Question:
Help! Why am I not losing?

OK, all you long terms, I'm hoping you will advise. I lost twenty pounds in the first three weeks, but have since stopped losing. I'm now five weeks today, and I've lost no more. I try to get enough water, protein, take my vitamins, and walk three times a week. The problem is, I can eat a whole lot more than some of you folks at one year, even. Instead of the 1/4 baked potato, I can eat the whole thing. Instead of a few bites of tuna and crackers, I can eat the whole can! I have felt the cramps and nausea from certain things, so this makes me feel I had surgery, but other than that, I feel like nothing was done. If the first three months are the time we lose most, I'm doomed!! Please email me directly if you have further comments, such as a successful eating plan you've tried, etc. I'm desperate here. Thanks.    — Amy K. (posted on April 25, 2001)

April 24, 2001
Just because you CAN eat more doesn't mean you SHOULD! Eat 1/4 cup, then put the food away. Are you still hungry? ARE YOU SURE? If so, eat another 1/4 cup, then put the food away. Try to wait at least 2 hours before another meal. Don't drink anything for about 15 minutes before and an hour or so after a meal. Make sure you're getting at least 60 gm of protein supplement (whey is best absorbed) every day. Try that for a while and see what happens. Not everyone gets that "full" feeling, so portion control on a foundation of good nutrition is still the name of the game.
   — Linda B.

April 25, 2001
I am not a "long termer", in fact I don't even see the surgeon until next Tuesday. All that said, I have a theroy on plateaus. This is not scientific but my experience with weight loss and gain. I have lost and gained 100 pounds a few times in my life, and I can tell you when I will hit a plateau. It is not at a spcific time but rather at certain weights. My body, no matter if I am going up or down the scale, seems to stabalize for a few weeks or longer at certain weights before moving again. When I am loosing weight I call this a plateau. Even when I am eating right,drinking water, and exercising the scale won't budge When I am gaining weight I call this a grace period. I can eat anything I want and do nothing and I won't gain a pound. I know they don't last in either direction. Time seems to be the only solution. Try and think back to when you weighed this weight before. Were you stable there for a while? This just may be one of your body's plateau places. I know I will be looking for them. Hang in there.
   — rkndna

May 4, 2001
I'm having the same problem. I had surgery on March 26th, and lost 36 pounds in the first 4 weeks. For the past two weeks, I haven't lost a pound. However, the plateau coincides with a decrease in protein consumption (I was sick of eating nothing but protein, and my stomach can handle carbs and other things now) so that's probably the reason. Thanks to the rest of you for your responses. I'll increase my protein and, hopefully, I'll start losing again.
   — Shannon M.

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