Question:
HELP, I AM STUCK ON A TERRIBLE PLATEAU!!!

I AM 5 1/2 POST OP AND I HAVE LOST 65LBS BUT I HAVE BEEN ON A PLATEAU FOR OVER 1 MONTHS AND THE SCALES WON'T BUDGE. I KNOW THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN ASKED AND ANSWERED TONS. BUT I REALLY AM DESPERATE ANY SUGGESTIONS.    — LIZ S. (posted on September 5, 2000)

September 5, 2000
Good Morning Liz, First of all let me congratulate you on your wonderful weight loss, and secondly, please let me reassure you that this plateau WILL eventually pass. I have come to consider myself the "Queen of Plateaus" in the past several months, starting my first one at only 4 weeks post op, and many more since then, all lasting 2-3 weeks with only minimal losses in between. Still, I've managed to lose 80# in just less than 6 months in spite of them. Unless I miss my guess, I assume that you've already read all the posted reasons "why" we have these rotten plateaus but still they aren't much comfort when we're experiencing them ourselves. And I'm sure you're scared that this will be the end of your weight loss and that 65# loss will be all you're going to lose. Well, sweetie, take heart. I truely understand what you're feeling...many, many of us here understand because we've "been there-done that" ourselves. I haven't found any "one thing" that will help break a plateau, but persistance will eventually pay off. Take this time and "honestly" (key word) re-evaluate your current eating and exercise habits. Ask yourself if there is anything that you are now doing (or not doing) that could be inhibiting your weight loss. Are you still making sure you get in all your water daily? Are you becoming a tad lax in your exercise? Are you allowing yourself a few "extra" calories because you're not measuring your portions as accurately as you did immediately post-op? I'm not "fussing" at you, I'm just sharing with you how easy I've found it to overlook my own "inhibitors". Take a step backward for a few days to kinda "start over" and compare the way you're eating now to the way we ate when we first came home from the hospital. I'm not saying to go back to eating just pureed foods or a complete liquid diet, but we were VERY disciplined about the amounts we put on our plate and VERY concientious about concentrating on getting in all our proteins vs any and all other food we ate. We pushed ourselves to exercise as much as we could even to the point of starting our walking program in the halls of the hospital within the first day or so following our surgery. Are you as "determined" now as you were then? Just go back to the basics, Liz. Push the water, the protein and the exercise and re-assure yourself that you're staying within the guidelines as honestly as you can. Shake up your exercise routine a little...drop your calories a little for a week or so...and try to balance your meals a little better. But don't give up! Your body WILL respond. Let us know when the plateau breaks...we're all here for you and pulling for you. Good luck and God bless. cj
   — cj T.

September 5, 2000
Hello. If CJ thinks she's Queen of Plateaus, then I must be the Princess of Plateaus. I've been on several and I'm 5 months post op. They usually last 3 weeks, although the last one lasted a little longer. But, afterwards, my body just lets the pounds drop off. I had been losing only about 2 pounds per week, but have lost 10 in the past 2 weeks. I agree that you should be aware of what you are eating and make sure you are drinking enough water or sugar-free liquids. I've lost 62 pounds, so we are on the same track. Congrats on your loss. Best wishes.
   — Cindy H.

September 5, 2000
Hello: I read your post and I was amazed how much it reminded me on mine from 2 weeks ago. I was on a plateau for 8 long months and last month I went to a wonderful nutritionist and he changed my meal plan. I have since lost 24 pounds in the last 3 weeks. The first weight loss I have had since December. I have reffered others to my meal plan and they have all writtne me back to tell me how it has help them start to loose again as well. If you would like to try it, it is on my website the addresss is http://communities.msn.com/ObesitySupportGroup - I hope this helps you because it sure has worked for me.
   — anitawilson

September 5, 2000
I never was very good at exercise or psychology in obtaining my wt loss. So, I have to do it all nutritionally. My suggestions would be the usual: 60g of protein supplement (not made with milk) per day, unless that's what you've been doing, then go to 90g a day for 2 weeks. 3 drinks of 30g each, not making any one drink bigger. 64 oz of water? Add 1 glass more a day for 2 weeks. No milk, no sugar, no grazing, no drinking with meals. Sugar limited ot 6g per MEAL, 5 or 6 tiny meals, not 3 big ones? That's all I know how to do to get there. Seems to have worked for me as I got where I was going and stayed here nearly 5 yrs.
   — vitalady

September 5, 2000
Look for other things besides weight loss. Is the amount of your exercise up. Are you walking more. Are you clothes looser. The weight will come off. Sometimes the faster you lose the more harmful it is. My one doctor thinks that a losing weight too fast caused me to have neoropathy or G-B syndrome. He was happy when I hit a plateau
   — snicklefritz

September 5, 2000
I haven't been on an "official" plateau but for the past two months my weight loss has slowed to an absolute crawl (only five months postop and have at least 140 lbs more to go!). I was averaging over 20 lbs a month up until month 3 and then I slowed way down. I went up and down with the same three lbs for a few weeks then finally the scale started to move again, then stopped. I've only lost 12 lbs in the past two months and it has made me more than a little bit frustrated. I think I've actually lost a little more last month than I did the month before. That might be because I started going to the gym and lifting weights in addition to getting in more protein and drinking more water. It's probably the same advice everyone else is giving! I know it can suck, but you just have to be patient. Our bodies have been through MAJOR changes and need time to adjust. Also, find a support group in your area. It helps just to talk about it with people who understand. Good luck!
   — Kellie L.

September 19, 2000
I'm going through this as well. I lost 65 lbs in the six weeks post-op, then nothing for the last week and a half. On top of that I started exercising about the time I started to plateau. Why? Well, I think I've figured it out. I picked up a copy of Covert Bailey's "Smart Exercise" because he's fun to read and a few things hit me. 1) When your body feels starved (ie . . . less than 1200 calories a day) it responds by lowering metabolic functions. This isn't the run of the mill "my metabolism is slow so that's why I'm overweight" argument, it's simply the bodies way of dealing with starvation. 2) One of your main metabolisms (you have more than one) is your digestive metabolism, which for the most part you aren't using at all. I was glad to read all this, because the plateau made me wonder what was up. Here I am interval training with a 15 min walk and 15 minute jog on a daily basis and I'm staying in the exact same place! The simple fact is, my body is scared, and I don't blame it. But it can't hold out forever and inevitably I'll start losing again, even if I have to walk three hours a day to make it happen it's simple math: caloric outgo - caloric intake = weight loss. My newest trick will be to train both anaerobic and aerobic to maximize the muscles and oxygenate the body. I'm hoping that it will work. I'd highly suggest reading the book, it's easy to read and really explains the concepts behind your metabolism, calories and how your muscles deal with it all.
   — Michael B.