6 month stall, advise please.

I am at a 6 month stall and am feel so disappointed courage. Things are slowing down fast. I have been exercise 2 to 3 times as much and see little to no results.  Has anyone else has such an experience?  Any advise would be helpful.

Thank ,

Kim

Exercise is nice but will not make you lose weight.  Only eating less calories will do that.  Right after surgery you will lose no matter what you eat because the body is not absorbing calories.  That is getting better now and to lose more weight you will need to eat less.

Thanks, I have been so fixed on exercise.

Agree with white dove. Are you writing down what you are eating or using the my fitness pal app?

It helps to weigh and measure everything you eat, then track the protein and calories in a tracker like myfitnesspal.com.  You can use pen and paper if you're really hard-core 

Your primary goal should be to get enough protein.  The dietician at the hospital I go to recommends 60-80g of protein a day.  The protein should also come from solid sources i.e. meat, beans, cheese, eggs rather than liquids i.e. protein shakes, just for the sake of fullness.

My hospital also tells me to avoid drinking water 1/2 an hour before and 1/2 an hour after eating, so that the food doesn't get rushed through my system and make me hungry too quickly.

You can get a rough idea of how many calories a day you will need to eat to lose weight by using a free online calculator like http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html.  You can use that suggestion to start, try it out for a few weeks.  If you don't notice any loss, go down 100-200 calories and try that, rinse, repeat.  If you need to cut down your calories, remember to never cut down on the minimum protein requirement, and choose carbs to cut first i.e. bread, pasta, fruit.  Protein and fat are the most essential in weight loss.

If you'd like some healthy recipe ideas, I found this site yesterday that has some stuff that looks pretty good: http://www.froedtert.com/bariatric-surgery/recipes

Also, if you could post a typical day of food for you, that would help others to give you some food/portioning suggestions.

Exercise accounts for a very small amount of weight loss.  You will see the most dramatic results from modifying your diet.

There's also a regular post in these forums showing examples of what people eat every day who have success.  Here's one post from today: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/6001877/Whats-on-your- photo-Friday-Menu-RNYers/

Thank you so.much for the tips. I will check the calculator out. I have been depending on shakes for protien still. I guess I need to make the transition more to food. I afraid I will not eat enough to get it all in. I really only feel like eating once a day. 

Thank you.  The Dr said I am doing great and have lost 60% but am afraid of this long stall and I sure as heck don't want to gain.  It just makes me worry. I guess I just need to trust the plan. I will take your suggestion and tweak a few things and see if that helps

Have a good weekend,

Kim

How far out are you? I'm over 2 months and I'm trying to not use the shakes except every once in a while.

I am 6 months out and drink 1 or 2 isopure a day depending on how much I eat. I really can't eat that much and do not get hungry.

Take your measurements.  Sometimes your body isn't losing pounds but you are losing inches.  60% EWL at 6 months out is a great result.  

I also think you should try to find more high protein foods you like and incorporate them into your meal plans.  Protein shakes serve their purpose, but eventually you will need to transition back to solid food as your primary source of protein and instilling good habits early post-op will set the stage for your maintenace phase which is where the hard work starts.

Stalls are normal and happen to lots of us.  Some times the weight comes off in stair steps, and for others it is more or less constant.  But 12-18 months most of us are where we want to be or close.  Be patient, stay on plan and be positive.

Thank you so much Ashley,

I have been loosing inches.  I guess I expected to see those numbers since that is what everyone go by. I am just about to go down in clothing size and should see that as an accomplishment.  Everyone raves about how I am doing.  I just am afraid and thought this fear would be gone with the weight.  I do need to shift from shakes to more food and will give that a try. 

Thank you for your positive encouragement and suggestion.

Kim