Is my stall normal?

Hey guys.  Thanks for getting me back on track after my last post about starting to eat things I shouldn't be eating.  I am nearly 8 weeks out now.  I have been really diligent over the last 2 weeks with my eating.  I have been averaging 800-1000 calories per day with 70-90 g protein.  I have started eating some carbs, but this is mostly veggies and whole-grain, high protein bread (no more than 2 slices/day).  Yet, I am only losing about 2# per week.  I know I am not getting "enough" exercise, but I am getting some in.  I am pleased with having lost 65# but not pleased that 50# of that was in January and only 15# in February.  OK, so I already know I need to ramp up the exercise, but otherwise, does anyone have any more suggestions?  Is this just normal?  I know plateaus occur, but this seems to be lingering.

Thanks in advance,
Merlin

YOU ARE DOING GREAT !!  If you are losing 2# per week you are not on a plateau, you are losing 2# per week, 104# per year.  I don't know how often you are weighing yourself, but I suggest that for the first 6 months you only get weighed by your doctor at the 3 month and 6 month appointments.  The scale is for maintenance and you are a long way from there.  Weighing yourself every day will drive you crazy. 

Follow your Doctors plan and the weight will come off.  Everyone's body handles this at different speeds so you can not compare yourself to anyone else.  Again, stay off of the scale.

Hey Magic,

It isn't necessarily called a plateau unless you stop losing anything for a 6 week period.  Well, that's according to my doctor.  Losing 2 pounds per week is nothing to be upset about.  Your weight loss will slow down as you go along the way, but it will come up.  Just stick to the rules that your doctor put you on and you'll do great.  Don't get frustrated.  Sounds like you're right where you should be.  You'll be surprised one day you'll step on the scale and you dropped another 5 or 10 in any given week.   Hang in there!

I never weighed myself regularly while I was gaining weight, so I wasn't ready to weigh myself on a regular basis as I started to lose the weight.  Of course, part of the reason for my decision is that I was too heavy to be weighed on a home scale.  I know that years ago I was in OA and they recommended getting weighed once a month.  Once I got the WLS, I only got weighed at the surgeon's.  Later I found a doc's office near me that has a scale with integrated rails for holding on and I'd occasionally get weighed there.

Since reading Beck's, she advises getting weighed daily but I just can't get my head around that.  I'm still too heavy for a normal bathroom scale.  I found that my cardiologist's office has a scale I can get on easily, so I now get weighed weekly.  I've been losing weight steadily and should soon weigh low enough to be able to use the bathroom scale.  But, I like the weekly trip to the office scale to weigh myself and anticipate continuing that practice.  I've been consistently losing more than 3 lbs a week, but I'd be satisfied with any weight loss.  I haven't been doing much exercise yet.  My knees are starting to feel better and I anticipate starting some cardio--mostly walking soon.

Furthermore, I do know that it is normal to vary you weight loss week to week as your body holds onto fluids as you are losing weight.  You may find yourself losing 2 lbs one week, 1 lb, or even nothing on another.  It's even possible to gain a lb even though you follow your food plan, get in your water and protein, and do your exercise.  Don't despair.  The following week you'll probably jump start your weight loss again.  We don't know why our bodies work like this but it has been observed as being normal. 

Keep up the good work!

I agree , let your Doc weigh u . You're to eaqrly out to worry about stalls.  If you are losing then you're not stalling. EXERCISE is as important as eating and sleeping.  Its important to make that a part of your new life

I would break a stall with hard physical work.  For some reason exercise would cause my body to hold onto the weight.  Hard physical work; (working the yard, cleaning the car (inside and out), repairs, walking to the store...would cause the weight drop.

I agree with others. 2 pounds a week is steady Eddy! That means you are doing it right! There have been some math calculations - I don't know what they are - that say to lose 1 pound a week you need to burn xx number of calories more than you take in. When you start looking at it from that perspective - you are doing great work! Any loss is good - and 104 pounds a year is amazing!

Keep in mind also that your body is reconfiguring its mass all the time. A few weeks of no loss is relatively normal. Especially if your calories and exercise are not quite in synch. I noticed when I concentrated on getting all of my protein, my calories went up - thus slowing my weight loss. I had to increase activity to compensate. Its a balancing act, and you will find what works for you. But you should be doing cartwheels with 2 lbs a week!