When did everyone hit their 1st lull in weightloss?

[amysmith2261]

I have been stuck for 3 weeks now and am getting concerned. I average 500-600 calories a day and I am 1 month postop. I usually hit my protein goal, thanks to shakes and powders etc. I do need to get better at my water intake. When did you all 1st get stuck in losing weight and what did you do to get out of it? I have to admit I miss losing a pound a day, this part stinks!

 

[missyinacage]

I think it was at around 2 or 3 weeks I hit a 2 1/2 week stop that I did not lose a pound. It is very stressful. Just let your body catch up to your weight loss. I believe there is a scientific explanation in a post by Ryan/Wazz about WHY this happens to so many of us. Short version is basically your body is not actually built to lose weight and so must occasionally stop & make adjustments. I did not do anything differently, except to stop weighing myself so often. Just keep doing what your program told you that you should be doing and you'll be losing again in no time. It does stink to stop losing that pound a day but it'll start back up. Don't worry.

 

[WazzuCoug]

You aren't doing anything wrong! You've got to stay the course and follow what was recommended to you.

It's frustrating, but it probably won't be the last stall you'll experience. Our biology is built to protect our weight, not lose it. Most of human existence has been with scarce food, so your body does everything it can to hold on to fat and muscle out of survival. The surgery gives us some great advantages that help get past this barrier, but even it can't completely reverse 200,000 years of biology. It's a sucky answer, I know.

Your weight WILL go down as long as you continue to make good food choices. Your body is making all sorts of adjustments to it's surgery. Some people, the people who usually share their successes most online, drop weight quickly at the beginning, but that isn't everyone. It's great to see people's fast progress, but it's also disheartening for a whole lot of people because we think that dropping weight that fast is the norm.

The truth is, we all have our own "normal" when it comes to weight loss, even on this journey. Some lose a bunch quickly, some lose steadily, some lose very slowly, some lose and stall, lose and then stall.

Some people are hungry, some people aren't. The worst thing we can do is believe that we are doing something wrong or we aren't going to be successful. If we let ourselves get wrapped up that way, we stress, we get anxious, and that combination releases all sort of chemical signals that can slow weight loss as well. It ain't easy!!

Take this time to really focus on healing. When you start eating regular food again, use this time to build good habits that will last the rest of your life. As you continue to make these good choices, you will be successful. It will happen! You are just as likely in the end to reach your goal just as fast as someone who loses a bunch of weight up front. It will all work out for you.

So, I know it's hard to take comfort when things aren't going the way you want, but please stay on course. Stay positive. Continue to seek support from others. You can totally do this!!

 

[JudyNY]

You aren't doing anything wrong! You've got to stay the course and follow what was recommended to you.

It's frustrating, but it probably won't be the last stall you'll experience. Our biology is built to protect our weight, not lose it. Most of human existence has been with scarce food, so your body does everything it can to hold on to fat and muscle out of survival. The surgery gives us some great advantages that help get past this barrier, but even it can't completely reverse 200,000 years of biology. It's a sucky answer, I know.

Your weight WILL go down as long as you continue to make good food choices. Your body is making all sorts of adjustments to it's surgery. Some people, the people who usually share their successes most online, drop weight quickly at the beginning, but that isn't everyone. It's great to see people's fast progress, but it's also disheartening for a whole lot of people because we think that dropping weight that fast is the norm.

The truth is, we all have our own "normal" when it comes to weight loss, even on this journey. Some lose a bunch quickly, some lose steadily, some lose very slowly, some lose and stall, lose and then stall.

Some people are hungry, some people aren't. The worst thing we can do is believe that we are doing something wrong or we aren't going to be successful. If we let ourselves get wrapped up that way, we stress, we get anxious, and that combination releases all sort of chemical signals that can slow weight loss as well. It ain't easy!!

Take this time to really focus on healing. When you start eating regular food again, use this time to build good habits that will last the rest of your life. As you continue to make these good choices, you will be successful. It will happen! You are just as likely in the end to reach your goal just as fast as someone who loses a bunch of weight up front. It will all work out for you.

So, I know it's hard to take comfort when things aren't going the way you want, but please stay on course. Stay positive. Continue to seek support from others. You can totally do this!!

Very well put Ryan. I am in a stall right now (surgery was June 25th) and it can get discouraging. I felt that way at first but now I am feeling better about it. Trying to up my daily activity and hope that helps, I admit I have been too sedentary but then again I have been recuperating from 3 surgeries between June 25th and July 12. So now that I am feeling much better it's time to get a moving!

 

[WazzuCoug]

Trying to up my daily activity and hope that helps

Daily activity is excellent for overall health, but it is largely ineffective for weight loss, please keep that in mind. Exercise to improve mobility, improve cardiac health and to maintain muscle mass, but don't go to extremes as it will actually slow your metabolism and fat loss. I know the fitness industry and food industry wants us to think its a matter of calories in and calories out, but it is much more sophisticated than that.

So, I guess in a nutshell, I'm saying that exercise is important, but don't expect it to have much, if any effect on weight loss.

 

[JudyNY]

Daily activity is excellent for overall health, but it is largely ineffective for weight loss, please keep that in mind. Exercise to improve mobility, improve cardiac health and to maintain muscle mass, but don't go to extremes as it will actually slow your metabolism and fat loss. I know the fitness industry and food industry wants us to think its a matter of calories in and calories out, but it is much more sophisticated than that.

So, I guess in a nutshell, I'm saying that exercise is important, but don't expect it to have much, if any effect on weight loss.

Gotchya. Good to know. But don't worry, no worry about me going to extremes. I'm just trying to break the couch potato routine or the sit in front of the computer routine.