Question:
HELP, I AM STUCK ON A TERRIBLE PLATEAU!!!
I AM 5 1/2 POST OP AND I HAVE LOST 65LBS BUT I HAVE BEEN ON A PLATEAU FOR OVER 1 MONTHS AND THE SCALES WON'T BUDGE. I KNOW THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN ASKED AND ANSWERED TONS. BUT I REALLY AM DESPERATE ANY SUGGESTIONS. — LIZ S. (posted on September 5, 2000)
September 5, 2000
Good Morning Liz, First of all let me congratulate you on your wonderful
weight loss, and secondly, please let me reassure you that this plateau
WILL eventually pass. I have come to consider myself the "Queen of
Plateaus" in the past several months, starting my first one at only 4
weeks post op, and many more since then, all lasting 2-3 weeks with only
minimal losses in between. Still, I've managed to lose 80# in just less
than 6 months in spite of them. Unless I miss my guess, I assume that
you've already read all the posted reasons "why" we have these
rotten plateaus but still they aren't much comfort when we're experiencing
them ourselves. And I'm sure you're scared that this will be the end of
your weight loss and that 65# loss will be all you're going to lose. Well,
sweetie, take heart. I truely understand what you're feeling...many, many
of us here understand because we've "been there-done that"
ourselves. I haven't found any "one thing" that will help break
a plateau, but persistance will eventually pay off. Take this time and
"honestly" (key word) re-evaluate your current eating and
exercise habits. Ask yourself if there is anything that you are now doing
(or not doing) that could be inhibiting your weight loss. Are you still
making sure you get in all your water daily? Are you becoming a tad lax in
your exercise? Are you allowing yourself a few "extra" calories
because you're not measuring your portions as accurately as you did
immediately post-op? I'm not "fussing" at you, I'm just sharing
with you how easy I've found it to overlook my own "inhibitors".
Take a step backward for a few days to kinda "start over" and
compare the way you're eating now to the way we ate when we first came home
from the hospital. I'm not saying to go back to eating just pureed foods
or a complete liquid diet, but we were VERY disciplined about the amounts
we put on our plate and VERY concientious about concentrating on getting in
all our proteins vs any and all other food we ate. We pushed ourselves to
exercise as much as we could even to the point of starting our walking
program in the halls of the hospital within the first day or so following
our surgery. Are you as "determined" now as you were then? Just
go back to the basics, Liz. Push the water, the protein and the exercise
and re-assure yourself that you're staying within the guidelines as
honestly as you can. Shake up your exercise routine a little...drop your
calories a little for a week or so...and try to balance your meals a little
better. But don't give up! Your body WILL respond. Let us know when the
plateau breaks...we're all here for you and pulling for you. Good luck
and God bless. cj
— cj T.
September 5, 2000
Hello. If CJ thinks she's Queen of Plateaus, then I must be the Princess
of Plateaus. I've been on several and I'm 5 months post op. They usually
last 3 weeks, although the last one lasted a little longer. But,
afterwards, my body just lets the pounds drop off. I had been losing only
about 2 pounds per week, but have lost 10 in the past 2 weeks. I agree
that you should be aware of what you are eating and make sure you are
drinking enough water or sugar-free liquids. I've lost 62 pounds, so we
are on the same track. Congrats on your loss. Best wishes.
— Cindy H.
September 5, 2000
Hello: I read your post and I was amazed how much it reminded me on mine
from 2 weeks ago. I was on a plateau for 8 long months and last month I
went to a wonderful nutritionist and he changed my meal plan. I have since
lost 24 pounds in the last 3 weeks. The first weight loss I have had since
December. I have reffered others to my meal plan and they have all writtne
me back to tell me how it has help them start to loose again as well. If
you would like to try it, it is on my website the addresss is
http://communities.msn.com/ObesitySupportGroup - I hope this helps you
because it sure has worked for me.
— anitawilson
September 5, 2000
I never was very good at exercise or psychology in obtaining my wt loss.
So, I have to do it all nutritionally. My suggestions would be the usual:
60g of protein supplement (not made with milk) per day, unless that's what
you've been doing, then go to 90g a day for 2 weeks. 3 drinks of 30g each,
not making any one drink bigger. 64 oz of water? Add 1 glass more a day
for 2 weeks. No milk, no sugar, no grazing, no drinking with meals. Sugar
limited ot 6g per MEAL, 5 or 6 tiny meals, not 3 big ones? That's all I
know how to do to get there. Seems to have worked for me as I got where I
was going and stayed here nearly 5 yrs.
— vitalady
September 5, 2000
Look for other things besides weight loss. Is the amount of your exercise
up. Are you walking more. Are you clothes looser. The weight will come off.
Sometimes the faster you lose the more harmful it is. My one doctor thinks
that a losing weight too fast caused me to have neoropathy or G-B syndrome.
He was happy when I hit a plateau
— snicklefritz
September 5, 2000
I haven't been on an "official" plateau but for the past two
months my weight loss has slowed to an absolute crawl (only five months
postop and have at least 140 lbs more to go!). I was averaging over 20 lbs
a month up until month 3 and then I slowed way down. I went up and down
with the same three lbs for a few weeks then finally the scale started to
move again, then stopped. I've only lost 12 lbs in the past two months and
it has made me more than a little bit frustrated. I think I've actually
lost a little more last month than I did the month before. That might be
because I started going to the gym and lifting weights in addition to
getting in more protein and drinking more water. It's probably the same
advice everyone else is giving! I know it can suck, but you just have to
be patient. Our bodies have been through MAJOR changes and need time to
adjust. Also, find a support group in your area. It helps just to talk
about it with people who understand. Good luck!
— Kellie L.
September 19, 2000
I'm going through this as well. I lost 65 lbs in the six weeks post-op,
then nothing for the last week and a half. On top of that I started
exercising about the time I started to plateau. Why? Well, I think I've
figured it out. I picked up a copy of Covert Bailey's "Smart
Exercise" because he's fun to read and a few things hit me. 1) When
your body feels starved (ie . . . less than 1200 calories a day) it
responds by lowering metabolic functions. This isn't the run of the mill
"my metabolism is slow so that's why I'm overweight" argument,
it's simply the bodies way of dealing with starvation. 2) One of your main
metabolisms (you have more than one) is your digestive metabolism, which
for the most part you aren't using at all.
I was glad to read all this, because the plateau made me wonder what was
up. Here I am interval training with a 15 min walk and 15 minute jog on a
daily basis and I'm staying in the exact same place! The simple fact is,
my body is scared, and I don't blame it. But it can't hold out forever and
inevitably I'll start losing again, even if I have to walk three hours a
day to make it happen it's simple math: caloric outgo - caloric intake =
weight loss.
My newest trick will be to train both anaerobic and aerobic to maximize the
muscles and oxygenate the body. I'm hoping that it will work.
I'd highly suggest reading the book, it's easy to read and really explains
the concepts behind your metabolism, calories and how your muscles deal
with it all.
— Michael B.
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