Is this a stall ?

[fifi0523 4]

Hi I’m 8 months nearly 9 month post gastric sleeve . I’ve posted my weight below . Am I in a stall ? My goal is 9.6 stones

15th Jan -11.1st
22 th Jan -10.13st
29th Jan -10.12st
5th Feb -11.0 st
12th Feb -11.1 st

I’m so worried 😭

[catwoman7 11,212]

if you've been following your plan and haven't increased your eating lately, then yes, you may be in a stall. Mine tended to last longer the closer I got to my goal. I'd give it a couple more weeks. If your weight hasn't started dropping by then, then you may be in maintenance (at 11.1 st, you're almost at a normal BMI). You can always lose more by dropping your calories or increasing your exercise (or both). But I'd give it a little more time.

[FifiLux 437]

Hi Fifi0523 from FifiLux

I am in a similar situation to you, 8 months post surgery and between January 11th and February 12th I only lost 4lb.

On Jan 11th my surgeon said my goal was to lose 10kg (22lb) during the rest of the year so I guess he based that on his knowledge that my loss would slow down. My goal is to lose 17kg (37.5lb) and that seems way off, if not impossible, given the stall I have now. This is even after I have upped my exercise, not by much due to suffering from exhaustion, but certainly by more than I was doing pre-op. I have started to track my food and drink to see if there are places I am slipping up and it has already helped me highlight areas as I was eating more carbs that I realised and I hadn't been counting my Protein correctly at times.

I also have started to go into menopause in the last couple of months and I am not sure if that is impacting the weight loss as I know it is already impacting my energy and sleep.

I hope and think it is just our bodies recovering from rapid loss and now that it will continue but at a slower pace - I just hadn't expected it to be this slow!

[fifi0523 4]

On 02/14/2024 at 12:31, catwoman7 said:

if you've been following your plan and haven't increased your eating lately, then yes, you may be in a stall. Mine tended to last longer the closer I got to my goal. I'd give it a couple more weeks. If your weight hasn't started dropping by then, then you may be in maintenance (at 11.1 st, you're almost at a normal BMI). You can always lose more by dropping your calories or increasing your exercise (or both). But I'd give it a little more time.

I have increased my eating as I’m more hungry I eat around 1500 cal per day

[summerseeker 2,151]

4 hours ago, fifi0523 said:

I have increased my eating as I’m more hungry I eat around 1500 cal per day

I am on 1500 and maintaining. My exercise is next to none this time of year. If I needed to eat more to loose more then I would need to really exercise. If you really work hard you can loose for up to 2 years after surgery.

You can also start eating lower calorie products and go back to Protein first and vegetables second. The closer to target the harder the loses are. Do you have access to a dietician with your surgery package ?

[fifi0523 4]

On 02/14/2024 at 17:18, summerseeker said:

I am on 1500 and maintaining. My exercise is next to none this time of year. If I needed to eat more to loose more then I would need to really exercise. If you really work hard you can loose for up to 2 years after surgery.

You can also start eating lower calorie products and go back to Protein first and vegetables second. The closer to target the harder the loses are. Do you have access to a dietician with your surgery package ?

Thank you for your reply , yes I do have a dietcian but she seems to think I’m doing just fine and when I told her about my weight over the last month she’s telling me to go back to liquids which I don’t want to do as I find it to extreme . I need to go back to my Protein first and watch that I’m not grazing all day which I’ve noticed I’m doing more of . It’s so hard sometimes isn’t it . I was a binge eater before my op and I need work on all this

[summerseeker 2,151]

2 hours ago, fifi0523 said:

Thank you for your reply , yes I do have a dietcian but she seems to think I’m doing just fine and when I told her about my weight over the last month she’s telling me to go back to liquids which I don’t want to do as I find it to extreme . I need to go back to my Protein first and watch that I’m not grazing all day which I’ve noticed I’m doing more of . It’s so hard sometimes isn’t it . I was a binge eater before my op and I need work on all this

I am shocked that she said go back to liquids, that seems like really bad advice. You would be hungrier than ever as they just go straight through the pouch. I once had a stall of over 2 months, it was so tough but then I dropped 5lbs over night. I was only on roughly 800 cals a day then. Stall are the pits

I have 5 small meals a day. It works for me. Just find what works for you.

[fifi0523 4]

On 02/14/2024 at 21:40, summerseeker said:

I am shocked that she said go back to liquids, that seems like really bad advice. You would be hungrier than ever as they just go straight through the pouch. I once had a stall of over 2 months, it was so tough but then I dropped 5lbs over night. I was only on roughly 800 cals a day then. Stall are the pits

I have 5 small meals a day. It works for me. Just find what works for you.

Yes I was too ! It’s so hard I had it done abroad and I guess due to that I’ve not had much help with the meal plans etc I find myself so lost at times . No idea how many calories I should be having and how much Protein etc 😢

[Arabesque 7,256]

There are some good dieticians & there are some … well… lousy ones. Is there any way you could find another dietician? Telling you to go to back to shakes is a bad suggestion like @summerseeker said. They should have gone through what you’ve been eating & make suggestions from there. The goal is to be eating real food not highly processed synthesised shakes loaded with artificial sweeteners & such.

Stalls are frustrating. No way aground that but they are an important part of your weight loss when your body takes stock of your new needs & adjusts digestive hormones, etc. Best advice is to stick to your plan. Don’t make changes & stress your body more. The stall will break when your body is ready.

Good advice from @summerseeker too about going back to the basics of Protein first, then vegetables & then low processed complex multi/ whole grain carbs if you can eat more. Make cause you’re hitting your protein & fluid goals.

Calories are a bit of a touchy issue at the moment in the medical world. Some are anti some are pro. A lot is around a calorie is a calorie regardless of what the food source is versus nutrient value. Plus, caloric needs differs so much person to person - age, gender, activity, metabolism, general health, hormones, etc. all affect how many you need. Personally I think if you are eating nutrient dense food, having an idea of calories can help you stay on track & guide you if you’re sliding.

[NickelChip 1,224]

4 hours ago, fifi0523 said:

Yes I was too ! It’s so hard I had it done abroad and I guess due to that I’ve not had much help with the meal plans etc I find myself so lost at times . No idea how many calories I should be having and how much Protein etc 😢

If you don't already have some bariatric cookbooks, I can highly recommend these three of the several I bought:

Bariatric Meal Prep Made Easy by Kristin Willard

The Bariatric Diet Guide and Cookbook by Dr. Matthew Weiner

The Easy 5 Ingredient Bariatric Cookbook by Megan Wolf

All three have sound nutritional advice as they are written by bariatric experts, as well as some really nice recipes. They talk about portion sizes and what to aim for nutritionally as you go through the honeymoon period and into maintenance, and even give you different portions for different phases. None of the books give specific calorie goals, but that's rather standard with many programs. The focus is often for you to discover what works for you and not get sucked into a dieting mindset by counting everything so closely you drive yourself crazy.

But the basics are generally to fill one half of your (small, child or luncheon sized) plate with a 3-4oz portion of lean Protein and no more than a 1/2 cup serving of starch/grain, and the other half with non-starchy veg. Consume 60-80g protein. Drink at least 64 oz Water. (Apologies for not having the metric measurements).

Using a small plate is a really great visual cue. Check out the Portion Perfection plates, which are 8-inch melamine and printed with exactly how much of each food goes where. If you need to retrain yourself, this is an easy tool to use. They have bowls, too. (All the books and the plates can be found on Amazon in the US).

Going back to liquids is extreme. I would think it would be sufficient to go back to three meals per day as described above, and either no Snacks or only fruit and veg or a Protein Shake as a snack if truly hungry, and make sure you weigh your portions and get all your water in every day. The other thing is to look for processed foods that have crept back into your diet and get them out of your house. You can't be tempted by what isn't there.

Good luck to you!

[Bypass2Freedom 725]

On 2/14/2024 at 11:04 AM, fifi0523 said:

Hi I’m 8 months nearly 9 month post gastric sleeve . I’ve posted my weight below . Am I in a stall ? My goal is 9.6 stones

15th Jan -11.1st
22 th Jan -10.13st
29th Jan -10.12st
5th Feb -11.0 st
12th Feb -11.1 st

I’m so worried 😭

Hey!

I am in the UK and I am getting my surgery with Simon Monkhouse (he is on insta & TikTok) and genuinely he is usually more than happy to give advice if you reach out to him, especially if you struggle!

It does sound like the advice you were given to return to liquids is worrying I can't imagine how hard it must be for you right now!

Definitely reach out to a professional for a second opinion!

[summerseeker 2,151]

9 hours ago, NickelChip said:

you don't already have some bariatric cookbooks, I can highly recommend these three of the several I bought:

Bariatric Meal Prep Made Easy by Kristin Willard

The Bariatric Diet Guide and Cookbook by Dr. Matthew Weiner

The Easy 5 Ingredient Bariatric Cookbook by Megan Wolf

I have bought a few cook books in the past and they are a waste of money to us in the UK. We don't use your measures and don't get your brands. I spent ages converting the few recipes I used and thought sod it. After a few months you are on to real foods and do not need them as you can go back to altering your families meals a little to include ourselves.

I have found the food section on here very useful and really expands my food knowledge. The amounts of food eaten and portions left were really good examples for me to aim at.

I also bought a plate, I have had 0 meals on it ...... I don't eat enough to fill the sections

[NickelChip 1,224]

8 minutes ago, summerseeker said:

I have bought a few cook books in the past and they are a waste of money to us in the UK. We don't use your measures and don't get your brands. I spent ages converting the few recipes I used and thought sod it. After a few months you are on to real foods and do not need them as you can go back to altering your families meals a little to include ourselves.

I have found the food section on here very useful and really expands my food knowledge. The amounts of food eaten and portions left were really good examples for me to aim at.

I also bought a plate, I have had 0 meals on it ...... I don't eat enough to fill the sections

Good point about the US/UK measurements. I have several UK cookbooks and they do pose a challenge, although most of our scales and measuring cups in the US offer both metric and imperial side by side, so it's just the temperatures that needs calculation. Took me forever to figure out what a gas mark was.

I think the portion plate is probably only helpful for those who lean toward over eating during maintenance. Or if you happen to have a family member who preps your meals and needs guidance on the portions. I recall a friend whose husband got a sleeve, she just couldn't visualize the right portion when she would make up a plate for him. She thought she was doing a "small" portion, and it probably was compared to pre-surgery, but totally inappropriate for after surgery. (Why he couldn't just serve up his own plate like a grown up is a totally different issue.)

[summerseeker 2,151]

17 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

Took me forever to figure out what a gas mark was.

Yes this ! I have gone from 45 years with a gas cooker, to a house that's all electric and I got a fan oven to boot. I might crack the temperatures before I die.

I take your point about the plate and why do we baby our men ?

[Bypass2Freedom 725]

1 hour ago, summerseeker said:

I take your point about the plate and why do we baby our men ?

I feel that I ask myself this at least twice a day! 🙄