Most people who have gastric bypass surgery have very rapid weight loss in the first year. Once the pounds stop dropping, plateaus can be very frustrating.
Not only is it annoying to step on the scale and see the same number (or see a higher number), it’s been tough to deal with the fallout publicly. I’ve been really open and honest about my weight loss and measurements, and I know people are paying attention. When I haven’t posted my current weight on MyFitnessPal for a while, I start getting questions. Some of my favorites:
“Did you give up?”
“Did you decide to have your surgery reversed?”
“Are you waiting to post your weight so you can show off a big number?”
“I noticed that your weight loss stopped. Would you be interested in trying _____?” (insert various multi-level marketing weight loss product)
“Are you exercising? It’s really important to exercise when you’re trying to lose weight.”
The last comment is the one which makes me laugh, especially on MyFitnessPal. They have access to my weight losses just as much as they have access to my workout records. Way to be observent, buddy!
The first week of December began my plateau that’s been sticking around for about 2 months. The first week of December was a few days after I began working out at the gym on a regular basis. I try to be really consistent with my workouts. Some weeks when I’m not feeling sick (or completely sleep-deprived), I successfully work out up to 6 days a week. On a busy week, I average between 2-4 workouts. This past week I was sick for 9 days in a row, but I still made it to the gym for some very light walking routines twice.
So. The scale isn’t really budging, but I’m really not worried because my body is toning up. It’s tough to get a good comparison picture (mostly because I only took one fairly poor photo as my “before”), but if you take some time to look, you can see that the definition in my belly is much better. The top picture was taken a few days before Christmas, and the bottom picture was taken earlier this week. Not bad for 7 weeks!
I got some great photos and headshots taken lately, and I’ll be posting those soon…but I wanted to show you how much my body has changed since December 2011.
My measurements have changed as such:
- Neck 14.5″ (-2.25″)
- Bust 42.5″ (-9.5″)
- Chest 37″ (-9″)
- Waist 38.5″ (-10.5″)
- Upper belly 40.5″ (-12.5″)
- Hips 45.5″ (-17.5″)
- Thigh 29.5″ (-4.5″)
- Calf 18.75″ (-4.25″)
- Ankle 10.5″ (-2″)
- Upper Arm 16.25″ (-3.75″)
- Forearm 11.5″ (-3″)
- Wrist 7″ (-2″)
yes! it’s it crazy! i know how frustrating plateaus can be. boy do it know i started adding more fat to my diet (which you probably know because I think you follow my page but…) and dropped four pounds almost overnight. If your body is still being stubborn you might want to try that. If so, let me know how it goes! I’ll be interested to know it if works for you!
I love your blog! It’s the one I read first in the morning when I get in. You are doing great. I had my surgery on Dec 13, 2012 and have lost 46 pounds so far. Please keep blogging, it really help me see the big picture through you and your jounrey. Don’t listen to the “crazy’s”. I am so very happy for you and your family that you are taking steps everyday to get healthy.
Love your blog. I had RNY on 3/16/2012. Our starting weights were very similar. I was at 347.5 when I had surgery and I’m at 225 now. I just came out of a month long plateau and it totally sucked. From Jan 13-Feb 16 I gained and lost the same 2lbs, 229-231lbs every week. Here was my plan for breaking the plateau:
Re-read my pre and post op education binder
Start tracking on myfitnesspal.com again (I had stopped) Once I started again, I noticed that I was low on protien and on fiber and highish on carbs. Also, I had started mindlessly snacking in the evenings. Not tons of food, mind you but little bites here and there that were apparently adding up.
Start the Couch to 5K training program (may revise this, tried it, not sure I’m ready, might be fast walking a bit longer.)
Play more x-box kinnect with my kids. They love wipeout and kung fu panda. It’s a decent amount of activity though I’m really really bad at both games.
Ride my bike with the kids. (my kids are 4 & 6). Not a ton of exercise her as both boys are still on training wheels and my 4 year old son is afraid of his new “big boy” bike.
Start setting a timer to cut off fluids 30 min before eating, eat for 20 min, then no fluids for 30 min. I had started “winging” the times and they were getting shorter. I found that I was eating way too fast and taking bites that were bigger than they should be.
Set an alarm on my phone to eat every 3-4 hours. I found that I had been going too long between meals and not eating enough earlier in the day. Setting me up to be hungry and risk overeating at dinner and after my kids went to bed.
Make every effort to get my 60-80g of protien and my 20-30g of fiber in everyday. The fiber is harder for me to get in.
Break open that Zumba for Wii I got for Christmas. Still haven’t done this but will.
I’ve also figured out that I need to drink some mint herbal tea or go to bed earlier in the evening to stop the urge to snack after my kids are in bed.
My one year is in about 3 weeks. I’ve broken the plateau now, and as a side bonus I’ll have some good data to share with the Dr. & nutritionist when I get there.
Your plateau will break and you’re doing great.
Danna