In a current discussion over in the OH mini-challenge group, we're discussing stalls and what causes them and what you can do about them. I dug up this older post of mine from our YahooGroup and thought I'd share it here since it wasn't already here!
Stalls...
This is one of the truths of WLS journeys... You have the surgery and leave the hospital expecting to just melt away the pounds. Well, sometimes exactly that happens. But, not usually. Most of us experience several stalls along the way. Some lose slower just because they started out lighter and had less to lose. Others lose slowly despite starting at 300+ pounds. There is just no way to predict how you'll lose. It is, for this very reason, SO important that you measure your body! I just wish I'd measured before surgery so I knew where I truly started out. I had already lost 40 pounds by the time I measured! Who knows how many inches 40 pounds on a 410 pound body could have been!
You lose weight sort of like descending a stairway in a skyscraper...
You go down a couple of flights and then you hit a landing where you turn and prepare to go down some more. At some landings, there are doors to leave the stairway and stray from your path. The trick is knowing that you don't have to go through that door and that by just staying on the path, things will continue as they are supposed to. Many people hit a stall (or landing!) and just because they are not losing weight, they let their eating habits stray a bit and maybe eat things that they shouldn't and thereby stall even longer. Those that stick to their plan and don't stray eventually pick up and take off on the losing again. Too often though, someone who is at a stall takes the time to start logging their food/water/protein info and finds that part of the stall is their own fault! They are not eating enough or are eating too much of things they shouldn't. They are often not getting in enough liquids and protein each day. Then, when they adjust for those things, the losing takes off again!
For me, I lost 24 pounds preop on a 1000 calorie/100 carb diet to shrink my liver. I was not required to lose even one pound, but I wasn't allowed to gain even one pound either or they cancel your surgery and put you on a diet! How's THAT for incentive to do your best? So, 24 pounds down by surgery day put me at 386. I left the hospital at 391 thanks to IV fluids. Even starting out that heavy, at 2 mos postop, I was only down 40 more pounds and I stalled for two weeks. I did what SO many do--I freaked out! What if that was it? What if I never lost another pound? OMG!! Then, all of a sudden, I lost 5 pounds and it started again. By 4 mos out, I was down 100 pounds. Then I stalled for THREE weeks! And this continued. I would lose for a couple of weeks and then stall for a couple. By 7 mos out, I was losing only 4 to 8 pounds in an average month and some months lost only the week after my period. BUT, I lost 100 pounds in 2006 and 105 in 2007. I hope to lose at least 20 in 2008 and STAY at 185ish with no true hope of plastics to take care of this excess skin. If at some point in the future I can manage some plastics, I may eventually see a weight closer to the "normal" range for me (122 to 159 is the normal BMI for me). But, I'll be happy--truly happy--at any weight that starts with a ONE!
FOLLOW-UP, Jan 2009:
The above post was written in January 2008. I hoped to lose 20 pounds in 2008. I did not. I am still, all these many months later, maintaining between 202 and 207. Am I okay with it? Yes and no... Yes, if I can stay at this weight range for the rest of my life (without plastics), and not do so via vigorous diet methods, then I am happy. I look and feel TONS better! But, if I am unable to maintain and stay here for the long haul, then I am not sure what I'll do. I wonder at times if my stoma isn't stretched as I know I can eat more than I expected to be able to... But, I"ve not pursued that in any way at all either. I eat sensibly. I get my protein and liquids in. I'm not doing a huge amount of exercise. Some days, I must admit that I didn't exercise at all other than taking the stairs and parking farther out, etc. But, even when I do pursue a period of regular exercise, it seems to make no real difference and I seem to stay in this same old weight range. I go as high as 212 to 214 once in a while the week before my period, so I know that it is probably water weight and munchies that I can try and blame on good ole' aunt flow. But, I also know that the munchies thing is in my control too. It seems that the weight just suddenly disappears a couple days after my period ends though, so I've not really stressed over it either. What can I do? Not much other than sticking to the rules for the most part. What should I do? Kick my own ass in gear and start exercising regularly and being religious about my daily food plan. Will I? Probably not.... And, I blame part of this complacency on the fact that I can maintain by just doing what I am doing... Ugh! I hope it lasts!
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Saturday, July 12, 2008
We'd do ANYTHING!
I was at my support group meeting last night and a conversation was started amongst the group with a new attendee who is looking into having surgery and is weighing her options. She asked a couple of "what if?" questions... Then, we got onto the subject of food tolerance. By food tolerance, I don't just mean becoming lactose intolerant or being a mega-dumper. I'm also referring to all the stories you hear as a preop person about all those foods you won't be able to eat after surgery. Another question this preop person asked our group was how we handled eating and dieting before surgery and avoided just eating to break the bank because of getting in one more time of all your old favorites before you have surgery and can no longer eat those foods--ever. Well, of course the first thing anyone told her was that it was not usually true that you can't eat those foods again... In many (heck, most!) cases, we've been able to eat about anything we'd like as a later postop, just in much smaller portions and some foods with less frequency...
This turned to a conversation about how things progress as you get farther and farther postop... Our support group leader said, "remember when we'd do ANYTHING!" She was referring to those first few months postop when you follow your surgeon's and nutritionist''s plan to a T. You do what you are told, when you are told and how you are told. You weighed/measured your foods. You charted everything you ate and/or drank. You didn't drink for 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after you ate. You exercised like there was no tomorrow! You made healthy snacks and toted a cooler with you when going out so that you could stick to your plan... Then, little by little and bit by bit, you started to change. You found restaurants where you could grab a quick bite while out instead of eating what you brought with you--even if fast food was a binge/trigger food for you. You started sipping while eating. You began to figure out what foods that you shouldn't really be eating would bother you or make you dump and in what amount you had to eat them before this happened. Again, you did this regardless of whether those foods (yummy cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing!) were perhaps part of your problem preop... Your healthy snacks became a bit less healthy... It began to feel like work getting that stuff ready... It was so much easier to grab something else. Chopping veggies to have something healthy and crunchy to snack on was much more work than just grabbing a big handful of those chips hubby snuck in on you. Boiling an egg takes time... You stopped tracking every bite you ate... "Normal" people eat that, right? Well, you did have this surgery to BE normal...
You come up with excuses to justify your little slips... "I had some chips this afternoon because there was nothing else where I stopped to grab a snack..." Yep, that may have been true, but it is likely you knew in advance that you'd be out today and need a snack while you were gone but failed to plan and pack something. And, for most folks, as you got nearer to your goal weight, you slacked off on your exercising as if it were something you only needed to LOSE weight, not just to keep it off. Don't forget, you had this surgery to be more normal and normal, healthy people exercise! I'm not criticizing you--I am guilty too!
The meeting moves on and we were talking about how many of us were doing okay, but would really have liked to lose another 15 or 20 pounds. One person had gotten down to a size 10, but was back up to a 14 and did not like it... What do we have to do to get those last few pounds off or to get back into those size 10s? We have to get back to the program! We left it, it didn't leave us! We know what to do. We know how to do it. It is within our reach. We just have to want it bad enough to DO it! We have to take the time to chop those veggies and have them ready. We have to boil a dozen eggs at a time and have them waiting in the fridge instead of making just enough for now or just enough for tomorrow's lunch... Eggs keep for a few days! We have to find better options even if it means carrying that cooler again! Find a snack food that is a good option for you and keep it in the car. Yes, during part of the year that food will have to be something that won't melt or spoil in the heat. But, that is part of the job we took on as postops... If we want to reach our goal weight OR even just maintain at the weight that we did reach, we have to be committed to it. We have to take the steps necessary and we MUST continue to exercise--even walking--on a regular basis in order to maintain...
Am I telling YOU what to do?? Heck no! (unless that is what you need! LOL) I am in a sort of a slump if you will... I reached my all time low of 197 pounds (down from 410) back in February of this year (2008). Before that, I wanted SO badly to get down to 185. I kept a vigilant food log. I exercised--not enough, but I did something every day. I weighed and/or measured my food. I carried a snack with me if I were going out for several hours. I told myself that I was going to see that 185 on the scale despite the fact that my loss had slowed to a measly pound or two a month and I had no hope for plastic surgery... Heck, as long as it was a loss and not a gain, it was all good! But, then I saw that magic number... I was at my support group meeting for February and though the scale had said 201 at home that morning, it said 198 at the doc's office before the meeting. I showed that baby to everyone! (doc's scale gives you a printed slip) HoooooAhhhhhhhhh! Then, at home that evening, it said--drum roll here--197.4. O M G!!! It wasn't just a discrepancy in the two scales! I went to bed that evening on TOP of the world! I had achieved onederland suddenly. For 18 months, I'd been telling people that my biggest goal in this journey was to get to a weight that began with a ONE and into a clothing size that began with a ONE... I had been into size 16 jeans for a very long time by February. Suddenly I had met both those goals--197 pounds (freaking right!!) and size 16 clothing... While a size 16 may not seem small to some, it was SO much smaller than the size 36W I started out in!
Life was good! And, for whatever reason, it was like a switch was flipped in my head. My goal of 185 pounds seems to have been vaporized from my head. It no longer mattered for some reason. Heck, it was like I never had that goal--though there it was, so plainly stated on my blog, my OH profile, in my siggy for OH... Suddenly, as long as I didn't gain, I didn't care if I lost either. And, I found myself setting a "safe zone" for my weight (197 to 205) and deciding that as long as I didn't fluctuate over that safe zone, all was right in the world and no reason for drastic change of any sort. Why, all of a sudden, was 197 to 205 good? Why was 185 no longer a valid goal? Who the hell knew... I stopped counting my calories and carbs. I totally stopped logging what I ate. I counted only protein grams to be sure I was getting in enough each day. I allowed the bad carbs (not just carbs in general, but WHITE, refined carbs--like the ones in cinnamon buns) to creep back into my food intake. I backed off on exercising and would have several days in a row where I did nothing of note to "move my body." Most days, that scale says something in the 205 pound range. Recently, thanks to water retention, I was all the way back up to 209. Was this cause for aggressive motion? Heck no! I'd still lost over 200 pounds... So, I consoled myself with that and changed nothing. Then, my ankles swelled up with the water retention (this was an issue preop for me) and I had to go back on the meds for it for a bit. Suddenly, as is the case when you get the water retention going back in the right direction, the scale that had gotten up to 209 pounds was down to 201 again! You see hope of maybe seeing a one at the beginning of that number again soon... And, if you are like me, you tell yourself that it was probably just water retention all along--ever since you got back over 200 way back in oh, May?? Or was it April? Yeah, it is now July!
SO, why was this lack of loss or, yeah, gain for some reason okay in my eyes? Who the hell knows! Why was I suddenly willing to stay over 200 pounds for the rest of my life? I wish I could tell you. Do I still wish to lose more weight? Well, yeah... Am I doing anything to move in that direction? Well, no... I know, deep in my heart, that I am not doing everything I could to lose or even maintain. I know that I could do more. I know what that "more" is too. Why can I not motivate myself to try--even a little? I want to get back that feeling of being willing to do ANYTHING to reach my goal! I'm just clueless as to how to get that feeling back...
This turned to a conversation about how things progress as you get farther and farther postop... Our support group leader said, "remember when we'd do ANYTHING!" She was referring to those first few months postop when you follow your surgeon's and nutritionist''s plan to a T. You do what you are told, when you are told and how you are told. You weighed/measured your foods. You charted everything you ate and/or drank. You didn't drink for 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after you ate. You exercised like there was no tomorrow! You made healthy snacks and toted a cooler with you when going out so that you could stick to your plan... Then, little by little and bit by bit, you started to change. You found restaurants where you could grab a quick bite while out instead of eating what you brought with you--even if fast food was a binge/trigger food for you. You started sipping while eating. You began to figure out what foods that you shouldn't really be eating would bother you or make you dump and in what amount you had to eat them before this happened. Again, you did this regardless of whether those foods (yummy cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing!) were perhaps part of your problem preop... Your healthy snacks became a bit less healthy... It began to feel like work getting that stuff ready... It was so much easier to grab something else. Chopping veggies to have something healthy and crunchy to snack on was much more work than just grabbing a big handful of those chips hubby snuck in on you. Boiling an egg takes time... You stopped tracking every bite you ate... "Normal" people eat that, right? Well, you did have this surgery to BE normal...
You come up with excuses to justify your little slips... "I had some chips this afternoon because there was nothing else where I stopped to grab a snack..." Yep, that may have been true, but it is likely you knew in advance that you'd be out today and need a snack while you were gone but failed to plan and pack something. And, for most folks, as you got nearer to your goal weight, you slacked off on your exercising as if it were something you only needed to LOSE weight, not just to keep it off. Don't forget, you had this surgery to be more normal and normal, healthy people exercise! I'm not criticizing you--I am guilty too!
The meeting moves on and we were talking about how many of us were doing okay, but would really have liked to lose another 15 or 20 pounds. One person had gotten down to a size 10, but was back up to a 14 and did not like it... What do we have to do to get those last few pounds off or to get back into those size 10s? We have to get back to the program! We left it, it didn't leave us! We know what to do. We know how to do it. It is within our reach. We just have to want it bad enough to DO it! We have to take the time to chop those veggies and have them ready. We have to boil a dozen eggs at a time and have them waiting in the fridge instead of making just enough for now or just enough for tomorrow's lunch... Eggs keep for a few days! We have to find better options even if it means carrying that cooler again! Find a snack food that is a good option for you and keep it in the car. Yes, during part of the year that food will have to be something that won't melt or spoil in the heat. But, that is part of the job we took on as postops... If we want to reach our goal weight OR even just maintain at the weight that we did reach, we have to be committed to it. We have to take the steps necessary and we MUST continue to exercise--even walking--on a regular basis in order to maintain...
Am I telling YOU what to do?? Heck no! (unless that is what you need! LOL) I am in a sort of a slump if you will... I reached my all time low of 197 pounds (down from 410) back in February of this year (2008). Before that, I wanted SO badly to get down to 185. I kept a vigilant food log. I exercised--not enough, but I did something every day. I weighed and/or measured my food. I carried a snack with me if I were going out for several hours. I told myself that I was going to see that 185 on the scale despite the fact that my loss had slowed to a measly pound or two a month and I had no hope for plastic surgery... Heck, as long as it was a loss and not a gain, it was all good! But, then I saw that magic number... I was at my support group meeting for February and though the scale had said 201 at home that morning, it said 198 at the doc's office before the meeting. I showed that baby to everyone! (doc's scale gives you a printed slip) HoooooAhhhhhhhhh! Then, at home that evening, it said--drum roll here--197.4. O M G!!! It wasn't just a discrepancy in the two scales! I went to bed that evening on TOP of the world! I had achieved onederland suddenly. For 18 months, I'd been telling people that my biggest goal in this journey was to get to a weight that began with a ONE and into a clothing size that began with a ONE... I had been into size 16 jeans for a very long time by February. Suddenly I had met both those goals--197 pounds (freaking right!!) and size 16 clothing... While a size 16 may not seem small to some, it was SO much smaller than the size 36W I started out in!
Life was good! And, for whatever reason, it was like a switch was flipped in my head. My goal of 185 pounds seems to have been vaporized from my head. It no longer mattered for some reason. Heck, it was like I never had that goal--though there it was, so plainly stated on my blog, my OH profile, in my siggy for OH... Suddenly, as long as I didn't gain, I didn't care if I lost either. And, I found myself setting a "safe zone" for my weight (197 to 205) and deciding that as long as I didn't fluctuate over that safe zone, all was right in the world and no reason for drastic change of any sort. Why, all of a sudden, was 197 to 205 good? Why was 185 no longer a valid goal? Who the hell knew... I stopped counting my calories and carbs. I totally stopped logging what I ate. I counted only protein grams to be sure I was getting in enough each day. I allowed the bad carbs (not just carbs in general, but WHITE, refined carbs--like the ones in cinnamon buns) to creep back into my food intake. I backed off on exercising and would have several days in a row where I did nothing of note to "move my body." Most days, that scale says something in the 205 pound range. Recently, thanks to water retention, I was all the way back up to 209. Was this cause for aggressive motion? Heck no! I'd still lost over 200 pounds... So, I consoled myself with that and changed nothing. Then, my ankles swelled up with the water retention (this was an issue preop for me) and I had to go back on the meds for it for a bit. Suddenly, as is the case when you get the water retention going back in the right direction, the scale that had gotten up to 209 pounds was down to 201 again! You see hope of maybe seeing a one at the beginning of that number again soon... And, if you are like me, you tell yourself that it was probably just water retention all along--ever since you got back over 200 way back in oh, May?? Or was it April? Yeah, it is now July!
SO, why was this lack of loss or, yeah, gain for some reason okay in my eyes? Who the hell knows! Why was I suddenly willing to stay over 200 pounds for the rest of my life? I wish I could tell you. Do I still wish to lose more weight? Well, yeah... Am I doing anything to move in that direction? Well, no... I know, deep in my heart, that I am not doing everything I could to lose or even maintain. I know that I could do more. I know what that "more" is too. Why can I not motivate myself to try--even a little? I want to get back that feeling of being willing to do ANYTHING to reach my goal! I'm just clueless as to how to get that feeling back...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
More info from BL site--Feeling Good
Yep, I'm still cruisin' the Biggest Loser website! LOL Not sure what drew me over there as I sure can't sit and watch the many video clips on this awful dialup hell connection! But, there are some articles to be found that contain some good info for even a WLS postop! This latest example is one on the Feeling Good page by the show's psychologist... This particular piece is called "Long Term Weight Loss Success." There are other articles there as well. Some titles include "Social Sabotage" and "Coping with Cravings."
The top 5 psychological factors that contributed to long-term weight loss success.
1. Stay connected to personal goals
What is your intention? To stay on course you must first know what the course is and what the finish line looks like. If you were running a race, wouldn't you want to know how far you had to run, the course map, how to train and what equipment is required? It is important that your goals be realistic, clear and measurable.
Successful "Biggest Losers" write or look at goals daily.
2. Create and expand support.
If our social environment resembles a dry, hot, barren, desert, we will have a difficult time growing and developing. We need a rich and fertile environment to grow. We are social beings that require social connection and support to maintain our health and vitality.
Successful "Biggest Losers" developed and nurtured their social network.
3. Gray thinking
Most of us think in black and white. I am "good" or I am "bad". We divide our world into nice and neat categories. (This behavior reduces an overwhelming amount of information and processes it into more manageable pieces). This is a set up for disaster, in that one small mistake becomes a failure.
Successful "Biggest Losers" don't interpret a small slip up as a failure; they get back on the horse right away.
4. Utilize resources
If I told you that you were about to go on the longest journey of a lifetime, you would want to pack your bag and make sure you had enough clothes, water, food, etc. Resources are anything that contributes to your success and wellbeing. There are no extra points awarded by doing this alone. It is necessary to establish what resources will be needed for success. Do you need a nutritionist, fitness instructor, support group, food journal, online support, recipes, or psychotherapist?
Successful "Biggest Losers" utilized and developed new resources.
5. Identify problems early
What is getting in the way? Is it emotional eating, depression, anxiety, recent losses, work stress. Do you want to address the big roadblock right in the middle of your path, or continue to walk over and around it? What do you gain by continuing to avoid what might be sabotaging your success? This is an opportunity to make real life changes.
Successful "Losers" identify emotional roadblocks and ask for further support, referrals to mental health professionals, or referrals for medication.
This list is meant for you to begin acknowledging what has contributed to your success and celebrate the gains you have made. If you notice there is an area that you believe needs further attention, don't beat yourself up about it. This is an opportunity for you to expand and enrich your life.
Long-term weight loss success
The one question that people often ask me is, "What are the psychological factors that lead to long-term weight loss success?" Clearly, there is not one answer, nor is it the same for every person. However, my clinical experience and observations made from my work with contestants last season have led me to believe that there are many psychological similarities amongst the successful losers. As you read about these psychological factors I encourage you to examine your strengths and weaknesses. When you notice an area of particular strength, take a moment to assess how this has helped you in attaining a healthier mind and body. It is helpful to acknowledge what you are doing well and what is working. When you notice an area of particular weakness, notice how this may be limiting your success or contributing to unhealthy behaviors. How can you begin to build or strengthen one of these areas?The top 5 psychological factors that contributed to long-term weight loss success.
1. Stay connected to personal goals
What is your intention? To stay on course you must first know what the course is and what the finish line looks like. If you were running a race, wouldn't you want to know how far you had to run, the course map, how to train and what equipment is required? It is important that your goals be realistic, clear and measurable.
Successful "Biggest Losers" write or look at goals daily.
2. Create and expand support.
If our social environment resembles a dry, hot, barren, desert, we will have a difficult time growing and developing. We need a rich and fertile environment to grow. We are social beings that require social connection and support to maintain our health and vitality.
Successful "Biggest Losers" developed and nurtured their social network.
3. Gray thinking
Most of us think in black and white. I am "good" or I am "bad". We divide our world into nice and neat categories. (This behavior reduces an overwhelming amount of information and processes it into more manageable pieces). This is a set up for disaster, in that one small mistake becomes a failure.
Successful "Biggest Losers" don't interpret a small slip up as a failure; they get back on the horse right away.
4. Utilize resources
If I told you that you were about to go on the longest journey of a lifetime, you would want to pack your bag and make sure you had enough clothes, water, food, etc. Resources are anything that contributes to your success and wellbeing. There are no extra points awarded by doing this alone. It is necessary to establish what resources will be needed for success. Do you need a nutritionist, fitness instructor, support group, food journal, online support, recipes, or psychotherapist?
Successful "Biggest Losers" utilized and developed new resources.
5. Identify problems early
What is getting in the way? Is it emotional eating, depression, anxiety, recent losses, work stress. Do you want to address the big roadblock right in the middle of your path, or continue to walk over and around it? What do you gain by continuing to avoid what might be sabotaging your success? This is an opportunity to make real life changes.
Successful "Losers" identify emotional roadblocks and ask for further support, referrals to mental health professionals, or referrals for medication.
This list is meant for you to begin acknowledging what has contributed to your success and celebrate the gains you have made. If you notice there is an area that you believe needs further attention, don't beat yourself up about it. This is an opportunity for you to expand and enrich your life.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Walking in a marathon?? Me? Yeah right!
Who would have thunk it? Me, formerly 410 pound fat girl walking in a marathon... yeah right! Well, I am proud to tell you all that I did walk a 5 mile leg of the Myrtle Beach Bi-Lo marathon as part of a 5 man team on Feb 16, 2008. My support group went down in force. We took 14 people. We had two five-person relay teams and some half-marathon folks too! We did great, had a blast, and are all looking forward to doing it again at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati over the first weekend in May.
One year ago, I never would have considered this and I was already down below 300 pounds with over 100 pounds lost. At NO time during the last 20+ years would I have considered doing something like this. But, during the support group meeting way back in November, our fearless leader (Lori) said to me, "Why don't you go with us??" And, in a moment of insanity, I told her I'd think about it. As I've already pointed out, in my previous way of thinking, "I'll think about it" would translate instantly to "What the freak are you thinking?" LOL But, this new and adventurous me called my hubby and said "Hey, what do you think about me walking in a marathon??" He, in his wonderfully supportive way, said, "If you CAN do it, then go for it!" And, the rest is history. I not only committed to doing it myself, but I also committed my 16 year old daughter to participate too. I walked my 5 miles in 1 hour and 20 minutes. She did hers in 1 hour and 10 minutes. We will both be participating in the Flying Pig Marathon as well. We'll continue to participate as relay team members and work up to doing half-marathons hopefully by time for the Myrtle Beach marathon next year.
And, we got MEDALS!!
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