Dealing with Plateaus?

[Kime-lou 648]

For those of you who have hit plateaus how have you dealt with it?

My stats:

Banded June 22, 2012 - have lost 45 lbs

Hit Onederland the 2nd of Dec.

I weigh daily (I know many won't agree with that, but I do) my weight bounces back and forth between 199.2 and 200.8 since Dec. 2nd. I am counting calories and stay between 1150 and 1300 daily (closer to the 1200 mark). My fitbit says I am burning around 2000 calories or more a day. So I should be losing, but I am not.

I am getting 70 + oz of Water in a day and 65+ g of Protein a day. I am eating some carbs, but only complex and not many of those, since my last fill I have had a lot of trouble with breads and Pasta so I don't go there.

I am getting frustrated with this and don't want to fall back into bad habits out of frustration.

I have spoken to the doctor and nurtrtionist and both say this is normal and not to worry, it will start going down again soon. But, neither of them have had the band and both are skinny as rales.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

This happens and sometimes a lot. You just have to breathe and know its temporary. I still weigh twice a day everyday. Morning and night. It's okay to do this if that is what makes you comfortable but if its freaking you out that the scale is not moving then I would say don't do it for about a week you might be surprised. Your body after a while has no choice but to lose. Fat was not gained overnight and neither is losing it. Keep calm because stressing over it will make you not lose weight also.

[line-dancer 810]

I weight every morning I don't want to miss the second I drop a lb. but you know in every diet you do this and we just stasy true to ourselves and the weight comes off with in 2 wks...r u pooping daily if no that is often the problem use your Fiber or a laxative if you need it zi do and the weight comes off. good luck just stsy with it.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Cheryl is right. This is so normal and plateaus can go on for a month or more. Sometimes it's just Fluid retention and sometimes it's muscle mass addition. And sometimes its neither and your body is just adjusting to the new lifestyle.

Losing weight is a math equation if you can throw out the emotional aspect. But it's not standard linear chart to your goal weight. It's more like a stock chart where there are days, weeks and months of positive gain(weight loss) with an occasional pullback. See below, the line is improving as it goes up but there are days and weeks of static movement.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Yes I like that chart tmf. You have to sort of unattach yourself emotionally to this. It's hard. Other things that affect no weight loss is not sleeping at least eight hours, not getting enough Water, not going to the bathroom regularly and stress. All these things affect weight loss too.

[Kime-lou 648]

I am getting around 8 hours of sleep a night- I normally crawl into the bed around 9:30 or 10 and I am up at 5 to 5:15.

I have had bathroom issues, but it's odd last week after I went 4 days without going- when I finally went, the next morning my weight was up not down. That really confused me.

I am getting enough Water, if I drink any more I just as well quit my job and sit on the pot. I have to go pee about every 30 min. which I know must drive my co-workers crazy. But, honestly if I don't drink that much I feel thristy. It's like I can't get enough Water and water is all I drink. I add crystal light sometimes for flavor, but I don't drink soda and if I get tea it is unsweet and sometimes I will add lemon wedge to my water.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Kime-Lou, you're fretting over something that happenes to all of us. It's normal. two weeks is really nothing in the grand scheme of weight loss. When you get to a 2 month plateau, then pull the panic button but two weeks of not losing is nothing to be concerned with.

After 6 months of being banded, you're weight loss will slow down to 2-6 lbs a month. Much of the early weight loss was water/fluid that your body stored. Now, it's

fat you will be losing. You say you burn 800 calories more than you consume? Mathematically, that's about 1.5 lbs of fat loss a week. But, the scale does not show actual fat loss. The scale will show your weight including any extra Water you've retained due to eating too much sodium, meds, menstrual cycle or carbs.

Most of us will plateau for a few weeks and then suddenly 2-3 lbs will just fall off. You're doing great considering this is the Holidays?

tmf

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I've gone multiple weeks without weight loss. It sucks and I hate it, but I also know it's a very normal part of the weight loss process.

I'm not sure if others have experienced this, but I find I'm in a literal "cycle" these days. For the last couple months, I won't lose anything for 2-4 weeks, then all the sudden drop 5-9 pounds in a week, another 2-4 pounds the next week, then back to 2-4 weeks with no loss.

[nursejp 6]

I am experiencing similar situation. I was banded Nov 21. lost 20 lb rapidly, but now hit a wall the past week or 2. my band had not been tightened yet, should be first of January. did anyone experience this before their first adjustment?

[Summerrain 520]

Sounds like you're doing everything right. The plateaus are frustrating even though we know to expect them. Living them is a big pain in the butt. About a month ago I knew that I had hit a minor plateau, I did all the right things, I started walking extra and even though I lost a little at the end of every week and kept bouncing back and forth with some pounds I was getting frustrated. Even discussed it with my career and she said to be patient, keep doing what you are doing and give your body time to adjust and the scales will start to move again. I also knew I was ready for another small fill as I was starting to wake up hungry.

A few days before that fill I got sick, pinched nerve in my upper left back and on top of it some bug that was going around so I cancelled my fill.

Whilst I was sick I developed an acidic stomach, not band related, something I've suffered with since my twenties, being sick triggered it. During that time I had no hunger all I wanted to do was drink cool Water, once I could tolerate some food I slowly started with Soup then moved back to softer foods till I was back onto my normal eating plan.

Now I don't know if it was coincidence or not but going back to liquids and slowly reintroducing food seems to have kicked the plateaue out the door and in the last two weeks I have lost 10.7 pounds and still loosing. I've also noticed like it feels like I've had a fill and am hitting satiety on even less food and some days have to make myself have something for dinner. Next time I hit a plateau I'm going to do this abd see if it really gets things moving along again.

As hard and as frustrating as it is try not to let it stress you out too much, keep doing all the right things and that scale will start to move again.

[2muchfun 8,927]

I am experiencing similar situation. I was banded Nov 21. lost 20 lb rapidly, but now hit a wall the past week or 2. my band had not been tightened yet, should be first of January. did anyone experience this before their first adjustment?

Only about 90% experienced the same. You're still in the healing phase. Your band won't start working till it gets the right adjustment(fill). Till then, it's just another diet. Good luck.

tmf

[daisychains7 427]

I know exactly how you feel. The closer I get to my goal, the harder it gets for me to lose large amounts of weight at a time. My doctor told me this is normal, and that a goal of 4-8lbs a month is realistic. I am about 15lbs from my goal, yet I can't seem to get out of this 5lb range.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. Why not add some variety? Switch up the foods you eat, and try new forms of exercise. Hang in there and remember how far you've come!

[2muchfun 8,927]

I know exactly how you feel. The closer I get to my goal, the harder it gets for me to lose large amounts of weight at a time. My doctor told me this is normal, and that a goal of 4-8lbs a month is realistic. I am about 15lbs from my goal, yet I can't seem to get out of this 5lb range.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. Why not add some variety? Switch up the foods you eat, and try new forms of exercise. Hang in there and remember how far you've come!

You've done so well, aint it about time you posted some after pics?

[♕ajtexas♕ 3,771]

Kime-lou,

I suggest taking your measurements, I find when the scale doesn't move the inches do. I take my measurements once a month.

Hang in there you are doing great!

[KellyGram 36]

My recommendation? Up your caloric intake by 250 calories and up your exercise regime by 500+ calories. In a week or two you should notice the scale moving in the right direction and you can reduce caloric intake again.

Plateaus are caused by the body thinking it needs to conserve calories because you're starving. So up your calories and up your exercise to offset the extra calories and you'll be surprised to see that plateau end and you'll love the extra muscle tone, too!