Question:
I'M DESPERATE- Can anyone tell me how to break a plateau?? I am 4 1/2 mos. post op
from open RNY and down 78lbs. I have been at the same weight for almost 3 weeks now, and am going CRAZY. I feel like I am able to eat more now, and am so scared that I blowing it - I get sick on tuna, chicken, and some other protein that used to go down fine. I drink 2 adkins advantage ready to drink shakes a day (20 GRAMS PROTEIN EACH) and believe it or not, eat the cheese topping off of frozen pizza about every other day, along with yogurt, nuts, etc. Is the pizza tripping me up, even though I never eat the crust? Any ideas?? By the way, it's very strange but people seem to think I'm getting thinner everyday!! I feel almost guilty taking their compliments when I KNOW I haven't lost anything in so long. HELP — Julie G. (posted on September 10, 2003)
September 10, 2003
You're shrinking--are you losing inches?
— who A.
September 10, 2003
Take one day at a time. Alot of people go thru depression after having
this major surgery. I was one of those people. It took me a long time to
be able to eat chicken, or any kind of meat products. I am now out 18
months and have lost 131 pounds down from 259 when I started. There are
alot of good protein drinks out their. Pizza to this day I have a very
hard time handling. You will get there, in time. This is just a quick
mental challenge that you will over come. I wish you the best on your new
life, the compliments you are receiving(because you will receive a lot,
just welcome them)..Long health, and happiness.
— Anita D.
September 10, 2003
If you are eating the toppings off a whole frozen 12" pizza then I
personally think it is too much. I sometimes get 2 slices of Fazoli's
pizza to go and eat the toppings and that's all I can eat.
<p>There are a couple of things possibly going on. To much pizza
topping, nuts are high in fat so limit them, check the amount of carbs in
your protein drinks and also your yogurt. These can all add up to too
much. What other kinds of protein are you getting in? If you continue to
have problems with denser protein tell your surgeon as your stoma may have
closed down slightly creating the problem. Try things like cottage cheese,
fat free refried beans with cheese, I make Manwhich with ground round, try
shrimp and other fish, deli meats, eggs in many forms. Just work on
getting some more protein and make sure you are getting the water in also.
I assume you are doing some exercise also, try bumping that up a level
also.
— zoedogcbr
September 10, 2003
Hi Julie. You are just ahead of me in the game, I'm 4 months post op
tomorrow. I think you're doing fine. I know of others that said during
month 4, they didn't lose a single pound but they are at goal and look
great now. As for the pizza, don't worry about that. In the scheme of
things, that's very little food and if all you're doing is that plus the
atkins shakes, you are not consuming many calories in a day. I too went
through a 2 week plateau recently and it is notoriously the two weeks
before my period, but start dropping rapidly once I'm off. Don't worry,
this too shall pass. Congrats! Lisa A. 291/207/150
-84lbs.
— Happy I.
September 10, 2003
Oh....chill...breathe....ok...exhale. Now. Get used to it cause you just
may not lose something every week. Your common sense should tell you that
you're still not eating anywhere near the quantity you did as a pre-op so
you have nothing to do but lose in these early stages. You're doing fine.
Didn't hear you say anything about exercise but do that too...water also.
Anyway, at about 4 months out I noticed that I lost nothing for 3 weeks
then lost 8-10 during my period. That was pretty weird but it was my
pattern that lasted during the main weight loss stage. Anyway, do what you
can to maximize your loss and develop habits so that when you get to the
stage where you're not losing (and believe me this isn't one of them) --
like when you're 12 months out and you still lose every 3 weeks but it's a
1/2 pound or a pound -- you're maximizing your loss. Exercise is the key.
Good luck and God bless! Kim -- 2+ years out, at goal, and went thru all
the stuff you're stressing about, and still lost it all.
— Kimberly L.
September 10, 2003
Very interesting. I'm in my 4th Month too, I'm down 56 pounds and haven't
lost anything in ages! I know its normal, but I don't gotta like it!
— lorien
September 10, 2003
It's the end result that counts - healthier living, not whether you
plateaued at 4 1/2 months and 7 months, etc. I started with about the same
BMI as you and at 4 1/2 months post I lost 78 pounds as well. Now at almost
11 months post op, I've lost 122 pounds. Just keep with the program and put
the scale away. About the compliments, don't feel guilty. I get more
compliments when I'm on a plateau, too. Weird, I know.
— Yolanda J.
September 10, 2003
The plateaus start about this time so get used to it. When you least
expect it you will get on the scale and see
a big difference so ya just got to weight (wait) ha ha.. it out. I'm 7
months out and going through the longest time of not losing... it is
driving me crazy...
— Rhonda S.
September 10, 2003
Hi.You sound like me - alot. I'm 1year out, down 160lbs...everytime I hit a
plateau (3 or 4 times this last year) I would CHANGE something....ie triple
my water, or add a day of exercise, or CUT OUT a day of excercise, or eat
MORE (believe it or not) Don't worry (yea, right - easier said than done, I
KNOW!)good luck!!!!
— Debby M.
September 11, 2003
If you want to break a plateau, up your water past 64 oz and vary your food
routine. THe water helps break up lazy little fat cells.
— snicklefritz
September 11, 2003
You've lost almost 20 pounds per month which is great!!! My longest
plateau lasted 6 weeks. I just continued to do what I was doing and once
my body and mind got caught up with each other, I started losing again. It
will happen to you too. Just give it time.
— Patty H.
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