Stuck and depressed

Hi Everyone,
I had surgery on Oct 11, 2010.  I have been stuck around 174/175 for about a month now.  I'm really getting upset.  Occasionaly I do eat the wrong things but most of the time I am sticking to my diet that I have been eating and had been losing.  I just started exercising, I try to get in 2 days sometimes 3.  Lately I've just been exhausted and have been falling asleep right after dinner.  I'm only getting 40 oz of water in a day. 

Any suggestions?  Any suggestions on a good workout to help lose this extra weight.  I want to loose 100 lbs and I'm down about 70/72

Thanks,
Kimmi

I know it's hard to hear, but I would keep doing what you're doing, increase water and enjoy the success you've had thus far!  I am on my second stall 2 1/2 months out, but know when it breaks, down, down, down I'll go!  And it does seem like my body "re-arranges" things during this time- I just feel lighter.  Also, I know when I get tired like that, I think it's my body's last ditch effort to conserve energy and hold onto the fat.  That's usually when I get head-hungry, too.  Hang in there!

Congrats on starting the exercise!  Looks like your water amount may be the weak link - especially if you are exercising, because you need even more than usual. Increasing that will at a minimum help you feel better and have more energy. 

Increase your water for sure and add another day of exercise. I think the minimum number of hours is 250 a week. somewhere around there. Also, if you like dancing there's zumba, jazzercise, ball room, line dacning, burlesque.  They're hard to find now, but I still enjoy step classes.

Certainly you mean 250 minutes a week, right?

Kimmi,

Do you track what you eat on a program like myfitnesspal.com? I find tracking helps me see and adjust my diet and keeps me accountable.

My weight loss slowed down at 6 months post-op. I reviewed what I was eating and realized the bulk of my protein was coming from soft sources like protein shakes, cheese, Greek yogurt, beans.

I changed to dense protein, mainly tender beef and seafood, and saw my weight loss resume and felt a lot of restriction. Dense protein fills you up with a small amount and keeps you full longer. I can eat 8 oz. of Lentil soup with no problem but 4 oz. of steak fills me right up.

Limiting my carbs to less than 40 grams per day was also instrumental for my continued weight loss. When my carbs got too high my weight loss slowed.

Following is the program my doctor gave me for weight loss post-op;

1. Eat 600-800 calories per day when losing weight 
2. Limit carbs to less than 40 grams per day
3. Eat 70-100 gram of protein daily
4. Minimum 64 oz. liquids daily
5. Regular exercise/physical activity
6. Track what you eat

Review what you are eating and make appropriate adjustments. Cut out slider foods like bread, rice, potato, chips, carbs in general. You can eat slider foods all day long and feel no restriction.

Dense protein, limiting carbs and regular physical activity were responsible for me reaching my weight loss goal and maintaining.

Good luck,
George

Interesting tidbit of info to tag along on George's post about dense protein (as I've noted the same thing) is solid proteins take more energy to digest, some up to 30% of the caloric content of the food.. so that 100cal portion of cot cheese is fully calorically digested, while that 100cal portion of steak is only has a caloric impact of about 70 calories.

If you don't change anything else, double your water. Drink, drink, drink. That should make a HUGE difference. 40 ounces is not nearly enough - MINIMUM is 64ozs. 100 is better.