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Yeah don't beat yourself up, everyone has stalls and times they go up a little, as long as overall it's trending downward you're good. I'm attaching three charts I got from my MyFitnessPal app showing my weight fluctuation over three periods of time. First is over the past month, next is past three months, finally is the chart starting two weeks pre-surgery, just to make it easier to see the spikes. Unlike most here, I weigh myself every single day. I know it's not recommended but it works for me, and it lets me really see all the little fluctuations and stalls that happen all the time. I don't stress about it so it works. Give yourself more time, at least a few months, before you start getting worried.

I had about three baskets of laundry to fold. All winter stuff like sweaters and tunics and i just donated them. I won’t need them with warm weather approaching and when it gets to be cold again, I’ll need new clothes so I’ll just save myself the closet space. I plan on doing that with every load of laundry for the next few months: keep the basics, keep things that still fit but donate the rest so it’s not lying around.

It is just one of the many stalls that you will have. The first one is usually around three weeks. It is extremely common. If you search it on here you will see how many people experience it by How many results.

What is the three week stall? I've never heard it!!!

I had high sugars the first three weeks PO and then my sugar dropped to 105 and then under 100 there after - consistently. I stopped checking about 3 weeks ago. I'm 8 weeks PO (gastric bypass). My doctor explained it to me as my body adjusting and healing. I was worried at first but they were correct. My sugars dropped and I'm feeling great. Give yourself a little time, I understand it is hard not to be concerned though, because it's a lingering concern from before and something we were always told to watch. They took me off all medicine immediately after surgery and I haven't had to take anything other than my thyroid and multivitamin.

That small of an increase could be anything. Retaining water, full bowels, etc. Fluctuations of a up to a few pounds can even happen within a single day. I wouldn’t worry too much about that. And as for the few days without losing it’s possible that you hit your three week stall early. It’s so common that they have that name for it. It happens “around” the third week for most. If the little fluctuations are going to bother you you may be better to weigh yourself less often because stalls do happen and so do those small fluctuations. As long as the overall trend is down you will be fine.

I’m on week three after surgery and stuck eating runny soups and refried beans! It’s crazy how different the rules are. I can’t wait to eat a plate of food that looks like that. It looks like heaven!

Why don’t you need lab work done anymore? I’m three years (well will be on Friday) & I still have them done about every three months. I see my surgeon’s colleague In two weeks & I have a blood test scheduled for next week. Don’t know how long this will continue though or if it will become less frequent. Maybe it’s just different surgeons & programs around the world. Have to admit I am pleased I do have them frequently. It’s how we picked up my protein malabsorption issue after my gall removal last year & picked up a seasonal drop in my vitamin D levels in winter (level still ok just something to be aware of). PS - Many blood tests are covered by our public health system (Medicare) in Australia so I haven’t had to pay for any of mine.

Yep still gurgle when I drink. At almost three years out I can drink more than a sip but if I have more than two large mouthfuls in a row I whine & whirr. Wouldn’t say a pain but there can be slight discomfort. A third mouthful can make my restriction kick in. Try sipping warm drinks. A lot of us find them more soothing. Plus at the moment you have swelling from the actual surgery which causes discomfort/pain on sipping. It will pass - mine took about three days to noticeably improve. If the pain doesn’t reduce, give your surgeon a call. By the way, I actually gurgle & rumble on & off all day. Lots of us do. I say I have a poltergeist in my digestive system. It’s just your digestive system working.

The one I got at Walmart is called Dippers by Stonefire. It’s 150 calories for 5 pieces. I had 2.5 pieces (yes I actually cut one in half. Lol) with hummus and I was satisfied. I am just wondering if the calories are higher cause of the protein?? I have been eating my hummus with Stacy’s pita thins and those have 130 calories per serving but I usually only have three or four chips vs 13 per serving since a serving of hummus is only two tablespoons so I figured it’s not too bad. I still cannot eyeball exactly the 2 tbsp either but I ordered one ounce cups on Amazon to measure my hummus and salad dressing. I’m still trying. Lol

During the early months it did take some effort to eat for ME. Food aversion and limited stomach capacity were often at odd with nutritional quotas. I needed to set a timer to remind myself to eat. As time went by, as well as the increased ability to just eat more and more often, it started to become less of a chore. I’m 3.5 years out now and i basically just eat when im hungry or when i feel like it. No set times nor amounts or “rules” to adhere to other than to aim to stay below 2000 cals a day more or less (yep, i’m one of those trackers) , and not make myself sick. I have long ago learned what my limits are, eating-wise, and am pretty good at staying within these limits without thinking too much. P.S. I too am a 50-yr old Canadian with (three) kids. Im also 5’2” so it can be argued that I’m a little old lady already! Lol. …and i’m doing just fine.

I wouldn’t worry yet. I didn’t meet my goals for a little while but my surgeon was happy I was making an effort & close to where I needed to be. It got easier on purées because I was eating g three times a day During the liquid stage I wasn’t hungry or interested in eating & was only managing two meals a day: a shake & some soup/broth. Was probably only meeting about 2/3 to 3/4 of my goals at first.

Hey all. I started my three day pre-op diet of clear liquids today. Is it sad I'm already over it? I'm hungry. Please, no mean comments. I want this and that's what's keeping me going Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

Search up "three week stall" and you'll come across many posts by many of us having had such stalls right after surgery. I have had one a week after post-Op and stayed for some good 3 weeks before scale started responding again. My 5 month stall also lasted about 3 weeks and just few days back it finally broke.

In the beginning you are eating very small portion sizes & can only sip so you have to drink every couple of minutes. I certain,y didn’t & wasn’t encouraged to eat every 30minutes but only three times a day . (You are advised not to drink 30mins before or after you eat. Maybe you confused the eat every 30mins???) And yes it sometimes can be a struggle to meet your fluid & protein goals every single day but you’ll work out ways around this. It all improves & gets easier. By around month 3 I ate three meals a day & one or two snacks one of which was a high protein yoghurt (15-22g protein) to ensure I got all my protein in. Some continue to have a protein shake which counts as fluid as well as protein. By the time you are in or close to maintenance your portion sizes will have increased to being about the recommended portion size for all food for an adult e.g. 3-4ozs of meat & you’ll be able to do more than just sip. Some say they can get back to drinking whole glasses in one go. Everyone should be drinking 2L/64ozs of fluids a day & everyone should be consuming about 1g of protein per kg of body weight (multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36). Doesn’t matter if they’ve had weight loss surgery or not so it’s not something special to us. By maintenance, If you eat three meals a day, with about 15-25g protein each, you’ll be getting about all the protein you’ll need +/-. Age, activity level, gender does affect the amount you will need of course. Of course while losing we’re given a specific protein goal to compensate the restricted diet. Check out this protein calculator for when your weight has stabilised: https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/dri-calculator Oh & I’m almost 57 & days out from my 3 year anniversary.

What is your current BMI? I got down close to my goal and stalled and then gained and it was the end of my weight loss. If you aren’t close to goal though it could just be a fluctuation. A three pound gain could be anything. Small fluctuations like that happen. For me when I eat carbs especially. It’s water weight and it goes away after a couple days without carbs. Are you still tracking what you eat? If you haven’t reached your bodies happy weight or accidentally put yourself into maintenance by increasing calories it is just a fluctuation. Time will tell.

This will definitely have to change. I would highly recommend that you work on changing this (start eating three meals a day and drinking regularly) as soon as possible, so it's a habit BEFORE you have surgery. After surgery, you will have a lot to focus on, and trying to change bad habits is hard.

Ha! Did you actually think you could hide from the infamous three week stall? 😂

My bariatric center recommends three meals per day and one or two snacks if needed, and strongly suggest that we do not graze between meals and or snacks. The early days and weeks post op are the only time we have to sip constantly, due to swelling in our stomachs/pouches it just can't accept more than an ounce or two at a time. One of the reasons weight loss surgery is so liberating is because (once fully healed and eating solids) we establish a normal routine with food, the only difference is we eat less than non-wls folks. The whole idea is for life to normalize and not be a slave to food any longer. Best wishes!

OMG this sounds so much like something I would have come up with to worry about. Lol You will be fine. I am over a year out and I eat on the same schedule I did pre op and I have been for quite a while. You eventually get back to a “normal” way of eating. You will eat close to a normal serving size (not a restaurant serving that is three times what you need) and you will eat that and should be satisfied. You may eat snacks. Some teams allow them and others do not. But you will be fine when you get old as long as they feed you as much as often as they feed themselves.

Hi, Tracey, and welcome to the site. I'm a bit less than a year post-surgery. I eat three meals and two snacks every day. Often, one meal and one snack are protein shakes. I tend to blend the shakes with some frozen fruit or with peanut butter powder, so it takes a bit of work, but not too bad. I eat an egg, a strip of bacon, and a slice of toast for lunch virtually every day. My afternoon snack is always cottage cheese and canned pineapple. Dinners can be very simple or a bit less simple, but they generally involve a protein, a carb, and a salad. Could be a burger, a steak, or salmon in the air fryer. I made a huge pot of cioppino (seafood stew) that involved a lot of preparation, but it made 12 meals for my wife and me. I'm also not ashamed to use canned soup with some extra veggies and protein. I do tend to get dehydrated. Before surgery, I would get most of my water at meal time, when I would drink almost a quart. Now that I can't do that any more, I have to be disciplined enough to have a water bottle nearby and drink throughout the day. I can now drink about 2/3 of a cup without hurting myself.

Hi there! My VSG surgery was on 5/3, so I’m 3 days post op. I actually had three surgeries in one. I had my VSG, I had my gallbladder taken out and I had a hiatal hernia repaired. So far, so good. Other than discomfort and swelling it hasn’t been as bad as I expected.

Stalls are frustrating. Unfortunately you may experience a few as you’re losing & they may last 1-3 weeks (some do last longer - if yours does check with your dietician to see if you need to tweak your eating plan) but they are just part of the journey. There are lots of variation in the plans people follow. Some are given caloric goals while some aren’t (I wasn’t). Some are given portion size recommendations. Some aren’t. Some who are given caloric goals are encouraged to eat 1200 calories from solid foods. If you are worried, check with your dietician. Even on 1200 calories you will lose weight. As @lizonaplane said the goal is not to feel discomfort or your restriction. The goal is to recognise your real hunger & eat enough to satisfy that. At three years out, I still ask myself do I need the next bite or just want it. Remember it takes time for your full signal to kick in. So when you do feel full you’ve likely eaten more than you need. Exercise accounts for 10-20% of your weight loss. Have 50lbs to lose, exercise will account for 5-10lbs. There are lots of physical, psychological & emotional benefits to undertaking regular exercise. But it’s your choice as to what & how much or often you do. I’m not an exerciser. Did very little while I was losing but I still lost all my weight plus more. I do some gentle stretches now & a few wall push-ups but I argue with myself every night about doing it. 😁

Hello! Thank you all for allowing me in the group🥰 I just had a consultation and I barely qualify for the sleeve but I do! Yay! I'm 5'6 194 lbs. A few questions: I heard going out of the country is cheaper - anyone go out of the country for the surgery? Like, Mexico. I'm in Florida. How did it turn it? I was not comfortable going out of the country, but my insurance covered it, so that was even cheaper than going to Mexico. I know many people who have been happy with their results in Mexico, but I know one person who felt that she needed more care than she got, plus I know that some people go there when they are not approved in the US, and they may not be as careful about turning people down in Mexico. What's the pros and cons I should be aware of? Pros: you will most likely lose a good amount of weight. You MAY see improvement in certain health conditions. You will be able to fit in smaller clothes. You MAY be able to me more active. If you lose weight, people will be nicer to you (sick, but true!) Cons: This is major surgery, and while the chance of a bad outcome is VERY SMALL, there is still some risk. Losing weight will not make you a completely different person - most of your problems will be the same, but you won't be able to use food to cope with them anymore. You will need to take a multi-vitamin every day for the rest of your life, and if you're like me, the multi-vitamin may make you throw up. You may lose some of your hair for a few months I've heard so many horror stories ie people throwing up, not being able to ever eat "normal" again, higher risk for cancer, etc etc etc. I've been doing research but id love to hear yalls thoughts since i know you're live ppl I can actually communicate with😊 I threw up once because the food was too dry (3 weeks after surgery). About once every two weeks I throw up from my multi-vitamin. I've tried three different brands, but it sucks. The only way you could be at a higher risk for cancer I can think of is if you have really bad GERD after sleeve, develop Barrett's esophagus, and this becomes cancer. However, if you get really bad GERD after sleeve, you could have a revision to bypass. Many forms of cancer have higher rates in people who are obese, so it's likely your risk of cancer will go down if you have surgery and lose weight. I eat more "normally" now than before surgery. Before surgery my portions were WAY TOO BIG and I was eating unhealthy food too often. Now I eat a more normal sized portion and less junk food. The only things I can't really eat easily are lettuce and rice, and those are getting easier. Thanks a bunch!

I did pay a consult fee for my two appointments. One was $100 and one was $150. I did feel like both surgeons spent a good amount of time with me so I felt the money was appropriate, in the sense that I was paying for their time. Maybe it’s not as normal and I didn’t realize. If you are interested in a potential drive I’m booked with Dr Streu in pdx for August. I was impressed with her and the facility. In discussing specifics I also feel like the amount of OR time required for the three procedures indicates that she’s a relatively quick surgeon which is important to me. We will see how I feel in September anyway!