Question:
Is anyone else a VERY slooooww loser?

I had my surgery March 13, 2002, so I am 15 mo. post op. I have only lost 116.5 lbs. I have gone from 286.5 to 170 and I am stuck here. I find that I will lose around 8 lbs, then stay there for about two months, then I will drop a little more, then repeat the cycle. Do you think I will ever reach my goal of 135-145? I have been at 170-172 for the last 4 weeks! I walk alot, but my eating habits are not the best. Today is a new day, and tho I'm not a breakfast eater, I am going to eat bacon for breakfast and see if that will curb my hunger for the rest of the day. I do great all day, til late afternoon/evening, then the grazing starts. Any ideas???? I know to do the protein, water, exercise...I am really going to try to stick with that for awhile to get this weight off. Will I still keep losing? Has anyone else gone through this? any help would be appreciated!    — Kay W. (posted on June 25, 2003)

June 25, 2003
Kay, I'm a slow loser,too! I start the day with a protein shake. Bacon is okay once in a while, but for the calories, you don't get much nutrition. Don't try not to eat! Instead, sit down and plan out what you will have to eat that day. If you are a stay at home person, make your food ahead of time and store it by itself in the fridge.I work, so I take what I can have to eat during the day - no trips to vending machines for me! I try to eat every 2-3 hours. Not something big, but generally something protein based. If you know ahead of time that you have a snack planned and ready for 3:00PM, it makes it easier to get through the 2:00PM snack attack. Same goes for the evening - plan a snack for the evening and make sure you sit down and enjoy it. You can treat yourself, too. Raspberries are expensive where I live, but I will buy some just for me, and 1/2 cup might be my afternoon snack.
   — koogy

June 25, 2003
Sounds like you diagnosed the problem. To answer your questions...will you still keep losing. Yes, if you pay attention to what's going on and do what works for you. Walking is not enough. Do something that makes you sweat. Do it 5 times a week. Try the protein shakes. They stop the cravings. Weigh everyday and pay attention to what you're doing when the scale moves (if it goes up, stop what you'd been doing -- if it goes down, keep up what you were doing). In the meantime, GET BEHIND the reason why you know the right thing to do but don't do it. Counseling works. Good luck and God Bless!
   — Kimberly L.

June 25, 2003
Kay, a few things. I am 16 months post-op and at 13 months post-op, I stopped losing and was 7 pounds shy of goal. And I know why. I do snack, and therefore do not lose anymore. Do I know what to do if I want to get to goal...duh..yeah. If you have been stuck at a particular weight for more than a month this far out, chances are that your total amount of calories taken in, and the calories being expended are about right to maintain your current weight. If you want to change that, you know what to do. Less calories taken in and more calories expended (heart pumping and sweating types of exercising, not walking) will do the trick. I try to save a few hundred calories a day so that I can snack during the evening which I enjoy and look forward to. Thats how I deal with it-the stress of trying to conquer the night time munchies was too much to deal with so I learned how to incorporate it into my diet. As for bacon for breakfast, that wouldn't fill me up. Try either the protein shake or have a scrambled egg with cheese-more filling and pure protein.
   — Cindy R.

June 25, 2003
KAY! I had surgery 3/18/02 starting at 409. today i am 221. I don't particular consider you a slow loser. i think you were a lightweight at 286lbs. your weight loss is awesome. i myself eat 2 strips of turkey bacon, one egg with cheese and a slice of wheat bread for breakfast. all totalling 6.5 ounces. i think that you should incoporate more aerobic exercise (preferably 5 days a week for one hour) and increasing your water intake and you will do just fine. I am struggling to get to 185 (i am 5'11) but these methods works for me. also increase your protein and MINIMIZE CARB INTAKE!!!
   — tameaka S.