7 Month Plateau - very frustrating

I had RNY on 8-9-10 and at my one year anniversary, I had lost 175 pounds. But I haven't lost anything since.  I started out at 490 lbs and currently weigh 315, so I still have a ways to go but this stall is extremely frustrating!

Don't get me wrong, I am very proud and happy with my weight loss. I feel really great and am no longer too shy and ashamed to leave my house, but could I possibly be finished losing? It seems like nothing I do has an effect.  Here's an example of my day:

Breakfast:  Click smoothie made with soy mil**** and splenda
No morning snack
Lunch: either homemade chicken enchilada soup or a sandwich and a few chips
Afternoon snack: crackers and cheese or a couple of boiled eggs. or peanut butter and crackers
Dinner: 6 inch subway sandwich with chips but only half the bread
Evening snack: a repeat of the afternoon snack

I know that I still eat too many carbs ( that's a work in progress for me). But I work out 5 days a week, including cardio and strength training. I keep track of what I eat and usually keep my calories within 1200 - 1400 per day.  I take my vitamins and make sure I keep up with my liquids.

I just don't know what to do to bust this. Has anyone else gone through this for a long term?  Please tell me what you did to bust it and if you have any advice.  I'm desperate!

Thank you in advance,
Pam

I would say that you're eating too many calories and too high a percentage of those cals are carbs.

When you have lost a lot of weight (as we have) the body maintains a homeostatic response. You will need permanently reduced calories from here on in. 1200-1400 calories may be your maintenance intake rate.

Cut out waste calories like chips, cut back on bread and crackers, up your protein and when tracking, weigh and measure everything to make sure that no extra calories are creeping in. Aim for a top value of 1200 cals. Don't think you can eat back calories that you've burned via exercise. Consider that as gravy, not a deficit that you get to fill. The amount of cals that you "burn" in exercise includes your base resting value for the time you were doing it (and that you would have burned anyway).

It's tough. I'm starting to stall more often too, after 180 pound loss just over a year in.... this is where the really heavy work of it begins.

You are not in a stall.  After 7 months you are in maintenance.  Whether or not you want to be at this weight is up to you.  Let's put it this way.  You have found out how much you need to eat to maintain your current weight.  If you want to lose more when then you are going to have to eat less, bottom line.  Sorry to be blunt but that's just how it is.  It is your choice.
For me, I never subtract calories burned through exercise from my daily intake.  I have found that my level of activity really didn't make a big difference in my weight loss.  I know it's supposed to make it possible to eat more but even if I was eating 1200 calories (during my weight loss phase) and burning 500 calories, I lost exactly the same as when I didn't exercise.  I am sure others have had the opposite experience but I learned that I couldn't use my exercise as an excuse to eat more because it just didn't work that way for me.
You already know what you need to do.  It looks like you are taking in too many carbs and too little protein.  I didn't touch refined carbs when I was losing and I still choose to avoid them to this day because they only make me want to eat more.  I kept my carb intake around 50 grams until I got to where I wanted to maintain.  I now eat upwards to 150 to 200 grams a day but they are mainly complex carbs and from dairy, fruits, vegetables and some whole grains.  I completely avoid sugar and gluten and have found that it is much easier for me to do that then it is for me to try to eat them moderately.
If you really are motivated to lose more give cutting out the carbs a try.  If it doesn't work out the way you want you can always add them back in later.
Also, what works for me is to aim for at least 100 grams of protein a day and 100 oz of fluids a day.

As hard as it is to hear, you're absolutely right.  I have to cut back on my calories, especially the carbs.

It didn't occur to me that I had put myself into maintenance so that was a shocker! But you're absolutely right, I know what to do...I just have to get back to the basics. I feel really dumb that this is self imposed but now I know and won't blame this as a stall anymore.

Thanks for the kick in the pants!  I needed it!
Pam

As others have said, I would try cutting back on the carbs.  You're eating chips sometimes twice a day.  And on some days, crackers twice a day for snacks.  I love chips and crackers as much as anyone else but I don't eat them every day.  I would try cutting those out or eating them only once a day instead of several times a day.  And I would not have a sandwich for lunch and again for dinner, that's too much bread.  I understand it's really hard to give that stuff up.  But I would be interested to see what happens if you cut back on it and replace it with something like fresh fruit or veggies instead.