Stopped losing - completely frustrated

[newbeginnings1965 48]

Sleeved on 7/29. Had the 3 month slow down, went 3 weeks without losing, but in the end did lose weight. BUT for the past 7 weeks I have lost 2-3 lbs. Some may say it is still losing, but really? I am eating 1200 calories a day, tried eating less but that did not work because if made me sick. Before surgery if I ate 1200 calories I would lose 2-3 lbs a week. I am just tired of the counting and measuring and being hungry (I do get hungry) and seeing no progress. I am coming up on my 5 month anniversary. Was 245 pre-surgery, 237 the day be surgery and am about 199 now (changes every day from 198-200). I feel that my body set a new set point at 200 and I am only 1/2 way to goal. Anyone else have months of very little loss and how did you start losing again?

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

None of us lose at a constant or steady rate. We all have slow downs and stalls as our bodies adapt and change.

Make sure you are following your program. It sounds counterintuitive, but just arbitrarily cutting calories is not going to help and may hinder your weight loss.

It may be a pain but without tracking my food (I use MyFitnessPal) I would have no idea whether or not I was meeting my daily Protein target.

Stalls and slow downs are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process.

Focus on following your program. Make sure you are getting in all of your Protein and fluids every day. Take your Vitamins and supplements as instructed. Exercise reasonably. And, embrace the stall!

http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

Check your carbs first. They can really sneak up on you. Then factor in your exercise. If you aren't doing any exercise then realize that you may have hit the limit of what your sleeve can do for you. If you aren't exercising then you will need to begin to do so in order to lose more weight. If you are exercising then increase it. Finally, the closer we are to goal, the slower we lose weight. So keep that in mind.

If you still can't determine why, then go back to the pre-op diet for a while.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Have you checked with your NUT? Do you exercise? You may need to up your calories. You may also need to lower your expectations a bit. If you can up your calories and still lose, even slowly, what does it matter as long as the weight is going down?

[MichiganChic 3,262]

I have some thoughts that you might not want to hear, but they are based on my experience. Just disregard if its not useful to you.

1200 calories might be too much to lose on. I have to get under 900 if I want to lose 1-2 pounds a week. The further out you are, the harder it is to do!

Another thing to consider is that you might be closer to goal than you think. I noticed you have your goal set to a BMI of 22. Maybe consider going with a little higher goal weight? Then you have less to go, which might decrease some of your frustration. I also wanted a low BMI, but found that my body didn't. Weight loss just stopped, no matter what I did. It took me a while, but I did make my peace with it.

[glitter eyes 1,398]

I agree with MichiganChic I personally have to eat very low calories, around 900 a day, in order to lose weight. I also have to limit my carbs. I can eat around 1000-1200 to maintain with the occasional treats or a higher calorie day.

I have kept a log of my food, calories, Protein and carb counts so it has been easy for my to look at the numbers to see what works for me the best.

Hang in there- sometimes our bodies just need a rest and then we begin to lose again. As long as you are staying on track you should begin to lose.

[Kindle 8,667]

First, make sure you are drinking plenty of water(even more than the usual recommendation of 64oz). Second Take your supplements every day. Then moving on.....

My first suggestion is Try eating completely different than you have been. Different veggies, different Protein sources, Different fruit. Add in a complex carb like Bob's Red Mill 10 grain Cereal. Cut out simple carbs if you've been eating them. Cut out processed foods if you've been eating them. Eat at different times of day. Your body is in a rut. Throw stuff at it it hasn't seen before. Doing what you have been doing isn't working so mix things up. It's not always about the calories.

My second suggestion is try the 5 day pouch test to kind of reset things. A lot of people find this can jump start a weight loss stall.

[RaginCajun 177]

I agree with all of the above posts. 1200 calories is too much, unless you work out a LOT and/or have a job/occupation where you are burning lots of calories. Now, for most folks who have WLS, its inherent that they don't get so much exercise or activity that we can't handle daily intake of 700-900 calories (a few exceptions).

The other spot on comment is the carbs, at your post op point, you should be consuming less than 70 carbs a day.

You also mention being hungry. Because the VSG cuts away 85-90 percent of your stomach, the chemical which produces physical hunger named grellin (sp?) is eliminated for 12-18 months post-op. At that point, your body figures out what happened and adjusts. Until then - quite a way downstream for you - there simply should not be physical hunger in play, if you are eating the right balance of high Protein and low carb. So, if you believe that feeling hungry is a component of your lack of success, then its likely that other factors are at work.

The hunger issue is key. WLS is not a solution, it is a tool in the tool box. In fact, it serves a single purpose - to keep you from eating too much at a single sitting. But, if you eat small portions throughout the day (called 'grazing') you won't lose weight. That is a fact.

Please do take these comments to heart, as all of us WANT YOU TO SUCCEED!!!!!

-RC-