Question:
Just over 1 year out have lost in 5 months need help!

I am just over 1 year out and have not been losing in over 5 months. I am trying to restart my excerseing. But feel lost in the food dept. I have lost 100Ibs but have at least 50 to 60 more to lose. I feel I have lost my way. I know I have to stop the snacking and get back to at least 80 grams of protein a day. My nutrionist told me to stay between 600 to 800 to keep losing. I feel hungy all the time and crave sweets. Could any give me a example meal plan to get me going again. I asked my nutrionist and she did have one to give me. She just stated the above and only eat three fruits a week. I feel I know what to do in my head but can't seem to get the meal planning down. I know I can do this but any help would great.    — wendyt (posted on September 21, 2006)

September 21, 2006
Sorry to hear about your issues, but personally I think you need to find a new diectican. 600-800 calories are not enough to keep you going after a year. You should be around 1100-1250 depending on what activities you do. You stated that you are restarting your excercising program. Why did you stop? The 3 most important areas of weight loss from Gastric ByPass are: eating, drinking and excercising. If you don't do these three then you most likely will not lose. The next most important thing you need to do is go to your local support group. You absolutely need to be around others who have had WLS. Being a group support leader for one the largest groups anywhere is that those who say they don't need support group meetings will lose weight, however they also after 18 months will put on around 40-70 lbs of weight. First thing you need to do is find a new dietician. Good Luck
   — Steve Cohen

September 21, 2006
Get a new nutritionist pronto. What kind of nut. doesn't have a meal plan to give you? That's her job! And I agree with Steve, that's not enough cals if you're exercising. Your body will go into starvation mode. Getting in your protein will curb your hunger.
   — platypus

September 21, 2006
Try to imagine that you are a recent post-op and that you are working on establishing an entirely new relationship with food. Consider this as a plan, then, not for addressing past mistakes, but for moving forward toward a healthier future. What has worked for was to start every day with two cups of coffee and then, 20-40 minutes later, a soft-boiled egg (around 7 a.m.). My mid-morning snack was a protein shake. (Now, by the time of protein shake was done, I would have about 40 grams of protein in me). For lunch, I would suggest a salad with some cheese or maybe some meat or beans (just be careful and count the carbs in them). Having an afternoon salad was filling, the crunching and chewing was a good distraction and it was a good source of fiber. Many afternoons, I would also have a protein bar (very dense) and then have the salad for supper. For my mid-afternoon snack, i would pre-measure some nuts (almonds or peanuts). Once again, I'd get a little protein, some good fiber, have something to crunch that would take a long time, and not be killing myself with carbs. If didn't have a protein bar for lunch, I would have it as my late afternoon snack. Supper was usually a small serving of meat (hamburger withouth the bun, half of a chicken breast) along with a very small (no more 1/4 cup serving of a low-carb vegetable). I tended to save for evening my calcium citrate because it was a something to chew that was a distraction from feeling as if I needed to eat something. When avoiding late night snacking was burdensome, I would drink concentrated Cyrstal Lite and would usually have a second protein shake at night. Hope this plan helps. And, if it is at all possible, think about attending some support group meetings as you can draw tremendous strength from others who are experiencing many of the same struggles you are.
   — SteveColarossi

September 21, 2006
You might want to check out this group, it is a Back on Track group and it has great information and support. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/OSSG_Back_On_Track/ Wishing you the best! Anita
   — ALF

September 21, 2006
A couple of suggestions, read up on "Calories in - Calories out. Get into an exercise program. The reason that you may be craving is eating carbs. Check out Good Carbs - Bad Carbs. Other words, get back to basics. If you exercise allot and only eat 800-900 calories, your body could go into starvation mode and won't let go of anything. My biggest suggestion - Get back to basics and join a support group.
   — jk_harris

September 22, 2006
Okay - I'll go a little radical 5 months is a very long stall for having wls, and you are indicating you are snacking. That's a big problem that you have to get under control. Seriously - this is the BIGGEST reason why people don't lose enough or they regain it all. I don't *want* to scare you, but the reality of it is that if you have that much more to lose and you haven't lost in 5 months, you are on a very slippery slope. So what is radical? Well, first, the question is: Have you stretched out your pouch? If not, you have nothing to worry about. If you have, you need to cut back on your intake drastically for the next few days. Shrink the pouch back. Second, quit snacking. The sugar is what is compelling you to eat more. I know what I'm talking about because I am reactive with sugar too. The only way out is to fight your way out of this and get rid of the sugar. It's going to be hard initially....it always is. But the cravings will give way eventually. Third, for me personally, there is nothing 100% off limits, but I limit my intake of each thing. If sugar triggers you that much (or even sugar free things) you need to concentrate on protein and get away from sugar as a general rule. You might be able to revisit it after you've gotten your weight all off, but you need to get cracking because you don't have a lot of time left on your "honeymoon" phase. Anyway, here is the most radical part: Use fast food to your advantage. What you tell us - that you are hungry all the time - signals to me that you aren't eating enough protein and you are eating too much sugar. So considering most people can be lazy about cooking, go fast food and go for the protein. What I do when I need protein is I get a McD's $1.00 double cheeseburger and eat what I can of that. They are fairly small, but the buns aren't huge (unlike Burger King) and there is a lot of compact meat there. Anyway, those will kill my cravings pretty quick, and they are great for when I'm in a hurry. DON'T build your life around fast food though. I'm just saying that when you are feeling an insatiable craving coming on, run to fast food and pick out something high in protein. Be it a burger, or you could choose grilled chicken or a beef burrito, the point is to load up on as much protein as you can. That usually always takes my sugar cravings and knocks them down a few notches, and I don't get hungry for a very long time afterward. The fat with the protein helps to quell my hunger for longer periods of time. As for snacking - try to avoid between meals snacks period. Many docs are different, and mine told me 3 meals a day and nothing else. I rather like that because it keeps me from obsessing on food all the time. If you just HAVE to snack, get raw veggies and dip and have that. Go as low cal on snacks as you can. And last, but not least, when you feel a sugar craving you don't think you'll be able to quell coming on, force yourself to eat protein first. Who cares what time of day it is- just eat the protein and pretty much fill up on it (thankfully it won't take long). THEN have the thing you were craving. You won't have as much room for it, but you'll still get a taste. Hopefully some of these strategies might work for you. You need to take the bull by the horns at this time and get in gear. I bulk of your journey is over, but don't let that be it. You can turn this thing around and finish losing your weight....You just need to get real with yourself and make a conscious decision to change. Find a way that works for you and don't worry about what everyone else does (including me). Get out off the dieting mode and find something that works to keep you on track for life. For me, that meant no more diets and nothing off limits. But I'm smart about that and I don't make meals around my snacky foods. I keep my "triggers" all around my house and buy as much as I want....and the appeal of it has gone for me. I have control over what used to be a compulsion. Anyway, you can have that control too - just don't keep trying to find what works for you. You can do it!!!
   — Dinka Doo

September 22, 2006
i am doing the exact same thing you are . I am down about 100 pounds and had my surgery last nov and have not lost but maybe 3 pounds in last 5 months also . My e mail is [email protected]. e mail and we will get this solved together . I have talked to a few about going back and eating the puree phase or drinking the shakes for at least a week to make sure pouch is shrunk back . e mail me . I need a friend that's going through the same thing .
   — losingit

September 24, 2006
1. RELAX, RELAX, RELAX. I had my surgery in May 2005 and I had a spell where the scale just would not move. Give your body some time to adjust to this new life that you've given it. 2. Get a new nut PRONTO in my personal opinion! 600 - 800 calories is not enough to keep yourself going, thus you are exhausted and crave food. Your body is starving. It thinks that you are trying to kill it by not giving it enough nutrition, therefore it's holding onto everything you put into it. Trust me. I went through the same thing and as soon as I upped the calories to 1200, the scale began to move again. Barbara Thompson has a whole section in her book that talks about this starvation mode thing ( I also talk about it in my profile) if you would like to google her website. 3. I myself need to take my next piece of wisdom, but STOP LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS! Yes, I know that's hard (I'll be honest, I get on the scale on a daily basis just about) but remember there are a lost of factors going into our numbers as formally morbidly obese people such as: A. Our bones weigh more than the average persons due to the fact that for years, we carried more weight than a "normal" person does. Our bones are denser. We also have issues with extra skin (my docs estimate anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds of excess). B. What the magic number on the BMI charts are for "normal people" aren't always going to be right for us. I'm in a situation right now where my docs (gastric surgeon, back surgeon, PCP, OB/GYN etc) are all telling me that I'm actually underweight for my frame. That's four different doctors all telling me the same thing! They said that I should have stopped at around 170 pounds (which according to the BMI charts would have put me at still slightly overweight at 5 feet 8 inches tall) however, I became obsessed with the numbers and I'm down to 152 pounds now (remember that 10-15 pounds of that is nothing but excess skin which has no value added to my body) and I'm paying for it. I'm getting better now, but in the past several months, I've been hospitalized with dehydration, had multiple health issues with malnutrition, heart issues, neurological issues, multiple female issues and I've basically wrecked havoc on my body which is thanking me by trying to shut down my kidneys, eating my muscles, etc. DO NOT let yourself get to that point! A 100 pound loss is EXCELLENT! Give yourself some credit and stop looking at those scales!
   — Heather L.