 cup North aftrican vegetables (a mixture of currants, orange zest, parsnips, carrot, butternut squash, fennel bulb, sweet potatoe, chopped tomatoe, red bell pepper, yellow  bell pepper, tumeric, curry powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, caradom, coriander, star annise, bay leaf, cumin).

Snack- 1/2 of a raw cucumber AND 1/4 cup tzaki; OR 6 oz greek 100 apple pie yogurt + 1/4 cup Kashi go lean cereal; OR a good chunk of cheese (bellavito raspberry).

Dinner- Cheeseburger pie (about 3./4 cup to 1 cup; "Crust"-cauliflower, LF mozzerlla cheese, egg; filling- lean ground beef, steak seasoning, dill pickle relish, 1/4 cup ketchup; 1/2 cup cheddar cheese).

Coffee + cream= about 6 cups per day.

Water/crystal light (ad lib as needed particularly for workouts-generally 32 oz per day)

1 glass of wine/angry orchard about every other day.

Workouts: MOnday-step aerobics= 410 calories; Tuesday-piloxong (1 hour= 519 calories) + body pump (289 calories); Wednesday- Long run (951 calories -about 8 miles); Thursday-piloxong (1 hour= 519 calories) + body pump (289 calories); Friday-skating (2 hours 768 calories); Saturday (skating; 768 calories). Sunday (off; cook good food and repeat).

So WHERE am I going wrong?  Do I need to futher reduce my portions?

My "honeymoon period" lasted for 2.5 years albeit after 15 months it was very slow.  I would not concern yourself with what calories are burned through exercise since those figures (no matter what the source) are not truly accurate. Exercise should be for the physical and mental benefits only. If interested, please see my profile page where I detail my experience with RNY.

I agree completely. You can know how many calories you are putting in your mouth, but trying to figure how many calories you are burning in exercise is just a wild, wild guess.

I don't have enough expertise to comment on your menu, but I will advise you to stay away from the angry orchard. One angry orchard crisp apple has 210 calories and 24 carbs. Wine is a better choice (yes, I know it's still empty calories). Look for a nice Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sav, or Zinfindel for a drink that has less than 5 carbs per 5 oz glass. Alternatively, pure spirits, such as whiskey and vodka, have zero carbs (provided you don't mix them with any calorie containing liquids).

Thank you for the heads up on the angry orchard!  Yikes!

Caffeine is also not good for weight loss and you drink a lot of coffee

We are identical in our surgery dates -- so, I understand your frustration.  I am still losing, but it's very slow -- I've lost 190 lbs so far -- and although I am 3 pounds from "goal" -- I actually want to lose 20 pounds more to give myself a wide cushion.  

I will say that I consume less than you, but I workout less, too.  My meals are similar but I don't have the snacks that you do.  I had a lot more weight to lose than you, though.  I never count my workouts against my calories.  I have about 4 cups of coffee per day with 2 TBS of whole milk.  I used to use 2 TBS of half and half -- but that was 40 calories a cup for a total of 160 calories a day compared to the whole milk which is 18 calories per cup for a total of 72 calories per day.  I find that even a few extra calories means the difference between maintaining or losing for me now -- which kind of sucks.  I don't drink wine at all.

For me -- and again -- I don't work out as hard -- I walk at least 3 miles a day and work out at the gym three days a week -- I have found that I have to maintain less than 900 calories, less than 35 -40 grams of carbs and over 80 g of protein daily to still lose.  When I go over that consistently, I end up in "maintenance" or "stall" mode -- You are already at "goal" -- so you've already succeeded.  

" I find that even a few extra calories means the difference between maintaining or losing for me now -- which kind of sucks"

This is so true. My NUT (who is on maternity leave) told met that 20 calories per day will put one in a plateau.

Looks like it is time to start tracking acalories. 

Which is going to be hard this week because the recipes I used dont have calorie counter in them (whine).

Before, jus****ching the carbs was enough to get me the result I needed/wanted. But now, I want a bit better so I have to up my game a bit more.

And if this sounds like a pep talk-that is because it is. For me.  This is the speech I gave my diabetic husband who was surprised that he lost 20 lbs just by coming to live with me and eating what I eat. He didnt think his diet was that bad before. I told him it wasnt. It was probably a very good diet by most standards, but by coming to live with me he was now eating/cooking with someone at a "Juniors level"

Now I need to up it to olympic level.

I just wanted to address this problem -- because I have it too.  I am an excellent cook and everything in my home is pretty much homemade -- all our breads, butter, soups -- everything is made from scratch because I am a foodie and a cheap ass.  LOL.  ANYHOW, I use my Myfitnesspal app to figure out any recipe I intend to eat.  I name the items Kat's Lasagna or whatever with the date -- so I know when I entered it and that it is mine, load all the ingredients and then measure out the number of servings when it's done.  It's a PIA the first time -- but now, I have done it so long (15 months) that the great majority of my everyday recipes are always available.  

I am obsessive about my food log being accurate, so this works for me.  I realize it's probably over-the-top for a lot of people, but you seem a bit obsessive, too... so maybe that would help?