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OHHHH dear one- the conversations we've had today on this forum about stalls!!! I am in one as well. Mine started at...guess when....three weeks!!! Yes, it's referred to around here as the "three week stall." I found a great explanation for it today from one of our seasoned sleevers. Check it out: (This was a post on another thread by "Tiffykins.") This is why you are in a stall. It's normal and expected. Your body will never go into a stall as long as you have body fat to burn: Weight Loss Stall or Plateau A weight loss stall or plateau is an extended period of time during reducing efforts where is there is no weight loss according to the scale and no loss of inches according to the tape measure. This is why it is so important to take your body measurements before surgery, so you'll have a reference as your weight loss progresses post-op. We suggest you take measurements of your chest, waist and hip, neck, upper arm, thigh and calf. Be aware it is very common for your weight loss to "stall" shortly after surgery. Diana explains the reason for this below. The Inevitable Stall By Diana C. A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days. What You Can Do About a Stall or Plateau If you are experiencing a post-op weight loss stall or plateau further out there are a few possible causes. First, check that are you really in a stall. If the scale has stopped moving you may be losing inches, so check your measurements. Too Many Carbs? Carbohydrates can start sneaking into your foods without you being aware of how quickly they are adding up. For more information on carbs, see our section onCarbohydrates. If you are struggling with your weight loss you may want to examine your daily carb count. You can try to keep your carbs under 50g a day and see if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Do not eat carbs before bedtime as it triggers insulin and initiates fat storage. There are some great web site resources you can use to keep track of what you are eating.

people seem to have biggest drops the first month or two (other than during the infamous "three week stall".

I'm 8 mths post op. I never had the three week stall. I'm having an 8 th month stall, almost 2 weeks. Frustrating!!!

First I want to say that since my three week stall I have now lost more than ten lbs, so the stall for now is over. I think people should have the right to "freak" out if they want. You may say. that will not solve anything. That is not the point. The point is to acknowledge how you feel. This is important. Also, I do not think the mere mention of being disappointment about a stall is "freaking out". Anytime one strives for a goal and that goal is not achieved there is going to be disappointment. That is normal. To state over wise is false. So if you experience a stall cry about it, shout about it, throw something (preferably something that will not break), and so on. Then once you have had your moment pick yourself up off the floor and plan again. The journey we are on is going to have all kinds of feelings/emotions the best way to deal with it is to acknowledge it.

I understand about the stalls. I was in a three week stall 4 weeks post op and I am happy to report that over the last two days the scale is finally moving down again! I had been off my blood pressure meds since the surgery and it had been normal. Then all of a sudden my blood pressure went up again. I took my BP meds two days in a row and that seemed to have kick started the weight loss. I am sure I was retaining fluids of some sort. My BP is back to normal again and the scale is moving. I also upped my Protein and exercise; that probably had a lot to do with it too. Hang in there. I understand about the frustration. I had convinced myself that I was doing something wrong and that I was going to fail at this too. It's all a head game. Your body is adjusting and will move when it's time. Good luck and stay positive.

I am four weeks out. I made my husband hide my scale because it didnt move in four days and I freaked out. I googled and it seems lots of people talk about a three week stall. Did any else experience this? I am going to the gym 5 times a week and trying to get all my protien in. I am just not sure what to do?

I hit my first stall during weeks 2 and 3 post-op. Then I dropped six pounds during week four. It's not uncommon at all (in fact, do a search for "three-week stall"). your body's going to do what it's going to do. Some people lose weight fast, others lose it slow and steady. So many things can affect it (I'm definitely a slow loser, but I've lost 153 lbs in total). Just stick to the plan and you will definitely lose!!!

unless you're the size of one of the participants on "My 600 lb Life", your weight loss is normal. I lost 16 lbs the first month. Many of us (probably most) lost somewhere between 15-25 lbs the first month. Stalls along the way are also very normal, the first one usually occurring within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery (often the 3rd week, which is why we call it "the three week stall"). I have mixed feelings about "My 600 lb Life" because I think it gives a lot of WLS patients unrealistic expectations. Starting BMI is one of the factors that influence your rate of weight loss, and the people on that show tend to start out at MUCH higher BMI's than your average WLS patient. As long as your weight is trending down, relax. I was a "slow loser" from the get-go, and I lost all of my excess weight - over 200 lbs.

You lost over 30 pounds in two weeks, Celebrate that! It is early on in the game and as long as you are following rules you will be ok. The first month going from clears to full liquids to mushies etc poses a lot of changes to your body so give it time to adjust. I stalled after week two for over a week as well and thought, oh well, getting the three week stall out of the way early. Nope, hit another big stall a few weeks later. But things got moving again. I am now stuck at a previous set point and trying to just wait it out. I am doing what I need to be doing and have to trust that.

We were at the same starting weight too give or take 10lbs (I WAS HEAVIER!) Surgery was 1/21. I had a very rough recovery, had the notorious three week stall which lasted 3 WEEKS, and have been feeling like my progress is NOT where it should be. I hardly ate or drank anything after surgery for at least a month. I had Water nausea & everything. Puree phase was the worst...I just could NOT eat and the sight of Protein shakes made me heave. She, on the other hand, had a super easy recovery and lost almost 20lbs more than me at this stage (her surgery was in Aug & 8 weeks later she was down 50) I just started tracking food- right now I'm having about 800-900 calories most days & I just started back to doing vigorous exercise this last two weeks. Tuesday I did a 63 minute spin class and ate 1500 calories that day. I felt that was WAY too much. I don't even like going over 1000 calories but according to FitnessPal, those 63 minutes burned off 1100 calories... Anyway, I've done over 190 minutes of exercise this week and lost only 2 friggin pounds. She's 10-12 years older than I am too. I''ve been teary all morning since weighing in. I don't know if this was really worth it. I could have struggled like this WITHOUT spending $7000 of my money on this effing surgery.

I am wondering and I bet a few others might be too but.... I have seen it common for a rather large group of us to experience the "three week stall" (right after surgery) - but are there any other common stall times that commonly occur during the post sleeve journey?

Every one loses at their own rate. There is no right or wrong amount of weight to lose each week. Yes, there may be average amounts of loss people who are similar height, weight, age, gender, etc. may have in common. As long as you see the trend of your weight loss going down you’re succeeding. The amount you lose each week will also slow as you progress. It is possible you are experiencing a stall as has been suggested. These are extremely common. We talk about the three week stall but that first one can happen at week 2, 3, 4, 5 …. It’s just your body taking a breath & trying to catch up with the changes (surgery, weight loss, reduced calories, dietary changes,…). You will likely have other stalls as you’re losing. We’ve all been on that gain, lose, gain roller coaster. Personally I know the reason I always regained after losing was because the diets I was on weren’t sustainable or I just went back to the same old way of eating. I’d start regaining a couple of weeks after the diet ended. The difference this time is that I work at sticking to the changes I made to how I eat, what I eat, why I eat every day. I have many years ahead of me but I’m going to work my butt off to try to stay my course cause that desire to go down my old path is always there. I just understand it & manage it better now. Your success starts & ends in your head. It’s not just what you put in your mouth. You have to do the head work. Many do this with the help of a therapist, others do it themselves. There are lots of people here who are happy to share experiences & offer support. Follow your plan, meet your protein goals, get your fluids in, be more active and your weight loss will continue. You’ll get there.

you're in the infamous "three week stall". Almost everyone experiences that. In fact, you'll find literally thousands of posts on this site about the three-week stall. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale if you need to. It'll last 1-3 weeks, and as long as you stick to your program, your weight loss WILL start up again. It always does..

I am copying my respone in another thread which is almost the exact as yours and the reply is applicable to you too: It would be useful if you filled in your profile: weight and height, helps with context to some questions/posts. I wouldn't say it was slow either, 6kilos in three weeks is good, you are doing great. Your body has been through a surgery, there is swelling and inflammation, its healing. If you read through a lot of the posts here or use the search link for stalls you would see that stalls are a common factor in weight loss surgery even in the first few weeks. The infamous three week stall that can happen at two or four weeks too, for some people the first stall may last a short time for others it can be a few weeks. There will be other stalls along the way. If you lost a lost of weight pre surgery in the pre op diet, this typically lessens the weight loss in the immediate post op phase as you've already lost all the bloat and Fluid retention. https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/436058-hardly-any-weight-loss-after-week-2-post-op-is-this-normal/

You were lied to. The three weeks stall is infamous. What can you do? Be patient. That's it.

Google "three week stall." That is what is happening. Just stick to your plan and the weight will come off. Nothing about post-op weight loss is linear. It is full of periods of loss, followed by longer periods of stall. That is just part of the process. Also, it is slow. I started my six month insurance-required diet program at 397 pounds, and weighed 298 pounds on surgery day. Even at that size, my loss in the first four weeks post-op was far from "dramatic." But I have followed my plan religiously every single day, kept my carbs below 20 every single day, tracked everything I put in my body every single day, and even with the countless stalls, I have lost 205 pounds and am 12 pounds from goal at 9 months post-op. Put the scale away if it bothers you and keep focused on what is important. Good luck!

There's been a lot of posts on the three week stall. You might just got yours early. Remember you just had MAJOR surgery. Your stomach was cut out. Your body needs time to heal. Weight is just how much force gravity is pulling. (Can't remember the actually definition right now) Your weight might be "stalling" due to numerous factors, bm, bloating, etc. I can almost guaranty you, you are still losing fat. Put the scale away for awhile.

LOL! That's exactly what "they" do call it: the dreaded three week stall. You can google it: dreaded three week stall You can also use this board's search function to find posts about the dreaded three week stall. People have been doing WLS a long time. Eventually, most of us all discover the same things.

it's the three week stall. Almost everyone goes through that.

Three week stall? Search the forum it's all around here. Body is in shock and trying regroup. Did not loose a pound on 3rd week postop. Staying off the scale helps if you can. Easier said than done. I'm exactly where you are. I'm 14 down. You will break through! :-)

My 'three week stall' hit at 2.5 weeks and didn't lose an ounce- the scale actually went up twice- for 2 weeks. Then I dropped 5lbs over night. Just try and keep your protein high and keep your fluid intake up and the scale will go. BTW- I had lost 26lbs when mine hit and I'm currently in another stall and have been since Christmas. It sucks- but it's all part of the process

I'm 5'3" and started at 263.8, so I wasn't far off from you. I was a snug size 20 pants and a 2x top with 44DDD boobs. I am still 5'3" and down to 184.2 as of this morming. I am now a tight 12 or a loose 14 with a loose L top and 38DD boobs (the reason why I can't wear M tops). I am almost 5 months out and only 24 pounds away from my original goal before I decided to push myself to 150. That makes me 34 pounds away which feels oh so obtainable. I went through the three week "stall" which lasted almost two weeks and then the three month stall that lasted a month and I am now losing again. When I get to 150, I will see what I look like and reevaluate. I am an hourglass shape and I've not been that small since my sophomore year in college so who knows, twenty two years and two kids later. I teach kickboxing now, I can log in 20 miles over a weekend and feel great on Monday, I WANT to exercise every day and get frustrated when I can't. I never forget my pedometer when I used to on "accident". I do martial arts and when I do a jumping kick, I can actually get off the ground and my balance is so much better. Best of all? I FEEL GREAT ABOUT ME!! I've always had a healthy sense of self and I've always been very confident (in my opinion), but I am just now realizing how much of myself I actually lost now that I am getting ME back. If I didn't lose another pound, I'd be OK. I've gained so much more already. Best journey of my life so far and it's only going to get better.

Also, for the constipation: it's totally normal. Try taking Miralax (doesn't work right away, needs to be taken basically every day) or if you haven't gone in a long time, use a laxative suppository (not to be taken too often). Talk to your surgery center to make sure these are okay. I find the miralax works way better than stool softeners or senna. You will not normally go every day after surgery because you are taking in less food and fiber. My surgery center said to make sure I'm getting enough liquid and moving around enough. However, I'm doing both of these things and I'm still only having a BM twice a week. And, as @catwoman7 mentioned, the three week stall is infamous. I am basically there right now. This too shall pass!

it's the three week stall. Almost everyone goes through that. Although you're right, keeping up with your fluids is always important...

I just did a search on this site for you. There are literally 17,501 posts on this early stall. Pretty much everyone has it. I really think bariatric clinics ought to warn people about this because it happens to almost everyone, and people really freak out about it. Just stick to your plan and your weight loss will start up again. Stay off the scale if you have to. It usually lasts 1-2 weeks. Here are all the posts on it. Really - over 17,000 of them. https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three-week stall