Question:
HELP! I seem to be at a plateau? Could I not be eating enough?

I wanted to as someone about plateaus. I had my surgery May 21, approximately 4 1/2 months ago and I wanted to ask if anyone has hit a plateau. Last week I only lost 3 pounds and this week I haven't lost any. I exercise daily and I have been only trying to eat once a day and then it's usually just a small salad with a few pieces of grilled chicken. I even went a day and a half without eating at all but still the scale hasn't moved. Do you think I could be eating too little and I need to eat more to lose or should I just fast a few days or something? I have lost 85 pounds but still have a long way to go. Thank you, Stacey    — Stacey M. (posted on October 5, 2002)

October 4, 2002
It sounds like your body has gone into starvation mode. You should be getting in at least 600-800 calories a day - protein first...JR (open RNY 07/17 -84 lbs)
   — John Rushton

October 4, 2002
Sounds to me like you're not eating enough if you're only eating once a day consisting of salad and a few pieces of chicken. Try to eat at least twice a day (some days I eat twice, when I'm not so hungry; some days I eat three meals, usually closer to my period). And like the other poster said, try to eat from 600-800 calories per day. My surgery date was May 3rd and I've been on a plateau for over a week. I haven't lost a single pound. Have you been taking your measurements? I've lost quite a few inches, even when the pounds come off a bit slowly. :o)
   — Jennifer A.

October 4, 2002
Stacey, you answered your own question. Yes, you are not eating enough! Your body thinks you are trying to starve it and it will try to conserve as much as it can. The trick is to eat all the time! Food is fuel for your body to burn. Have several small meals each day, concentrating on protein, some veggies, fruit etc. For every plateau I was on, believe it or not, by adding an extra few hundred calories for a few days, it "tricked" the body into losing again.
   — Cindy R.

October 4, 2002
There is no way you are eating enough. Your body thinks it's starving and you are not getting the nurtition you need either. I eat three meals every day plus two or three high protein snacks. My surgeon told me at 10 weeks post-op that I should be getting between 1000-1400 calories a day if I wanted maximum weight loss. And, at least 40% of those calories should be protein. I get from 40-70 g of protein every day. By the way, I am 10 months post-op Open RNY and have lost over 150 pounds. I don't know for sure how many because I only weigh on my doctor's scales and I see him again tomorrow.
   — Patty_Butler

October 4, 2002
I have the same trouble not wanting to eat... but that has slowed my weight loss down considerably. You should print out your message and show it to your nutitionist; I think she/he would be stunned and concerned. Best wishes to you.
   — kultgirl

October 4, 2002
Eating once a day is not good and a habit I developed preop that I am trying to break myself out of now. You need to eat at least three times a day to maintain your blood sugar. I have passed out a couple of times from not eating.
   — Lisa N M.

October 4, 2002
You HAVE to eat to lose. You are making a hugh mistake when you starve yourself. Your body will go into starvation mode and hang on to the fat. I ate very little (didn't have an appetite) and was a slow loser, then when I got farther out my body hangs on to every bite, gaining is so easy. You need to eat regular healthy meals. You will lose so don't worry about that. Correct this now, I wished I would have. Good Luck!
   — ZZ S.

October 5, 2002
You really should eat more, but if this is one of your first plateaus...you are doing great! And 3 pounds a week at 4 1/2 months postop is not bad! The weight loss will slow down the further you get out from surgery no matter what you do. Starving yourself though, will lower your metabolism and cause you to gain weight on even smaller amounts of food. Be careful! I have to force myself to eat sometimes...but it is worth it. Good Luck to you. (open RNY 7/23/02 -60lbs)
   — Shawnie S.

October 5, 2002
As everyone said.. you're not eating enough.. but you're not eating often enough... you should eat a minimum of 4 times a day... meals and snacks... my dcotor and dietician recommend six times a day... if I manage four, I'm happy.. EVEN more importantly, you're not getting enough protein and you need that to lose as well... and water.. and exercise.. are you exercising? I wouldn't have any energy if I only ate once a day...If you need help keeping track of your calories and protein.. use fitday.com .. its a great place.. EAT MORE and MORE OFTEN! It will help.. it helped me... good luck!
   — Lisa C.

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