Weight Loss

I'm 49, female, 5'5" and now 224 lb. I started dieting July 4th, at 233. Lost 9 lbs in 8 days, but now all weight loss has come to a screeching halt, and I'm very bummed.

My problem has always been "bad" carbs and portion sizes. Several years ago I lost 60 lbs on Atkins, maintained for a year & a half, but gained back 80 when I slowly went back to my old ways. This time I guess I started a kind of "South Beach"-type lower carb/lower fat type thing and trying to eat reasonable amounts. I've been tracking my calories and have been eating 500 - 900 cals/day (I know, I know!) and my weight loss has stalled. I'm not hungry really for breakfast (and sometimes lunch), but I've been eating dinner & a snack most days.

If this is the "starvation mode", why is it that people successfully lose weight when they have lap banding done? After all, basically all they're doing is severely restricting their intake. I don't understand it. I'm at a point where I'm not hungry all the time like I used to be, and am full and satisfied with what I'm eating. I'd hate to force myself to eat more....I'm afraid that will set off my ravenous bingeing again.

Anyone have any insights/suggestions?

***EDITED TO ADD: (from my post #6, below)

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go against guidelines. I didn't mean to give the impression that I plan on eating that little as a "diet" (g-d forbid!). Please let me clarify:  I'm not "consciously" trying to starve myself....I'm just eating when I'm hungry now. I'm trying to listen to my body's cues as to when I'm hungry, and then I eat! I'm trying to eat healthy foods, and gradually increasing them each day as I add more variety. I never was a breakfast eater.

As for the "starvation mode" - I ate little the first couple of days to get my appetite under control, and to be able to determine when I'm really hungry. Been increasing intake gradually. The past couple of days I've eaten 900+ calories, as I've started added fruit & whole grains back into my diet. As days go by, I'll be adding more different foods, and consequently more calories. It's the days in between that I'm wondering about....why wasn't I losing weight? My target caloric intake is 1200 - 1550 cal/day. Before, I was probably eating around 2500 cal/day, probably 75% in carbs/junk. I thought that once I began increasing my intake, maybe weight-loss would be kick-started, but it's not happening. My question is: when will it happen? I (and my stomach) are satisfied adding foods gradually, but I'm not losing weight. Do I need to eat NOW at the UPPER end of the recommended calories? Or should I continue my gradual increase until I find the point where I'll start losing some weight? I'm afraid if I add another 300 - 600 cal/day to my diet suddenly, it'll trigger my old "hungry-all-the-time" appetite and I'll be right back at square one, but it's frustrating to never see the scale move!

If you read the posting guidelines and the information about calorie counting, you will know that this site doesn't promote or support eating 500-900 calories a day. 

If you look at the tools, you should be able to plug in your stats and find out how much you can safely eat to lose between 1-2 pounds a week. 

Your extremes of starvation (500 calories/day) and "ravenous bingeing" sound like an eating disorder or a symptom of something beyond "eating better". 

I couldn't tell you the slightest thing about lap band, except that I think it is a jumpstart to dieting/controlling hunger. 

Track and eat just the calories for "sedentary" (and maybe 100 less) and start exercising. Start with walking, and work your way up to walking more. Buy a stress ball or hand grips and work it while you are reading things at your computer. Fidget, if nothing else. As your weight goes down, so will the number of calories that you need.

If you ever exercise more than 1000 calories in a day, then you can re-think the calories thing. Otherwise keep it simple.

About binging . . . make an eating plan that includes a healthy intake of food that is good for you and stick to it. If this is not possible, you may need resources beyond a mere calorie counting site.

oh, there's no doubt that you'll lose weight eating 500-900.  the problem is that it's not sustainable, and when you start eating normally again you'll gain it all back and more.  just like a lot of people who get lap band surgery do.

You need fuel to burn in the a.m. I know you're not hungry but try this. Fiber one makes these chocolate high fiber bars that are 140 calories and 9 grams of fiber. Try mounging one or two of those in the a.m. and then add a piece of fruit later in the day. If you feel like you need to burn some more fuel to keep up with at least 1200 calories a day either add another fiber one bar or maybe eat a small bowl of cereal later in the day.

If you don't add that fuel to your internal furnace you will not lose weight you will store everything you eat because your body will freak at the lack of fuel coming into it.

Here is a trick with respect to the band surgery (friend and her mom both had the banding). When you go to have a meal, drink up till you have to eat then do not drink while you are eating and at least an hour after you have eaten. That should help you not to over eat.

The prognosis for someone having gastric surgery is that they will lose only 50% of their excess body-weight.  So if you're 220lbs and should be 140lbs then the forecast is that a lap-band or similar will only get you down to 180lbs.  A lot of them need to supplement their diet for life with the vitamins they can't take in from their non-existent food.  Some struggle with problems like hair-loss and dental problems.  And quite a few... famously Carnie Wilson... actually start gaining weight because they've crashed their metabolism and any extra food they eat goes straight on their tushies as fat!!!  

With what you're doing you'll probably go the same way...... BTW Seven days at the same weight is NOT a plateau it's your body getting used to starvation!  Wake up and smell the coffee and stop with all the fad dieting.  No appetite = major danger sign.  You're risking making yourself even bigger in the long-run.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go against guidelines. I didn't mean to give the impression that I plan on eating that little as a "diet" (g-d forbid!). Please let me clarify:  I'm not "consciously" trying to starve myself....I'm just eating when I'm hungry now. I'm trying to listen to my body's cues as to when I'm hungry, and then I eat! I'm trying to eat healthy foods, and gradually increasing them each day as I add more variety. I never was a breakfast eater.

As for the "starvation mode" - I ate little the first couple of days to get my appetite under control, and to be able to determine when I'm really hungry. Been increasing intake gradually. The past couple of days I've eaten 900+ calories, as I've started added fruit & whole grains back into my diet. As days go by, I'll be adding more different foods, and consequently more calories. It's the days in between that I'm wondering about....why wasn't I losing weight? My target caloric intake is 1200 - 1550 cal/day. Before, I was probably eating around 2500 cal/day, probably 75% in carbs/junk. I thought that once I began increasing my intake, maybe weight-loss would be kick-started, but it's not happening. My question is: when will it happen? I (and my stomach) are satisfied adding foods gradually, but I'm not losing weight. Do I need to eat NOW at the UPPER end of the recommended calories? Or should I continue my gradual increase until I find the point where I'll start losing some weight? I'm afraid if I add another 300 - 600 cal/day to my diet suddenly, it'll trigger my old "hungry-all-the-time" appetite and I'll be right back at square one, but it's frustrating to never see the scale move!

You might not be ready to hear this yet, but perhaps you will remember it when you are.  There is only one way to lose weight sustainably, healthily and permanantly.  Get a healthy calorie deficit (500 - 1000 kcals) by eating a sensible amount of food which keeps you satisfied, and exercising.  The tools on this site will enable you to calculate what you need to do, and the forums will offer you sensible advise on how to fit it with your family / work / tastes etc.  It's slow (1  -2lbs per week) and it's needs to be a permanant change to your lifestyle.  There are no miracles, and no shortcuts.  The rewards along the journey are fantastic.  Good luck on your journey, when you decide to make it a sensible and sustainable one.  Ax

I agree with what everyone here has said so far. Also remember that if you've lost that much in one week your body might be in shock. A healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. Don't be upset when you don't see a change on the scale every day.

 

A nutritionist told me that it takes 1 week for your body to go into starvation mode, so you're most likely in it right now. That's too bad

Oh.. and just a heads up- the average person in Auswitch consumed 900 calories a day. So you were actually eating less than someone in a concentration camp... yeah I would say you're DEFINITLEY in starvation mode.

It takes a while to get out.. and you have to gain before you can lose again. Should have known better!!

Original Post by tamborine:

I'm 49, female, 5'5" and now 224 lb. I started dieting July 4th, at 233. Lost 9 lbs in 8 days, but now all weight loss has come to a screeching halt, and I'm very bummed.

I'm sorry, but--you lost 9 lbs in barely more than a week, and now, one week later, you're bummed because you haven't lost anymore?! I've been doing this for a year, and I'm quite happy with having lost "only" 30 lbs so far. I'm not in a hurry, as I figure I'll be doing this in some form for the rest of my life.

It seems to me that if you want this weight loss to be permanent, something you keep off for life, you need to stop thinking of it as a race, as something temporary in which you force your body to drop pounds quickly, and start thinking of it as a lifestyle change. If you don't, you'll just end up regaining the weight again when you stop the diet.

If you think of it as a lifestyle change it becomes a lot easier--habitual, even--to put things into your body that are good for it; if you stop focusing on losing weight only, you'll stop, well, abusing the poor thing by eating so little. I used to be one of those people who "couldn't" eat breakfast, too, but now I look forward to it every day. I think it's a case of finding what you want to eat for breakfast, rather than being unable to eat breakfast (e.g., for years my breakfast was melba toast, grapes, and cheese because that was what I wanted; now it's a big bowl of FF vanilla yogurt with granola).

Aim for a deficit of around 500 calories or thereabouts in calories in vs calories burned, look at it as slow and steady wins the race, and the pounds will eventually come off, and your body will reward you by looking and feeling great, without any feelings of deprivation that lead to falling off the weight-loss wagon.

My 2 cents. Good luck in your journey!

 

 

Hi,

I'm 48 and 5'3".  I'm actually a lifetime member of Weight Watchers even though I'm back trying to lose again.  I've lost a large amount of weight 3 times in my life and at my largest I was at 235.  One thing I learned is that you drop major water weight the first week and the more you weigh the more you lose.  The second week you're lucky to lose anything or you may even gain.  After that if you stick with a good plan and exercise it will start coming off.  Another one of the mottoes was you have to eat to lose.  You  need to feed your body to keep it going.  I've always eaten 3 meals plus 2 snacks each and every time I've lost weight.  I'm here to try to get it back off and keep it off this time and stop the yoyo emotional eating cycle I've been on.  Best of luck to you.

There are people spouting off in this thread who know very little about lapbands.

Carnie Wilson had gastric bypass.  That is not a lapband. 

Carnie Wilson has admitted she has a booze problem and a binge eating disorder.  Liquid calories such as rum and coke get through any any lapband or gastric bypass with ease and they make you fat.

No one with a lapband should be eating less than 1200 calories a day.  There is no reputable doctor who advises lapband patients to eat less than 1200 calories per day. Lapbands ALLOW you to stick to a low calorie diet such as the one endorsed here.  It does this by pressing on the nerves near the top of your stomach that make you feel full and it restricts the amount of food you take in at one time.

Keep in mind that a lot of you on this site do not actually have obesity problems.  Many of you are slightly overweight or normal weight and still wish to be smaller.  There are several that are obviously anorexic.  This is a different situation than someone with class 1 or class 2 obesity (or worse) who has had a lifelong problem with yo-yo dieting and failure at dieting.  Be aware that there are probably several people who use this site who actually have lapbands and they are not morally deficient or "doing it the easy way".  All a lap band does is help the person turn off the constant hunger and give them an edge in the battle for self control.

A person with a lapband still has to watch what they eat.  If they drink milkshakes and eat chips or guzzle coke, they will not lose any weight.  If they consume high calorie foods like rice or pasta, they will not lose any weight.  People who have lapbands and begin to gain weight again are doing so because they are eating more calories than they burn.  Just like everyone preaches here about people who lose weight using CC and then gain it back later. 

Losing weight is not easy and keeping it off is even harder.  If you do find it easy, you are still in the diet honeymoon stage or you do not have a serious obesity problem to begin with.  These forums are full of people crying out for tips to quell their cravings and hunger.

 

Very well said, conspiracygirl!

I think the breakfast thing is really important. I used to skip it, but now eat oatmeal 4 days a week. I like the ones that have extra protein and fiber, and I'll add flax meal and raisins, cranberries or fresh blueberries if I have them. I think the protein and fiber help stave off the hungries. My problem is during the work week. I sit at my desk and eat all day. I'm usually too busy on the weekend, and am more active as well. I have my one donut on Friday, 200 to 240 empty calories, but if I don't work in treats, I will binge. Balance is the key for me!

The biggest thing with lap band is that you can die from the surgery.  It can move around inside you and cause complications.  And then there's the scarring from the surgery.  The more overweight you are, the worse the scarring.  And, boy that's attractive.....  You're also under the direct supervision of a physican who is busily prescribing stuff to make sure that you get the necessary nutrients for your body to function properly.

AND YOU STILL HAVE TO LEARN TO EAT PROPERLY - SURGERY OR NOT. 

I can't say that enough.  Having the surgery without changing your eating and exercise habits won't do you any good. 

If you've been doing 500-900 cal per day for any length of time, you should probably see your doctor ASAP.  If you've been that restricted, you're almost certainly malnourished (yes, in the third world - "send aid now" kind of way) because it's almost impossible to get a properly balanced diet with that small caloric allotment. 

I would tell you to raise your intake to 1250 immediately, just so that you're getting proper nutrition. 

Original Post by conspiracygirl:

There are people spouting off in this thread who know very little about lapbands.

I don't really think that anyone was "spouting off." I'm not sure how tambourine's subject line about lap bands tied in to her questions and concerns about dieting, but we're all trying to be constructive here, and as you also said, it all boils down to watching what you eat, no matter what. People don't have to be obese to find struggling with achieving a healthy weight difficult, and those of us who have shifted our thought patterns to see it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet aren't in honeymoon mode; we're just more accepting of ourselves and the whole process, IMHO.

Ah, never mind, just reread tambourine's post, and see the lap band/starvation mode tie in...

My girlfriend has just had lapband surgery last Thursday. Two weeks before the op she was weighed and put on three protein shakes per day leading up to surgery to shrink the liver to give access to the area.  The protein shakes were 195 calories each.  So basically a 600 calorie pre-op diet for two weeks.

She weighed at that time 286 pounds.  She was weighed on the date of the operation and weighed 275 pounds - loss of 11 pounds over two weeks living on shakes.  She was hungry believe me I heard it all!!!

Operation was easy, just three little holes and she feels great.  She is still on three protein shakes a day as it is one week after the op - she weighed again and has not another 11 pounds - weight is now 264. 

Now she has to start introducing 'solids'.  She takes two protein shakes a day and one cup of solids mushed up.  Gradually increasing back to solids.

The lapband is controlled by a fluid that the doctor puts into the band every few weeks to adjust the opening.  She will need to do this for a few months until just right.  When she wishes to have another child, they remove the fluid.  She wants to have another baby in a couple of years but cannot at the moment due to her weight. 

The operation cost NZ$20,000.00.  Personally I can think of better ways to spend the money but everyone to their own.  I was just pleased she didn't go for a gastric bypass as it is a harsher operation.