Have you reached a plateau???

[poopgirl 1]

Starting weight 285lbs 11/2008

Plateaued at 215lbs 09/2009

H E L P

[betheboo 40]

Change up your routine & your diet! Not much info here but if you are exercising try to change things up & make sure your doinf some resistance training to build muscle . Also give your diet a good look & see if there are some changes you can make there. R u still logging ur calories? do u feel up to a returning to a liquid diet for 5 to 7 days for a little cleanse?

Also how long have u been platued? A lil more info would make it easier for people to give u hints.

[trish151 33]

I'm in the same spot. Been here for 2 months and it's frustrating. I have looked at my diet, made changes and upped my Protein, changed up workout routine, and nothing. I'm just keeping on keeping on, the best I can and know it will eventually change. It's sucks because I am 2 lbs from onederland.

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

I have read all the explanations and logical reasoning.... but still cannot tell you why it happens.... we have all been through it.... and you never know when they will happen.... just keep doing what you are supposed to be doing and you will get through it. I found if I upped my Water intake that tends to shorten them. The longest one I had was 2 weeks.... but I stayed on my 1000 calories per day and then one day I was down 5 lbs and losing at a decent pace again.

All the best to you....

[Jess55 97]

I hear ya, been here for 2 months about. I just know I'm doing the right things and my body will eventually give in. Though the scale isn't moving, I have lost a couple inches.

[karewpah 173]

Are you taking in fewer calories than you are expending? Are you following the "rules"?

Are you at a good fill level?

Most of us hit plateaus...change it up. If you're not exercising, start. If you are, change up your routine.

[poopgirl 1]

I have never been able to go below 215lbs...been over a year now. I don't gain anything but then again I'm not losing anything. I guess I'm just destined to be fat the rest of my life. I am 5'10 and weigh 215lbs.

[TerriF 9]

I went thru the same thing and finally went in and he did my fill under floro. Only added .75cc's but wow what a diffference it made. Down 4 pounds in about 4 days. Boy do I have to eat slow now.....found the sweet spot, atleast for awhile!!!

I'm in the same spot. Been here for 2 months and it's frustrating. I have looked at my diet, made changes and upped my Protein, changed up workout routine, and nothing. I'm just keeping on keeping on, the best I can and know it will eventually change. It's sucks because I am 2 lbs from onederland.

[poopgirl 1]

I have read all the explanations and logical reasoning.... but still cannot tell you why it happens.... we have all been through it.... and you never know when they will happen.... just keep doing what you are supposed to be doing and you will get through it. I found if I upped my Water intake that tends to shorten them. The longest one I had was 2 weeks.... but I stayed on my 1000 calories per day and then one day I was down 5 lbs and losing at a decent pace again.

All the best to you....

Thanks!

[Corrigan 75]

This is an article that helps explain a cause of stalls: Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of Water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.

As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

I hope this helps.

[Shelley64 26]

I feel your frustration. I was banded 1/11/11 and have lost 30 lbs. I was a super slow loser before the band and the curse seems to have followed me. In spite of that, I feel great, my lab numbers have improved and I'm able to do Zumba a few days a week so those are serious non-scale victories. I went to my bariatric doctor on Weds and thought I might need to have some Fluid removed. Sometimes I struggle to eat...feel like I'm stuck after just a couple bites. I've been careful not to eat between meals but when you only eat a tiny amount, it's easy to get hungry again in an hour or so. I also think my metabolism is fighting me. I'm eating a fraction of the calories I ate before the band and I'm doing Zumba 2-4 days per week and I didn't exercise at all before. I'm no math expert but eating less and exercising more should equal weight loss. Well my doctor didn't want to remove any fluid from the band and thought the 3 lbs I lost in 6 weeks was excellent. The nurse suggested that I get my basal metabolic rate (BMR) study. It's called an indirect calorimetry. You can do a BMR online by putting in your age, height and weight but this is an in-depth test done at the hospital. It determines how many calories you burn just by being alive...breathing, organ function, etc. Once I have that, I'm going to meet with the nutritionist at my doctors office and figure out just how many caloires a day I need to be consuming to lose a little quicker. If I could lose 1lb a week consistently, I'd be a very happy camper! Can't wait til that scale at the doctors office has a number less than 200. I'm having the BMR test done next Weds so hopefully this will get me going in the right direction.

[hopeful2 be slim 121]

This is an article that helps explain a cause of stalls: Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of Water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.

As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

I hope this helps.

Thanks a million....im feeling so much better after reading this!!!

[Jess55 97]

For those of you who are struggling, keep pushing through. Like I said I've been plateaued for 2 months. I kept pushing on even though the scale wasn't moving. A few days ago the scale was down a pound, but I needed to see it for a few days before I would believe it, well it's still down, 1.4 lbs so I'm making it official. I think I broke through my plateau!!! Now hope it moves again next week too.

Unfortunately thanks to this plateau I didn't come near my goal for my sisters wedding on Sunday. But, I still look 100 times better than when I started this journey, so I'll take it.

[Miller.ted 3]

I too have been stalled for a few days. scale staying the same. Today is my first day back to gym. I am very excited. I am not taking in enough Water. I really have to work on that. Its weird, I just don't find my self wanting as much Water as pre-op. That is one thing I am going to change today ( besides the gym). I see so many people with calories this calories that. My DR said stop worrying about that just listen to you stomach. Well right now I dont have much in I am due for a second fill right after turkey day. They didn't put anything in during surgery as they said there was too much fat around the stomach. I had one small fill two week ago. I am down about 32lbs. So I think the next fill will hit the spot. Right now I just have to be careful

Any feedback would be great. My diet consists of mostly Cream Of Wheat, Cottage cheese, eggs, chicken,Herring, liquid Multi Vitamin, Soup and turkey meatballs some cheese. some salad. I can eat anything but I try to est half or a quarter of any serving. I do not order any large meals and tend to stick with healthly alternatives. So I think the excersize and adjustment will kick me into overdrive.