Question:
Help me I'm in Plateau hell!

I am 16 weeks out and have lost 67 pounds since surgery & 13 before that. I've been progressing nicely but I haven't lost an ounce in 3 weeks! I've tried every thing posted and revisited 'pouch rules for dummies'. I exercise and I drink water. I started out at 312 last August, had my surgery in Mid November and now weigh 232. My personal goal is 192. I'm 5'10. Have you got any ideas on how to break this plateau?    — Barbara M. (posted on March 25, 2003)

March 24, 2003
You are doing fine. But what I did (and it may not have helped, it broke on its own) was eat more for a couple of days to get my body feeling like it was going to start getting more food. THen I hit it hard with exercise and the right foods and lost 4 pounds overnight. Based on my weightloss, you are doing great and that 3 weeks is normal. I just got off a 6 week one! I am 27 weeks out.
   — Kristy J.

March 25, 2003
To be honest, there isn't much you can do. Your body is playing catch up and will hold onto everything until its ready to let it go. It thinks its starving. This is normal!! It will seem like it will never break and then the very next day, you can lose 10lbs over nite! I plateaued at 3 weeks out from surgery and had a 4 week plateau. That was my cycle throughout my weightloss. Plateau for 3-4 weeks, lose 5-10lbs in a week and right back on a plateau. Still managed to lose 130lbs in a year. The previous poster is right. Try shaking up your routine, eat more, drink more, exercise. And STAY OFF THE SCALE for awhile! Your driving yourself nuts!
   — Kris T.

March 25, 2003
PLEASE WHISPER THAT WORD PLATEAU, I just come off one that lasted a month or so. I tell you, it was so depressing and I thought I was going to be the only one out of millions that this wls didn't work for. I went back to the surgeon losing only 2lbs. WHAT SHAME I FELT. MY HEAD WAS HELD VERY LOW. So I returned home and changed any of the wrongs, In no time I had broken the PLATEAU from HELL. lol Take care
   — Naes Wls J.

March 25, 2003
I just got off of one that lasted almost 8 weeks. It about killed me - I was already drinking my water, eating the right foods and working out hard - there wasn't much more for me to do - I did up the stairstepper to 50 minutes and the plateau did eventually break - Good Luck - they are very hard, but your loss will continue.
   — kandi S.

March 25, 2003
Plateaus are funny things but luckily they move along in good time. For me, its crazy, but if I shake up my routine, it seems to get the scale going again, if just a pound or two. For instance I was at the same weight for almost a month, working out 4 times a week, lots of water, trying to cut down on snacking, sometimes going up a pound or two then back to same weight. Well, circumstances prevented me from working out for 6 days in a row and for a few days I did not eat my usual egg and cheese breakfast (which I have had every day for many, many months) and lo and behold, I dropped 2 pounds! This happened to me afew months ago too, so I think the key is to do something different that your body is not expecting, whether it is adding or reducing exercise, adding or reducing calories etc. Try it and see if it works for you...maybe its just me!
   — Cindy R.

March 25, 2003
Barbara, Hi there, you're doing awesome there, what I found out that worked for me the most was to actually eat ! , Go figure eating would make the scale budge, and I acutally lost more!, Only when I zapped my calories (to cut back) did I actually stop loosing, and found that plateau's are not nice, I myself have been on 1 for 4 weeks and counting, how-ever it's my own doing thinking I would be bright and restrict calories,.. SHould have eaten my own advice and stick with what was working,...... Before you know it you'll be past your personal goal.... I'm 5"10, How-ever I shrunk an inch post op, my personal goal well was 175, but has since changed to 160, Some day I hope to see it, I'm currently wearing a size 13 jeans. So you are doing great !. If I can help any email me.. Post op 10 months down 127 pounds Hang in there, we'll start moving again !
   — tannedtigress

March 25, 2003
A doctor I used to work with described plateaus in a different way. Because we are spending more time exercising now, we are making muscle...which weighs more than fat. I notice that the inches are coming off but the scale is not moving...so this makes sense. Every plateau I hit I just remind myself that it's more muscle less fat!! This is just a new way of thinking about plateaus. Congrats on your weight loss and keep up the great work!
   — Rebecca M.