Question:
Is this a plateau or is my window closed?
I am almost 17 months post op and haven't moved from 170 pounds in 4 months. I have at least 30 more pounds to go and am scared that this is it. Has anyone been able to lose approximately that much to get to goal, beyond the 18- month window of opportunity? What do I need to do? I'm desperate and panicking. — dandjon (posted on January 19, 2003)
January 19, 2003
I am not as far post op as your are but when I visited my surgeon this past
week for a follow up this is what he told me...I had told him that I was
hoping to get down to 150lbs or so and he said don't be surprised if your
body decides to stop losing weight around 160 or 170. Your body is going
to stop when it is ready to stop and unless you are going to push it with a
huge amount of exercise he said that I might just have to be happy with 160
or 170. So, it is possible that your body might be ready to stop losing
weight. But I think that nobodys window ever really closes and its up to
us to keep it open with exercise and a good diet. Good luck to you and
just remember how happy you would have been to weigh 170 before you had
your surgery! It sounds to me like you have done fantastically!!!!
— Jean T.
January 19, 2003
Donna, I'm 16months post op and have been on a plateau for 11weeks/4days
and counting. Not sure if I can be satisfied if I don't reach my docs
goal...even though I am thrilled and blessed to have lost 113lbs and gone
from 22/24's to 6/8's. Dates and weights are less important to me this far
out, but I know what you mean and feel that if I DO want to lose these last
22lbs, I'm going to have to be much more diligent, and get back on track
with my exercise routine. Best wishes to you.
— Denise W.
January 19, 2003
Congrats... now you are like the other 150 million americans who need to
lose 25 pounds! You are normal. Seriously, the last few pounds are the
toughest, but you need to look at how your diet has changed over the past
17 months. I bet you eat carbs now and larger portions of food. Recognize
that your diet and exercise habits have changed and go back to square one!
Remove ALL the carbs from your diet and start walking. You will get back on
the wagon... buckle down and the scale will move again. It will take you
just a few weeks...then you can slide back into your maintenance mode
again. Your window isnt closed, you just have the blinds shut!
— SusanMaria
January 19, 2003
No no no. The rules of normal weight loss still apply. The window only
refers to the "easier" weightloss. However, if you eat fewer
calories than you burn, you will loose weight. You may need to shake things
up by changing or starting an exercise routine, changing eating tactics
(switch from low carb to low cal or vs. versa, for awhile). It can be slow,
but it will happen. I'm 18 months post. It has taken me almost 3 months to
loose 12 lbs. That's slow! But it is still 12 lbs less than I used to be. I
have 9 more to go and if it takes 5 months...so be it. I average 1800 cal a
day, exercise 35-40 min 5X a week. I generally follow a low cal/fat diet,
but sometimes I switch to really low carb to get things moving again. I am
5'2.5" and currently weigh 134 (goal of 125 on account I'm soooo dang
short)Pry that window back open girl, it can be done! Best wishes. -Kim
open RNY 7/17/01 -158
— KimBo36
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