Bears_Chick

I had a stall around week four as well. I'm stalling again... for the first time since the beginning. I'm eight months post-op. Sucks. But just stick with it and do everything you know to do: protein, fluids, walking... because I don't think you're allowed to do anything else until six weeks.

I am so thankful for this thread! I have re-gained at least a dozen times in my life 40-60-100 lbs. So I'm determined to not let it happen again. However... dum-dum-dum ... the scale hasn't gone down in two weeks and did go up... only one pound, which I know can be water or anything, but I ALSO know that I've started to feel comfortable, and when I feel comfortable, I grab a little piece of chocolate at a party or have an extra glass of wine. So I needed encouragement.... and I found this thread. It's crazy how encouraging it's been reading all of your posts! I was ready to break down and have a snack, but just reading what you guys have been posting for the past couple of weeks has motivated me. I need to lose AT LEAST 15 more pounds.... I have to stay serious and not snack and cheat. I always weigh Saturday, but I like what you guys have said about Monday's keeping you straight over the weekend. So I'm going to start weighing on Mondays as well!

It definitely gets better. The first week is the worst. The second is better but still tough. My Dr said to be sure to walk every hour for five minutes as it helps with healing.

I 'started' to do the same thing. I was cooking for the family about two-three weeks post op; my 13YO daughter was cooking with me. I popped a noodle in my mouth to see if it was done, completely NOT thinking anything, and she yelled, "Mommy, can you do that?!" I yanked that sucker out of my mouth so quick! So yes, it can happen. It wasn't a 'hungry' decision; it was completely a blonde moment... and no matter what your hair color, I think we can all have blonde moments. Sorry that you had pain... that's scary. Mine didn't go down, so I got lucky. Thank God my daughter was using her brain... cause I sure wasn't.

I've told some close friends and family but not acquaintances, parents from my kids' schools and sports teams etc... It's a personal thing for me, and I don't want to share personal things with acquaintances. It's tough with WLS compared to other surgeries because people can SEE the difference. But I've had not-so-great luck with people who like to talk when they shouldn't, so for that reason, I have been selective with whom I've told. So far so good, and I'm down 80 lbs. People are asking and I'm not lying, I'm telling them exactly what I'm doing. I give them a daily rundown of my diet and exercise. I'm pretty sure that if they follow that advice, then they will see results too, but most people just want to ask, most people (including myself) want to know if there's a magic "shrink me" pill. I've never lied. If someone flat out asked if I had WLS, I would be truthful, but I'm not offering it up to just anyone, and I don't consider that lying. I tell the truth about what I'm doing.. I just leave off the part that 80% of my stomach was sliced off. And people who have 'known' me for years that I haven't told, they've seen me lose 80 lbs before... more than once... so they probably just think I'm at it again, and HOPEFULLY they are hoping for the best for me.

Flower Mound, Tx. Doesn't look like much activity lately on this thread though. Bummer.

I am so happy to have found this thread! I am three days from five months, and this week I've been hungry constantly! I was eating around 700 calories a day, and this week I'm pushing 1,000 every day! I just ate about 3/4 cup of turkey chili, and I'm full... thank God. I typically don't get this full, but it's like I can feel it in my throat, so now I'm concerned I overate. My doctors don't say how many calories or how small of portions I should have. They just say to focus on protein and get 80g a day. But I need to know how much I should eat. Or more accurately, when I should STOP eating! I don't eat bread, so I'm not sure I could eat a hamburger. While traveling, I have had about 2/3 of a Taco Bell bean burrito, and that did not agree with me... I think it was the tortilla. MyFitnessPal is the life saver... I track every morsel that goes into my mouth. I'm terrified of eating 1,000 calories every day... terrified of what the scale will look like this weekend when I weigh. I do workout 6-7 days a week and get 15,000-20,000 steps a day on my Fitbit, so hopefully all that has paid off. One hamburger isn't the end of the world... my bean burrito didn't kill me that week. Don't beat yourself up about it.

Great explanation. If you're still losing a pound a week, that's not a true plateau. I know it sucks to only lose 4lbs in a month... that hasn't happened for me YET since surgery, but it's happened to me plenty of times in the past with diets. Hold on to that four lbs a months because in five months, you'll be at your goal weight! I'm at five months out, and I'm terrified about hitting a plateau soon. Just my past I guess. So i'm already preparing for what I need to do to get past it. Typically when we hit a plateau, we need to change something up. Look up different types of workouts or do two-a-days (cardio for 20-30 minutes twice: once in the morning, once in the evening), or add heavier weights to our routine or more reps or try a new routine all together. Maybe have a cheat meal. I've read about zig-zag dieting where you allow yourself more calories one day. So if you're eating 800 calories a day, maybe try getting 1,000 on Saturday then back to 800 on Sunday. I've heard it's a shock to the body and can trigger weight loss. Good luck!

Thank you for sharing so much valuable information! You look so amazing, and you were gorgeous before surgery! But I know how much better it feels to lose weight. I still have a way to go, but I'm about 99.999% sure that I'm going to need to have my wings (arms) cut off... and probably one or two more areas. So it's great to see your pics and read your story. Thank you!

I understand we all have our own views and different ways of losing weight, but I just thought I would throw this out there: the experts all say that tracking is important. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-kirkpatrick-ms-rd-ld/how-writing-everything-do_b_780535.html That is just one of hundreds of articles. I'm not saying that tracking is easy. It's not. It's work. MyFitnessPal has made it MUCH easier than it used to be. I can log 1 oz of food. It's great! But I know for a fact that if I don't log my food, I'm probably eating something that I forgot about, even if it's an apple... yes, I still eat fruit. I get my 80g of protein a day, and I know that because I track it. I can look back at the past four months at how many calories I've had, how much protein, carbs, fat, etc... so if there's a moment when I only lost one lb., I can look at see if there's a trend. Did I not workout as much? Did I eat more? So tracking is not just about making sure you didn't eat too much in one day; it's about keeping a record and looking back at that record to see if one thing works better for your body than another. Again, I know that some may disagree... but a lot of professionals (those dang skinny people LOL) say that tracking is important. So I'm doing my best to listen. Oh... and my not-fat husband is tracking now too... and he loves it.