Stall so early! frustrated and depressed. PLS HELP!!!

im really frustrated guys. im 2mo and 2 days out. and im down 42lbs from my surgery of weight (356) however i have hit a stall. my weight loss has slowed down sooo much. I rationally know that 42lbs is good. however i didnt do this surgery to get off  lil bit  of weight off. i have ALOT of excess weight to loose. my goal is between 180-150lbs and i want to reach that.  I mean i started out 370 and most ppl who start out this heavy loose alot early on. i feel like im genarally doing  the right things but the loss is not happening. it took me 2 weeks to get from 320 to 314 and ive been going been at this weight for over a week now. its soo frustrating! im starting to feel like im failing at this.  the negative voice in my head is starting to creap up more and more that im gonna be fat for the rest of my life and i may just need to face it.  im trying not to secumb to that voice...i refuse to go through all this crap...pre op steps and surgery not to be successful...but those thoughts are REALLY getting to me im so scared that im not gonna loose. ive noticed that my frustration is making me not motivated to exercise like i started out doing.  ive started snacking a bit more. im getting to that point where im feeling like giving up. i dont want to be fat for ever.  i know this is not magic...but its so frustrating that the scale isnt really moving down. I am also starting to get really depressed pls help!

Alright, Kago, step away from the scale and no one will get hurt.  Trust me on this one.  Very few of us lost consistently week after week, month after month.  Our bodies just don't work that way.  You are going to hit stalls and plateaus along the way; it's just how your body works.   When I was early out, I did not keep track of my weight on a daily basis, although I do that now to keep myself on track.  For about the first 10 months after my surgery, I decided that I would think I was doing alright as long as I was consistently losing weight over 4-week periods.  So as long as I weighed less than I did 4 weeks ago, I was doing great.  When my weight loss started to slow down at 10-12 months, I started using a longer time period - more like 6-8 weeks - to gauge my progress.   I understand the fear - we've all been there.  We've all tried and failed.  Over, and over, and over again.  But this time is different; you've been given a fantastic tool that will help you overcome being super morbidly obese.  DO NOT GIVE UP.  Do not give in to the temptation to go back to old habits - snacking, grazing, processed carbs, etc.  Stick with your plan.  Get back to your exercises - in my opinion, exercise if key to long-term weight loss maintenance.  (Of course, that's because I still like to eat, therefore I must exercise to burn off enough calories, so I can eat at a level I'm comfortable with!).   So again I say, step away from the scale.  Keep eating your protein, drinking non-caffeinated fluids, and get back to that exercise plan!!!!  And let us know how you're doing - join in the daily exercise post from Kix and the daily food post from Jenn if that'll help.  But stick with it, Kago, it's gonna work this time!!!!! {{{{{hugs}}}}} Kellie

Thanks Kellie, im gonna get better with posting on the daily exercise post and the food post.. i think thats something that will keep me accountable for my exercise and food actions.

Hi Kago, Been there, done that! Stinking thinking is a specialty for all of us. But think realistically. If you keep doing what you were doing since surgery the weight WILL come off. It's already done that. So if you go back to your old habits, what will happen? The opposite!! Of course you get discouraged, we all do. But this is not an easy or quick fix. Heard that one before, huh? So, here's some support coming your way, and I'm also sending some relaxation into the process as well. I totally agree with Kellie about the scale. It helped me a lot and I still do it. Also, I used times like yours to prove to myself I could make the needed mental and eating habits, and that the process wasn't just about weight loss. It was how I got to really trust my pouch/tool to be there for me if I allowed it to. This can be hard to do, since we have learned to use eating for control, and when we don't lose like we expect to (usually from irrational plan only WE came up with), we need to grab control somewhere. So, back to food we go. But I promise you one thing. Using overeating to get back at your body for not losing enough fast enough, is like what? Fill in the blank, since I rot at analogies :) But you get my drift. Breathe, keep focused regardless of the reward, since it WILL come, on it's own terms. Truly, this process is about changing our lives, and the weight loss is only one side effect of that change. Hugs to you, Julie

Thanks Julie, I knew this was not a quick fix...but girl im sure comprehending so much now. Girl thanks for sending the relaxation my way. i really needed it. i tried to get away from everything so i visited a friend and we played cards and watched a movie....got my mind to focus on other stuff.  You are so right over eating and not following directions will get me stright where i dont want to be...so im gonna keep that in mind when the lil cravings or frustrations come.

I know everyone will say this, but yes, it is perfectly normal. I hit a 6 week stall at about 2 months ( I had lost 28 pounds by then) that just about did me in! I finally gave my scale to my neighbor - then at about 8 weeks I stepped back on and was shocked at home much I had lost! It was a good lesson in patience. And here I am, 1 year and 5 months later, and I've lost 200 pounds. Like Kellie said, step away from the scale! Hide it, give it to someone, destroy it... whatever you need to do. It will save your sanity We've all been there and yup, it is so frustrating. But just keep doing what you have been doing and start taking deep breaths when you stress about it - it does help Big hugs Pam

Thanks Pam im so joined to the hip to the scale. The funny thing is my first few weeks i didnt want to get a scale but i some how bought one and since then ive been on it at least twice a day. i guess i do it beacuse i use it to stay on track...like if i do gain i catch it before it goes beyond few lbs....but now its becoming an unhealthy habit so im gonna have to ween my self off of it. You stalled too? wow kinda makes me feel relived....not that you stalled...but just knowing that you and alot of others who have been very successful and that i look up to alot on here have also expeirenced stalls this early out. It gives me alota hope that this mess too shall pass.

I stalled for all of month 2.  Most people stall for the first time in month 2 or month 3.  Its a stall, that's all it is.  Don't read anything else into it about failure or anything.  You are going to have stalls plain and simple.  They are frustrating, irritating, terrifying, etc.  They will bring out all kinds of nasty emotions.  The way I see it you have 3 options. 1.  Hide the scale and live in happy oblivion (I couldn't do that I am not that strong). 2.  Start up all the old habits because your emotions are in knots and then it will really turn out that you had your guts rearranged for nothing 3.  Accept it, i.e. suck it up and deal (my method of choice) - your body needs to do what it needs to do, you can't control it.  All you can control is what goes in to your mouth and how much you exercise.  Use this time to learn about making good food decisions and healthy life choices.  This journey is about so much more than losing weight, and I don't think you realize that until you are in the middle of it dealing with some complex emotions.  Follow your doctors orders, eat your protein, drink your water, take your vitamins, try to be healthy, and wait.  You will lose more weight, but its going to be on your body's terms.  (And if you are anything like me they will be too slow for you no matter how fast you are losing).  Its gonna be ok!  Hugs, Jenn

Thanks Jenn, I take option number 1 and 3! lol. Im gonna ween off the scale...at least try to get to the point where my weighings is not driving me nuts.  I am also gonna work on accepting this and focusing on the healthy choices

Hey there, just so you know I have been following you very closing and reading your profile and your posts and have thought many times about how well you were doing with your exercise so early out and your food choices. I can't tell you how to feel but I can tell you that its the same feelings many of us have and it will pass as you continue to lose and you will just keep doing what you have been.  venting is ok too, I know it always helps me :) Estelle