7 months out...in the midst of a 3 month stall

Hi All,

Just had my 6 month eval ( a month late).

My starting weight was 219 and Surgery weight was 201 on 2/26/13.  I lost weight steadily with a slight stall in the mid 180s.  I have been between 159-161 since early August....very frustrating.  Just when I see the scale dip to 159 I think I'm on my way to losing again but it's not happening.

My doctor and NUT want to increase my calories to 1000-1200 a day with protein between 63 and 73 grams daily.  I'm not sure how eating more calories is going to help me.

My goal was 140 but would now like to maintain at 136.  Also I'd like to lose more to account for the "typical gainback" my doctor says I would have.  I told me I would get VERY skinny and then gain some weight back.

Anyone else have this long of a stall or not lose all the weight to get to goal?

Don't get me wrong, I am happy with the results so far but am carrying weight like an apple, heavier in the middle.  it doesn't match my skinny legs and narrow hips (who would have know I had such a thing going on...lol)...I'd like to maintain at 136 so that I am no longer consider overweight.

On the good side, my A1C is 4.5, Triglycerides went from 350 to 98 and Cholesterol 250 to 120.  Cardiac inflammatory panel is now normal, and just had my sleep study...hoping to be off of cPap.  I did this to get healthy and I am but I'd like to complete this journey with all the goals I set ...just frustrated...

Thanks,

Deb

How active are you and what exercises are you doing, with what frequency?

How tall are you? If you are around 5'7" tall, 159 is in the normal BMI range. Sometimes our bodies pick their own set-point and it can be hard to get past that. But you are still early out, so you are most likely not done. I agree that you need to increase your calories to around 1000. How many are you eating now? You do not want to screw up your metabolism or maintenance will be impossible.

I am 5'2".

I am in the same place as you I am 5"5 and I go between 162 and 159 since August. My Dr. wants me at 150 by March 2014 and I worry that I wont be there if this keeps up. I am hoping that this will stop and I will start loosing again. Keep your chin up and hopefully we will both lose again.

This probably is just me. Don't want to scare you but when I was 7 months out I completely stopped losing weight. I will be a year post op in 3 days. So 5 months without losing not even an ounce. This has depressed me as I still have 30-40 pounds to lose. I have been fluctuating from 186-188 for awhile. I got to 180 when I stopped losing

The doctor wants you to increase your calories because if you eat too few calories, your body drops your metabolism down in order to get everything it can out of the small number of calories that you ARE eating.  Additionally, if your calories remain too low for too long, your body may make the drop in your metabolism permanent (which makes maintaining the weight loss more difficult). 

I had a lot more weight to lose that you (I started at over 330 pounds), but I had a nine week stall at nine months out. I tried everything anyone suggested to help "break" the stall, but my surgeon was right: sometimes you just have to wait it out.

Just FYI, not everyone experiences weight "bounce back". It is NOT a "given", which means that it is NOT necessary for you to get to a lower weight than where you would like to maintain just to accommodate some regain. 

The other thing I would say to you is to caution you about placing too much emphasis on being a "normal" BMI.  The BMI is strictly a height vs weight ratio that does not take your bone or muscle mass into consideration. It also does not tell you what a HEALTHY weight is for you.  Your body fat percentage, which DOES take those things into consideration is a much more accurate measure of a healthy weight.  Most professional athletes (runners, gymnasts, and a few others excepted) are obese or morbidly obese according to the BMI chart.  

I have muscular thighs (and some residual fat -- and lots of excess skin) and DDD-cup boobs.  I also have larger than average leg bones for someone my height (as assessed by two orthopedic surgeons).  I am right on the line for "overweight" and "normal" BMI, so it literally depends on how much water I am retaining or if I have been a bit constipated as far as whether I am overweight or normal.  I have a 25% body fat percentage, though, which is considered "optimal" for a woman over 50.  On the other hand, I have a friend who is very short, has TINY bones and limited muscles, is visibly very clearly overweight through her abdomen and thighs, but because her bones and muscles are so small, she has a normal BMI while having a body fat percentage of over 30 (it has been a couple of years, but I believe it was 33% when we both went to get ours measured)!

Continue doing what you know you SHOULD be doing so that you are still giving your body the best conditions to continue to lose: increase your calories as indicated and focus on a protein forward, limited carb diet; continue to not drink with meals; do what you can to increase your physical activity.   If you continue to follow the rules, you are likely not done losing (although I agree with Laura about the reality of set points... My body very clearly likes it right around 145, it is relatively easy to drop back down to that if I have 4 or 5 pounds creep back on, yet it strongly resists all efforts to continue dropping below 143).

 

Lora