8 months out and at stall.

[pinkhonda76]

im about 8 moths post op and haven't lost anything in about a month. im almost at my goal about 20 pds shy off it. what should i do? could this be it? i want to get my mommy makeover next month but im scared i wont reach my goal or even 140 which is 17 pds to go.. has anyone stopped loosing after the 8 months? im feeling desperate here .please help me ! thanks

[cindymarguerite]

it's perfectly normal! people will typically stall 5 or 6 months out as the body recovers from all that rapid weight loss. now instead of losing 10 pounds a month you'll probably lose 2-5 and stall frequently. it's natural- don't worry about it. just keep exercising and eating right and you will reach your goal slowly but surely- which is also the healthy way.

[Dana]

Yes, it seems to be a trend. . I'd love to hear from someone a year or more out to see how they did at 6-9 months. I'm thinking I'm just getting lax with my eating. If that's not my problem I'd love to know that.

[RussianBlue_x2]

im about 8 moths post op and haven't lost anything in about a month. im almost at my goal about 20 pds shy off it. what should i do? could this be it? i want to get my mommy makeover next month but im scared i wont reach my goal or even 140 which is 17 pds to go.. has anyone stopped loosing after the 8 months? im feeling desperate here .please help me ! thanks

Try journaling everything you eat for a few days on one of the websites, if you don't already - this can be very enlightening. You can also journal your exercise, which you may need to increase. Hang in there, up the exercise, track foods - you can get past the plateau!

[Heart on my Sleeve]

I've seen on you tube where a lot of sleevers do the "5 day pouch test" that seems to kick them back into losing.

[Susan Y]

Be grateful for what you have lost. I also had my sleeve 8 months ago. I started at 279 and I am just now at 239 and that is only because I have TMJ for the last 2 weeks and have not been eating. I lost most of my weight the first month. I went from May-July only losing 4 pounds. Then I went from Sept 26 to December before I lost another 2 pounds. It is slow and frustrating, but at least I am 50 pounds lighter (I lost 10 pounds before I had the sleeve) than I was last year at this time.
Hang in there, you are doing great!

[lshepler]

I didn't hit any stalls until I started cycling more...burning tons of calories. I think my body freaked out because I wasn't eating enough. For the longest time, the scale wouldn't budge unless I forced myself to eat more. Not less. I'm just now at a point where the scale is starting to make sense. If I consume more carbs, the scale doesn't move. But if I bump up the protein, I inevitably have less room for other things like carbs, and the scale moves again. Carbs seem to really be the key. Watch those, bump up the protein and stay moderately active. If you're doing that, the scale will move again. It has no choice!

[UK Tim]

I have TMJ for the last 2 weeks and have not been eating.

What pray is TMJ? Test match jaundice? I didn't think you N Americans played cricket...

[UK Tim]

I have TMJ for the last 2 weeks and have not been eating.

What pray is TMJ? Test match jaundice? I didn't think you N Americans played cricket...

[Susan Y]

Temporal Mandibular joint--The joint just below your ear. It becomes irritated and you feel like you have a severe toothache in all the teeth on that side of your mouth. I hope you never get it.

[jane_vsg_ayla]

I agree with everyone of course I think most people hit 6 or 8 months out and surgery is a bit of a memory. All the hard times getting a few teaspoons down are vague distant memories... and though we still cant eat much we can certainly eat more, and we can eat things we shouldnt. Also I think a bit of it (at least for me) is just pure cockiness You start feeling a bit invincible... like I lost all this weight so one cookie wont change that! Or heck, I am eating so little this eggnog isnt going to stop my weight loss... You start thinking you can do what you want and not gain it back... You slack off on protein, water, exercise, portions, etc. It happens so gradual you dont really notice!

6 months out and I have noticed that (1) I am not as strict as I was before about protein and calories and carbs - life kind of got back to "normal" and I slacked off, and (2) I can of course eat more than I used to. The funny thing is I dont need to - I still find myself eating out of boredom or habit to fill my time or my hands or my mouth. One of those head issues I havent fully mastered. So my "new years resolution" is NOT going to be to lose weight this year It is going to be (1) getting at least 60g protein a day (probably should have more than that but since I havent been hitting that I am starting there!), (2) drink at least 48oz of a water-like substance (again, should be more but will let that be my 4th of july resolution), (3) Keep track for the full month of Jan of everything that goes into my mouth in myfitnesspal or livestrong or something (I think I quit because it takes time and I think I cant do this forever, so if I only promise for one month, I should be able to manage that), (4) find something else to do with my mouth and hands and time! Distraction really works well for me to keep me from wandering into the kitchen just to "see" what has changed since the last time I wandered in there. So I think I will set a goal of getting all my pictures organized and family website up to date by the end of Feb. That should put a little pressure on me and give me something to do when I think I am wandering... and (5) figure out some form of exercise I can live with given my schedule and couch-potatoey-ness :-) I think I want to do the Muddy-Buddy race sometime in May or June, so maybe will plan something leading up to that (because I am incapable of exercising without a "higher" purpose than just getting exercise!)

My hope, of course, is that the combination of being more aware of what I am eating, getting more protein and water, cutting out the mindless eating and stepping up the exercise will kick start some weight loss... but that is NOT my goal, since I cant really "control" that (I.e. I cant "will" myself to lose weight! But I can certainly get off my ass and do these other things!) so there is no chance of "failure" unless I dont do these things that are perfectly within my control (and just pray the weightloss gods smile on me at the same time.... ).

[pinkhonda76]

well i guess it's normal then i really thought i was done loosing. i am very greatful of what i have lost. i just need to make my mommy makeover appt and wanted to make sure im gonna be able to loose atleast 15 more pounds.i have not been doing what im suppose to i need to get back to my excercising and my protein intake is very poor. i got sick of the shakes. ill go a few times a weel and grab a smoothie with whey protein but im sure that;s not enough. what should i eat to get my protein in? im so over the shakes i gag when i think of it(lol). i had hit 154 and when i checked again i was back at 157 again i been that for like 5 weeks now.

[Juney]

I didn't hit any stalls until I started cycling more...burning tons of calories. I think my body freaked out because I wasn't eating enough. For the longest time, the scale wouldn't budge unless I forced myself to eat more. Not less. I'm just now at a point where the scale is starting to make sense. If I consume more carbs, the scale doesn't move. But if I bump up the protein, I inevitably have less room for other things like carbs, and the scale moves again. Carbs seem to really be the key. Watch those, bump up the protein and stay moderately active. If you're doing that, the scale will move again. It has no choice!

This is exactly what I have been wondering, am I eating too little? I have also started exercising, as previously I was a couch potato :-) My calories are usually around the 1000 mark, and I know some people say you need to stick to 800 calories, but I think as well as being unhealthy, it's not what I had surgery for. I wanted to be able to eat like a normal person, and stop obsessing about food, and to stick to 800 calories I think is obsessive. I know it has worked for some, so I'm not knocking it, I just think it's not for me. My weight loss has been slow, but I don't have the loose skin I had last time I lost weight in 2003. My boobs aren't nearly as bad either. I want to lose another 2 stone (28lbs), and if it is slow then so be it. I haven't lost anything now for about 5 weeks, but with my calorie intake I really should be losing. Interestingly enough, I looked up my basal metabolic rate, i.e. the calories you would use if you laid in bed all day just breathing and pumping blood round your body, and mine said 1589 calories a day. So at 1000 I should be losing. I know pre op I would have lost weight on the amount of food I'm eating, so I need to be patient and wait for it to happen. On a positive though, my hair has stopped shedding, and I have about an inch regrowth (I am 6 months out, and started losing hair at 3 months). It's great to feel happy on 1000 calories a day though, I love my sleeve xxx

[lshepler]

Your body truly does not know what to do with so few calories. Try upping it a bit (then it at least thinks "hey I'm not starving anymore") and see what happens. Just remember that when you get closer to your goal you WILL have to readjust. It is very counterintuitive to eat MORE to lose more, but that is exactly what happened to me. And it makes sense. Our bodies are designed to conserve energy if it thinks it's starving. Let me know how it goes!
Lisa

This is exactly what I have been wondering, am I eating too little? I have also started exercising, as previously I was a couch potato :-) My calories are usually around the 1000 mark, and I know some people say you need to stick to 800 calories, but I think as well as being unhealthy, it's not what I had surgery for. I wanted to be able to eat like a normal person, and stop obsessing about food, and to stick to 800 calories I think is obsessive. I know it has worked for some, so I'm not knocking it, I just think it's not for me. My weight loss has been slow, but I don't have the loose skin I had last time I lost weight in 2003. My boobs aren't nearly as bad either. I want to lose another 2 stone (28lbs), and if it is slow then so be it. I haven't lost anything now for about 5 weeks, but with my calorie intake I really should be losing. Interestingly enough, I looked up my basal metabolic rate, i.e. the calories you would use if you laid in bed all day just breathing and pumping blood round your body, and mine said 1589 calories a day. So at 1000 I should be losing. I know pre op I would have lost weight on the amount of food I'm eating, so I need to be patient and wait for it to happen. On a positive though, my hair has stopped shedding, and I have about an inch regrowth (I am 6 months out, and started losing hair at 3 months). It's great to feel happy on 1000 calories a day though, I love my sleeve xxx