Question:
Need some encouragement...6 weeks postop, on a plateau and afraid I'm eating too much

I had open RNY proximal on 3/8/00. Was on pureed foods for 4 weeks following surgery and am now on soft/regular foods. I'm a bit concerned about the amount of food I can eat. At times I can eat what seems like alot of food (a cup or better) but I usually take at least an hour to consume it. Trying very hard to take in all the water I'm supposed to daily and have begun to exercise. I'm not purposefully "cheating" at all, but I've been on a plateau now for better than a week...my weight loss has stalled at -23#. My "full" sensation doesn't come until well after I've finished eating but stays with me for a good 2-3 hours. Guess I just need some encouragement and some advice from other post-oppers. Thanks    — cj T. (posted on April 15, 2000)

April 15, 2000
CJ, Congratulations on your 23# loss. I had open RNY 1-11-00 and was on liquids the first week, then soft foods for about the next four weeks. The minute I started eating solid foods I could tell a huge difference on how little it took to fill me up.{the solid food filled me up MUCH quicker than the soft, and stayed with me longer...still does}I would think that since you are still on soft foods, thats why you can eat so much. Also, taking an hour to eat seems like a long time. I was told to eat my 2 oz. slowly, but within a half hour. Good Luck!
   — Dani J.

April 15, 2000
Hi CJ: Plateaus are a fact of life after WLS. Your body needs time to catch up. Plateaus DO end! As for the amount of food you can eat, many of us experience that, too. Some days or some meals I can eat a lot more than others. Just continue to be aware of what you are eating, and how you are eating it. Congratulations on your 23 pounds! You can't lose 25 until you've lost 23, right?
   — Jaye C.

April 15, 2000
CJ: Plateaus are part of our weight loss path, but they can make you nuts! Go to www.dietwatch.com and start using their weight chart. I did this when I was on a 17 day plateau and going crazy. What I found was that my weight loss has a definite pattern and 100 pounds at 6 months looks so beautiful plotted on a graph! I loose consistently (at first 5 lbs a week, and now more like 10 lbs a month) for 4 to 5 weeks and then I plateau for a week or two. Knowing this is a pattern (and not the end of my weight loss or due to something "BAD" I am doing) keeps me free of second guessing my diet or blaming myself. Try this site. You'll love it.
   — Jill L.

April 15, 2000
You are not eating too much, you are doing fine. I believe the plateau is probably is caused by the trasfer from pureed food to soft food. You will start to lose again as your body gets accustomed to the soft food. You are doing great. The fact it takes an hour to eat a cup is fine. If you were eating a cup in a few minutes at this point I would worry. I can eat a cup in a few minutes now but I had my surgery over 2 years ago. It takes a long time to build up eating. You may hit another plateau when you reach solid foods, and had a little bit more to your plate. It is okay to have plateaus they are normal in the process. You are doing great and the best of luck to you in your loss.
   — chris M.

April 16, 2000
This may not have a thing to do with plateaus after WLS, but it is a thought I've been having. Something they explained at Weight Watchers was, when your body reaches a weight that it spent alot of time at before, it is comfortable there and wants to stay there for awhile. Let's say there was a period of time in your life when you weighed 250 lbs. for a year or so, then when you loose from 300 to 250 lbs. your body says, "Okay, this feels familiar. I'll stay here for awhile." It won't last though. You will start losing again. You might try doing something different to kind of shock your body and get it moving again. Like, adding a food that you haven't been eating or rearranging your meals so that you have for lunch what you were having for dinner and vice versa. Good luck and congratulations on your surgery and soon to be continuing weight loss.
   — Tina H.