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Hello everyone. I am on here frequently.. Reading posts.. And I have to say there are three complaints/attitudes that I can't stand hearing about on here. Sorry for the rant but sometimes you have to tell it straight. 1. The "oh I just got sleeved a few weeks ago and I've stopped loosing weight.. What's wrong with me??!" Well first off obviously you did not read the hundreds of other posts from people complaining about the exact same thing! Stalls are normal and they will pass. If you think the weight is just going to fall off overnight you are sadly mistaken. 2. The "when can I eat pizza/drink pop or other *insert obviously unhealthy meal item here*??" Really you must have missed the part about this being a lifestyle change! If you continue your same eating habits you are going to get your exact same results. Just because you have WLS doesn't mean all those empty calories you choose to consume are just going to disappear. Your setting yourself up for failure. 3. The "I've stopped loosing weight.. Oh by the way I DON'T excercise" ok now this one seriously bugs me. I am pretty sure EVERYONE was given the same information about adopting some form of physical activity after getting sleeved. It's required to help you loose weight, tone that saggy skin and maintain your weightloss when you get to goal.. If your telling yourself "I just don't love exercising" then you are FOOLING YOURSELF. No one loves excercising! It will get easier after a while and more enjoyable sure. "But my bad knee/shoulder" oh boo hoo everyone can do some form of excercise even if its just walking or even chair excersises. If a 30 year old man born with NO ARMS AND NO LEGS can find it in him to play golf, swim, and play soccer then I'm pretty sure you can do some form of excercise! (See attached inspirational video) So to sum up my rant.. NOTHING WORTH DOING COMES EASY! It takes work and the right attitude to be successful! http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/How-Nick-Vujicic-Triumphed-Against-All-Odds-Video

Search week three stall. It's infamous. Hang in there and stay the course!

Hey! You ask away, we were all in your shoes! I didn't find this site until after I was sleeved - unfortunately! It is a wealth of information... The surgery itself wasn't a problem... I had mine done first thing in the morning and slept all that day - it was painful when I woke up and to be honest, the next day was a blur - in and out of sleep. But I got up out of bed as soon as I could and although I was tender, I wouldn't say the pain was too much, it was bearable. The more you can walk around the better. I am a teacher and I was self pay, so I arranged it just before we broke up. I had two weeks off work, one day back in for an inset day and then the 6 weeks holidays... I would say that it was about three weeks until I felt like I could do some work! The liquid stage of the diet didn't really bother me... I like Soup and youghurt so I just kept to that. My post op plan was to eat three times a day and no more - and I still do that 95% of the time now. I had no real issues with acid but if, on the rare occasion, I had indigestion then I just had two rennie. That goes for now too... I don't get it often (nothing that a good burp or fart won't cure...lol... same as before really!). As far as hunger goes, all I can say is that it is different. I am never to the point where I feel that my tummy is grumbling for food - I just feel empty. If I skip a meal I get a headache and that is how I realise that I haven't eaten for a long time. I do have a little head hunger - not daily or even weekly - but it is there. To combat this I either have a cuppa or a little of what I am craving. Cravings are very different now. Before I could demolish a big bag of choc, now a few chunks will sort me out. Once I've eaten it, I move on. Job done! I must admit this is more recently - say over the last 6mths. In the first 12 - 18mths, I simply wasn't interested in wasting calories. As regards to the stallls... well... they are my demon! I have had a lot and long stalls. I am still in one that has lasted since Oct - so nearly a year! In that time I have lost a pound. I have lost nearly 5 1/2 stone, so I shouldn't complain. I was hoping to lose more... Regardless of what I do, my body doesn't want to part with the last bit of fat -perhaps my body is happy here? I have tried all the suggestions on here but the scale refuses to move. But in the first 6mths of this stall, I have gone down a dress size so all is not lost! I haven't 'given up' I want to get to at least my surgeon's goal with is 11 stone ultimately, I would love to see 10 stone something . One thing this stall has taught me, is that I am not worried about maintaining my weight now. I've not long come back from a holiday in Crete - I put on three pounds in those two weeks and had a great time (I was aware of what I was eating and tried to enjoy the different foods - being away from the scale was the worst part...lol)... they have gone now! No drama! I now know how to adjust my diet and work with what I have. I think the cause was the fizzy pop - I don't normally drink coke or anything fizzy or high in sugar anymore. The good thing with the sleeve is that there is no expiry date - you will probably reach your full tummy size at around 6-8 mths. I know I did and I can't overeat without discomfort. I is a huge learning curve, knowing your new capacity, learning what works for you and what doesn't and just getting in tune with your body. Sorry this is sooooo long - hope it helps. Any other questions, please ask =]

I hit a stall for two weeks but was still taking off inches. I was advices on here to eat every three hours. I was getting 700 to 800 calories and that bumped me to 1000. The scal started moving again the second day I did this!

Surgery on January 18th 2016. Height: 159cm = 5'3" Weight at time of surgery: 76kg = 167.5lbs = 12 stone BMI at the time of surgery: 30 Current weight 64.1kg = 141.5 lbs = 10 stone Current BMI: 25.4 Goal weight: 55kg = 121 lbs = 8.5 stone Goal BMI: 21.8 No more meds for diabetes, high cholesterol nor blood pressure. Back problems are gone! I haven't lost any weight since three weeks ago nor lost any centimeters/inches from my body. Struggling with stomach acidity, lost muscle because of weight loss which had caused that my right knee is in some pain and therefore little training activity. I also overeat at least once a day because I can't feel full and I have head hunger often, plus my body is looking to cope with the acidity and the only way that my mind translate the word "coping" is with "overeating" Extremely happy with the results! Just I want to move away from this stall! Current foods: I haven't touched carbs. Those are the ones that put me in this place, so no bread, pasta, rice, fruit, soft drinks nor sweets. Basically protein foods, veggies and fats. This week I'm starting to reduce the consumption of nuts because I'm allergic to them and I tend to abuse them. What I want to achieve in the food area: remove dairy products and artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners because they act like sugar in the brain, I feel them and I overeat them while dairy I'm also allergic to them and I also abuse both of them. Water: 1.5L goal achieved pretty much every day!

Your stomach is feeling really brutalized right now. This week will be your worst and then as you move into purees, soft foods, and regular foods that taste like something, your energy and your mood will pick up. This is the time to get plenty of rest and follow your plan. You will be quite inconvenienced this week, but you will not regret the long-term results. My experience was that my biggest incision (I had four) was the only one that hurt, and that was just for a couple of days. After that, I did not need any pain relief. I had behind the ear Patches to help calm the nausea which was in part caused by the other meds I had to take. By the end of the first week, I had a serious case of "cabin fever", and just couldn't wait to get out of the house. I do want to give you a "heads up" that along about week three, you may experience a stall in your weight loss. True, it is discouraging - but totally expected as your body adjusts to its new normal. Hang in there, kiddo. Pluck through the next couple of days and you will be past the worst of your recovery. I still think that my recovery was still not as aggravating as the pre-op insurance process! You will feel better shortly. Hugs from Chicago.

I had VSG 2/09/21 so I’m only two weeks out from surgery. My doctor has me on Protonix to prevent gastric reflux and so far it’s helped tremendously. No problems with stomach acids really. My problem is I seem to have hit the dreaded “three week stall” early! No matter how closely I track and watch what I’m eating (I’m on puréed foods now), I’m stuck at the same weight! It’s incredibly frustrating. I’m 52 and guess things are a little different for us older gals... I’ve only lost 12 lbs since my surgery. I sure could use some words of encouragement.

Do a search for three week stall. Just about everyone goes through it. Normally it doesn't last but a few weeks. Mine lasted 3 months.

You are not doing anything wrong. The three week stall is extremely normal. There are many, many discussions about it throughout the forum. I had a stall at one week post-op that lasted for 10 days. Next thing I knew it broke and I lost 11 pounds in the following 2 weeks. Every so often your body has to take a break and recovery from the quick weight loss and then it will start up again. This might be the first but it won't be the last. During a stall try to look for non-scale victories. I noticed that my body shrank a bit during my stall. Keep working the plan your surgeon has given you and things will work. In the general surgery section there is a food forum for recipes broken down by the stage you are in. Check those out for some savory protein options and ideas. I would also suggest to weigh once a week. The daily fluctuations are going to drive you mad. Hang in there. You are doing great. It's kind of like Dory in Finding Nemo - "Just keep swimming". You are going to get there!

yes. Happens to almost all of us. It's called the three week stall, even though it's not always the third week. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. During week 4, I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. if you want to see how common it is, do a search on the "three week stall" on this site. There are 15,701 posts on it, the last time I checked (and no, I am NOT kidding). just stick with your plan and stay off the scale for a few days if you have to. And know that it WILL end and you'll be on your way again edited to add that I thought I'd do the search for you. Here you go: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall

I found this article an interesting explanation of the three week stall. https://www.sagebariatric.com/what-you-can-do-about-weight-loss-stalls/

Three months....I'm 4 weeks and I think I'm in a stall. I think I weigh myself to much which is one of my problems. Good luck!!! Sent from my SGH-T999L using the BariatricPal App

It's OVER!!!!! My stall has left...I hope. I got on the scale this morning and I have starting losing again. Only 3lbs but we all need to lose one at a time, right? I am so happy three weeks with no lose was really tough, however I see that I have come out of it successfully and look forward to moving on down the scale! And will battle the next stall just as hard! Thanks again for all of your support!

Best of luck on your decision. I'm 61 too and I had RNY last August. I think age has no difference on how slow our fast you loss. If you stay the course everyone will eventually loose the weight they want. For me it shot off up until two stalls. The biggest one was three weeks long. My body decided when to start loosing again. My doctor told me there's risk in all surgery. The only difference in this case is that it's elective. As for exercise I don't go to a gym. I'm retired with a bad back. My only exercise is working in my yard. It's my passion though and many times I end up crawling back into the house because I've over worked my back. It takes a day or two before I can recover enough to start again.

it's the infamous three-week stall. Happens to almost all of us. If you do a search on this site for it, you'll find literally thousands of posts on it. Lasts 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale. Your weight loss WILL start up again.

Jacqbult. Having similar problem Seem to have stalled at 200... just can't seem to break through to the 100s! Wah! And I also developed a sharp pain on my right side. It is basically under my main incision. They have ruled out gall bladder, thank goodness. But it is discouraging as I am already more than three weeks out (Nov. 21 surgery) and need to get back to work. The pain is minor in the morning but seems to get worse as they day goes on, as if from fatigue. Very concerned that this will delay my clearance to start working out as it is in my core, which affects everything! Good luck with your pain and your stall, which will def end, of course. Still, it is frustrating!

I had RNY in 1990 and regained all I lost. I always blamed myself but now know that the surgery failed due to a fistula between pouch and stomach. I didn't know that revision was even possible until 2020, just before the pandemic struck. I started the bariatric program in early 2021. I discovered that I am a food addict with trigger foods: sugar, wheat flour, rice, white potatoes, and processed food. I cut out those foods and the result was fantastic! I lost 70 lbs prior to surgery. Despite this success, I went ahead with laparoscopic revision surgery on 12/21/21 at age 73. I weighed 247 at the time of surgery, down from 317. Unfortunately, I fell in that very tiny group of bariatric surgical patients that develop serious complications. Ten days after my revision surgery, I was airlifted back to the hospital with peritonitis and sepsis, caused by a rupture of the jejunum below the anastomosis. I was hospitalized for 7 weeks and underwent three endoscopic procedures and two open surgeries before they finally found and corrected a residual abscess. I left the hospital with a 15-cm long open surgical wound, which took 8 more weeks to fully close. I am now fully recovered and am back to exercising daily. The endoscopic procedures stretched the new anastomosis so I have no more restriction than I had pre-surgery, so I still have to be very careful about what I consume. I typically go through month-long stalls and then drop a few pounds. I do lose inches during the stalls. I've dropped from size 32/4X to size 20/XL and now weigh 214 lbs., just past the 100 lb loss mark. After being on a restricted diet for over 16 months I struggle with near-irresistible cravings in the afternoon and evenings. The clinic wants me to limit intake to 800 calories. 😱 It is daunting because I know I will never be able to go on a "maintenance" diet and must continue to avoid my trigger foods forever. Even when I choose protein snacks in response to cravings, each snack adds 100 or more calories to the daily total so my daily calorie count is between 900-1200 calories. (I will gain weight at 1500 calories.) I've done a trial of weight loss drug CONTRAVE but had to discontinue due to side effects. This is a horror story, but don't let it dissuade you from your revision. Complications are extremely rare.

People do not stall because they aren't eating enough. I see SO many people climb on here freaking out because they're "stalled" and the first thing they do after three whole days of no loss is start screwing with their diet. This is a major shock to our systems. Shedding weight at a rate of more than a pound a week is a shock to the body. It stops and starts and tries to recover along the way because you've completely changed from gaining weight to rapidly losing weight. This has been widely debated here but the starvation mode thing is doubted but a lot of us. Too many people carry those misguided notions from life prior to surgery (we MUST eat 1,200 calories or we'll starve, eat with a calorie deficit and you'll lose every time you step on the scale) and try to apply them to life post op. It's not the same. Diets are NOT all one size fits all, I say this over and over again. Why people who fail to lose the weight following a strict 1,200 calorie diet and exercising prior to surgery but then try to apply that same failed experiment to the sleeve post op amazes me. Calories are fuel. They are neither good nor bad. food in and of itself is not good or bad. Life and diet are not black and white. Food is fuel. The nutritional makeup of your food can be better or worse for your body, and you can certainly waste food space (very limited for a while post op) on absolute crap choices that do nothing to further your nutritional goals. Living like the sleeve is a diet is the biggest culprit I see in stressed out sleevers and regain posts. Everyone's body is different. How many calories you need is based upon how your body does. I was amazed to see that I lost best initially with about 800-900 calories a day. It took me months to get to the point where I could eat that much. I still lost when I ate less, and I still lost when I eventually upped my calories. It's not an exact science for most of us. There isn't a big, bold line we can't cross - it's flexible, and a lot of it is dependent on what you're eating and how your body reacts to those foods. I am a huge advocate of eating normally. That means no foods are off limits and moderation is key in all things. That said, I truly feel that our weight issues start with our brains and our habits of disordered eating. So until a freshly sleeved person learns more about how their new body tolerates things, and until they work on some of the head issues, I wouldn't say that worrying about upping calories, and downing possible trigger foods to do it, is a good idea. It's a process. There is nothing wrong with indulging once in a while - it's normal. But building a habit of telling yourself that you need extra calories, and therefore a bowl of ice cream (or some other such treat) is necessary each day *could* be a slippery slope for a lot of people. I truly believe you'll have such a hard time getting in your basic Protein first calories that you won't have room for the thought of anything else. That's how it is for the vast majority of us. And nothing tops a lower carb Protein shake for nutritional punch. We don't eat them to add to our calories in most cases. We eat them because you can drink pretty easily once you're healed, and drinking up to 50 grams of protein with only 200 calories for a meal is a darn good way to stay healthy once you're sleeved. You brought up some interesting questions. I am not trying to slam you or any of the other responses here, or lecturing you as if there's only one way to live post op. I've just spent a lot of time on these boards in the last three years and I've seen a lot of trends. Best of luck to you, and congrats on trying to work some of this out prior to surgery. It shows you're trying to prepare and that's important. Too many people skip the questions and research! ~Cheri

Had a RNY on 20 Dec, and things are going overall pretty well. Loving the soft / smooshy foods... my love affair with protein shakes is sadly o.v.e.r. for now. Hoping to start liking them again some day soon. I'm afraid the three-week weight stall has me in its grasp. I have always told myself that it's natural, to be stoic about it, it will surely pass, stay away from the scale... but golly I'm not feeling nearly as adult about it now that my scale isn't steadily dropping the weight. I've been bouncing around for about five days now on the same pound. It's fine, I know, but I'm just eager for more dropped pounds. 🙂 Starting weight: 228 Surgery weight: 205 Current weight: 187

I had surgery Nov. 22nd. I feel great! I'm down 48 lbs and loving it. It's great to hear everyone else is doing well too. I did hit a three week stall not too long after surgery and that was frustrating. However, I do understand the weight WILL come off. I find so much support on this website so this is where I come for learning and understanding. Good job everybody! I look forward to the updates!

You and I have the same surgery date, 12/2! And I've lost about the same since surgery - it turns out there's a standard three-week stall. Check out the discussions under POST-operative weight loss surgery Q & A - they have been super helpful to me. I'm now stalled after three weeks having lost 12 lbs since surgery but only 2 lbs this past week, and 8 lbs two weeks prior. In a couple articles I read online it says the liver was shrunk for surgery but works to get back to a normal size afterward and it takes - yep - three weeks. Sometimes this stall can last several weeks but afterward there can be a sudden, large loss. Apparently there will be multiple stalls along the way. The articles also said not to go below 600 calories a day as that can backfire as the body tries to store what it can during what it perceives as starvation time. I know many don't believe in starvation mode and I'm not sure it isn't just a myth. But to stay healthy it makes sense that at least 600 good quality calories a day is a good idea no matter the reason. Also, the weight loss rate depends on several factors. Males lose faster, those who are much bigger initially lose faster, women after menopause slower (that's me), etc. I'm reminding myself that prior to surgery it took me six months to lose 11 lbs. on my own...and my pre-diabetes and non-alcoholic liver disease labs and my borderline high blood pressure had not improved at all, though my cholesterol levels did. Post-surgery all are now in the normal range! No diabetes looming for me (like my mother), thank goodness. Here's wishing us both good luck during the dreaded three-week stall. We'll get there! I'm greatly encouraged by some of the posts about the three-week stall under the Post-op Q & A where the stats show those posting lost all or most of there weight and reached their goals despite having stalls and slow weight loss overall.

Today is day 15 for me. I'm struggling with my energy level and I also feel like I either pulled a muscle in my ab or I have an incisional hernia. I get major pain when I engage that muscle. I'm praying it's just a strain. I'm on soft solids and doing well. Trying to get in my protein. To date I've lost 24 lbs but the scale hasn't moved in a few days. Hoping it's the three week stall everyone talks about.

Just finished a three-week stall myself, followed by a 10-pound loss. So don't give up, it WILL happen.

My stall is also officially broken. I've lost four pounds in the last week, which does wonders for my moods! I'm still not weighing every day, and it really helps me not focus so much on weight. So far I'm down 30 pounds and I'll be eight weeks out tomorrow. That's not as much as I wanted to be down by now, but 30 pounds is the most I ever lost on any "diet" in the past. I did Nutrisystem in 2006 and lost 30 pounds in almost four months. So, to drop that amount in half the time is a definite success, and I can't be too displeased. I hope to lose another 13 pounds over the next month - that will bring me to 199 pounds. We'll see if it's possible. La: I am SO happy to read your stall is broken. I know how relieved I was when the scale moved again! I hope you're doing well. WildIris: It sounds like you're doing awesome! And you seem very happy with your success so far. I'm sure you'll be hitting that goal in no time. Coops: I've only had one cycle but I expect one in the next week. I can tell you that it DID affect my weight. I gained three pounds! It didn't drop off again until a few days after the cycle ended. I also experienced the first (and only) food cravings and "hunger" I've felt since surgery. I wanted to eat everything in sight, especially bread, chips, candy, etc. It was awful. Now that I'm due in a few days, I have the same huge desire to eat, eat, eat. It's GOT to be hormone related. I'm munching on cheese sticks and very ripe fresh fruit when the urge to much hits me. It's not great, but it's not a Snickers, either! Dickson and Kathy: You guys are doing awesome. Why is it the men lose so much more quickly? Unfair! Ellisa: I just did the same thing with my clothes! I have two huge totes of clothing to send to my mom and sister because they're winter clothes and they will never fit me again. Isn't it wonderful? I have a GoWear Fit (like a Body Bugg) and it does the same thing for me as your new shoes - it makes me want to move around and get active. Whatever it takes, right? Lou: You are kickin' butt, buddy! I still get envious when I see how quickly the men lose, though. I'd be happy to have a way to fit a bit more food in - sometimes I still can't meet my calorie goals for the day, so being able to make some extra room with a good belch would help me finish those eggs or fit in a few extra bites of chicken. Keep up the good work, you're doing a great job! Possumtrot: Great job! Huge, HUGE congrats for making it halfway to goal (and in such a short time!) and for losing 50 pounds. Before you know it you won't be shopping in the plus section any longer. That's got to be a great feeling. I bet everyone is noticing, huh? I can't wait until I hit that point. Well, everyone, I'm off. I don't have a tremendous amount of time to post since we're gearing up for a month of visitors and then we're moving in November. I'm busy, busy, busy! ~Cheri

Reset what? You aren't yet getting enough fluids. And it doesn't look like you are getting enough Protein. Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process of losing weight. Everyone stalls and almost everyone experiences a stall about three weeks after surgery. Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your protein and fluids every day. For me that means AT LEAST 100 grams of protein and 64 oz of Fluid, every day. Track your food. Avoid starches, added sugars, and fried foods. Eat slowly and mindfully. Take your Vitamins and supplements as directed. Exercise when cleared. And, stay off the scale! Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall Reset what? You aren't yet getting enough fluids. And it doesn't look like you are getting enough protein. Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process of losing weight. Everyone stalls and almost everyone experiences a stall about three weeks after surgery. Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your protein and fluids every day. For me that means AT LEAST 100 grams of protein and 64 oz of fluid, every day. Track your food. Avoid starches, added sugars, and fried foods. Eat slowly and mindfully. Take your vitamins and supplements as directed. Exercise when cleared. And, stay off the scale! Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall