Is this a Plateau?

[evansmom 0]

Hi All,

I was banded on 3/3/08 and have lost 36 pounds. By all means, I am not complaining, but in the last two weeks I have lost and regained the same pound several times. I just had my 2nd fill on 5/28 so my weight loss should be picking up, not slowing down.

I know for sure that I have been stressed and eating forbidden foods, and this is the reason. I just can't seem to get back on track. I have been eating a lot of chocolate, everyday. How do I get past this? Any advice for getting back on track? I am still working out 3-4 times per week, but even with the exercise nothing is happening. This is probably a good indicator of how sharply my calories have increased in the last 2 weeks. I'm feeling pretty sad about this. Any ideas?

Thanks,

evansmom

[Vikki 2]

I am at an annoying plateau right now myself. I had gained weight from when I had an unfill because I went straight to the fast food drive threw every day. I gained 12 pounds in three weeks so back to the dr. I went to get a fill. I am at a good level now as I try to eat but after a couple of bites feel the stop button and have to wait. I noticed the best weight loss paterns was to go to 1200 calories for two weeks then bump it up for two weeks 1400 calories then back down. It does work but it is not easy when there is a day when the chocolate is calling your name................Darn chocolate. My downfall is chips I LOVE CHIPS>>>>>I have to talk myself out of eating them all the time. They are like Cig for me!! Darn chips^%$^&%^&

Good luck and keep the faith and your tool will be a success!!!

[evansmom 0]

Thanks Vikki...I needed that.

-evansmom

[Vikki 2]

Girl your not the only one playing tug a war with the scale!!!! I get so annoyed with the scale but I have lost a lot more inches then weight. I can just tell in my face off of my Dr Lisc picture that I have lost a lot of inches. We just try to keep our eye on the price.......normal BMI range to be healthy and stay there. My goal is to be able to concentrate on more to life then what my next meal is going to be. Much more to life and now we hve the tool to help us gear our energy towards more to life. We feel better about ourselves makes us get out there and be us.....we are happier and it shows. That is what the tool is to help us regain.......US!!!

[Snick 0]

I was banded on 4/29 and had my first fill on 5/27. I had lost 25 pounds, but since my fill..not a single pund. It fluctuates on ounces, but that that scale has not budged. I started working out at Curves. I go after work 4 times a week. I'm sticking to my diet, eaqting as I should be , and still nothing. I feel your frustrations. I go back to the Dr. on Thursday, so hopefully I'll be getting fill #2 and we'll see what that does.

[evansmom 0]

I was banded on 4/29 and had my first fill on 5/27. I had lost 25 pounds, but since my fill..not a single pund. It fluctuates on ounces, but that that scale has not budged. I started working out at Curves. I go after work 4 times a week. I'm sticking to my diet, eaqting as I should be , and still nothing. I feel your frustrations. I go back to the Dr. on Thursday, so hopefully I'll be getting fill #2 and we'll see what that does.

Maybe the second fill will do the trick. I have decided to go back for a third fill in a few weeks since I still don't feel restricted enough. Good luck and hang in there!

[Vicki J 0]

Hey everyone - What you're experiencing is normal. Our bodies tend to take a time out to readjust. Whenever this happens to me, if I've been following most of the rules most of the time, eventually I'll loose 2-4 pounds in one fell swoop. Then usually I'll bounce again. On another board we call this the "dead pound bounce". It seems it has to do it before we can get rid of it for good.

As far as getting back on the wagon goes, you're already exercising and now you have to accept that you've made some bad choices and move on. Start journaling your foods and if you choose to eat something you normally wouldn't, plan it in. It seems that if you make it a choice and not a compulsion you have control and that makes it easier to have the amount you choose instead of it choosing you. You also don't beat yourself up because you made an informed decision. This last weekend I went out to dinner with my DH and a couple of friends for our 24th anniversary. I ate lobster, steak, salad, a baked potatoe, a roll, and cheesecake. Now, did I eat the whole thing? LOL - I couldn't if I had wanted to. BUT - I did have butter and sour cream on my potatoe, dipped my lobster in butter and by the way did I mention I had some cheesecake? But the amounts I ate were tiny. I ate my steak/lobster first (about 1 oz of lobster and 2.5 oz of steak) and then tasted everything else. It was a wonderful dinner.< /p>

Now I'm not saying this because I think I'm so great. I'm saying this because I was happy with what I ate and I ate it while feeling in control because I decided this was what I was going to do. I learned a while back that the feeling of being out of control made me feel like I had failed. Choosing to do something left me in control and guilt free. We all have to live the rest of our lives with this way of life and we had better factor in that we are human. But isn't it great that we can live knowing if we eat that special something we aren't going to balloon up to where we were like someone stuck an air hose up our bums. Of course, that night I did dream that my son gained weight. LOL

So first thing is to ease up on yourself. Second is if you're going to weigh yourself (I weigh daily) is not to run your life by it because it will continually move up and down. Third is to journal. I've been on this journey for a year now and I still journal if for no other reason so that I can go back and evaluate things. Fourth, give yourself permisson to be human. This isn't a race and a year from now you'll be overwhelmed because you've lost a ton of weight and are wearing smaller clothes than you would have thought possible. Finally, take your measurements because during these times you are usually loosing inches.

Good luck on your journey.