Question:
Stop losing weight after two months

   — Solveig (posted on March 4, 2005)

March 4, 2005
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 46lbs is great. DOn't be discouraged. It's a platue. It's normal. You will have them. It just means your body is adjusting to what it's lost so far. You are probably losing inches when you aren't losing lbs. Stick with the basics, get lots of excersize and the weight will come off. It's also normal for the weight lose to slow down a bit as you go on. Many people will tell you to stay off the scale, and that is fine, but that doesn't work for me. I weigh myself once a day. It helps keep me focused, if I gain, I know I have to be very careful with what I'm doing, more water maybe, more walking. I'm almost 2yrs out and down 126. I haven't lost anything in a while, but, I'm so happy with how far I've come. Look at the weight you've lost, when was the last time you lost that much, and kept it off? :-) Congrats again, and good luck to you HUGS, Kelly
   — KellyJeanB

March 4, 2005
Dear Leige: Ok you are doing well so far but it's too early to Plateau..cut out the bread and the ham. Go back to basics and eat low fat cottage cheese..egg..lean beef, chicken or pork. drink your protein shakes you need at least 90 grams of protein a day to start losing weight. I too have a problem with water. Make sure the coffee you are drinking is decaffinated! Put some cranberry juice in the water, it will taste better... Go to www.fitday.com to log your food intake and you will see your fats and protein. Cut out the butter too!!!! You can do this.. Good luck. Pam
   — pam06611

March 4, 2005
You are doing fantastic! I admire your focus on natural whole healthy foods. Ham is actually fairly low fat by the way, and a good source of protein. I found that drinking my protein actually slowed my loss considerably, and I choose to get mine from food. what you are experiencing is normal. As my doctor explained it to me, you will have many short plateaus as you go thru this, it is normal. you will lose in spurts. I hit my first platue when I had lost around 30 pounds, and if you watch the boards, this is all too common. around 6 - 9 months it slows a lot. Eventually around 18 months to 2 years you will hit your body's comfortable weight. You may not get "skinny" but you will be healthier. You maximize the health benefits by exercise, exercise, and did I say exercise? After the first few months I lost weight only 1 week out of every month. But, ya know, it came off. I am way below what I ever expected. One thing that helped me was to not say I want to weigh X pounds but to set liitle goals, ie I started at 260+, my first goal was to be 240. once I hit that my next goal was to be < 200. As far as I was concerned anything less tha 200 was acceptable. I am now 130. I have maintained this weight now for over 1 year. I eat right, I exercise and I don't do protein shakes. If I drink protein I gain weight and fast! I take my 2 multi vits, iron and calcium religiously. I got pretty tired of plain water so I drink crystal lite lemonade, decaf tea, and one of my favs is a sugar free hot apple cider flavored drink Hang in there you are doing great and will continue to do so. I suggest that during the losing phase dont weigh in all the time, once amonth or so is plenty. However, in maintainence mode I weigh absolutely every day in the AM. I know my body, I will gain 5 pounds one week a month and drop it in 2-3 days. (damn those hormones & fluid retention) I do not freak out over this fluctuation because I know what it is and that it is temporary and I have no control over it. but if I gained other than that I would cut back. I do exercise 1-2 hours a day 5-6 days a week. In the meantime, focus on the positives. You are losing, you are healthier, You can fit in smaller spaces, more energy. for me lower cholesterol and blood pressure were the greatest rewards.
   — **willow**

March 5, 2005
Hello, My niece lives in Hasselt Belgium. Are you anywhere close to that? Anyway, My doc told me no bread for at least a year. It can gum up in the stomach and contribute to stretching your pouch. I agree that protein drinks are the best help. They are for me anyway. I add extra fluid to them so I can get more water in. I also make herb tea and put about 1/2 cup in a bottle of water. I too cannot drink water with any degree of success. So... Also you should stick to decaf. The caffeine can contribute to ulcers in your stomach and also canincrease your appetite. I use Fit Day every day to track my calories and activity. That way, I can see where I need to improve if I am not losing as I think I should. I too am at a plateau. But I am 56 yrs old and have been up and down the weight scale so often that I am not losing it as fast this time. Keep up the good work. Lots of protein and tons of fluids. the more fluids the more the weight comes off. Try to drink as much water as you can, but if you can't get enough down try the alternatives. My sister puts a little lemon in her water.Anyway hope this helps. Good Luck.Hugs Jo
   — Jo Marie M.

March 5, 2005
I am experiencing the same thing but I refuse to get discouraged. I have lost 53 pounds and since I have started on the protein shakes I haven't lost any weight but I am losing mad inches. I try to eat alot of lean foods and take all my vitamins. Good Luck and Stay Encouraged. Courtney
   — courtney A.

March 5, 2005
Just an indication of how people react different. I have been using protein drinks since I had surgery. Isopure no carb 20oz bottles. It's clear and light like koolade, not milky. I've drank on a day since I came home from the hospital. It has helped me a lot since I have a hard time getting in all my protein from food. WATER, drink plenty of water. You are doing great and will continue to. Enjoy the ride, it's full of bumps and turns, but it's well worth it. :-)
   — KellyJeanB

March 7, 2005
Liquids are very imporant, even if we didn't have the surgery. You stated you don't drink water. It is VERY IMPORTANT in any weight loss. Drink sf crystal light if you have to but you MUST GET IN 64 ozs of liquid a day and half of that should be water. I don't see in your not the word EXERCISE. You must exercise (walking, etc.) every day for at least 6 times a week if you want to lose weight. Liquids will fush out the waste and exercise will build muscles that willl also burn fat. Carbs like bread, paste should be limited. Your body will attack the carbs first before the fat cells. That is why high protein diets lose weight fat. The body will attack the fat cells if there are no carbs in the way. Your diet should be first protein, then complex carbs (veggies) and last if your not full by then should be carbs like bread, pasta, etc. The coffee you drink should be decaf. One other thing I would like to bring up. We all lose weight differently. Some fast some slow. Some will lose a lot of weight and some will not. Your goal should be to get healthy free from pain because of the extra weight we put on. You may lose inches and the scale may not move. Who cares about the weight! I'll take inches any day. Don't get on the scale every day. That is only going to mess with your mine. There may be weeks that you will go without losing a pound, just keep the faith. It will come off. You stated in your note that you only lost 40 lbs. Would you have lost 40 lbs without the surgery. This surgery is not a quick fix. It's going to be a life time process of ups and downs just like a regular diet. YES I said the word DIET. This surgery is a diet tool. It gives us a change to change our eating and emotion habits. At times we are going to need help from others to get past some issues that will come up. Another tool is to write everything down for one week (where, when and how much you are eating), this also goes for exercising also. Take this information to your doctor or a dietitian to see if there is something else you need to be doing. Good luck to you.
   — Linda R.