over 1 year post op - stuck in a rut

 Hey(: I haven't posted on here in awhile.. But I could use some advice.

I had surgery 3 days before I turned 16 in August 2011. It's been over a year. I'm down almost 100 pounds. But I've been stuck at 195 and got caught in a rut for awhile.. I wasn't exercising or getting enough fluids.

So i'm trying to start back up exercising.. The diet hasn't been a problem at all. Diet is good. I've amped up my fluids. I haven't gained anything.. I just.. haven't lost, either. 

But my problem is it hurts to exersize. Any cardio whatsoever aside from fast walking is irritating and I honestly have to stop whatever i'm doing and just walk because of the skin.. Walking never got me anywhere before. I know I need more intense cardio but I don't know what to do.

I still have 55pounds to go before I"m at my goal weight so my surgeon won't send a plastics referral yet (although he says he will once i'm 18 months out... That's in February 2013)..

Any advice on how to deal with this untill then? I really want to lose the 55 pounds and what not but I know that will be impossible without more aerobics.

What do you think? Should i get compression-garments/clothes/whatever or something? I don't have a lot of money... I'm 17 with no job (yet.. I have an interview next week.) so it'd need to be cheap i guess.

Thanks in advance. (:

-ashley.

okay i'm sure you dr has told this already. It is harder to lose weight now because you have lost so much. Try doing water areobics and walking because the FAT WILL FLOAT!! IF you can't do that then SWIM... with it being winter you could get in a hot tub and work out wear 10lb weights on your ankles and march in place in the hot tub or find an indoor pool. WEAR compression garments double up for stronger hold while you workout. Try doing one week of your pre-op liquid diet to jump start your weight loss again. remember this is normal. I understand about the skin I have the same problem and ive not even had my surgery yet but i have lost 135lbs on my own. So I know about the skin. WATER EXCERISE works amazingly. GOOD luck on your 60lbs and keep us updated with pics before and after too.

I have to wear compression garment (for hernia in a piece of loose skin on my stomach).Just see to it that it is firm but not too tight.

If thats what it will take to lose the 50 something,then get it.We have to exercise unless it is medically impossible.

But you can also do different exercises that is not specifically airobic.

Just exercise! (I said that to myself now too as I get super,super lazy sometimes..lol)

How about a dance class or something like that? Something that isn't directly aerobic exercise and maybe would be fun too.

Hi Ashley! Congrats on your 100 pounds. Thats an awesome achievement!

Now lets figure out how to get you to goal. Aerobics are not necessary. Wheelchair bound people lise weight successfully. My surgeon insists that it's what we eat, not the exercise that gets us to goal. At one year I had 25 pounds left to lose so I know that getting off more is possible. I walked my way to goal along with Pilates.

You say your diet is good, and I'm sure it is. But let's play along here. Are you tracking your food in myfitnessplan or another program? Myfitnesspal is free if you aren't already. I track my protein, calories and carbs. To shed the last 25 pounds I had to keep my calories around 1000 with carbs under 40. I'm old so your metabolism is probably working better than mine. Your numbers may be different. Can you give us an example of a few days of food please? We could make suggestions on how to adjust things for hopefully better results.

My exercise to get the weight off was a minimum of 1 hour a day. More when possible. Brisk walking is good exercise.

You can do this! Good luck on the job interview! Please feel free to PM me if you'd like.

Ive got at least 6" of heavy hanging skin from almost all parts of y body - 2 rolls on my stomach, my thighs, my arms, you name it. I'm also about to run 1/2 marathon next week - soooo, the moral of the story is - if there's a will, there's a way. Otherwise there's a 1001 excuses.

Compression garments are a must. It's the only way I can run/cycle/spin. Even with those though, I still get the "infamous" chub-rub, especially arms and thighs from just the sheer amount of skin that's hanging and chafing. So, ive taken up using body glide and other similar products to help with that. It's still not fun, and it's still annoying and painful, but it just has to do for now.

Ive started buying tank tops from Target/Walmart that are cheap from their active section and buy a size smaller and it does okay holding everything in even though it's not technically compression wear. Old Navy does have some good compression shorts/capris that are reasonable.

If you want to really get back to losing (and trust me, im just now breaking through a 3 month "stall" (ie maintenance lol) - buckle down, weigh/measure/track everything, commit to exercising, even walking - it might not seem like a lot, but it will help, get your protein, fluids

You are a big inspiration here to many - i'm definitely in awe of you - i KNOW you have what it takes, and sometimes it just takes a mental overhaul to get things back. It's easy to get complacent, to settle for "good enough", to get tired of the whole WL thing, BUT - if you really want to ditch the last 55 lbs, it will take some work, and I know you can do it.

Send me a PM with your size and I may have some workout clothes/compression clothes that could work since ive went through too many sizes.

Ashley, I just went though and read a lot of your blog. How cool that you are writing, particularly for other teens that are/will be facing the same challenges. As childhood obesity explode, more teens will seek surgery.

In looking at your food pics, I can tell you that I would gain or at best maintain from eating sandwiches. Know you're not eating much, and pulling off the bread. I wonder if you might be willing to do an experiment and stay out of fast food (I know that's asking a lot from a teen!), and to forego the bread and eat the guts of the sandwiches, just for two weeks to see if the scale might budge.

That said, you are a teen and I'm sure that your surgeon and nutritionist have given you carb guidelines to follow. If you are honestly in your carb range, talk to them and see if they might be willing to lower your carb numbers. For me, tat honest look at my carb levels was vital to me getting to goal. You will get a ton of different advice from a bunch of Internet strangers(like me!). So talk to your doctors.

Get those clothes from Alison! What a generous offer.

Congrats on the fantastic loss!

Compression garments will make things much easier, but it's not impossible to exercise without them.  You can do weight and strength training without too much jiggling.  Planks, lunges, squats, lifts, flutter kicks, crunches, etc.  No equipment required and can be done just about anywhere.  With most of the exercises, you use your own body weight to create the tension.

Cardio will burn calories and it's good for your heart.  Building muscle will build your metabolism and help you burn more calories throughout the day.