Soooooo sloooooowwwww!!!! :(((

[vangirl]

I'm having a frustrated moment and need to rant.

No matter what I do, I can't seem to lose more than half a pound a week (or get below 230). I've tried everything, from upping my exercise, to lowering my calories, to increasing my calories, to trying all sorts of fat-burning supplements, and nothing seems to do anything to make this weight loss happen at a faster rate. Right now, I'm working out at the gym 5-6 times a week and exercising all of my willpower to keep my calories around 1200 a day (no bandpower yet, just willpower) and yet only half a pound a week?! It seems I could have (and I did have) better results without the band. What's the point of spending all this money and getting scars on my body for results that are so small, they hardly seem significant? I mean, I could gain 2.5 lbs in just a day, and yet it's taken me six weeks to lose even that much. I have also experimented with fat-burning supplements, including chromium, green tea capsules, and Acetyl L Carnitine, and I've found that those do not make my weight go off any faster than not taking them. I've even tried not eating past 7pm this past week, and that didn't make a difference either.

I can't understand what is wrong with this, why the scale is just not moving, no matter what I do, sticking with the program, doing everything (to my knowledge) that I'm supposed to be doing, and avoiding the things I'm not supposed to be doing. Hell I could have been doing all of this without the band.

Sorry, I'm just so frustrated and had to vent it out. Almost 4 months post surgery, and just a little over 20lbs lost. Yes I know that losing slower is better for long-term and blah, blah, blah, but for someone as heavy as me (and I'm only in my 30s), it should have been at least twice as much as that. I really should be losing 1-2lbs a week, and I can't for the life of me figure out why I'm not.

[robbynnoel]

((((((((((((((VanGirl))))))))))))))

Hugs. I understand your frustration. To be honest, I believe everyone's body chemistry is different and some people don't have the same metabolic rate others do. Have you had your thyroid checked? I also was currious, when you lost your weight did it fall off in almost a big chunk and then inch along?

I've seen where a body will drop a bit of water suddently and then flatline where it looks as if no weight is lost, but in actuality the water is coming back so it looks like the scale isn't moving. Dump the water again and then another big loss occurs.

Also, you've heard that musle weighs more than fat? I don't care for that term, but what it means is that musle takes up less mass than fat so you are probably losing inches. (I think musle is about half the area of the same weight in fat).

Hang in there and for a while ignore the scale if you can. Is there an item in your closet from about a month ago you can try on today?

xo

[vangirl]

((((((((((((((VanGirl))))))))))))))

Hugs. I understand your frustration. To be honest, I believe everyone's body chemistry is different and some people don't have the same metabolic rate others do. Have you had your thyroid checked? I also was currious, when you lost your weight did it fall off in almost a big chunk and then inch along?

I've seen where a body will drop a bit of water suddently and then flatline where it looks as if no weight is lost, but in actuality the water is coming back so it looks like the scale isn't moving. Dump the water again and then another big loss occurs.

Also, you've heard that musle weighs more than fat? I don't care for that term, but what it means is that musle takes up less mass than fat so you are probably losing inches. (I think musle is about half the area of the same weight in fat).

Hang in there and for a while ignore the scale if you can. Is there an item in your closet from about a month ago you can try on today?

xo

Thank you for the hugs and supportive words Robbynoel

I do have hypothyroidism, but I recently had bloodwork done, and my T3, T4, hormones, iron, and everything is fine. I even took a water pill last night to get rid of excess water (and ended up going to the bathroom all night long) because I knew today (Friday) is my weighing day, and so I can't even attribute it to excess water.

My weight loss seems to have followed the pattern you mentioned, of losing a big amount and then going along slowly, except I didn't really lose a lot for that initial big amount. I remember even when I was on the pre-op and the post-op liquid diet (and following it totally faithfully), I was amazed at how little I was losing back then.

It's interesting you mention the scale, I think that I did better in previous weight loss attempts when I didn't own a scale. In fact, I purposely didn't buy one until I started the pre-op diet and needed to check my weight loss. It's terribly how numbers start to mess with your head and create so much stress around food and exercise and everything to do with weight loss. I would like things to be much easier on my mind, where I can just let the band do its work and not obsess so much about everything. I've even heard that stress and worry around weight loss can make your body hold on to it, but I don't really get the mechanics of how that works. Anyway, thanks for listening to me, I just needed to get it out.

-vangirl

[Kimmy in MD]

Vangirl....I can feel your frustration...If everything is as you described in your post and you are not losing, maybe you should see a doctor and get some tests done because there may be a medical reason as to why you are not losing.

Best of luck!

[JazzyJude]

Hi sweetie! I feel your pain as I have plateaued too. There can be a number of reasons:

~ trying too hard and focusing too much on both the food and exercises, which causes you to stress out

~ doing too much strength training and not having a rest period in between. Should do every other day

~ calories should be consistent but some days you can 'trick' your body and have a high caloric meal

~ weighing yourself the same time every time you weigh. Morning weigh in is best, as you build muscles from doing your daily routine throughout the day

~ sometimes your body is just being slow by nature

~ are you eating enough proteins?

~ drinking your water?

~ building muscles mass, which will make you either gain or stay the same

~ maybe you've lost inches, but the scale is the same? This can happened, like me. My body lost a lot and it hasn't caught up with the weight yet.

You need to live your life too and just be patience. Don't be in a rush...take the time to enjoy yourself a bit and don't focus too hard. I know, I know, but you know you didn't gained your weight in a few shorts months, so dont expect that of losing weight either. Review your goals and rewrite them if you have to make smaller, reachable goals to achieve them quicker. One good thing...you haven't gained back any weight, right? THAT is a good thing!

YOU CAN DO THIS! Hang in there babe! ((HUGS!))...Jazzy!!

[nothereanymore]

OK, so here I go again saying things that sometimes you may not want to hear – sometimes when we do a bunch of weird things to our body – it ends up doing some strange things back. I’m just from the outside looking in and it seems to me that you’re doing things that people do that don’t have the band do, stop and think what is the band about – it’s about being consistent, eating healthy smaller meals. (The exercise part is right on – awesome job – that’s one of the hardest to do).

Have you noticed that most of the experienced bansters that have lost the weight and have had successes already are the ones trying to get people to stop doing these off diet things? I’d recommend that you go back to basics, throw the scale away (if its making you obsess), give yourself a pep talk everyday, your mental attitude has a lot to do with you weight loss. You’re a beautiful women on the way to a new you – just get back to basics.

I’m doing my “get ready for the summer bikini body” and just by cutting out some things, eating healthy and normal adding in more exercise I lost more than 15 pounds in one month, I lost the pounds I added on during the winter plus some. I’m thinner than I’ve ever been and feel great. I’m getting my body analyses done next week to see how much I’ve been able to change. (and the truth is the less weight we have to lose the harder it is).

I eat three small healthy meals, and only eat when I’m hungry. In fact I wait until I’m hungry to eat – that’s my big rule – and we sometimes need to understand what hungry means with our band. You might say you’re doing all of this and its not working, and I agree then get a doctors check, but be honest with yourself about what you are doing. That is sometimes the hardest thing to do.

You have the same amount of weight to lose that I did, and normally when you’re as big as we are it does come off faster.

This is just my input – don’t know if you wanted that or not.

But take care and know it will get better.

Lisa

[vangirl]

I pretty much have been doing what has been suggested on here, and on other threads that I read regularly. Keeping my calorie intake low (but not too low), drinking at least 2 litres of water a day, getting enough protein, tricking my body occasionally by having a bit more on some days, keeping regular exercise, etc. I even had 13 vials of blood tested a few weeks ago which pretty much ruled out medical abnormalities. If there is a medical disorder, it hasn't been diagnosed or tested for.

It is precisely because I've been doing what I'm supposed to be doing that I'm frustrated. If I had been overeating or not following the rules, then it would be a lot less frustrating because at least I'd know the reason why it's been so slow. The frustration is also compounded by the fact that I know I should be losing a lot more for the weight that I'm at right now, as well as my age. Anyway, I just needed to vent, which I find helps, and I appreciate the support from everyone. One thing I'm not going to do is give up, because after spending all this money, giving up is not acceptable. I've got a third fill coming up in April, and hopefully this will make it less work for me, and I can actually start to rely on the band more than my own willpower.

[MyNewLife]

VanGirl,

I understand completely! I finally had to stop, stop everything. I was stressing myself out and everyone around me. I was doing everything right. The calories, the protein, the green tea, chromium, the water, the fiber, the exercise, etc... and still NOTHING for almost a month. I stopped thinking about everything, I stopped weighing. Like Lisa stated, when I was hungry I ate, when I was not I did not eat. If I was thristy I drank. I did continue to eat health and exercise but WOW what a difference this makes. I got my 3rd fill last friday and I had lost 9 lbs of fat and gained 3 pounds of mucsle. I have already lost another 4 pounds this week! Stress is SO bad. Try it for two weeks, dont weigh, eat healthy and only when your hungry, dont worry about the 1200 calories (I cant hit it) and see how this work, why not you have tried everthing else! Think of the frustation like a little red devil sitting on your shoulder laughing at you every time you get frustrated!

Good luck and stay POSTIVE!

Carrie

[vangirl]

VanGirl,

I understand completely! I finally had to stop, stop everything. I was stressing myself out and everyone around me. I was doing everything right. The calories, the protein, the green tea, chromium, the water, the fiber, the exercise, etc... and still NOTHING for almost a month. I stopped thinking about everything, I stopped weighing. Like Lisa stated, when I was hungry I ate, when I was not I did not eat. If I was thristy I drank. I did continue to eat health and exercise but WOW what a difference this makes. I got my 3rd fill last friday and I had lost 9 lbs of fat and gained 3 pounds of mucsle. I have already lost another 4 pounds this week! Stress is SO bad. Try it for two weeks, dont weigh, eat healthy and only when your hungry, dont worry about the 1200 calories (I cant hit it) and see how this work, why not you have tried everthing else! Think of the frustation like a little red devil sitting on your shoulder laughing at you every time you get frustrated!

Good luck and stay POSTIVE!

Carrie

Wow Carrie! That is an awesome turn of events! I'm suspecting that I need to follow what you have done, to just let go of all the obsessing and just live my life, in a healthy way. And hide the scale!

Thanks!

-vangirl

[BrandNewDawn]

Vangirl,

First, let me say CONGRATULATIONS on your 35 pounds weight loss. And, you did that over the holidays too. I'm impressed. I did not lose any weight over the holidays (but I did not gain any either). You need to give yourself more credit.

And, it sounds like your stress level is through the roof! Dr. Miranda told me that stress releases something called cortisol that makes it really difficult to lose weight. If your scale is causing you that kind of stress, put it away for a month.

Sometimes I think our bodies just need a break to get used to a new lower weight. There used to be a diet where you would lose 10% of your body weight and then rest/maintain that loss for a month and then lose another 10% etc. etc. etc. You have lost like 13%. Perhaps your body just needs time to reset before it is willing to give up more. I have experienced three 1 month plateaus in the last year.

Also, you need to stop comparing your weight loss to others. It will only make you crazy. It sounds like you are doing everything that you should be doing. I am sorry you are feeling so frustrated.

I think it is always a good idea to try to be happy where we are in our weight loss journey instead of being upset that we are not farther along. You will get there.

I hope you feel better. Take care.

Dawn

[vangirl]

Vangirl,

First, let me say CONGRATULATIONS on your 35 pounds weight loss. And, you did that over the holidays too. I'm impressed. I did not lose any weight over the holidays (but I did not gain any either). You need to give yourself more credit.

And, it sounds like your stress level is through the roof! Dr. Miranda told me that stress releases something called cortisol that makes it really difficult to lose weight. If your scale is causing you that kind of stress, put it away for a month.

Sometimes I think our bodies just need a break to get used to a new lower weight. There used to be a diet where you would lose 10% of your body weight and then rest/maintain that loss for a month and then lose another 10% etc. etc. etc. You have lost like 13%. Perhaps your body just needs time to reset before it is willing to give up more. I have experienced three 1 month plateaus in the last year.

Also, you need to stop comparing your weight loss to others. It will only make you crazy. It sounds like you are doing everything that you should be doing. I am sorry you are feeling so frustrated.

I think it is always a good idea to try to be happy where we are in our weight loss journey instead of being upset that we are not farther along. You will get there.

I hope you feel better. Take care.

Dawn

Thanks Dawn

It has definitely been frustrating, and it does feel like my body is very reluctant to let go of this weight. The harder I try, the more stubborn it gets. Sometimes it feels like my body and brain are an intertwined puzzle, and I haven't yet figured out how to crack that puzzle.

I've been thinking a lot about what several people have said on this forum, about just living life and focusing on living and eating healthy. It's interesting, that straining and working very hard to stay at 1200 calories a day has not really taught me how to eat healthier or helped me overcome emotional eating. I certainly can control my calories (for the most part), but the effort creates a great deal of stress around food, as well as that ongoing feeling of deprivation and emotional hunger, just as any regular diet would do. In my mind, that is NOT success.

[MyNewLife]

Vangirl,

Please keep up posted, I would love to know how this up coming week goes for you.

Carrie