Is this the end????

I am new to this board (I just found it) and I am 14 months out from surgery today.  I have always been a "slow loser", and have not lost anything since mid-August.  I have lost 90 pounds since my highest ever and 61 since surgery itself.  My highest ever BMI was 48.

I have been exercising regularly since mid-September.  I am now up to almost an hour a day at LEAST 5 days a week.  I do half cardio (stationary bike) and half stregnth (resistance bands).

I have to say that I am getting more discouraged by the day.  Maybe I should just "buck up" and realize that I am one of those who will never get to goal and this is the end.  I am thankful for the weight loss that I have had and the more active lifestyle that I now enjoy.  I am just very disappointed that I am still "obese" and probably will stay that way.  It is really hard to keep getting up at 4 am, especially in this horrible winter weather.

The nutritionist said that if the scale did not move by this time, that I should log my eating and exercise and contact her.  I will do so, but I am very confused with the eating advice that she gives as opposed to everything I read everywhere else.  She says I should be doing "about 1200 calories with 45% carbohydrate, 25% protein and 30% fat" as a healthy diet.  My stats for yesterday were 26% carbs, 36% protein & 38% fat with about 1600 calories, according to FitDay.  That shows me that I ate too much fat yesterday, which if lowered, will bring the calories down too.  

Also according to FitDay, I burn approximately 2450 calories a day.  So, even if I did eat 1600 calories, I am STILL at a deficit of 850 for the day------if this is average, shouldn't I still be dropping SOMETHING??????

Please don't flame me, but help in a positive way if you can.........I will probably cross post this to other boards also.  I just don't know where to turn..........I am SOOOOOOO confused!

Most of us never reach an "ideal" weight, and surgery is considered a success if we lose 50% of our excess weight.  Sounds like you are doing everything right, and that your body is either very resistant to weight loss or you are at a stall.   As for the exercise, you say that you are doing resistance bands 1/2 hour every day ... I hope you are not working the same muscle group 2 days in a row ... We need to stress the muscles and then wait 2 days before stressing them again.  This is what builds muscle tissue.

Perhaps try to cut down on some calories ... not sure what your diet consists of, but eliminate processed carbs; eat protein, veggies, fruits, and whole grains (and dairy too). 

Annette

Dear Annette:

Thank you very much for your reply.   I stay far away from "white carbs", need more veggies, and drink 100 oz of water per day.

I will take your suggestion about the bands.  I do the same basic routine with them each day and it works all different muscle groups. If my body is very resistant to weight loss, what do I do?

There really is nothing you can do other than to be vigilant about what you eat and to continue to exercise regularly.  Once I added strength training to my routine, I didn't lose much weight for about a month ... Suddenly, I started dropping 5 lbs a week for several weeks.  Just hang in there.  It's frustrating, but you seem to be doing the right things for your body. Annette

My suggestion would be to do the 5 day pouch test to just get things back going again. It sounds like you are doing the exercises but the nutritionists figures don't seem right. What he/she is suggesting sounds like for a non-wls. You should be taking in more protein especially with the amount of exercise you do. Just my opinion take it for what it's worth.

Thanks! That is a lot of my problem........I am TRYING to do as my nutritionist and surgeon's office tells me, but her advice does not follow what I read here on OH and other places.  I will try upping the protein and see if it helps. Thanks again!

What about measurements? Did you take before and after? What size clothes are you wearing now? I would guess that the weight and cardio training that you are doing is building muscle and that's going to weigh more than fat.  The bad thing about bmi calculations is that it doesn't differentiate a person who weighs what you weigh but isn't muscular. Terri R has that same issue and she's tiny. Goal weight is really subjective around here depending on how much muscle you have and all sorts of things. Fitday also takes carbs as a total and doesn't differentiate good carbs from bad carbs.

Dawn, Perhaps you are losing fat and gaining muscle? Have you taken your measurements lately? It's more reliable to compare inches than to check weight. Some of the healthiest athetes on earth are considered overweight according to their BMI but it's because they have more muscle and less fat than an average person.

Don't get discouraged Dawn.   Obviously, something needs tweaking, all you have to do if figure out the something.   Does your nutritionist specialize in bypass patients?   We don't have the same needs as "normal" folks or we wouldn't have gotten so obese.   Most of us are insulin resistant; hence we'd never want 45% of our intake to be carb (good or bad or combined).   Her numbers sound "off".  Making protein the lowest percentage doesn't make any sense.  Our highest percentage should always be protein as we malabsorb and so need more to support our organs and muscles, especially if you are getting more physically fit.   Caloriewise, 1200-1600 depending upon exercise sounds about right.  Waterwise, that should be about half your bodyweight in oz., more if you sweat alot.   Have you ever done Profect?   That'll get you the protein you need with very little in calories.  The 5dpt is also a good idea.  Sounds like you just need to shake it up.   I never heard a doc that didn't recommend "getting back to basics" when you're feeling down.   Take 2 weeks and go back to soft w/shake supplements and throw yourself into ketosis like just after surgery.  Done short term and with your vites shouldn't hurt a thing.  Good Luck to You!! 

dawn since you were a "lighweight" when you had your surgery loss will be slower. and with your exercise you are gaining muscle, so thats good. Just be patient I am sure you will lose more. Sophia :-)