Plateau

First topic message reminder :

Hi Everyone

Can anyone that has had plateaus remember the length ie in weeks of the plateau. Im nearly two weeks at the same weight. Im hoping Im going to drop some weight soon. Anybody else have this experience?

Annden

Its not quite right for me cause I cant remember when I was ever this weight...maybe when I was 15 or 16???

My own lil theory is that your body is always trying to stabilise itself for survival...so WLS gives us a real good chance to get ahead but then it slows down...the bodies natural way of saying hold up girls!!

I could be very wrong tho too

If the theory is right I am like Kasey I should not plateu for a while becasue I have not been a contant weight other than 140kgs but that is long gone now. YEEHAAA!!

The lowest I can remenber is 96kgs when I was 16 and I probably was not there for long.

Anyway I have not plateued yet heres hoping it does not happen for a while, I would love to get under 100 first. But if it does it is nothing to worry about as our bodies to need to adjust along the way. I am feeling so much better already.

Jodie






Starting Weight: 140kg 13/04/2010
Pre Surgery: 131kg 27/04/2010
First Goal: 99kg
Ultimate Goal: 76kg
Current Weight: 117kg

In that case I shouldn't plateau until I reach my goal weight now :)
I think there is a grain of truth to it though... I couldn't shake the 112-114 by myself. I didn't yo-yo around it with my diets. I would lose down to 105 and then it would spring back to the 112-114 again, no matter how hard I tried. So in that regard your GP was right. Your body picks an equilibrium it likes and really holds onto it!
Now I know that can't happen for me... I am already below 105 and haven't spent longer than 6 months at any weight since before my first baby.

Not hitting any plateaus on the way down would be a nice dream though!

Years ago, I was fortunate to have an amazing gp.. the one you find but once .. sadly he moved to Melbourne... This guy had more letters after his name than any doctor Ive seen..

Anyway I always remember him telling me his theory on plateaus .. and it made so much sense I thought i would pass it on here to you all to remember when you reach one and are feeling miserable

He told me that any weight you remain at for a period of longer than 6 months in your life will become a plateau... the brain for whatever reason memorises it.. and when that weight is reached the brain says to itself..aaaaah I remember this.. and wants to stay there...

Over the following years in my many diet attempts.. I must say he was spot on the money... any weight I plateaued at.. I had been for a prolonged period in my life

Anyway.. hope this helps some of you... I always feel better about something if i understand the reasons for it ...

xoxoxo

Thanks Kyles , I know it will eventually happen and I think it could be that I am not having enough.When I saw the dr and the dietician at 2 weeks they both felt that I was not getting enough food/fluids. Just having trouble finding the time with the kids back at school and working full time.Anyway am starting back at the gym next week and now that I am on puree stage hopefully that might shake it up a bit.

Hi Everyone...

I have returned to the forum after a long absence. I thought I had it all under control and was losing weight steadily. BUT since November I have stayed the same....one major plateau!!

I thank you all so much for your advice which I have read on here and I can only kick myself for not coming back to the forum for advice sooner. I am off to the shops for some optifast!!

Funny though that the scales have not moved one iota but I have gone down a dress size November. I cant blame it on Christmas either...I had baked beans for chrissy lunch!! I could not even think of eating the oil glistening roast that was being offered. I shudder at the thought!! (I am absolutely certain my surgeon took out my taste buds as well!) lol

Anyway thank you so much everyone...here is me praying I can kick start someting!!

Tezza

Hey dark and jaydogirl :)

Yes absolutely your body can hold fluid (at times your body can hold up to 5kg of waste...ewww) and during the healing stage even tho you may not see it on the outside, its definately swolen on the inside.

Plateau's are just horrid and whilst I am no expert my honest belief is that your body is always trying to stablise itself for survival....so when we decide to lose weight (traditional and now ops) and have some form of success the body then tries to stabilise itself quickly, and hence the plateau occurs.

I think it was apple that wrote below to either start exercising or tweak the diet...if you are already exercising start doing something different, you need to change 'something' to shock the body into moving again and not trying to hold on to that particular weight or stage that its at.

Now I am not saying go and do this but it has worked for me in the past...as well as above have something a but naughty (I used to have a pig out pre-op..yeah was so good for you kyles...not) or add some extra calories into the day as this can also move things along.

And also not having enough calories is just as damaging for you...your body will go into starvation mode and retain everything you give it...you must eat to lose

Good luck girls and I hope the scales start moving for you soon

D**n! That's frustrating.

But yes... I tend to have the same pattern (pre-sleeve; last diet with weight watchers). I'd lose an astonishing amount of weight one week, then have a 3 week plateau, then lose another ridiculous amount of weight.

Also, other posters who've had significant post-op healing to do have reported a bit of a plateau (and one reported a gain) a week out. I wonder if the body hangs onto fluids during the healing phase?

Does your head in, but the scales will move eventually.

Hang tough!

Dark

I cant believe it, I lost 6kg in the first week and now at week 3 and have lost nothing.Am still on the fluid stage because the doc found a hugae hiatus hernia while in there and repaired that and advised that my recovery may be a week behind the usual.
I knew I would plateau but c'mon!!! after ONE week.

Thanks Shannon, I'm sure you will be there this time next year to!

hugs
tracey

Hi Tracey, thanks...I had thought that my body was freaking out over losing so much quickly....hopefully now its over. Just looked at your ticker and wow..you're so close to goal....congratulations!

Thats great news M'Lady! When going back on my own personal charts I see I had lost 14kgs by week 4 (including 18 days on optislim) so maybe your body was just needing a catch up to those big losses you had pre op.
Fingers crossed that those scales spiral downwards.

hugs
tracey

Hi Glitter! Well I am happy to say that the fatigue seems to be in the past now....I'm no longer needing to have a 'nanna nap' during the day and am sleeping really well at night! PLUS the scales seem to be finally moving again!!!! Three and a half weeks of bobbing around is enough to drive anyone crazy, although some people have had it for months!!! As of this morning I am 138kgs!!!! Yay!!!!! Trying to be cautiously happy and failing miserably!

Great bit of info Linda.

I also found this.................

Up your protein.
Study after study shows that a higher ratio of protein to carbs makes losing body fat easier. Protein boosts the metabolism (in one study as much as 100 percent for 24 hours), and it also increases satiety, making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet could be just what you need to break that plateau.

i just saw this in a magazine , so went to the website ...... might be a go!


Celebrity Slim 7 Day Plateau Breaker!

You need to remind yourself that weight management takes time and effort, and isn’t always perfect. But, there are plenty of ways you can re-energise your program (and motivation) to break through your weight plateau.

But…what is a plateau anyway?
If you’ve been exercising and cutting calories for several weeks, and you are no longer seeing the same results that you experienced in the beginning, then you’ve probably hit a plateau. This occurs when your progress comes to a standstill, and can be described as not making any “gains” (such as improving your fitness level or losing weight), but not necessarily moving backwards (gaining weight).

As every individual is unique, there’s no way to actually predict when a plateau might happen. However, the following principles of nutrition, rest, and variation will jumpstart your body, mind, and metabolism. Incorporate some or all of the following suggestions to help prevent weight plateauing.

Celebrity Slim Plateau Breaker Meal Replacement Shakes provide an amount of energy which is significantly less than the amount your body requires each day. This forces your body to start using its own fat stores as the main source of energy and, in turn, you will start to control your weight.

Each made up serve of Celebrity Slim Plateau Breaker Meal Replacement Shakes are:
Less than 5% carbohydrates
Nutritionally complete
Low GI formula
98% fat free
No artificial colors
High protein
No preservatives
Meets the Australian & New Zealand Code for formulated meal replacements
This phase is the most intensive stage of the Celebrity Slim program requiring 2 meals per day, for 3 days to be replaced with the Celebrity Slim Plateau Breaker Meal Replacement Shakes. This phase is designed for use when your weight plateaus.

Agree re how disappointing it is when the scales don't move. My doc told me I could replace one meal a day with an opti but I honestly can't do that to myself again!!!
I sometimes think and this is just me.... it helps a little to have a few more calories sometimes so ur body doesn't think it is being starved. I dont mean go overboard or anything but have some nice things like a scoop of icecream or a biscuit....you will find that you can stop because you are satisfied with the taste so to speak and it might just help.
Linda :)

Agree re how disappointing it is when the scales don't move. My doc told me I could replace one meal a day with an opti but I honestly can't do that to myself again!!!
I sometimes think and this is just me.... it helps a little to have a few more calories sometimes so ur body doesn't think it is being starved. I dont mean go overboard or anything but have some nice things like a scoop of icecream or a biscuit....you will find that you can stop because you are satisfied with the taste so to speak and it might just help.
Linda :)

I too get very fed up when the scales do not move.I have never had more than 8OO cals a day but only managing to lose a pound maybe every three days and sometimes I even gain one!!!!!!!!
I am not eating junk and eating everything low fat and am very diss apointed that the weight is coming off so slowly.Apart from that I feel well and would go through with it all again if I had to.

Tina

Hi Shannon - you poor thing!! Has your fatigue got any better yet?? I got the all-clear from the doc the other day to start some walking, the first time i went i had headspins and dizziness after about 10mins, the next day was a little better, so i've been slowly doing a little more each day and trying not to go too crazy with it. I had a loss this week of 1.3, so i was pleased about that, but maybe you just need to not be so hard on yourself, once you're fatigue settles down and you can start walking the scales will start to move. How are you feeling, are you keeping your spirits up? Its pretty hard, i know cos i've been up and down as well. Stay strong!! xxx

Just racked up a third week with no weight loss......

I went and saw Michael France yesterday, he doesn't seem to be worried about my lack of weight loss. I took a page with what I had eaten the day before with the calories next to them. Is that the way to go, counting calories?
Here it is 9.35 in the morning, and I am feeling hungry already after having a shake for breakfast about an hour and a half ago. Will probably have a low-fat yoghurt in a short while. Having a roast for dinner tonight.
The size of my meals are small, I use a bread and butter plate for my main meals and I am happy with the size of them anyway.
The amount of sauce is minimal, just enough to make food slip down easier.
I just have to be patient.
Jenni

jenni what amounts are you eating, i would watch those sauces if they are more than a dessertspoon.

imboyd you are sooooooooooooooooo close to that last 10-15kg wanting to lose this is the time most not all but most find they need to put work in to lose that last bit. either up the exercise or tweak the diet.

applesauce

Me too, 5 weeks no real change, sometimes i actually go up then down.I am pretty active and have opti every day for one meal . I only snack on rice crackers and occasional diet choc mousse and about half a cup of food per meal, low fat and lots of good protein. I secretly worry that this is it but with he ole' energy in, energy out scenario the maths does not add up ! I have to remind myself constantly that this happens to everyone apparently, cmon scales give me a go !

I don't know what is going on with me either.
I have a shake for breakfast so I can have my medications "with food".I might have boiled eggs with a little mayo to make it smoother.
I have chicken or sausages (as I did tonight) with a sauce made up of mushrooms, onion and a little bacon. Anyway I have some form of meat (protein).
When I get hungry and this can happen often although I don't always succumbe, a yoghurt will do. I have had dip and crackers but have now stopped this. I also have two small sticks of licorice as I have had a couple of serious cases of constipation.
My weight hasn't change in 4 weeks. I see the surgeon tomorrow, don't know what he will suggest. I was told last week by his off-sider that it could have something to do with my age.
I was given a large box of chocolates for my birthday, over a week ago. It is still sealed.
I am disappointed but I know I am not gaining and yesterday I washed clothes I had worn when I was smaller, today I wore some of them - it felt good.
I have been thinking of getting back to the Optifast diet for breaky and lunch then having protein for dinner.
Jenni

Thanks Janette and Glitter, it's good to know that I'm on track as far as intake is concerned. I'll post what my dietitian says on Friday. God, I'm just so frustrated!!! And it brings back the 'ghost of unsucessfuul diets' past...my metabolism must be soooooo stuffed, lol.

My dietician told me i should be getting 60 grams of protein a day, and about 500 calories. So i reckon 800 sounds alright, but see what your dietician says, i'd be keen to hear xx