Search the Community

This happened to me and I got SO upset, I thought I was doing everything wrong. Don't stress, try to walk, and enjoy the foods you can eat--as long as you follow all the reccomendations, you're doing everything right and it WILL come off. I was stalled for almost two weeks and then I lost another three pounds quickly and easily. It will happen!

I love how simple things are such great accomplishments! Congrats on your towel covering up all of you! That's awesome. I'm waiting to see if I will have a three week stall (I'm at 2 weeks tomorrow post op). If there is a stall, your post has relieved me. Thank you!

You are just in the "three week stall." Google it and you'll find lots of information. Your body is healing right now, and you won't likely get an accurate weight in the first month. You just need to keep meeting your protein and water goals each day, and stay off the scale if it is going to upset you. The weight will start to come off again soon, but it won't be linear, and will often be quite erratic. Good luck!

I am three months out and I ahave not excercised... not once!!! And I have finally hit a stall. Since surgery, I have lost 54 pounds but have been stuck for two weeks. I know I need to become active but I am so tired when I get home. Here is what my schedule looks like. Monday - Saturday 5am- I have one hour... wake up, get ready for work, try to get some Breakfast in and make breakfast for kids and make sure they are set to go for school before I leave. 6am- hit the road and fight downtown LA traffic 7am- begin my day. I am a phlebotomist so I have to run from patients to the lab all day. Guess what??? Im not allowed to have food or drinks in the patients rooms or lab. This makes it very hard to get my Water in. So I try to get as much in during my lunch 4pm- Clock out. And Im hitting the road by 430 to pick up my daughter and take her to cheer practice by 5. 5pm- Drop off daughter and head out to pick up my son 6pm- Pick up my son from practice and head home... more traffic 645-7pm- home and time to make dinner. And now I see my hubby. 8pm- clean up and help kids with homework while my husband does laundry and takes care of bills and such. 9pm- Im so tired now, I shower and watch some TV because this is my only down time and maybe I can get a few hours of sleep. If anything is thrown in, I am running behind by a good hour or so and sometimes dont go to bed till about 10:30 or 11. but that only gives me 6 hours of sleep and who wants a sleepy needle coming towards them??? scary Sundays we try to make it family day because we are so busy. But also sunday is our grocery shopping day and my only day off WELCOME TO MY WEEK I now know why we ate so much fast food. I know I need to excercise but really I am so tired

I feel like I've been at a stall since three weeks post op haha. I've also been at a stall for about a month. How are you feeling?

It sounds as though you hit the normal three-week stall, so no worries there. I'm a little confused--when you say you eat "4 ounces of protein at least" do you mean at one time? That seems like a lot at once for as relatively early as you are in the process. Are you meeting the water goals? I would not stress over meeting an arbitrary weight loss goal; focus more on the big four goals (per my surgeon): water, protein, vitamins, and exercise. Is there a reason you are not taking vitamins? They really are essential for WLS recipients--we can't get enough of what we need through our very limited diets at this point. Good luck!

Yes. All the time. I stall for a week or so and lose for 4 to 7 days. Usually a pound a day. It's been like this since around three weeks out. You'll get to a point where you will know it will continue to work, and then it becomes less frustrating.

At 8 weeks post op I've lost 44 pounds and am thrilled. Even if I never lose another pound, I feel and look better than I have in 15 years! I weigh myself every day , but I don't let the scale discourage me if I gain a pound or I'm in a stall. My first stall at three weeks post-op lasted 16 days. I began to get very frustrated, but then I read about the 3 week stall and realized that if I eat according to the meal plan (which includes eating OFTEN and ENOUGH food and fluids) the weight has no choice but to fall off from a physiological standpoint. It may even be necessary to INCREASE caloric intake at some point to get things going again. Also, if you are a woman who is not menopausal, you need to factor in the monthly weight fluctuations due to Water retention and other such things you would deal with even if you were at goal weight.

Hi Everyone, Not sure if I am just over reacting, but it seems like my weight loss has stalled and tomorrow will be my three weeks post op. I have no idea why. I am getting ready to start my soft foods and I have been doing the puree this last week. I found some recipes and have not gone over or eaten anything that isn't recommended. I am working on my activity and am walking 20 min. a day. I don't know if I am just over reacting or not, but I don't like this stall. I saw my surgeon at 10 days post op, and my weight has not really changed much since then. Any ideas? Thanks!!

I have also stalled. I am almost three weeks post op and started introducing foods into my diet so I am at a stand still. I feel your pain. It is very discouraging to see such a dramatic loss and then just stop. But I knew it would not last best thing is for our fills to come along and we get to the point were we can start exercising more.

Don't panic. I"m not.. I was sleeved Sep 18th. Lost 10 pounds on pre liquid then 10 the first week then 5-7 and now nothing for a week!!!! Yes, plenty of threads on here about the stalls. I researched from medical sites and the deal is that your body losing glycogen quickly, just like it did on low carb diet days.. THat as a large ratio of water to glycogen, so we lose the water weight quickly and also fat.. Pants also fit better, etc and we feel great.. once glycogen is gone, even if you were losing fat, your pants would still fit better, but the weight would be like 1/4 of the decrease as before because it's only fat and no water. Make sense? THEN, the stalls are required for your body and is very cool how it works (although I do hate mine lol), because it has to restore glycogen and it , in essence, shifts around the fat from your cells and converts it to glycogen. As someone puts it, so your body can react to running in the old days, from say, a sabertooth tiger.. So, even though you won't lose weight, as the body changes it's "insides" to glycogen, you will be way more fit and trim, just not less weight. Then it repeats.. The less dramatic the weight loss, the less this is noticeable, etc. But it's also why many people go through several stalls. I hope to be one to tell you that I got out of mine soon. I used to eat 3500 cal a day and now 1200 on a bad day. So s/b losing two or three lbs a week, but nada for like 9 days. Again, I am certain it's normal and it always used to happen to me on my diet days. hope that helps

I stalled at three weeks too! I was super bummed!! I still am lol. Today is the first day of my fourth week and I I havent lost anything in 7 days. I just had my post op today and DR said my weight loss is good ( 18 pounds since August 16) I'm hungry about every three hours but she said that was ok - as long as I stay within 600-800 calories. I was just expecting to lose steadily for the first few months. Ugh!! I guess all we can do is hang in there

Shame is a real emotion. I have to acknowledge its presence so that I can move beyond it. Like I said in my original post I am making a game plan to do better next week. Shame should motivate a person to strive to do better the next time. That is how it is working for me. I was just trying to lose 20 lbs by Feb. 14. I did have a stall at week three post op. Besides the stall I have lost weight every week. Once I weigh myself tomorrow I will be even closer to that goal. If I feel disappointed about my meeting a goal that is fine. Disappointment is a frequent companion in life. I am not shocked by the shame or disappointment I am just acknowledging its presence this week. Did I say I was going to just give up? No people. I am just saying I had a rough week.

MNB, 18 pounds in one month is absolutely amazing. Why on earth would you be disappointed? If I have said this once, I have said it one-hundred times, do not judge your weight loss success based on what others have done. Everyone loses at different rates. Everyone's body reacts differently to the surgery. Just because one person may have lost twenty pounds in the first month, does not mean the next person should or they have failed. Additionally, it is not unusual have a stall around three weeks. This usually takes place during the transition to the next stage of foods. Your body is confused right now. It has undergone some pretty major things in the past three weeks. You are going to see some fluctuations in your weight loss. Give your body time to adjust. Lastly, I know other than walking, my doctor said no strenuous exercise until I was six weeks out. At three weeks out, I was so weak physically due to the post-op diet, there was no way I could have withstood any type of workout regimen at that time. I got tired walking from the couch to the bedroom. I didn't have enough energy to really start exercising until I had been on full foods for about a week. So please, do not be hard on yourself. You are doing fabulous and as expected!

When I was three weeks out I did not want food at all. Nothing sounded good. But follow your docs plan. They have a method to their madness. As far as loss stalling or slowing, your body just went through A LOT!! It might need a little time to adjust. It will come off.

You are not alone!!! It sounds like you and I are in about the same situation. I was banded on 8/28/09 and lost the first week after surgery during the liquid phase. I started back on soft foods and since then nothing. Not one pound!!! I to am frustrated about the weight lose stalling out, but everyone keeps telling me that it is normal. It has now been just over three weeks from my surgery and I weighed myself this morning. DOWN TWO POUNDS!! I know it's not a lot but at this point; I'll take it. Keep moving forward, don't give up now! You have taken the first step in the process, now it's time to move forward and discover the new person inside you. That is what I keep focusing on. I know where I've come from, I know what I am now, what I don't know is what I will become. I can already see changes, and I like them.

Just over eight months out. I’ve lost 132 pounds. 117 since surgery, 15 on liquid diet pre op. I lost nothing during July, having a three week stall.

Man it's hard not to! I've had a pretty hard time in the three weeks and I think my weightloss is pretty good. Literally 21 lbs in 21 days. Truly, I'm fine with that. But then you log in and see someone whose breezed through everything and lost 50 lbs in 6 weeks. (Halfway to goal which means she had 100 to lose just like me) I'm positive I won't lose 30 more lbs in the next three weeks since the dreaded stall is about to find me most likely, and even though inWAS just fine with my weightloss, now I'm dissapointed. Lol. I try not to read those threads but sometimes it just creeps up on ya. So. I'd love to hear from others whose weight isn't just falling off them.

Which stall? haha. Seriously though, first one was three weeks, second was a week. I'm 7.5weeks out. The drop after stall was drastic for the first one, slow for the second one. Hang in there, it happens to everyone! It will end eventually.

Hello. I've been on here a few times and I REALLY enjoy reading everyones stories...so here's mine.... I have been overweight for the majority of my life. Three beautiful children added even more weight which was so hard to lose. I've tried diet after diet...pills ...everything. I would lose a little weight here and there then gain it right back. Recently I began looking into info. on the gastric sleeve. My PCP said I was a good candidate considering my history and my not so good family history. Eventually I started the 3 months of classes that Kaiser requires and completed them. Next was my consult with the surgeon. He put me on the 3week liquid diet and I lost the 10 lbs required.It was tough going through that phase! Finally the surgery date arrived...Nov. 27th 2012. Everything went well. They removed my gallbladder and repaired a hernia that was found. Hospital stay was rough...had horrible spasms in my chest ..but I was released the following day. Recouperating at home was a lot comfortable. The muscle spasms continued for a little over a week or so. Thank God they are gone!! Nausea has now kicked in which I take medication for. I am hoping it subsides soon!! It's been 19days since my surgery. Between the pre op diet and now I've lost 19 lbs. Happy about that even though I was hoping to of lost more...I'm now at the dreaded stall and haven't lost anymore weight in over a week and I'm really frusterated! Staying focused though! Ive come to far and refuse to give up. Hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoy all of yours. Add me as a friend if you'd like. I'd love to talk to you ...share encouraging words...advice...anything!!

Yes, a stall is very common about three weeks after surgery. Almost everyone experiences one about that time. Also, the duration of your stalls can vary. In fact, it's not really a stall as far as I'm concerned unless it lasts longer than a week, but, of course, I weigh no more than once a week, or less often. Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process. If you intend to lose a large amount of weight then you will experience stalls. Just focus on following your program. Make sure you get in all of your Protein and fluids every day, take your Vitamins and supplements as directed, and exercise. If you let the numbers on the scale drive you crazy, then the best thing to do is to stay off the scale. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

The stall arrived 3 weeks ago. I knew it'd come sometimes around the third month and it did at -25 kgs (or 55 lbs). I wasn't that happy, I wasn't sure what advice I should follow. And I basically didn't do much, apart from increasing my daily water. Today the scale was down 1 kg or 2.2 lbs, not much, but still. You just have to believe it will move again, because it will. And I can actually see amazing advantages coming from my stall: first of all my skin. It was going so fluffy I hated it but in the last three weeks it tightened and now it looks almost OK. People started noticing my weight loss. It's amazing how they didn't notice much while I was losing and now they keep asking me daily how much more I have lost (which is basically nothing!). My hair has a break too I haven't started losing it yet and I honestly hope this stall will avoid the fall. We'll see. Another thing I did is... relax. In the last 10 days I didn't stress over my non-weight loss. I was like "Whatever. At some point the scale will move again" and it did. I relaxed, kept going to the gym but no more often than before, I kept having my 2 days a week without carbs, I just went on with my life. I am really happy now because I feel good and my skin looks much better. I just wanted to share my experience, because it was a positive one even if it involved a stall!

So I need to ask those who have been in my position what you have done. I'm assuming there aren't too many of you who can relate(hopefully). Here is the background story: I had the crapband in Sept of 2010. I was 238 at the time. I was ok for a few months until the sliming and puking took over my life for the next nearly 2 years. I lost about 32 pound in 5 months and then it came to a grinding halt. Nothing I did lost me a pound. Then the weight just came back on until I was back around 222-225. I couldn't stand the f'ing sliming and throwing up game so I did what I thought was the be all and end all for me and had the sleeve done in July 2012. My sister had hers done in march of 2012 and is now a tiny little thing again. She rocked it like nobody's business. I lost weight the first 3 weeks after the sleeve and then it just tapered off pretty fast. 7 weeks later I had a horrible episode of starvation and I was so hungry one day that I ate a lot of food for someone with such a small stomach. I actually cried because I was so hungry and upset that I could eat 'so much' food. I was having reflux issues too so I had a barium study. Little did I know that in just 8 weeks, the top portion of my stomach, the fundus, had already started to stretch. I found out from my GI doctor that it was nothing I did or ate and it was just due to my anatomy. He said stomachs are creatures with their own minds and mine did it's own thing. The lower portion was unaffected. I eventually lost about 25 pounds in about 4-5 months and then once again, the weight just came back on. Two Endocrinolgists have told me that years of dieting and the two surgeries have permanently damaged my metablolism. My body can't switch to fat buring like a normal body. It goes straight into panic starvation mode. I have had extensive thyroid and blood sugar work ups and have resolved any issues there. In fact, my labs are pretty damn good. So in April I go back to my surgeon and tell him that I'm seriously fed up with the lack of missing pounds and that we need to figure this out now. He said that he can redo the sleeve to fix the top and make it really tight. I was game for almost anything so I scheduled my 3rd surgery in 4 years. Good thing my insurance covers everything! I had the sleeve redone July 15th, 1 year and 1 week since the first sleeve. I went in with zero exepectations so I wouldn't get my hoped crushed again. Well, good thing because I'm back at square one again. I lost about 13-14 pounds in the first 3 weeks and now 8 weeks out I haven't lost anymore. In fact, most of it was in the first two weeks. The third week was 2 pounds and for the past 5 weeks I haven't lost a freaking ounce. Now I have total proof that it's not what or how much I am eating. Three surgeries, all the BS about Protein, no carbs, ect just doesn't apply to someone like me. I can eat protein all day long and I still don't lose weight. I have been hiking, kayaking, etc and nothing happens. I wake up hungry, go to bed hungry. Nothing. What do you do in my situation? I'm not expecting crazy results like some people do. I am very realistic about what your body can and can't do. I know that 3500 calories is equal to one pound gained or lost. I know that my intake is significantly less that it was a few months ago and I know my body have this amazing ability to fully function on so much less food without buring fat and I wish I knew how or why! One of my doctors said that I truly could never, ever be Anorexic even if I tried, because my body is like some Neanderthal survivor! Have any of you had such a reaction like mine where your metablolism has legitimately been trashed to the point where you can't burn fat? What have to done to overcome this? I know there has to be a solution to boost my body into fat burning mode and move it out of starvation mode. I would really apprecaiate any input that you have in regards to my situation. I don't consider this a stall like everyone seems to have. This is yet another full stop just like the last two times. Even my surgeon said to me that he was just going to have to suck the fat out. I agree. That is in the very near future. Thanks!

A month out on Thursday of this week. I am in a "stall" on one hand. My weight hasn't gone down in three days. But on the other hand I think, "Really? Where is my patience?" It will work. It HAS worked. But it is hard to see it right in the middle of the trenches.

Stalls are a natural part of the weight loss process and although frustrating are usually nothing to worry about. That said, there are some things you can check that may shorten the length of the stall or even jump start your weight loss. Are you getting ALL of your doctor's recommended daily protein? There are lots of reasons why protein is so important but sometimes you can break through a plateau by increasing your intake of protein - eggs, low-fat cheese, fish, chicken, turkey, or tuna - for two or three days. Try to avoid anything processed. The science behind it is that the intake of pure amino acids increases your metabolism and forces the body to burn stored fat. Are you getting your doctor's recommended daily calorie intake? Plateaus can be "artificially" created if you aren't eating enough calories. The body reacts by burning less stored fuel. Essentially, your metabolic rate slows as the body attempts to conserve fuel in response to a "famine" state. Reducing calories is important for losing weight but it is not the whole story and you can go too far. Are you drinking a lot of fluids? Preferably water (ugh) but all fluids help flush the system out and can actually increase weight loss. Are you staying active? Exercise will increase the speed of your weight loss, increase the total amount of weight you will lose, and help you to maintain your goal weight when you get there. Forget about training to be the next superhero! Remember the Prime Directive - everything you do including your exercise must be sustainable. I walk at least four times a week. I started out walking 15 to 20 minutes and slowly worked my way up to 45 to 55 minutes and two and a half to three miles. I enjoy it and that makes it sustainable. Five years of an exercise plan that you enjoy is infinitely more valuable than five weeks of frustrating yourself and ultimately giving up. Stay focused on following the protocol, stay active, and stay away from the scales for a couple of weeks. Before you know it the stall will pass and you'll be right back on track to the new you!