Low Key freaking out...

[AmberFL 710]

Hi me again!

So I will say that my journey has been fairly easy. Tracking, eating right and working and the weight has been falling off. I am a weigh everyday-er (I know I know but I am lol) I am only 6months out and pretty close to my goal weight that I set for myself.

The scale keeps going up! I am not eating more than 1100 I workout a lot. I weight in at 172ish Wednesday this morning 176ish. LIKE WTF! Is this normal? I cannot physically workout more or eat any less. So idk what is going on, but I absolutely hate it and its really messing with my mindset.

Edited July 8 by AmberFL

[JennyBeez 287]

Do you measure yourself too? Is it plausible that with your workouts, you've started gaining more muscle than what you're losing in fat? Has you been bowel-regular, and your sodium hasn't increased?

I'm nowhere near my goal yet, but I've heard / read that a lot of people gain back 10-15 after they 'stop' losing, whether they're purposefully going into maintenance or their body has told them to go into maintenance lol. It could also just be one final stall that your body is giving you as you near your goal weight.

Try not to worry too much? I know it's hard -- and it probably feels even harder since you're so close to where you want to be. I doubt you're doing anything wrong, every post I see you make or reply too, you always seem to really be on the ball about things. As someone else on here recently said, give yourself some grace. And keep on keeping-on! ❤️

[summerseeker 2,114]

You are having a head moment. You know that you are doing everything right but your head is saying WHAAAT ! TF ! Just breathe for a moment and think. There are a few things to consider and you probably know this, Its a stall, Its Water retention, you are over doing things and your body says no way or you have eaten salty foods.

You have gained the pounds and you need to stay away from the scales for a few days/ a week. Its a tough ask I know, I am the worst at it. Watching the scale will screw with your mind. Keep to your plan and it will work its way right.

[JennyBeez 287]

I love how we all warn others to stay away from the scale for a while, even though few of us are able to do that either. XD

Honestly though, it's like we've replace any food addiction with scale-addiction.

[AmberFL 710]

30 minutes ago, JennyBeez said:

Do you measure yourself too? Is it plausible that with your workouts, you've started gaining more muscle than what you're losing in fat? Has you been bowel-regular, and your sodium hasn't increased?

I'm nowhere near my goal yet, but I've heard / read that a lot of people gain back 10-15 after they 'stop' losing, whether they're purposefully going into maintenance or their body has told them to go into maintenance lol. It could also just be one final stall that your body is giving you as you near your goal weight.

Try not to worry too much? I know it's hard -- and it probably feels even harder since you're so close to where you want to be. I doubt you're doing anything wrong, every post I see you make or reply too, you always seem to really be on the ball about things. As someone else on here recently said, give yourself some grace. And keep on keeping-on! ❤️

my bowels have been about the same, I guess I am just not prepared for this when I am only 6months out. With the amount that I workout I figured I would stay stagnant not gain. I do allow myself "treats" but track which I have been doing the entire 6months. I am stresssinnnnn...

[NickelChip 1,195]

It's easy to forget that "weight" and "fat" are not the same thing. You can burn fat and go up in weight, and it's normal for daily weight to fluctuate by several pounds. You've been really lucky so far that the scale has gone down consistently, but you're getting to the 6-month mark and that's when the surgery's fat burning effect starts to slow (not stop, but slow). In the past, you were burning enough fat quickly so that even if you went up in weight from Water or the food in your digestive track, you wouldn't see it on the scale. Now, though, you might only lose a small amount of fat in a week, so you could see the scale become a little more erratic. It's totally normal and you aren't gaining fat. It's also very common to hit a stall around 6 months post op as your body recalibrates. You'll probably see slower weight loss once it breaks, but you'll still see the scale go down for many more months.

And if I just base it on my own experience, you will experience this type of thing the closer you get to a number that feels important to you because the universe is like that. The moment I dropped below 200 lbs, which was such a psychological milestone for me, my weight bounced back up and it took another 10 days to get back into the 190s again. My third month post-op, I stalled and only lost a total of 3.8 pounds. The following month was my best month so far for weight loss.

So don't read too much into a little wobble on the scale if your habits have been reasonable. If it takes 3500 extra calories to gain one pound, unless you can identify some really bad choices that would have led to a 14,000 calorie surplus this past week, it's not anything you're doing. Just keep following your plan and ignore the scale.

[AmberFL 710]

27 minutes ago, summerseeker said:

You are having a head moment. You know that you are doing everything right but your head is saying WHAAAT ! TF ! Just breathe for a moment and think. There are a few things to consider and you probably know this, Its a stall, Its Water retention, you are over doing things and your body says no way or you have eaten salty foods.

You have gained the pounds and you need to stay away from the scales for a few days/ a week. Its a tough ask I know, I am the worst at it. Watching the scale will screw with your mind. Keep to your plan and it will work its way right.

I will be honest. This is not making me feel okay, I have only been on this journey 6months and I didn't think this would happen this soon, I am weight lifting and my body composition is more muscular. I just am not ready to go up.

[AmberFL 710]

20 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

It's easy to forget that "weight" and "fat" are not the same thing. You can burn fat and go up in weight, and it's normal for daily weight to fluctuate by several pounds. You've been really lucky so far that the scale has gone down consistently, but you're getting to the 6-month mark and that's when the surgery's fat burning effect starts to slow (not stop, but slow). In the past, you were burning enough fat quickly so that even if you went up in weight from Water or the food in your digestive track, you wouldn't see it on the scale. Now, though, you might only lose a small amount of fat in a week, so you could see the scale become a little more erratic. It's totally normal and you aren't gaining fat. It's also very common to hit a stall around 6 months post op as your body recalibrates. You'll probably see slower weight loss once it breaks, but you'll still see the scale go down for many more months.

And if I just base it on my own experience, you will experience this type of thing the closer you get to a number that feels important to you because the universe is like that. The moment I dropped below 200 lbs, which was such a psychological milestone for me, my weight bounced back up and it took another 10 days to get back into the 190s again. My third month post-op, I stalled and only lost a total of 3.8 pounds. The following month was my best month so far for weight loss.

So don't read too much into a little wobble on the scale if your habits have been reasonable. If it takes 3500 extra calories to gain one pound, unless you can identify some really bad choices that would have led to a 14,000 calorie surplus this past week, it's not anything you're doing. Just keep following your plan and ignore the scale.

The thing that scares me about staying away from the scale. Is that I did that while I was 300lbs because if I didn't know my weight then I wasn't gaining so it didn't matter, I am a size 4 right now which is INSANE, so I really couldn't imagine myself losing anymore weight anyways but I was hoping for the last 2.4lbs dang nabbit! I am not mentally prepared for the scale to go up let alone 4lbs in less than a week.

Thank you so much for the words, it has helped. I know it cannot be me. Its just really disheartening to see it going up almost every day

[NickelChip 1,195]

If you don't want to stay off the scale for a week, which I'll admit I can't do either, just remind yourself each day that the number does not define you and that it isn't the end of your weight loss journey. Plateaus and small upward movements are common and normal throughout the process. It's temporary. You're still eating too little for it not to be. You're only 6 months in, so you have at least another 6 months ahead of you to lose those last few pounds. It will probably get harder, but it will happen! And you've done an amazing job in such a short period of time.

[MrsFitz 440]

Do you change up your workouts? I’d read somewhere years ago that you need to change them every 6 weeks or so as your body gets used to what you’re doing. Can you change your reps/sets? The amount of weights you’re using? Try something completely different? I had to keep doing this and it did work for me so maybe it’s something that could work for you too? I remember I stopped working out for a couple of weeks and dropped 7lbs 🤷‍♀️ Our bodies are weird!

[AmberFL 710]

6 minutes ago, MrsFitz said:

Do you change up your workouts? I’d read somewhere years ago that you need to change them every 6 weeks or so as your body gets used to what you’re doing. Can you change your reps/sets? The amount of weights you’re using? Try something completely different? I had to keep doing this and it did work for me so maybe it’s something that could work for you too? I remember I stopped working out for a couple of weeks and dropped 7lbs 🤷‍♀️ Our bodies are weird!

I do, I alternate upper body and lower body everyday for 6days. Plus cardio. I change up my weight lifting too. I am kinda thinking that I may need to cut down to 4days weight lifting and do two cardio days or 1 cardio day and 1 rest day....I did read somewhere too that we can over work out bodies and then it just stops changing...Might have to do something like that. Thank you!

[AmberFL 710]

16 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

If you don't want to stay off the scale for a week, which I'll admit I can't do either, just remind yourself each day that the number does not define you and that it isn't the end of your weight loss journey. Plateaus and small upward movements are common and normal throughout the process. It's temporary. You're still eating too little for it not to be. You're only 6 months in, so you have at least another 6 months ahead of you to lose those last few pounds. It will probably get harder, but it will happen! And you've done an amazing job in such a short period of time.

This whole journey is not just changing our bodies but our minds as well. I am so glad I have you guys to listen to my rant and raves! Your right its temporary, just need to trust the process. I am not going to weigh myself tomorrow at least that is what I am telling myself lol

[BlondePatriotInCDA 451]

4 hours ago, AmberFL said:

my bowels have been about the same, I guess I am just not prepared for this when I am only 6months out. With the amount that I workout I figured I would stay stagnant not gain. I do allow myself "treats" but track which I have been doing the entire 6months. I am stresssinnnnn...

I was in the same spot you are up until last week. I stopped losing at 7 months, gained a few pounds and watched the same 2-3 pounds up and down for three months! Then, at 10.5 months lost 8 lbs in a week. I completely understand your frustration. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to lose now. Its very frustrating!

Have you gone to your dietician or surgeon and at least confirm all is well? I did and even talked to the clinic psychologist (I was becoming angry about it). Just know it will eventually break, I know hearing/reading this doesn't help like losing pounds does but... But you'll start losing again.

[AmberFL 710]

32 minutes ago, BlondePatriotInCDA said:

I was in the same spot you are up until last week. I stopped losing at 7 months, gained a few pounds and watched the same 2-3 pounds up and down for three months! Then, at 10.5 months lost 8 lbs in a week. I completely understand your frustration. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to lose now. Its very frustrating!

Have you gone to your dietician or surgeon and at least confirm all is well? I did and even talked to the clinic psychologist (I was becoming angry about it). Just know it will eventually break, I know hearing/reading this doesn't help like losing pounds does but... But you'll start losing again.

I appreciate that, I am going to reach out to them. I needed to b**** and moan, ask much as I hate that you went through that stall, its reassuring to know I am not alone. Seeing that scale go up is not great!

[Lilia_90 382]

On 7/8/2024 at 11:33 PM, AmberFL said:

I do, I alternate upper body and lower body everyday for 6days. Plus cardio. I change up my weight lifting too. I am kinda thinking that I may need to cut down to 4days weight lifting and do two cardio days or 1 cardio day and 1 rest day....I did read somewhere too that we can over work out bodies and then it just stops changing...Might have to do something like that. Thank you!

I would suggest that.

I have been athletic my entire adulthood with a really good muscle tone and maintained a really healthy weight for decades until a very bad ankle sports injury that caused my weight to balloon up. At one point I was exercising 6 days a week for 2 hours, that's when my weight suddenly went up 4 kilos out of the blue and I didn't know why.

A few months later I was forced to cut back to 4 days a week (1 hour each) and my weight dropped on its own. What I found out is that 4 days of 1 hour workouts suited me much better than 6 days of endless time at the gym. Now that I am below goal weight I follow the same, 4 days of workouts (2 Pilates sessions and 2 heavy weight lifting days with cardio). My body is comfortable and the weight is melting off. I workout hard, but I rest hard as well.

During the first few months I lost a lot of weight rapidly and I was weak and frail, so I stopped any sorts of weight lifting. The first week I started weight lifting again I was so incredibly sore and guess what, I hit my first ever stall since surgery, not only that but my weight even went up that week and took me a good 2 weeks to break through the stall. Muscle fatigue causes inflammation that causes Water retention within the muscles. Rest days are just as important as workout days.

I am not saying that this will 100% work for you but might be worth giving a try.

Good luck!

Edited July 15 by Lilia_90