Aloha K33-

I haven't been on OH in a while since I haven't needed the intense support like I did pre/post op, so this may be coming out of left field at you. You're probably thinking who is this quack.....you may have stopped reading even now!

I think everyone hits a plateau as your body plays catch up - the rate of loss is simply faster in the beginning. But there are things to look at and tweak. The rules my nutritionist and trainer gave me were simple-  while in loss mode, I exercised like a fiend ( weights and cardio), I avoided white carbs ( no bread, rice, pasta or refined sugar),  meals were always and still are protein first, I drank my water, I took my vites, I decreased stress (cortisol is a nasty hormone for weight loss, as is insulin) by getting more sleep ( switched off of graveyards after 20 years of them) -  even started Yoga on the one day of the week that I didn't exercise.

 So....First....Are you truly stalled? The previous poster who said Muscle weighs more than Fat is confused- they weigh the same. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat...they both weigh a pound. BUT.... a pound of muscle is more dense, in other words it fits into a smaller package than a pound of fat. So as you lose body fat and gain body muscle, the scale might say the same number, but your measurements will be smaller. That's why 2 people of the same height can weigh the same, but the person with less body fat/more lean body mass is a size 4 and the other is a size 10. So if your clothes are fitting better, you're probably changing your body composition to more muscle, less fat- that's why it's important to use other guidelines to measure your success. If you haven't yet done it, take your measurements! Neck, Chest, Waist, Hips, Biceps and Thigh. Write them down and compare them monthly- as you build more muscle and lose fat, these numbers might surprise you even when the scale is unimpressive. And take pictures monthly. Try on clothes that wouldn't fit you in the beginning of the so called stall.

 

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/weight/scalelies.htm

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/underbodycomp.html

 

Second....Are you exercising with both cardio and strength training at least 5 hours per week? Current recommendations by the ACSM say 150 minutes per week for Maintenance but 200-300 minutes per week for Loss- that's 5 hours per week for sustained long term wt loss. And if you are doing the same treadmill routine 45 minutes every day, it's no good  -  your body becomes more efficient at that exercise and conditions itself to burn even fewer calories. Same thing if you decrease your calories to starvation level...it gets by on less, because that's what bodies are programmed to do- survive no matter what the cir****tances are. You gotta mix it up- that's why circuits that combine weights and cardio ( Boot Camps, Gravity,  HIgh Intensity Interval Training eg) work well. Even walking outside up hills or walking with weights while doing bicep curls or walking up steps or logs is a harder workout than the same indoor fixed treadmill or cycle- you've got gravity, wind factors, core activation trying to keep your balance, etc where you can intermittently get that heartrate up ( interval training)- try adding it in 2 X weekly.

http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/acsm-on-weight-loss

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

 

Third-Are you decreasing your calories to a point where your body actually lowers its metabolic rate ( like survival or starvation mode)? Think of a fire- it needs small bits of fuel all day long, and enough fuel, or the fire burns out and you don't burn any wood. Small meals frequently, protein within 30 mins of waking, 100-125g protein per day,  low glycemic index foods over high GI foods when you can,  eat as whole as you can (ie  less refined or processed foods) and a eat variety of foods. You might actually have to increase your caloric intake to 1000/day at this stage, but only if you can honestly say you are truly working out at least 5 hours a week mixing up your cardio AND some sort of resistance  training  which  builds muscle .  Muscle does have a higher metabolic rate than fat  but muscle also retains more water because it contains glycogen stores. That's a whole other discussion.

 

Bottom line- there are things you CANNOT change about your resting metabolic rate...like your gender ( guys run higher), your age ( youth runs higher), or your genes. But there ARE a few things you can change to jack it up- like your per cent lean body mass ( so build muscle), your exercise level ( increase it and mix it up) , your water consumption ( upping it ups your metabolic rate plus it keeps your kidneys happy),  your vitamins (don't forget your multi-  B complex), and avoiding high carbohydrate, highly processed or refined diets - (decreases lipogenic  hormones like insulin). 

OK, off my soapbox and will retreat back to the land of the fossilized sleeves. ( my surgery was in June 2008). You can do this but you might need to up the exercise, mix it up, add resistance and interval training, and make sure you're not sabotaging the whole process unknowingly. Be strong! XoLori

Aloha edelu- This is long too!  :-)

You are already in the hands of specialists, might not get any help from non-professionals, but here's my shot.

You have likely yo - yo dieted  ( as have we all) which slows your metabolism dramatically, but have been checked by doctors to rule out things like hypothyroidism, PCOS, Metabolic Syndrome, etc etc. You also were a Band first, then Sleeve revision- that has also led to slower losses the second time around from what I have read ( though I don't know of there is evidence based research to back that up).

There are things you about your metabolism that you can change, and things you can't - fact of life.

Things you CANNOT change:

-1- Your gender - males have higher metabolic rates than females. Sorry chicks.

-2- Your age - as we age, our metabolic rates slow. Has to do with hormones, lower muscle mass, etc. Sorry, seniors.

-3- Your genetics - people of a certain heritage have lower metabolic rates than others. 

Things you CAN change:

-4--Any medical issues ( see above, eg hypothyroidism, PCOS, Metabolic Syndrome, etc, etc)

-5- Your lean body mass - higher percentage of lean body mass ( ie muscle) burns more calories at rest AND at sleep - higher percent body fat has a lower metabolic rate.  A 150 lb person with 30% body fat burns fewer calories ALL DAY/NIGHT LONG than a 150 lb person with 20% body fat. So you must strength train - and weight lifting builds muscle only if you have sufficient protein intake to serve as a foundation for those protein building blocks ( amino acids). Building muscle also takes place during repair of fatigued muscle- so you must work on different muscle groups during the week, get sufficient SLEEP at night so that your muscles can repair when your natural Growth Hormone is highest ( the first few hours of sleep)- and boosting your protein before bedtime gives you the building blocks  for that muscle repair and growth ( good quality whey protein shake, within 2 hours of bedtime, eg).

-6-Avoid your body's ability to "cheat"  by getting sufficient calories - the body finds a way to survive no matter what- eg if you only give it 600 calories, it will find a way to survive on that and reduce its metabolic rate ( "starvation" mode). You should be aiming for 1200-1400 calories per day depending on your RMR ( and 1348 sounds really low - I'm 5'5", weight 135, have 17% body fat and mine was calculated at 2000-2600 cals per day depending on my workouts). Same thing with repetitive workouts - your body learns how to cheat with the same workout all the time, that's why the workouts get easier. So don't do the same cardio day after day- bike, jump rope, tae bo, swim, circuits, kickbox, basketball- or move your workout outside so that you are also fighting wind resistance, using balance, hills, etc. For strength training-  don't just lift weights-  do Pilates, Gravity machines, resistance bands, work against your own body weight with push ups and pull ups, or kettlebells. Also, have you ever incorporated HIIT- High Intensity Interval Training - it keeps your body from reaching "learning" a steady state exercise, and then "cheating" to do the same workout on fewer calories - 45 mins of HIIT burns 9X the sub-Q body fat as steady state cardio - so incorporate it twice weekly by joining a boot camp, circuit class with weights, or when you cycle/run/swim, build yourself up to 8 cycles of 1 minute sprint/3 minutes moderate effort/1 minute sprint/3 minutes moderate effort/ repeat til you get 8 cycles. I guarantee you will be beat doing 45 minutes of HIIT on the cycle, then comparing it to 45 mins of a steady state cycling routine.

-7-Types of food you eat- ALWAYS protein focused, never simple sugars on their own ( eg eat your strawberries with a handful of almonds or string cheese- use Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt- put natural peanut butter on the apple slices. Eat small meals frequently ( think of fueling a fire all day long by feeding it all day long and avoid that fire (= metabolism) dying out....like a diabetic eats. Choose low glycemic foods instead of high glycemic foods whenever possible to help avoid blood sugar spikes ( this is important to reduce cortisol and insulin spikes- these are "bad" hormones for weight loss and tend to be fat storers). Try to eat "whole", "clean", organic- the more processed the food, the less your body gains from it, and your body will crave more quantity of a lower quality food to try and get everything it needs. Everything you put in your mouth should give you bang for your buck- Greek yogurt gives you protein AND calcium, edamame gives you protein AND fiber, quinoa gives you protein, fiber AND phytonutrients ( see the protein protein protein?). I did give up bread rice and pasta during my loss phase and now find I don't miss it- instead I choose whole grains ( oatmeal, granola, quinoa, barley) - and when I do eat some of that stuff, it doesn't sit well- I feel bloated and almost nauseated.

-8-WATER - simply drinking your 64 oz + per day pf water can boost your metabolic rate, flush your body of toxins and waste products, improve your skin's elasticity and muscle function, and help avoid problems like kidney stones.

-9-VITAMINS- don't forget a Multi-Vite ( + iron ladies, if you are of menstruating age) and esp B complex daily-  because Vit B boosts your metabolism ( it is my new caffeine....).

I haven't posted in so very long because I am rarely on OH anymore- but I can say I lost quickly and have maintained effortlessly for over 2.5 years. I do have an interesting power point on Hormonal Control of Weight Loss that I found fascinating from one of our nutrition classes at the club- also one on Glycemic index and eating whole or clean- happy to email them to you if you PM me your personal email address.

Best of luck - XOXOLori

Aloha-

Went back to my written journals-
Lost 26 pre op ( over 6 months)- then 159 over the next 10 months and hit goal- then 14 more over the next  3 months for a total of 198 lbs. By that time my body fat was down to 17.4% and I was wearing a Small or size 6-8 bottoms, Small or 4-6 tops. After plastics, I lost inches of skin and now bottoms are a size 4, top a size 4. I actually tried to put some weight back on because I looked so haggard and wrinkly and my husband said I looked too thin- I bounce now between 135-139 ( lowest was 130) and am totally content here. The weight training builds so much muscle that people are surprised my weight is close to 140- and I wear a small size- but that shows what strength training does for you. A pound of fat and a pound of muscle both weight the same ( a pound!) but a pound of muscle fits into a smaller package so you wear smaller clothes- more dense than the fat.

Love that you are now a certified nutritionist- I feel EVERYONE would benefit from even basic nuitrition- knowing the difference between a simple carb and a complex carb, how simple sugars are metabolized by the body, low GI vs high GI foods, how eating like a diabetic ( small portions frequently, no simple sugars on their own. low GI over high GI) helps stabilize your blood glucose abnd keep your metabolic rate high.

You are an inspiration!!!! XOXOLori

Aloha Laura, great to hear from you! Tried to check your profile to see how plastics went but astoundlngly we never friended each other??? Is it so???? Hope you are well- XOOXLori

Good to see you too, Fawn- I still pop in occasionally and am grateful for all the help and support OH gave me early on and theough the past 3 years! You look terrific- fun, isn't it? For the first time in my entire life I feel attractive to my husband and confident when I go out. Sleeveless shirts are now my friend, as is fitted waist clothing- whoda thunk??? Be well- XOXOLori

Aloha Lina-
You must surely be enjoying the new body you have, and congrats for choosing to take control of your life earlier than I did- I was just too frightened of failure and in denial. I'm so thrilled to have had this technology available to me now so I don't lose any more time with my family, career, friends, and adventures!
Best of luck and continued success- XOLori

Aloha A-
I can't tell what revision you had, only offer encouragement and supp[ort that you did not give up and that there is still an option that will free you from the prison I was trapped in. Feel free to PM me if you want to ask any questions about the VSG or my current/past lifestyle- XOXOLori

Aloha E- My kids at 15 and 13 had never seen me this skinny- even in pictures...I'd been heavy their entire life. Your daughter will be stunned when she sees you at winter break, she might not recognize you! My son is leaving for college in the fall - he did his high school senior project on obesity and its impact on health, and came to many of my meetings and met many of my surgery sistahs- soon enough you'll be surfing WITH your daughter! Best of luck- XOLori

You are welcome, and congrats on your success, CCB! When I had the VSG there were very few people out past a few years, so I vowed that I'd come back and repost on every surgiversary even if I didn't need OH as much for support by then. This surgery gave me my life back, and if hearing my experiences helps someone else regain control of their life, all the better. Be well- XOXOLori

And continued great success to you, Bichon Mom! It appears that you are burning through your weight tracker as well- keep it up! XOXOLori

That bucket list has things I NEVER thought I'd be able to do because of my weight- like zip lining with my kids ( Lord, would I ever get below the 250 lb weight limit) and riding horses again ( haven't done that one yet!). You will find life opens up again and wonder why you didn't do this sooner! Continued success to you! XOXOLori

Ahhhh, Brandi! You look mmmmmmahvelous! Look at your muscles- boo yah, girl! I am rarely on OH these days, don't need it as much and I'm a sandwich generation kid with my dad-Alzheimer's- living alone -broke , a mother who needed us 24/7 after knee replacement surgery, and  2 kids still at home .....oh yeah, and work- but I was so shocked that I had let the 3 year mark go by without acknowledgement, I had to post! Keep up the good work, amiga! XOXOLori