HELP...Plateau Issues!!!
The plateau hit when I started working out at the gym on Aug. 10th. I initally was working out 5 days a week, 3 days with a personal trainer and 2 days doing weights/cardio on my own. And my workouts tend to be high intensity.
What finally got me off the initial 4 week plateau was I realized I wasn't getting all my protien in. I immediately changed that and the next day the weight started coming off a pound a day again... and then it stopped after a week.
I understand exercising will initially cause plateaus as you're gaining muscle mass. But I think by now I should be past that stage and figured/hoped that the weight would start to melt off. That's not the case at all. I've tried changing how much I'm eating as I also figure I'm not eating enough calories a day. At 12 weeks post-op, I'm getting about 600-800 calories a day. I've been told by both my trainer and a friend who lost over 200 lbs without surgery that based on my workout intensity, I"m not eating enough calories (and even protien) to maintain a steady weight loss.
I have an appt with my surgeon tomorrow and hoping to also get in to see the nutritionist, but I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience and what did you do to get past it. The head games are really getting to me and even my confidence and focus are starting to suffer. I've eased off the exercise a little bit to see if that helps, but so far not getting any results to support the exercise is the problem.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I wanted to give as much information in hopes of finding someone out there who got past this kind of hurdle.
Thanks in advance!!
Laurie
I'm a relatively newbie post op myself, being only 6 mos out. But at just about 3 -3 1/2 mos post op, I also hit a stall...my weight loss per week dropped to maybe a pound if I was lucky. What I did discover was 1. the protein was not enough and 2. the calories were not enough.
I decided (with my surgeon's blessings btw) to swap a protein drink for my normal breakfast of eggs, cottage cheese, or whatever. This increased my protein intake hugely..from about 7 or 8grams to 31g (protein 24g and 1 cup soy milk 7 gr) per breakfast. My food protocol does not normally allow protein drinks (a limitation of Kaiser Richmond only that I know of) and also increased my calorie intake at dinner (only) by adding a fat, such as I can't believe it's Not butter or olive oil, etc to my very small allotment of veggies. On occasion I also added a very toasted piece of bread.
Within a day or two, my scales started dropping the numbers again and I have been relatively stable with the weight loss, except when I exceed my carb intake by sneeking in a 'forbidden' snack LOL I have been told by others in my support group that you can over-do the exercise bit..that sometimes too much can actually stop the weight loss.
Happy to hear you have an appt with your doc and hopefully with your Nut. They have the best answers...we can suggest things here but it is from our own experience only...best to get advice from the 'horses mouth' so to speak. ^_^
Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing!
Nancy aka Sunray







243.0/213.0/141/130 Highest/Surgery/Current/Goal
Unfortunately, that is one of the issues we must face and thats these crazy Plateaus. Just remember, that you will lose inches also when not losing the weight......Our bodies have to catch up. But both are correct, intense excersise (any for that matter) will build muscle and you will stall for a period. I am on one now and hope to break it soon. Proten intake is very important but so is your water. This will also aid the process along and help melt the pounds.
Have a great day............Rick
OH Support Group Leader
http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/prep4success/

Still staying on-track calorie-wise? And the scale shows you stopping? Or Even Gaining?!?!? ----------------------------Re-Post Unsolicited advice/info… -------------------------------------- Pull back from your ‘daily’ charting, and look at a weekly or even monthly. There are up and down spikes each day, But if you ‘graph’ the highest to the lowest, I’d bet there is still A downward slope over the course of the month. There’s an 8 to 10lb. volume of "wiggle room" due to water alone. And it comes into play a lot. This has to do with our bodies using glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, But it is stored in our muscles for quick energy – One pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, And the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, (Like when you drop down to your calorie intake) Your body turns first to stored glycogen, Which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, You also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it Voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of any diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, Your body starts to ‘realize’ that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue And burning fat for energy. But your body also ‘realizes’---- (by way of your liver releasing hormones signaling low Cal intake) ---That fat can't be used for short bursts of energy – Like, to outrun a saber-tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, And rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, (Thus showing negative Calorie load overall) Your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while As you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Yes? The whole ‘weight-loss’ process is not a straight "Slide" down the scale. More like "Stair-Steps," (Down then forward, then down, then forward, etc... As your body cycles fat out of "deep storage" and through the Liver Into the muscles as Glycogen. The muscles and Liver can hold about a 3 weeks supply. This is why many people find that their "Stall" or "Plateau" Breaks when adding a bit of exercise And upping their water intake, or in the case of an "extreme exerciser," The total Calorie or Protein Intake, To signal the liver to let go of more Glycogen. Fear not, many people who are now enjoying life at a normal BMI Once had a few weeks or so of thinking- "...my weight loss has been awfully slow, has it stopped..."? Hope this helps some. You are doing Great! Keep it Up! Best Wishes- Dx
I just know your stall will break soon! Hang in there!
Also, another great point that I read was about taking averages when looking at your logs, and I didn't even think of it until I read it, but this is what my NuT does when I show her my food diary. She never just looks at one day but a week or more's averages. I love OH!
Everyone's journey is going to be a little different, and you are Special and Amazing!!! Don't for a second forget that!!! Hugs!!!
Hang in there girlfriend, but I totally understand what you are going through. For me journaling is key so I know what I'm doing and what's causing things. It's obvious, I am not getting enough protein and too many carbs, but when I journal, I seem to reel it in a little.
Hope to see you Sat. at Mimi's!
Hugs,
Barb