I worked SOOO hard this last week, and gained two lbs!

don't give up hope.   Just keep following the plan and you'll do great.  Once again it goes back to you body asking what the H--- is she doing.  The exercise alone should start making you feel better.  Take time to stop,, breath... look in the mirror and say "I LOVE YOU"  then keep moving.  Stay strong.  Hugs

Amen Paula, love your response!!! Say "I love you!"  Perfect answer :)

Yes yes yes. Everything in all the previous posts is correct. You worked your ass off and you're sore but that causes your muscles and your body to retain water and also because you lowered your calories your body thinks you've entered some sort of famine so it's hanging on to every ounce to protect you from dying..Stay the course...Wait it out.  Stay with what you're doing. You could stick just over 1200 calories and see if that works and up the protein higher and see if that works. both those things wouldn't make any difference to a starvation mode but I remember early on in my WLS journey and I hit a stall. When I increased the calories the body thought famine over and let the weight drop off. I'm in no way validating 4000 calories in a day but just increase a couple hundred from what you are doing.  Other than that small piece of suggestion...you can wait out a stall by continuing what you're doing and not deviating at all.

awwww honey **hugs** its ok. I am so sorry for what you are going through & i totally understand your frustration & pain. I have a couple of suggestions for you if you are open to them... 1) try to stay positive & focused on being healthy.  I KNOW its so fricken hard not to see any results after a week of working out so hard. & the being healthy BS doesnt help **b/c Lord knwo the reason i work out & diet like im craxy is b/c i want an end result of LOSING WEIGHT!!** - but if you think about & take it from the approach of well, all is not lost or all is not for none - at least i made my heart stronger - at least im healthier for it - looking at things from a more positive aspect might help ease the frustration. 2) you said at the beginning of last week that you were gonna try the 5dpt & then a couple of days later you said you gave up on it & thought you failed yada yada. Im not gunning you for that - Im saying why not give that 5dpt another try & be so GD stubborn TO DO IT & to stick with it - like nothing else youve ever done before. FIGHT FOR IT LES & MAKE IT WORK. Force it to. You WILL see the results you are looking for. I PROMISE. I was so hard up for result results RESULTS that i repeated days 1 & 2 for an entire week & i got results! So now im moving onto day 3 (for a week) & if need be, I'll flippin revert BACK to days 1 & 2! But i WILL make this happen. I think you need ot have that same resolve. 3) when i was *B*ing last week about the asshole at the office who was slamming me about carbs & calories blah blah blah - someone else here turned me on to a really cool wedsite where i can do all my research on Calories Burned, BMI, BMR & RMR. Here I am able to give my weight loss goals a PURPOSE & an AIM - to know specifically what i need to intake & burn calorically to lose weight or maintain. check it out - http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php 4) Another person turned me on to another website which outlines a bariatric eating plan & VIT schedule for POST 5dpt follow up. check it out http://www.beforeandafterhelp.com/index.php?showtopic=33947 5) & most important - DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOURSELF!!! You cant just give up & be like oh well - i might as well eat, drink & be merry b/c im gonna be fat regardless. (of which BTW i can totally empathize/sympathize - what ever... my point is i understand what your saying b/c ive said that same thing & decided that doing so wouldnt be cool b/c at the end of the day i would STILL wouldnt be happy & would STILL feel like a failure.) So stop beating yourself up okay :) Lets pull it together & look to tomorrow as a new beginning & lets start that 5dpt together :) Always here for you Les. email me direct at [email protected] & add me to your IM!! Im on all the time at work & will be sitting there drinking my protein shakes, eating my jellos, & drinking my water right there with you.

Thank you for your post!  I have to say that every time I stop working out for a while and begin again, I gain weight every single time.  I have heard many theories for this, but regardless, it happens when I start working out every time no matter what.  I you give it a good month, you WILL see results!  I remember when I weighed 250, then 260, then 275, then 300, etc...I would give up every time I hit a plateau or had these frustrations because I felt that what I was working so hard for wasn't working anymore, and what's the point.  I, too, love to eat drink, and be merry, for tomorrow may never come; however, tomorrow always did come for me, plus 5, 10, 15 lbs.  Having surgery has taught me that along this journey, we reach many struggles and many plateaus; however, the weight eventually comes off if you stick to the right things.  Keep doing what you're doing.  Give it a good month and see what happens.  I've been stuck that long and longer, only to see the scale suddenly drop dramatically (yeah, at least 6 lbs in one day, and I'm an obsessive every day weigher).  It's frustrating, but try to hang in there - your efforts will be so worth it!  I think this also helps us to maintain good self discipline, and gets us in the habit of doing good things for ourselves. You CAN do this!  You've come so far so please don't give up hope!

Yes tomorrow DOES always come..plus a few lbs often times due to the eating drinking and being merry.  I'm gonna hang in there . Thanks guys!

Leslee,

Don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat. The fact that you've lost a couple inches is good! I agree with the others...you're shocking your body and it's trying to figure out what the heck you're doing. Keep at it! You can do this!!!!!

Hugs to you!!!
Bex

You've had some really great advice, so I'm not going to say much, and what I'm saying deviates from the "conventional wisdom" of weighing once a week.  Don't. I weigh every day, same time, same way - naked, first thing in the morning, after I use the potty.  Your body fluctuates so much during the week that you could be having a "high water day" on a weekly weigh-in and discourage yourself for the rest of the week.  I know now that my body has cycles to its fluctuations - the week before my period, I go up 5 pounds.  During, I go down about 6.  After, I go up and down 1-2-3 for the rest of the month. Try not to focus on the number, but on your general health.  I think it helps me to remember my range.  I feel best between 150-155.  If I'm higher than that number, I skip dessert for a couple of days and I'm good (except during PMS week - don't come between me and chocolate that week!).  If you can identify a range, instead of a number, then you might feel better.  It gives you a little wiggle room.  And exercise is all about health, really.  Just the fact that your body contours have changed shows you've made a difference. You're doing the right things.  Don't be so hard on yourself!

That's a good idea, to look at a "range" instead of just ONE particular number. That's actually a really good idea, cause psychologically I let ONE number up ruin my day... ugh, so much that I actually LEAVE the gym without working out? I think some people, if they saw a gain would go "ok! More reason to workout this morning!" and I just completely lose my desire, and crawl back into bed. BUT I worked out this morning already, and have two more workouts on my list of things to do today! Thanks again. Leslee

leslee, if you have ever read any of my posts you know that I could have written your post (minus the alcohol)   My body does what it wants when it wants   it doesnt seem to care if I exercise, cut sugars or carbs. It does care if I increase any of those so I dont.  I have decided that after almost 5 years post op I am just living my life every day and trying to make smart choices. If I eat naughty today,  tomorrow I wont. I park far away and take stairs when I can.  I have nover put on any weight but I can seem to drop any either  so I just keep doing my best without killing myself with an exercise program that I know I couldnt live up to long term anyway. Good luck girly...I know how hard your struggle is...just dont surrender!!! Hugs Diana RNY 9/17/03  360/196/forever aiming for 180