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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.

It will get better I slept in the recliner for 2 weeks for the same reason. After that, I had no problem. Just give it some time and I promise it will get better

Hey I'm Dee.. Ive been with a rash on each of my 5 incisions and now on my chest.. my PA says I should peal the surgical glue that's left and put cortizine and benedryl... she said I'm either having a reaction to the glue or to the string that was used inside to sew me back up... it looks terrible and I'm having a mental breakdown aside from this because I can't eat and I'm hungry all the time but can only stand a spoons of anything I try to take

Okay, so I am 4.5 weeks out and after dropping 43 pounds (including the liquid diet) I am in the dreaded stall. It is evil, completely evil, and even though I know it is basic math (calories eaten-calories expended will eventually lead to weight loss) I can't help feeling frustrated. I have banned the scales, read all the stall posts, but need to vent. I upped my exercise this week, tried to up my food a little (600 calories). So please post encouragement and tips, dear fellow sleevers!

hi there! I am post banded June 23rd. I work in the ER and was of for 4 weeks. I could have come back about 3 weeks out but I took the extra week because we only have 2 nurses in my er and I didn't want to hurt myself lifting. The whole thing has gone well for me so far I have lost 25 lbs in the first 2 months. I haven't had to have a fill yet either. My next appt is on Sept 9th so I will see if I get a fill then. I think I may need a little bit but not too much. Good luck to you!!

Like others have said, even if it is addiction transfer it is a healthy addiction, unless it takes over your life to the exclusion of everything else. Before surgery I worked out at Curves, and then would stop for a pizza on the way home. I live alone so I would consume the entire pizza for dinner. As I got closer to surgery I decided I had to bump up my exercise and started walking. I found a park near home with a 2 mile nature trail. I don't so much power walk as walk for distance. I carry peanuts to feed the squirrels (passive weight lifting) and how often I stop depends on how many of them show up for treats. The ducks like peanuts too. Anyway, I try to go around twice as a minimum (approx 4 miles). I noticed my slacks getting looser even before surgery. In the winter it is dark before I leave work, so I go to Curves about 3 x a week and hit the park on weekends. Now that I have daylight I go to the park almost daily, 2x around weekdays, and on weekends, depending on how I feel and how much time I have I may go 3 or 4x around. When it rains during the week I go to Curves. Perhaps not quite as much as you do, but I only take about 1 or 2 days off a week, if that. My surgeon said exercise is very important for having success with the band. You don't have to kill yourself at the gym, but you do have to make a committment. I can't say enough about plain old walking. I have gone from women's 22 to misses 10 in slacks. I was doing laundry over the weekend and had a WOW moment taking stuff out of the dryer. I held up a pair of size 10 pants and said to myself, "Wow, my ass really fits in that!" It was a warm fuzzy for sure!

Hey Nurse restless monkey or anyone else who wants to answer I am new to banding 7/6/09 and new to this website, I read what you wrote about the guy who felt he could keep eating the one who took a bite of his wife's pizza (yum) just 10 days after banding, anyway you seem to know a lot, I would like to ask you a few questions.. I was banded 5 days ago and I don't know much about why I'm on Clear Liquids for 14 days (broth,tea,decaf,protein shakes etc, I've been starving since day 3. Do they do this so we can truly know what it feels like to starve? And it seems like other people are on mushy food after 1 week. I don't know if I can make it 2 weeks on clear liquids. Maybe my Protein drink is not adequate, i'm drinking carnation instant Breakfast or slimfast and i add more Protein powder to both. Help.

More then likely the pain is actually from the gas that is still in your system. It takes a good week for it to all be gone. You are hungry because you aren't getting the protien that you need to keep you full. Ask your doctor if you can start taking the Protein Shakes which you really should be taking 3 times a day. As for the bowel movement it's normal. You aren't really eating anything so there isn't much to get rid of. Even now on solids I don't really go for 3-4 days at a time. It's simply because we aren't eating alot. You can get some benefiber and put that in your liquids. It dissolves totally. By the way CONGRATULATIONS!!!

i've been told by friends and support group members i exercise too much...as of now i jog 2 miles and power walk 4 miles...6-7 days a week.....i just introduced bike riding into my routine...and i will now switch of between bike riding and jogging/walking .....i have not stepped foot into a gym since i've had surgery....although i wish i could...and i will come summer...i contribute a lot of my weightloss to exercising....but i will always argue that exercising too much (which i dont think i do....and now i love to exercise....i have so much energy....not to mention it feels soooo good once u get use to it...and feels even better to actually move!!!!!!!!and i have some very toned legs ) is soooooooo much better then when i sat and didnt lift a finger.....so the debate 2-day is too much exercise or none at all....lol

Hey nothing wrong with getting obsessed with the exercise. Now while I don't do nearly as much as you do I say maybe take a day or two off a week. Or if you don't want to take a day off maybe only walk 2-3 miles instead of 4 miles a day. you will still have all the benefits of exercising. Have you discussed any of this with your doctor? If so what have they said to you?

After you get filled you may have hiccup problems. As for the pain, you just had surgery, people! Your insides were cut up and your abdominal muscles now have a foreign object stitched to them (your port.) It will take a few weeks of healing before all the pains go away, and you will still feel a pulling around your port from time to time if you twist and turn sharply. I don't have a belching problem, but my husband does. He also has the hiccups more than I do, usually from eating too fast or the wrong things. Welcome to bandland.

LOL!!! You and your adjustments!! Love it! Yeah, it's a stall, oops adjustment....it just seems so much bigger because it of the starting number: 2 vs 1 (200 vs 100.). It's ALL a mental game!!

Hey....speak for yourself!!! I am as sane as they come!!!! Aren't I? Umm...I thought I was..... Actually, I don't think I have really stalled yet. I've had a week here and there where I don't lose, but I consider that normal, not stalling or as you say, adjusting (which really is a nicer word.) I am a slow loser, but I'm ok with that. I've pretty much lost 1-1.5 pounds a week and in my opinion, that's the healthiest way for my body to lose. Happy Thanksgiving to you too!! Gobble gobble. :-)

Its an "adjustment period"!!! (I hate the word "stall"!) Your body is resting, getting ready for another loss phase....so just hang in there!!! Before you know it, you'll be kissing 200 GOODBYE!!!

Someone send the stall buster fairy to my house when they are done with yours!!!

She's flying her way to you because I refuse to believe that I've stalled. :-)

I am supposed to have one PCP but finding one taking patients in this area is becoming impossible. More and more doctors refuse to take Medicaid because it sometimes takes a year to get paid from them. And this isn’t one or two situations either. This is been over 5+ years with 6 different doctors. I live a 45 minute drive away from the edge of the capitol city of my state. This is NOT the boonies by any means. GM's major auto plants went under and this whole area is dying. I never said anything about universal healthcare. I'm all for that. At least in a universal healthcare system the doctor’s office, wouldn't triple book appointments constantly. (and yes my office does this AND takes walk ins I was told by the secretary they triple book ALL appointments so if even half the people show they can get 3-4 hours behind) In universal healthcare this wouldn’t be an issue because they would be getting a fixed salary. And in some countries get paid BETTER for being proactive and solving problems early. My time is valuable also and I don’t see any $$ from the doctor being 3 hours late. And follow up in a normal manner is not possible with this group. As If you call the office you get a complex automated answering system that makes it VERY clear they do NOT do any kind of phone business with patients AT ALL. Except make/cancel appointments. Make an appointment. If you have a prescription problem they will only deal with the pharmacy direct. And even then your lucky If the pharmacy gets any where. My pharmacist has had to repeatedly call them for 3-4 days in a row to get prescription mess ups fixed on more then one occasion. Anyhow I can't remember exactly how many times I've had the doc get up and walk out saying they would be right back and not come back. Or flat out tell me that they don’t WANT to deal with that right now. I have even gone as far as printing out a list of things so that it wouldn’t get overlooked. I never said it was only Medicaid doctors. And actually this isn't even remotely part of the issue. I got annoyed with having to ask her to speak up and repeat stuff. Not because of the accent because she spoke at a near whisper. She seemed well educated and friendly and that’s what matters to me. I suspect that the reason I haven't heard back on my application/questionnaire for the lap band is ALSO because I'm on Medicaid. I bet if I had normal insurance or was self pay they have gotten back with me in a week or less. Now my kids..TOTALLY different office different story. They have had the same doctor for 13 years now. Since we moved here. And I have NEVER had to wait more then 20 minutes in that office. The staff there is super competent, and timely on more then just appointments. My son (who’s 19 now) had a major problem when he about 11. Vision blackouts and major headaches started suddenly over a weekend. So on Monday I called they got him in as soon as we could drive it. The doc spent well over 45 minutes checking him out and quizzing us about it. Sent us immediately over to hospital for a CAT & MRI and had the results before 4pm that day and had my son scheduled for surgery the NEXT day. With a specialist. Then called me back personally at 9pm that evening to check on him and to make sure he had nothing to eat or drink except the liquid pain medicine he had prescribed. Then showed up after the surgery that evening around 6pm because he was worried and wanted to check on him himself. They had to open him up behind his ear and remove an infection that had grown into a solid mass and had started to spread into the bone of his skull. This Medicaid doctor is in a similar set up the pediatrician and 2 practical nurses run the children’s clinic here. You can call and get same day appointments for sickness. You can call and talk to them over matters if needed. They do referrals and such quickly and timely. Often making the appointments for you themselves then calling you and telling you where/when to be. Heck the 1 of the practical nurses and one nurse even run the office solo on Wednesdays when they are technically closed to handle things. So I know that they aren't all totally mismanaged. And probably aren't this way in other areas. But they are here. Well least the adult ones are. And that’s what ticks me off the most. I don't expect an adult’s doctor’s office to go to the same extents as children’s but they should at least be competent in what they do.

Late dumping normally occurs within one to three hours after you have eaten. Twelve hours is a long time and it's unlikely that the diahrea and vomiting had anything to do with what you ate the night before. Whatever you ate should have moved through your system long before that. Your symptoms sound a lot like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Easy to confirm if you're a present or former diabetic and have a blood sugar test kit. If it happens again, check your blood sugar. I'm not sure what the medically defined point is where it technically becomes hypoglycemia but if your sugars are below 70 or so, you might try eating a piece of fruit or even a small square or two of chocolate. If it is hypoglycemia, your symptoms will disappear very quickly when you ingest any kind of sugar. Either way, I like your idea of calling your doctor!

I stopped weighing myself everyday - due to frustration. For two weeks now I have been at 178-180. I started this surg at 200 on 1/24/12. I am getting 60 oz of fluid a day and 50grams of protein, I know I need more protein, but did any of you have this stall ? Do I need more calories, (I will admit I dont eat much at all). Any help to continue to move forward ??? Thanks

Fluffy, I feel for you and you won't get a lecture from me. It sucks when the black cloud is over your head, but you'll get through it somehow and things will get better. They always do. The breakup has got you in a tailspin. I've been there. I broke an engagement one time and I swear, I didn't think straight for 2 months. Considering what you've been through, I think you doing ok. I know you are really trying and you are doing a lot of things really well. Take it easy on yourself for awhile. Give yourself a week, not to eat like a crazy woman, but just to take a break and not worry about things. Then pick one thing you know you can do and make sure you do it. Right now, you're trying to do everything right and it's too hard with all your other issues. The next week, pick another rule to work on. It's not hard, if you don't try to do it all at once. You will lose weight. It may take some time. Stress is really hard on everyone. Try not to get too freaked out by the variations on the scale. It will even out. One more thing...it's possible you are too tight. When I was eating how you are now (no breakfast, chili or Soup for lunch), after 2 months I went and got a slight unfill and I could eat more solid food. I lost a few pounds after that, even though I was close to my goal and probably eating more calories (I don't count them, so I don't know). I hope everything turns around for you soon. Cindy

Hello and congratulations on the weighrt you have lost. Yes people stall with the weight loss. I too have and am going through that phase. I have learned through the support groups and keeping up with this web site that it can be a common thing. I have lost 45 lbs within the last year-- however I really would of liked to have lost more. Our bodies go through a lot of changes with this band and the body has to catch up with itself. Others will say no way but as the Dr. and nutritionist tell me everyone is different and all will lose at a different rate. Just keep up with yourself, stay focused and don't give in, to the downfall of being stuck. You will start losing again. Praise yourself for the beginning of a new you.

Gosh this is me! Between the Dr's office troubles I am having and not losing weight, its all driving me crazy! I have been exercising for a month and so far nothing!! I've cut out all sodas (even diet sodas), been doing the pre-op diet (for the past 2 weeks. However, I haven't lost anything. I need to lose 15-20 pounds before I am allowed to have the surgery (due to BMI too high by their policy).

I have only been banded less than 2 weeks and have lost 5 kgs (11lb) which is great but the scales is stuck now. What I did is to write a loss of 4kgs into my diary for every 4 weeks (which is what the loss should be) and I will write beside that what the actual weight loss is. What this has done has helped me see the end of the goal - which will be in 11 months. Then, when I am discouraged, I look at my diary and say to myself - I'll be this weight by Christmas, this weight by my birthday, etc. Now I know it won't really happen exactly like that but it gives me something to hang onto and to visualise. Cheers.

Ok... so I was banded on the 21st of November 2008. I thought I was prepared for the post surgery diet, but I've come to realize that I was so wrong. For the first 3 days, I did the clear liquid diet with no problems. For day 4 to 14, I was instructed to follow the full liquid diet program, and from week 2-4 I was to progress to soft/purees. On day 4, I was hungry and wanted something with substance. I had mushy Beans. I ate a very little bit and was full. I had no discomfort at all. That night, I drank the juice of a Soup. Since then, I've also had rice, bread, a very small amount of tender meat on Thanksgiving and Cereal. I had actually convinced myself that as long as my body felt OK with it, I would be ok. A couple of instances, I figured if I drank with my food, that I would just wash it down to the bottom of my stomach, and wouldn't disturb my pouch. So from Monday until Satuday, I just pretended like the rules didn't apply to me. I felt fine, and convinced myself that as long as I didn't feel sick, I would be ok. I found this forum and it was like a slap in the face. I am so scared of what I could have done to myself. I am going to get back on the bandwagon and hope it's not too late.

I was banded Dec 22, 2011 and I feel like I have stalled. I have 5.25cc in a 10cc band. I have great restriction. I barely eat anything. I take a few bites and it is like I have had a Thanksgiving dinner. I eat slow and chew everything. I have had more sliming lately than I care to admit. I can drink some juice and have an episode. So....I just slow it down even more. It is odd. Some days I can eat or drink something with no issue and then next it is slime time. To clarify, I am not unhappy with my decision and in fact I think it was a great decision, but I wish it would come off faster. I have lost about 30 pounds post surgery (43 if you count pre-op diet). Maybe it is just me being anxious. I have so much to lose and I want to get on with it. I admit that I do not excercise like I should. I can make excuses but that is all they would be...excuses. So, I guess what I need to do is jump on the treadmill when I can't walk outdoors and get this progressing. I suppose I thought that with how little I eat that it should be coming off irregardless. I haven't been on in awhile and this forum helps a lot. Take care everyone, Jen