Fell off the wagon - 7 mo. post op - 3.5 mo. stall - HELP

[hawaiiskies 4]

I am 7 months out, have lost 73 lbs from my highest weight, but have been stalled for 4 months.

Lost 63 lbs the first 3 months and only 10 lbs the last 4 months.

While my tolerance to foods got better I didn't think I was doing that bad until I started logging everything down again. From that I realized that I picked up so many bad habits again. And also my portions have gotten way larger then they should ever be. For a little while I was so disappointed in myself. I did all this work to get the surgery only to slowly slip back into horrible habits. I tried to ignore it and make excuses but I have finally come to terms that I have fallen off the wagon completely.

My snacking is horrible. I can tolerate almost anything. Although I can't eat a LOT. I can still eat up to almost 2 cups if I don't measure beforehand. I don't eat bad all day just once here and there but when it happens daily its enough damage. The only thing I am doing right is exercising daily. That's it.

This is hard to share but I really do want to do better and get back on track. I am now logging all my foods and measuring again. Thinking about it it seems a lot of it is food hunger or stress eating. Scheduled appointments with my psych at my surgical program. I've been feeling hopeless when it comes to my pouch these past couple weeks, like I wasted this procedure and completely broke my pouch. Trying to stay encouraged though. But any suggestions of how to better keep yourself accountable and how to get back on track would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

[Subaru 66]

First off, congratulations on your weight loss so far!

I am pre-op so take my feedback from that perspective. It sounds to me like you know what to do to get back on track and you're doing it. I would also suggest that you decide how much food you're going to eat before you weigh and measure. 1 cup? 1/2 cup? 800 calories, etc. Wherever you feel you "should" be right now. And then stick with that. Go back to basics. Take a bite and put down your fork while you chew chew chew. I'm nervous about doing the same thing and these are some tips I'm trying to hold on to.

I would also encourage you not to think of this time period as a stall. It's not a stall, but a response to moving away from good habits. If you get back into your good habits you should start seeing the weight come off again.

I think it's really smart and you are scheduled with your psych. I would also schedule with your NUT as well. Get a check on what you're eating and how much and tactical ways to better control your intake while you are also getting the mental health support to manage the whys.

Best of luck!!

[catwoman7 11,215]

get back to your plan. Weigh/measure and track everything.

[blondie66 271]

Snacking can stall weight loss. Go back to basics 3 meals Protein first and keep on exercising. You deserve to reach your goals! Believe in yourself and keep going. The pouch isn't broken but if u graze on carbs and junk food it will stop working as your calories add up.

[kerryd.away 8]

I am in the exact same boat. I’m 7 months post opp and have been snacking way too much and not measuring portions. the scale has shown the same dreaded numbers give or take ~2 lbs for two months. I did so well in the beginning, but I’ve been craving my old ways of lazy football Sunday’s and fun nights out with friends that I know I’m self sabotaging. I don’t have any advice per say, except that we need to get back on the horse, get back to basics and push through. It has to be worth it! Good luck- know that you’re not alone! One day at a time.

[Phoenix40 66]

I am right there with you. I have been snacking and eating more than I should. I know a big part of my problem is prepping and planning. I have put myself on a new regimen. A Protein Shake within 30 mins of waking up and then Zumba 20 mins after drinking. It's been going well and I feel more in control during the day. I will email my doctor for a referral to therapy since I feel that I need some extra help to stay on track. You are not alone. Keep trying and fighting for it. You never fail unless you quit.

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[CocoNina 210]

I was in a case study for my therapist. I let her study me for a month in my 6 month post-op by giving her feedback of her questions & discussions. What she told me was an eye opener. Most WLS patients are done with their “honeymoon phase” after 6 months since we’ve lost so much weight in a short amount of time & now we can tolerate all foods again & that’s where the real lifestyle habits begin, will we stick to our proper plan or go back to our old ways? What we do between the 6 months to 1 year mark will say a lot about the rest of our lives.

I’ll admit, last month (my 9th month post-op) I got a little lose in my eating. I started drinking Diet Coke again & eating Cookies, chocolate, & French fries. What I find is, I eat much less of it. I can’t finish a candy bar & eat a small amount of fries (like 10 pieces). I learn to just accept that I like what I like but to eat in moderation. Know my limits & not to be so hard on myself bcuz throughout the day I have been eating my Protein, vegetables, & exercising. I think at this point in our lives we have to learn to make a limit for ourselves unlike before when we just overly consume. Talking to your therapist will help a lot since they’ll make you understand why you are going back to old habits. I know I learned a lot from my therapist & don’t feel that bad anymore. I just have to keep track of my “bad” food as much as I do with my good food.


Height: 5'0"
Weight for WLS consultation: 216 lbs.
Surgery date: 2/13/17
Goal: -71 lbs for healthy BMI (about 145 lbs).
Current weight: 130 lbs, 10 lbs away from new goal.
My profile picture is not me. It's my "FITspiration" body.

[Berry78 4,261]

I agree with the "6 month end to honeymoon". I'm 8 months out, and I noticed a dramatic change in how much I could eat and my hunger levels at the 6 month mark. The weight loss has slowed dramatically since that time... partly because of increasing my calories, and my body is much smaller, so doesn't burn as many. Double whammy.

Counting calories (or portions) HAS to figure into your every day existence... forever. It's not that you can't have a snack. It's that you can't have an unscheduled/unaccounted for snack, and if you do, you'll have to make up for it later, or experience slow/no losses.

Yesterday I went on a bender and pretty much ate just cake all day. Yes. I'm not perfect. But, even though it wasn't planned for ahead of time, I can "catch up" from it by being extra strict for the next 6 days. That way my weekly total will still work out. A single day of really strict dieting doesn't make a difference to long term weight any more than a single day of falling off the wagon. It's the day in and day out habits (the weekly and monthly calorie totals) that ultimately make the impact on the scale.

I can also make the choice to just "forget yesterday", and just go back to normal eating (restricted, but without being extra strict). Not sure if a bit of self-flagellation is needed from going off plan.. you know.. consequences to your actions.. or just be lenient and let it slide. I'm afraid that letting it slide may just invite future misbehavior. The right choice for me may be the wrong choice for someone else.

But, you see, we have to think these things through. Maybe we should budget calories like we do money. Most of us have a limited supply of dollars in any given month, and know if we buy this thing, it prevents us from buying that thing. We have to make choices. If we let our calories slide, day after day, we pay with no movement (or wrong-direction movement) of the scale. But, the scale is really a poor indicator of how you have done TODAY or THIS WEEK. Accountability for these short-term actions has to come from tracking and planning on the day to day.

Most of this post is just me thinking aloud for how to fix ME. I already keep a dry erase board in the kitchen with my food categories and quantities for the day. As I eat my food, I check it off. But, at the end of the day, I erase it, and start over the next day. There is no long-term record or accountability to show me how often I'm straying.

I think I'll have to keep a calendar, and give myself a "green" for the days I follow plan, a "yellow" for the days I only stray a bit with extra Protein or veggies, an "orange" for days I eat extra starchy veggies, and a "red" for sugar or grains (and "black" for all-cake days.. so far, in 8 months, this was my first "black" day.. so at least there's that!). That way I can see a quick rundown on how many days I'm actually off plan, and where I need to work on it.

[blondie66 271]

Try to normalize your eating and practice the rules...3 meals 2 Snacks Protein at every meal. If you can't just have once piece of cake then don't have any. I sorta wish I had stayed off sugar for the first year or even longer. Once you start having it regularly it's easy to start grazing all day and slowing down your weight loss.

[travelergirl 142]

This is perfect timing for me. I just hit 6 months and see my Dr this week. I've been traveling a bunch, which means eating out. It was easy to see some old habits creep in. Back to tracking everything...thats always my best tool.
Thank you for sharing...feels good to know I'm not alone.

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[Berry78 4,261]

2 days later, and I've already forgotten about Saturday. Guess self-flagellation doesn't work for me! LOL! Can't bring myself to feel guilty or remember the misdeed. Ah well. Guess I'll go with plan B.. just forget it and move on, trying to do better in the future. (And I have been on-target yesterday and today.. no cravings at all).