9 months out... Lessons learned (and hope for those who've stalled!)

 It's been quite a while since I found my way back to this site. I remember anxiously reading nearly every post pre-op and immediate days post-op. Like so many, I quickly dropped pounds post-op, then at about month 4 I hit a nice giant wall. I stalled. And stalling creates a cycle. You get discouraged, so you're less stringent about your plan, and re-inforce that stall. I found myself in that pattern for about 3, yes THREE months. Great if I was trying to maintain, but not great because I have much more to lose. 
So I switched things into high gear. I increased the intensity of my workouts and really focused on tracking my food. I go to spinning, kickboxing, and other group classes about 4x a week. i recently moved to a large city so I walk everywhere and no longer drive. I use myfitnesspal application on my phone to plan my meals and watch my nutrient intakes. I allowed myself to hit the high range of my doctor's calorie count because of my active lifestyle and stopped obsessing over eating on the lowest end of the calorie range. I started making good decisions that would allow me to still have a social life (and thereby encouraging my friends to change their habbits as well) so I didn't feel deprived and long for not-so healthy options. In short, I started LIVING and really enjoying my routine, really paying attention to my body, and doing things that make me feel good.
And I broke that stall  busted right through it. The scale didn't change too much but I have lost an unbelieveable amount of inches. I bought clothing that was too tight one week, and mananged to fit it 2 weeks later. My scale seems last to catch up, but my clothe are getting looser and looser.

I just wanted to send this word of encouragement because I really relied on this site... this is a LIFESTYLE change. Don't get discouraged if you stall. be honest with yourself- are you sticking to the plan? if you are, you will bust right through it in time. I can honestly say I have never worked harder to lose weight. and i feel great about it. WLS is not a magic pill. You will work for it!! Everyone here is so determined, so strong, you can do it. Just keep at it. As for me, I'm hoping to be evry close to 100lbs lost for my 1year anniversary at the end of July. Keep you posted

Great post, and congrats on breaking through your stall and having a more active lifestyle!

Thanks for your honesty and congrats on breaking the stall!

 Thanks for posting and best of luck to you!

This post is great and gives me hope that I can still get off these last 10 pounds! Here's to keeping at it! :)

 It is so nice to read a post like yours and realize that everyone has problems of some type along the way, whether they are mental, physical, or whatever. But you persevered and took charge of your own life and program and continue to be successful. I have been in a bit of a funk for the last couple of months because my weight loss has slowed and I know why - I injured my knee in February and have not been able to exercise much at all since then. I finally had arthroscopic knee surgery last week, but I stuck true to my food plan, and as I recover I will start the exercise up as quickly as possible. Thank you for posting this - there are always challenges in life!

Good for you and for finding your way!!  You are so right when you said we have to work for it!  WLS is a tool and we still need to do our part for the long haul.
Thank you for your honesty and sharing what works for you personally.
Best wishes to you! :)

Thanks for the encouragement e all hit walls and they HURT!!! But if we stick to the plan we can break through it eventually!!!!!!!!

 Thanks for posting. This is good to know for my future efforts as I am four days post op.  Best of luck to you on your upcoming anniversary.  Stay healthy.

Great post, thanks for keeping it real! It definitely gets harder the further we get out but we are worth it. We didnt do this for nothing. Good luck to you.