Stalled weight loss and overeating

[kewhitmore]

How do you start losing again when you have had a stall for over 3 weeks? I lost before surgery and quickly after surgery, but have stalled. I am feeling discouraged about it and that leads me to emotional eating if I am not careful.

Also, I have eaten more than I should at times and am worried about stretching out my stomach.

Any suggestions? I don't want to have gone through surgery to fail.

 

[dianeseattle]

Most people have probably never held a animal's stomach in their hands. The organ is thick and tissue is woven. It's hard to cut, let alone stretch.

Stretching is not worth worrying about. Focus your concern on your compulsion to eat when you don't need it.

I lost 75 pounds, then stalled for months. By increasing movement, I lost 115 pounds over 14 months. Now I'm 14 years out and still can't overeat without extreme discomfort.

You didn't get fat overnight and you won't get thin that way either. True weight loss takes a long time and WLS is a great kickstart.

You're already aware you're an emotional eater. Focus on that. There are thousands of resources in books, film, Internet, groups. Find what works for you. You may even find you aren't as emotional as you think, but the gremlin is pretending you're responding to something that's not really there.

Youve taken the first step. Now get a blank journal and exorcize the demons by writing them OUT of your body.

Take physical control and the mind will follow. Stop allowing myth to override fact.

 

[KarenWV]

How do you start losing again when you have had a stall for over 3 weeks? I lost before surgery and quickly after surgery, but have stalled. I am feeling discouraged about it and that leads me to emotional eating if I am not careful.

Also, I have eaten more than I should at times and am worried about stretching out my stomach.

Any suggestions? I don't want to have gone through surgery to fail.

For what it's worth, like you I went through rapid wt loss at 1st, then stalled for the past 2 weeks. I def felt despair even though I knew to expect a stall several weeks after surgery from reading the multitude of past threads here.

I made up my mind (again after reading so many posts about concentrating on my health rather than just #s on the scale) to weigh myself once a week on Mondays. Today after a 2 week stall, I lost 3 lbs. I think seeing the scale move downward was a sweeter feeling after so much unnecessary worrying.

You have felt the "thrill of victory" everytime the numbers went down. Please don't give in to "the agony of defeat!" You will continue to be successful. You have come so far already. God Bless!

 

[Anne23]

Well said KarenWV!!!!

 

[Jniz]

Wow! Some wonderful responses!

 

[WazzuCoug]

How far post-op are you?

As Dianne said, there is little reason to be concerned about stomach stretching. It takes months, if not years of significant overeating volume to stretch it out. Practically everyone eats more than they should at times.

There are two important considerations with regard to overeating:

1. Why? What drove you to overeat? Emotions? Hunger? Stress? Boredom? Habit? Enjoyment?

2. How do you treat yourself after you overeat? Do you get down on yourself? Do you "punish" yourself by giving up and eating more or making bad food choices?

You should try to address both things and understand your triggers and learn how to recover after overeating. Forgive yourself and don't dwell on it.

Decide to make good choices moving forward and do the best you can. You'll slip up again sometime. Learn not to get down on yourself about it, but also be willing to dig into why you might make the decision in the first place. Consider professional help to talk through it, if necessary.

99% of the time, the battle with obesity, regardless if surgery is involved or not, is all about the food. Don't focus on the scale, focus on developing a new relationship with food that is positive, healthy, and sustainable for the long term. If you make good choices, good things will happen, regardless of what number is on that scale.

That number on the scale is just a representation of the Earth's gravitation pull on your body. Don't let it define you or your success in this process. I know there is a lot in this process that is centered around the scale and weight loss, but that should be secondary or tertiary to working on your health (mental and physical) and developing proper food choices. Make good choices habitual. It can be difficult for a while, but making good choices over and over can become your norm with some time.

You aren't alone in your struggles and don't feel like you are doing anything wrong or something that other people haven't experienced or gone through. We all have our strengths, weaknesses, and demons to deal with in this process.

Keep the faith, keep moving forward and try to dedicate yourself every day to build those habits so when you do reach your low weight point, you are in a good position to protect it for the long term.

 

[kewhitmore]

Most people have probably never held a animal's stomach in their hands. The organ is thick and tissue is woven. It's hard to cut, let alone stretch.

Stretching is not worth worrying about. Focus your concern on your compulsion to eat when you don't need it.

I lost 75 pounds, then stalled for months. By increasing movement, I lost 115 pounds over 14 months. Now I'm 14 years out and still can't overeat without extreme discomfort.

You didn't get fat overnight and you won't get thin that way either. True weight loss takes a long time and WLS is a great kickstart.

You're already aware you're an emotional eater. Focus on that. There are thousands of resources in books, film, Internet, groups. Find what works for you. You may even find you aren't as emotional as you think, but the gremlin is pretending you're responding to something that's not really there.

Youve taken the first step. Now get a blank journal and exorcize the demons by writing them OUT of your body.

Take physical control and the mind will follow. Stop allowing myth to override fact.

Most people have probably never held a animal's stomach in their hands. The organ is thick and tissue is woven. It's hard to cut, let alone stretch.

Stretching is not worth worrying about. Focus your concern on your compulsion to eat when you don't need it.

I lost 75 pounds, then stalled for months. By increasing movement, I lost 115 pounds over 14 months. Now I'm 14 years out and still can't overeat without extreme discomfort.

You didn't get fat overnight and you won't get thin that way either. True weight loss takes a long time and WLS is a great kickstart.

You're already aware you're an emotional eater. Focus on that. There are thousands of resources in books, film, Internet, groups. Find what works for you. You may even find you aren't as emotional as you think, but the gremlin is pretending you're responding to something that's not really there.

Youve taken the first step. Now get a blank journal and exorcize the demons by writing them OUT of your body.

Take physical control and the mind will follow. Stop allowing myth to override fact.

Thank you for the encouragement and reassurance. You have done amazingly and are an inspiration. I have a journal that is blank and now I will use it to help with this. Thanks again!

For what it's worth, like you I went through rapid wt loss at 1st, then stalled for the past 2 weeks. I def felt despair even though I knew to expect a stall several weeks after surgery from reading the multitude of past threads here.

I made up my mind (again after reading so many posts about concentrating on my health rather than just #s on the scale) to weigh myself once a week on Mondays. Today after a 2 week stall, I lost 3 lbs. I think seeing the scale move downward was a sweeter feeling after so much unnecessary worrying.

You have felt the "thrill of victory" everytime the numbers went down. Please don't give in to "the agony of defeat!" You will continue to be successful. You have come so far already. God Bless!

Thank you for the encouragement!

 

[kewhitmore]

How far post-op are you?

As Dianne said, there is little reason to be concerned about stomach stretching. It takes months, if not years of significant overeating volume to stretch it out. Practically everyone eats more than they should at times.

There are two important considerations with regard to overeating:

1. Why? What drove you to overeat? Emotions? Hunger? Stress? Boredom? Habit? Enjoyment?

2. How do you treat yourself after you overeat? Do you get down on yourself? Do you "punish" yourself by giving up and eating more or making bad food choices?

You should try to address both things and understand your triggers and learn how to recover after overeating. Forgive yourself and don't dwell on it.

Decide to make good choices moving forward and do the best you can. You'll slip up again sometime. Learn not to get down on yourself about it, but also be willing to dig into why you might make the decision in the first place. Consider professional help to talk through it, if necessary.

99% of the time, the battle with obesity, regardless if surgery is involved or not, is all about the food. Don't focus on the scale, focus on developing a new relationship with food that is positive, healthy, and sustainable for the long term. If you make good choices, good things will happen, regardless of what number is on that scale.

That number on the scale is just a representation of the Earth's gravitation pull on your body. Don't let it define you or your success in this process. I know there is a lot in this process that is centered around the scale and weight loss, but that should be secondary or tertiary to working on your health (mental and physical) and developing proper food choices. Make good choices habitual. It can be difficult for a while, but making good choices over and over can become your norm with some time.

You aren't alone in your struggles and don't feel like you are doing anything wrong or something that other people haven't experienced or gone through. We all have our strengths, weaknesses, and demons to deal with in this process.

Keep the faith, keep moving forward and try to dedicate yourself every day to build those habits so when you do reach your low weight point, you are in a good position to protect it for the long term.

Your advice is so good. Thank you. I am 10 weeks post op. I was just at the my family doctor and he said I have lost 40 pounds since my visit this time last year. I lost some during the pre-op eating plan and then since surgery. My dietician says I have lost 41% of the excess weight I have to lose. I guess between them and all of the assurances I have received here, I am not doing too badly. I just have to get night time snacking under control. Thanks again.

 

[KarenWV]

Your advice is so good. Thank you. I am 10 weeks post op. I was just at the my family doctor and he said I have lost 40 pounds since my visit this time last year. I lost some during the pre-op eating plan and then since surgery. My dietician says I have lost 41% of the excess weight I have to lose. I guess between them and all of the assurances I have received here, I am not doing too badly. I just have to get night time snacking under control. Thanks again.

Just a thought about night time snacking. If you are craving something sweet, maybe a "yummy" protein shake will help. I actually love the Fairlife chocolate protein shake. To me it tastes just like chocolate milk, if it's really chilled & shaken up well. I also really like Premier Protein caramel shakes. Both have 30 gms of protein & are just sweet enough to take care of my sweet tooth. Protein can be pretty filling, esp if you take about a half hour to drink it. No sugar added applesauce with unflavored protein powder can do the same thing.

If you are craving something savory, maybe some soup with added protein powder might do the trick. Again, eating it slowly helps satisfy your mind hunger as your stomach fills up.

I know snacking is a hard habit to break, but healthy snacks might help. Good luck!

 

[WazzuCoug]

Your advice is so good. Thank you. I am 10 weeks post op. I was just at the my family doctor and he said I have lost 40 pounds since my visit this time last year. I lost some during the pre-op eating plan and then since surgery. My dietician says I have lost 41% of the excess weight I have to lose. I guess between them and all of the assurances I have received here, I am not doing too badly. I just have to get night time snacking under control. Thanks again.

41% is definitely on track at 10 weeks. Keep doing the best you can and working through the difficult times and embracing the good.