Tips, tricks, advice?

I'm roughly 10.5 months out and as I have posted before,  I have met my original goal of 130. Once I got there,  I realized I still have about 15-20 pounds to lose before I'd like to venture into maintenance mode.  

I have stayed the course and not ventured out at all as far as my diet.  My activity level hasn't changed.  For the past 3.5 weeks or so,  i'm gaining and losing the same 2 pounds.  Do I need to cut back on calories (which I don't currently count)  or is this maybe just a plateau I need to wait out? 

My stats: female,  5'0", mid 30s

HW March 2015- 260

SW June 2015- 236

CW 130

My diet is unjury protein for breakfast, 3 ounces sliced deli chicken breast for a snack,  meat dish for lunch and dinner which is usually something like chicken or steak.  Occasionally I throw in low carb chili,  low carb meatloaf,  or another mixed meat thing.  

I count carbs and protein only. I keep carbs below 30 (usually less) and protein minimum of 60, usually more like 75. 

I drink a minimum of 100 ounces of water per day.  

The only thing that has changed in the time I've been stuck is that I'm much less stressed. I'm not grazing or anything like that,  I'm very determined and have incredible willpower. I say that only to quash any thoughts that I'm possibly snacking without noticing.  

I'm open to tips to get these last pounds to come off.  I'm also open to the "calm down,  it will come off if you stay the course" LOL 

Thanks for reading! 

Hi! My name is Heidi and I haven't been back in my profile in years! But as I was browsing and trying to figure it out since the site has changed quite a bit, I came across your post and saw that no one has replied yet. I had my survey 10/2001 and I got to my goal of 130 just after a year post op and that was after hitting a couple of frustrating plateus, one around 6 months and another around 10 or 11 months. They lasted 4 to 6 weeks each, I think, and I remember feeling stuck. First,  I don't know what surgery you had but I had the distal Roux-n-Y done and my Dr told me plateus were normal. So I would keep doing what you're doing and "stay the course" but also, call your Dr office and get their take. I am now 15 1/5 years post op and average between 150 to 160 which is what I call my "happy medium" since I haven't had skin removal surgery and probably won't. So you also need to take into consideration how much excess skin you have. My SW was 263 and I'm 5'3". Most of my excess skin is in my abdominal area that I hide well (I can wear leggings and tank tops, skinny jeans, etc) so now that I'm 44 I figure why bother with that surgery to (I've had a few other health related rough patches the last couple years and just don't want to add to the pile, I guess). I can grab my skin by the handfuls and pull it away from my body, so I figure just my excess skin alone is 10 -  15 lbs. 

Anyway, I think you just should be patient, stick to your current meal plans,  consider how much excess skin you may have all over your body and most importantly, discuss any concerns with your surgeon. 

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck. You're doing a fantastic job! 

Now back to trying to figure this site out from my phone. Lol 

Thank you. All good points! I have a follow-up appointment next week, so I'll talk to my surgeon about it then. He never expects this much loss, anyway, so he'll probably tell me to calm down, but I'll see what he says. 

I have plastics scheduled for my arms and breasts, but other than those areas, I don't have a lot of excess skin. it's thin and wrinkly now, you can tell it's been stretched, but I don't have handfuls like I have seen on other people (including my brother). 

I had the RNY (hence my username- had it in June of '15). 

You're doing great and going against the odds by keeping it off for so long! That's my biggest fear is becoming complacent after a while and gaining it all back after everything I've accomplished. Keep it up! 

As we get farther out, our weight loss slows significantly.  From your surgery day through today and for the next several months your body will absorb more and more of the calories that you consume.  Your malabsorption ends around year two but it doesn't just end all of a sudden on the two year anniversary of your surgery.  Malabsorption decreases more and more with each passing day - until it stops pretty much completely (some people malabsorb some foods longer than others; vitamins and minerals will always be malabsorbed.) So by the time your "honeymoon" period is over, between 18 and 24 months, you will be absorbing close to 100% of your calories.

What that means of course is that even if you are consuming the exact same foods in the exact same portions you will begin to gain weight or at the very least plateau.  You will then have to decrease the amount of food you are eating in order to either continuing losing or even just to avoid re-gain.

Most of us continue to lose well into the second year.  Personally I lost close to 30 pounds between my one year surgiversary  and my two year anniversary.

So don't give up.  Just be open to the idea that you'll likely have to tweak your eating to lose any additional weight and that you will lose more slowly from now on.

It may help you to take a look at the "What are you eating today?" threads in the RnY Forum.  Look for people who have surgery dates about the same time as you did (to see what they are doing to keep losing) or who are farther out than you are (to see what long term postop eating looks like)  .  That will give you a good snapshot of what your life will be like the longer you are postop.You may be surprised at how few calories folks have to eat long term to just maintain.

In the end, we are left only with whatever good eating habits we've acquired an a smaller stomach that can be a huge help when we need/want to reduce calories.

Good luck to you as your figure your way to whatever path works best in your life.

Over time, portion sizes tend to creep up. I'd try logging calories, really closely, for a while. It can't hurt. This is likely just a plateau, since you are close to goal. But having the extra calorie information can also reinforce if you are doing everything well, and let you fix it if you aren't.

I still measure and weigh EVERYTHING I prepare, so my portions haven't crept up, BUT it is a good idea to log everything and see where my calories are at. Thanks, Grim!

Could be a plateau, its happened to me last month for about 3 weeks, so frustrating.  What I did was went and ate something I hadn't before it was chicken fajitas but without the tortilla, everything sour cream (tad bit), salsa (tad bit) guacamole (nice size scoop) the meat, a tad of the pico di gallo (tomato mix) at a mexican resteraunt, I cut it up on a smaller plate and ate 3/4 of the amount I put on my plate (about 1/2-3/4 cup) and that seemed to shock my body back into the weight loss mode, so now I do that at least once a week.  However, that said I noticed at month 8 the weight loss slowed down, that the fluctuations began to be more frequent.  Perserverance is a virtue and we didn't get this way overnight so it will take time.  Eventually our bodies "level out" to where the weight is "suppose to be" Stay strong and continue your march, if at month 18 your still at 130 then this is your "ideal weight where your body is comfortable".

Sometimes when we are very dedicated and strict in the diet - the body gets used to it and become very efficient in maintaining weight. 

Read about leptins - carbs re-feed...leptin reset. 

When I do carb refeed - I follow a lower fat diet- and still relatively low calories - but choose foods that turn into glucose rather than fructose - I.e. sweet potato, carrots, some other starchy veggies... Of even a few pieces very dark chocolate.. Beans can be good.. 

I've done this in the past. It seems to shake things up after eating very low carb for months on end. I eat healthy carbs for a day and get back to normal.

Good information!! I'm only 8 days out but I'm trying to be like a sponge and absorb all the veteran ( successful) advice