8 months out and need help!

[lilchappy1980 1]

Ok, I'm new to this forum stuff so I don't really know where to begin. I am 8 months post op and have lost 80lbs. I have been hovering at this same weight for the past 7 weeks. Any ideas? Is this normal? I feel so discouraged and alone. I don't know what to do. I know I did kind of fall of track for the past couple of weeks. My mind is really playing with me. I still crave and want a lot of the things I did before surgery. I also still have a lot of head hunger. I don't really have anyone to talk to about this, so any all advise is appreciated. My surgeon did not give me much guidance as far as a diet is concerned.

[FishingNurse 1,210]

Welcome! You are not alone. Congrats on the 80lbs that is amazing. I am only 3 months out and I fall off track sometimes too. What are your stats? LIke starting weight, current, etc! That will help us all advise you better!

[meggiep 57]

I agree- knowing how much you need to lose, etc. will help. I know that I have to renew my commitment every single day as the carb monster beckons to me constantly.

I suggest returning to basics- Protein first, lots of Water, and counting carbs. Of course the carb part is hard but it can kick start your loss again.

Do you exercise? At six months out next week I am upping my workouts- I already do an hour of walking and an hour of Water aerobics every day but I will be adding another hour in the water in the next few weeks to keep e losing as I struggle to get to goal.

Finally- here is a hug! I feel you! Though I am still losing it is so so slowed down and I am sometimes disheartened.

[lilchappy1980 1]

My starting weight was 260

Current weight 180

Goal weight 130

[meggiep 57]

My starting weight was 260

Current weight 180

Goal weight 130

Do you exercise? Do you count carbs? All of those things factor in.

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

It would help if you listed an example of what you eat in a given day or couple of days. If you count anything (ounces of Water, grams of Protein etc) include that.

[lilchappy1980 1]

I exercise several times a week. I try to walk at least 1 mile 3 times a week and do strength training 2 times per week. I must confess that I have not been tracking my meals. A typical day for me would include 1 Protein Shake for Breakfast with 8oz 1% milk, 1 chicken breast for lunch with salsa or hot sauce, and usually just eat whatever I cook the family for dinner, just in small portions, but it seems like I keep going back for more food after an hour or so. Sometimes I will eat popcorn for a snack in the morning about a cup. I know I'm not getting enough liquids in. I just have no idea what I should be eating. Does anyone have an example of what they eat in a day? Any ideas how to beat head hunger?

[2bfit 62]

I have not been sleeved yet (waiting on a surgery date) but I have been seeing a nutritionist. She recommended I read "Intuitive Eating". I highly recommend it since you did not get the counseling you needed prior to the surgery. It will change how you look at food and head hunger.

She also recommended The complete idiot's guide to eating well after weight loss surgery / by Margaret Furtado and Joseph Ewing.

Sorry for the title! But I have it on hold at the library myself! Good luck!

[2bfit 62]

also check out this link

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/mental-health/Head-Hunger-Coping-with-Your-Triggers-for-Overeating.html

[Norman 1]

You need to get your heart rate up. One mile three times a week is very mild exercise. If you want to lose weight go to the gym three days a week and do an hour on the elliptical. Do at least three miles in that hour. Keep your heart rate above 150. You will lose weight. I have lost 88 pounds in about 3 months. I also walk a little over an hour a day with the dog.

[lsereno 2,525]

I strongly recommend measuring and tracking your food and Fluid. Aim for more than 60 grams of Protein and 64 ounces of Fluid per day. I keep a scale and a couple of measuring cups on the counter and use a magnetic whiteboard on the refrigerator to log calories, grams of Protein, and fluid intake.

Also agree with Norman about more exercise, but maybe not with your heart rate that high. There are online calculators to determine an ideal heart rate for exercise. It varies depending on your age and some other factors.

Lynda

[TheButterfly145 9]

Head hunger is very difficult to overcome. Something a fellow sleever told me was to tey the 'chew and spit' method. It sounds gross but really does help with the chew chew chew cravings. I find high carby things you wouldn't otherwise eat work the best. Tortilla chips are one of the best. Just get a disposable cup, chew until you can chew no more and then spit it in your cup. Once your craving is gone, toss the cup. I have only done it when alone but my friend manages it in public with no one the wiser. It really does help.

[thinoneday 445]

Head hunger is a real BIT>CH. . . it is just not fair. . . I was stalled for 7 MONTHS, then it decided to move a bit again. . . I'm out now 2 years and the journey hasn't been a bed of roses for me either. . . head hunger and snacking has been my downfall as well. . . guess we just didn't learn how to discipline ourselves when we should have. . . oh well. . would of, could of, should of. . . . it's in the past now and we have to move forward. . .

what i typically have for the day goes like this. . . breakfast: either 1 egg or a 3/4 of a Breakfast taco and coffee; Lunch: orawheat thin with either a slice of hard salami and 1 slice of cheese or orawheat with 2 oz tuna; dinner: whatever there is but about 2/3 cup of it. .

if the head hunger is killing me, i'll have one or two zero peppermint patties (small bitesized one), or some kind of fruit like a baby orange or a banana. . . there are times I'll have a small bag of doritos, or cheetos. . .sometimes, if there is any, I'll have cake or a cookie. . . but of course these things are all in moderation and only sometimes. . .

I have made it a habit NOT to eat anything after 8 pm. . . if it's going to be a late night for some odd reason, i make sure i have something to eat BEFORE 8 pm and then after that "OH WELL, TOO BAD, SO SAD" I don't eat after 8 pm period. . . helps you sleep better too. . .

I have reached my doctors goal for me and surpassed it by 12 lbs and am maintaining that weight. . i bounce up and down by about 3-5 lbs but never more. . . I don't force myself to exercise at all (never have after my body building career about 28 years ago) I do whatever grabs me that day. . except at work. . . there the employees can park under the bridge for $2.50/day and walk about 1/4 mile to work or they have the option to park closer to work but that costs $12/day. . . so guess where i park?? I walk 1/2 mile every day and then do all the required stuff at home like yard work, housework, etc. . . so for me that is good enough. . . For me, I'm just livin my life and lovin it. . . .

Hope this helps a bit. . . good luck!

[lilchappy1980 1]

Thanks for all of the tips! I am going to put them to good use.

[clk 3,519]

Congrats on the loss so far. I had two pretty long stalls where I was pretty sure my body was done. There were a few factors involved.

Log your food. Do it, and do it religiously. Set goals and meet them. When I stalled out and maintained at close to the same weight for several months, I wasn't logging my food. And guess what? I was back to old habits and totally in denial about how much I was eating. I was up to 1200-1500 calories a day, and DUH the scale was hardly moving. I was grabbing a handful (or three) of jelly belly Beans throughout the day, eating almost no Protein, enjoying a soda and popcorn late night snack...just bad habits that I can't allow if I still want to lose weight.

I started logging, dropped those calories right back down to where I was when I was losing and BAM! I'm finally closing in on my goal. I also had to retrain myself and lock the carb monster away again, which was tough for about three days but now I'm fine.

So log that food.

Here's where a lot of folks will disagree with me, though, because nobody can deny that exercise is great for us and helps us to stay fit and fight off cravings and reshape our formerly flabby bodies. But exercise alone isn't going to just jumpstart your weight loss. Look to what you're actually putting in your body first because that's usually where you can find the solution.

Do exercise. You want a nice, toned body when you get to goal and you want a healthy heart so you can live a long life and enjoy your goal weight! But don't think that throwing yourself into the gym for an extra hour each day is going to miraculously get you to goal all by itself.

Look into the external factors. Got stress? I mean, more than usual. :smile1: Did you change any medications or so something different? Make sure you eliminate the possibility that something else is impacting your slow down.

Finally, stop comparing! We inevitably get stressed and frustrated because our scales move slower than someone else's. Well, I had surgery a year ago July. I admit, I haven't been as great about tracking my calories the whole time and I hate exercise. But I've been a slow loser the entire time, no matter what I tweaked or changed or cut out. Sometimes, our bodies just need time to adjust. Sometimes, we're just different than other people and lose at a different rate. I was so happy for my friend that got sleeved at the same time as me when she hit goal after only 9 months - and she had more to lose! But I was also jealous and frustrated because I wasn't there. But I'm almost there now, and that's what matters.

Honestly - take a break for a second and put your expectations and impatience aside. If you got to goal and it took two years instead of nine months would you really care once you got there? I was in such a rush to hit goal by 10 months out, but you know what? Victory is JUST as sweet at 16 months out.

So keep plugging away. Log that food and see if you have a problem. But don't fall into bad habits or give up because you feel like you're not going to lose anything else. If you keep doing the right things you WILL reach your goal.

Good luck!

~Cheri