Not sure where to go next

Hi all... Today I am 19 months Post Op, I have not lost an ounce in over 6 months. I started at 320 and am down to 198. Not sure where to go. I hardly eat, try to excersize, (not alot), and just don't know if this is my goal now or what? Plastic surgery?? Hmmm well I've been thinking about it, but I heard it hurts worst than surgery?? Is that true. I really can't afford to do all areas at once, but I"m afraid if I do one and it HURTS really really bad, i won't continue. Oh and another thing, I'm not any more energetic than I was at 320, ok maybe a little, but I'm still tired, and sluggish after I eat, (like when I had high sugar). I'm a bit depressed I think, so taking a low dose of Welbutrin, but not sure it's helping. Am wondering if it's not so much weight related as it is just my genes. Seems I'm destined to be miserable like my MOM..lol Well Thanks for listening K

kathy...you have lost more than 100 lbs!!!! whoooo hoooo now-i am not an expert by any means but you have to eat something--are you getting your protein? water? vitamins???do you use protein supplements at all?shakes?bars? water or lack of it can exhaust a person as well- and maybe your sugar levels are still off? if you are this far out your daily exercise level needs to be increased from where you started out. ok-now that i have done that drill-starving yourself is not healthy and your body will start to eat muscle --and your heart-um..it's a muscle-- so -now- has any of that sunk in???? sorry-don't mean to sound *****y but......if you decide that you WANT to stay miserable like your mom; that's your life!

Kathy, have you had your labs checked lately? That could explain the sluggishness, especially if you're not eating enough. My suggestion, go to fitday.com and track just exactly how much you're eating, go to your surgeon or pcp and get labs checked, see your dietitian to discuss your eating. And the previous poster is right, you say you're not exercising much, to me that is one of the biggest predictors of long-term success. Also going to support groups. I wouldn't consider plastic surgery until you are sure you have lost all you are going to lose. Finally, have you considered psychological counseling to work on your depression? I have really benefitted from this myself. I hope you are able to find some answers to your distress. Hugs, Connie -147# @ goal

This might help you, From gastricbypassfamily.com HIBERNATION SYNDROME After WLS, you may be feeling tired and become depressed. When you are several weeks post op, and are either on a liquid diet or you are eating many fewer calories than you were pre op, this depression and inactivity can become more pronounced. All you want to do is sleep, you may have crying spells, you may begin to believe that the surgery was a mistake, or you may think 'what in the world have I done to myself? All these feelings are completely normal and, to a certain extent, are to be expected. The low number of calories you are eating produces what many of us call the 'hibernation syndrome' and your depression and feelings of despair,are a direct result. During the weeks immediately following surgery, our body starts to notice that we are not taking in enough calories. It doesn't know we've had WLS, or that it's the year 2005. Our body is missing food, thinks this is a famine, and struggles to conserve our energy. The human body reacts like it always has in a famine; it makes us depressed--so we don't have the motivation to do anything, and it makes us tired--so we don't have the energy to do anything. In this way, we will conserve as many calories as possible and remain alive. You can see the practical value of this as our bodies have been living through famines, snowstorms, and other periods of unstable food supply for centuries. This stage can last several weeks. Our discomfort is compounded as we are, at this same time, trying to recover from major surgery, adopt new eating habits, and deal with a liquid or soft diet. To get out of this stage, our body has to say to itself 'gee, this famine is lasting a bit too long. If I keep conserving my energy with inactivity, I will starve to death. I'd better use my last store of energy (the remaining fat and muscles in our body) to hunt up some food'. At this point, our body will switch from getting energy from food, to getting energy from our fat (and muscle too if we don't eat enough protein) and that is what we want. In order to deal with this difficult transition period, tell yourself that you're right on track; this is exactly what is normal and to be expected. Tell yourself that, in a few weeks, this will pass, and you will feel like a completely new person. We all seem to turn the corner about 4-6 weeks post op. Then, your mood will lighten and, with your weight loss starting to add up, you'll feel more positive and have a better outlook on life. Just keep telling yourself that you will not always feel this way! You WILL be back to feeling like your old self. Just give it time!

I hit a stone wall at 15 months, 215 lbs. After being on a plateau for over 8 weeks the surgeon told me it was time to stop losing and finish up the process with plastic surgery. He said I'd lost the fat and it would be dangerous to continue losing because it could come from the heart muscle, etc. His nutritionist put me on (800-1200) calories a day and told me I might start losing again since I'd been on too few calories (averaging 700 calories) and was probably in starvation mode. To make a long story short I've started losing a pound or two a week since I increased my calories (average 1,000). Now I'm suppose to increase the calories again to stop the weight loss so I don't lose muscle. Go figure. Your problem could be like mine the weight loss stopped because you aren't eating enough calories. As for the depression it seems a lot of people think wls is going to fix their lives but that's not going to happen. There is help out there for depression but that's another issue. Different medication, therapy, etc. might all be helpful. Best of luck in finding the right solution for you. Pat 410/215/211 (plastics should take off another 30 lbs)