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Even on the purée phase if you stick to the portions on your plan you will only be consuming VERY low amount of calories. Your body can’t help but to lose weight. You may coincidentally have the three week stall but it will pass and you will continue to lose. Trust the process.

I too am a slow loser, but so far I have lost consistently each week with the exception of the famous three week stall that lasted 3.5 weeks. My surgery was 12-28-11, I have lost 29 lbs since my surgery and that includes the pre- liquid diet. Most people think I've lost much more. So far the skin is pretty good considering I'm and old lady. I have always been a slow loser, have less than some to lose and have age against. It came on slow, so I will be patient. I see huge life changes already. At to months I was afraid my Dr would be upset, she was elated, also counted the weight I lost prior to surgery and thought percentage wise I was ahead of schedule. I had feared her reaction and she actually made me feel so successful. Keep up the good work!

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.

I did nothing to break it. I actually expected it cause it was my third week and there’s always the infamous three week stall. I just rode it out. i lost 22 lbs. from my highest in 3 weeks prior to my surgery date (includes 2 week liquid diet) I lost 19 lbs. from surgery day. I have not gone to gym yet, plan on starting tomorrow. I know the scale will jump a bit due to working out as well

it's the infamous "three week stall" - happens to almost all of us (it's not always the third week - it happens within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery - but it's most often the third week, thus, the name). If you do a search of this site on the three week stall, you will find over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days - and know that it'll break and you'll be on your way again. It usually lasts 1-2 weeks - but I've heard of it lasting up to three for some people. (oh - and you'll likely hit more of these stalls later on your journey - perfectly normal "feature" of weight loss...)

The three week stall is a real thing. Perhaps your holding onto water weight? have you not lost anything?

This is something with a two part answer. The first is that, on average, we will be slowing down continually as we lose, simply because it takes fewer calories to move ourselves around all day at 300 lb as it did at 400 lb, and even fewer at 200 lb, etc. We will likely see stair steps, and some weeks or months will be lower or higher than others, but the overall trend is declining. The second part is that we will usually experience a big drop the first couple of weeks or so (and then typically get the dreaded "three week stall") and the proceed lower at a somewhat reduced rate. This is because our initial loss it mostly water weight associated with burning off our short term energy reserves of glycogen (basically stored carbohydrate) which gives us the "easy ten" lb that we typically lose when we start seriously dieting. After the glycogen is used up, we start to draw from our fat reserves, though there is often a pause or stall as the body changes gears.

that lovely three week stall that lasts sometimes 2-4 weeks. that scale will move....dont worry! you will get there! stay possitive

I just got done with a three week stall so I understand your frustration. Keep eating right and exercising and the weight will come off. I also increased my calories by a hundred and that seemed to help

It's a common thread I see running around this forum.. people asking why they didn't do this years ago. I'm even young and I'm finding myself asking the same thing. Though I'm only 25.. I wish I would have done it at 18 or 20.. admittedly, maybe I wasn't ready then.. maybe I still needed time.. especially because part of my story is finding out at 24 that I had bipolar II without the usual "standard" symptoms of women docs normally see in their 20's so I was very hard to diagnose and went through a period of about three years where I alienated everyone but my very closest friends because I was so hard to be around -- with a low of winding up needing to be admitted to a psych ward to get it all figured out. I definitely learned who my friends were (and who, surprisingly, weren't...) I am also social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and depression.. so I spent the last year and a half in counseling trying to get my mental self to match the well-put together self I present to the world thanks to years of being on stage growing up. I learned to show myself as put together - graduating magna cum laude and being responsible even if I was falling apart inside. So I needed to deal with all of that first before I felt ready to confront my weight. But finally I was ready. It started about 1 year ago. I had been feeling bad about my weight for a while. I was overweight during my childhood. My grandmothers both grew up during the Great Depression.. so for them.. giving me food was the same as giving me love.. especially high calorie foods. For them eating wasn't about hunger.. it was about enjoyment and thankfulness to have food to eat. (One was thin, one was overweight). But from them I learned to love all the wrong types of food and to love them in gigantic portions.. My stomach was already way stretched by the time I was 7 or 8. I remember weighing 85 pounds in 2nd grade because we did a math thing where we all weighed in front of the class. There was only one student, a boy, who weighed more.. during school I dealt with a lot, I mean a LOT of bullying because I was mature and just different - I'd rather read a book or write a story than go out for recess and I was reading Romeo and Juliet while they were reading Junie B Jones (For the Record I like her too even though she's a huge spoiled brat). Basically I had a generation gap with my peers since my parents were born in the late forties and early fifties and their parents were much younger.. so I was already -extremely- bullied. I didn't make my first non-internet friends until college.. and those were some of the people I found out weren't true blue friends when I went through my emotional break down a couple of years ago... So yeah.. and it didn't help that I was overweight.. that was just something else to give them to make fun of me about. As it turned out.. even though I wasn't doing even as good as I am now in therapy one year ago.. I was doing better than I had been in years and that gave me time and energy to turn my thoughts to the weight I'd been unhappy to be carrying around for years. Before college it bothered me.. but I didn't think about it a lot.. it was in early college when I hit 200 and started having trouble finding clothes that would fit me in your typical stores both like Macy's but also stores that people my age like - Aeropostale, Am. Eagle etc.. that I started to have a personal crisis about my weight and be super unhappy with it. Shopping became my least favorite thing because it was an exercise in taking whatever would fit rather than whatever I liked. And by a year ago I had started to notice I couldn't do or keep up with the same types of activities most people my age do. I love showing my dog Riff in conformation and was learning that I couldn't keep up with her jogging on our down and back (jogging beside the dog so the judge can see his or her movement properly) and that getting on my knees to present her not only hurt but was nearly impossible. I started to be even more unhappy because I couldn't do the hobbies I loved that people my age are doing. And in the meantime for the past 5-10 years I'd been trying every diet known to man.. I didn't feel like any of them were sustainable for a life time because I was unhappy with them. And rather than yo-yoing I just didn't lose. Didn't matter how well I stuck to a diet, I'd find myself losing maybe 5 pounds in 7 or 8 months of hard work.. and finally I gave up.. I was near the point of accepting I was just going to be overweight forever and that was how it was going to be. I knew my issues - I don't eat for emotional reasons, I don't eat when I'm not hungry.. but my stomach was super stretched from years of eating too much and I like big portions and the wrong kinds of things. I could go and polish off a huge plate of food enough for three meals and feel "Just about right" and I didn't have the self control to starve while I waited on my stomach to shrink naturally.. I just couldn't do it. I had heard things about gastric bypass that made me say no way never.. things like "You'll never be able to have any sugar again." or "You'll never be able to have fried foods again." While I'm happy to make lifestyle changes, things like "Never again" aren't something I'm capable of. So I ruled out surgery for a long while. Finally, a year ago I looked into it again and read about gastric sleeve for the first time.. and it was a fit.. not as serious as gastric bypass.. less prone to things like dumping syndrome.. and all about moderation rather than "never agains" more healthy choices.. less bad ones.. but I didn't have to promise I was never eating Pasta or never having a fried chicken leg again - which was something I knew I couldn't agree to. There was less risk of serious complications and it was a plan I thought I could actually live with and be happy and it went right to the root of my issue - shrink my stomach so I can get used to a normal portion size again without having to starve. Something I haven't had since I was 6-7 years old. Within two days of researching I was ready to commit. But of course getting my medicaid to pay for the surgery wasn't as easy as deciding I wanted it - even though I looked over the qualifications and knew I met them - I still had a lot of hoops to jump through. In October I started my 6 month phys supervised diet which only convinced my doctor and I that I needed the surgery even more. I ate 1500 calories a day and walked my dog most days for 30+ minutes (which was a significant step down from what I had been eating and step up from my sedentary lifestyle) and lost only 11 pounds in all that time. And part of it came back! Getting cleared psychologically was a battle too. They wanted a psychiatrist who didn't know me to evaluate me even though my own had already sent a letter of approval.. and the psychiatrist who I did see didn't really want to clear someone who was bipolar.. it was a battle, but finally I got cleared. That by itself took over two months and delayed my surgery which should have been in March 2016. I also had to have blood work, a number of physician check ups by my program's docs and so on. But finally all the hard work paid off.. on the first submission to insurance, I was approved within a week! How excited was I! And my surgery was set for May 31st 2016. However, the roller coaster wasn't over.. I had little contact with my bariatric program from the get go... they share a department, nurses, etc with general surgery.. so calling to talk to someone there is always a nightmare.. it's a 30 minute wait to get a human on the phone, calling to talk to a nurse means a 5 hour or more wait for a call back.. and it also means a very unpersonalized approach.. they're so busy and have so many people through their program that they want everyone to be a cookie cutter mold and don't want to offer people any individualized advice because "others in the program might want the same advice." Well number one - others in the program shouldn't know what -I- discuss with my doctors so how could they want it and number two healthcare isn't supposed to be about squeezing people into a mold and making the exact same treatment work for everyone... so I began to be unhappy with my program from early on.. especially when their psychiatrist and my psychiatrist got into a fight over the phone about whether I was going to get cleared. Their psychiatrist had met me only once and knew nothing about my case history while my own psychiatrist has been working with me for about a year and half.. who do you think was more qualified to say if I was stable or not? But aparently their program couldn't understand that.. However.. I was stuck.. Medicaid wanted me in state and this program was the closest to me and already an hour and a half away.. the only other options were double or triple that commute time (Chicago). So I just kinda had to stick with it.. I've gone on to be further disappointed by them at numerous occasions - namely when my surgeon said that Water aerobics is a joke of an exercise program and only for people who can't do anything else and that I couldn't hit my weight loss goal of 130 pounds doing water exercise of any kind (there's a thread floating around about that). Clearly he's never taken a hard core water exercise class or he would know that is so not true. I took my first one Friday and I was sweating in the water! Finally I did get to have my surgery though! Before surgery I had an 800 calorie diet for two weeks focusing on Protein and lean meats and veggies and reasonable on carbs. It wasn't too hard of a diet to follow beyond getting hungry because my stomach was huge. Surgery day came but I was excited rather than nervous. especially because all of us May 31st sleevers from the forum (there was about 10 of us) made a facebook group so we could keep in touch and that really helps to have other people who are exactly where I'm at in the recovery stage. I didn't have much trouble recovering from surgery. I never had any gas pain and even though I was in pain in general the first three days they gave me lots of morphine and kept me very comfortable. While my program as a whole is somewhat disappointing - I do have to say that the nurses who took care of me in the hospital couldn't have been better. They helped me walk. They helped me get up to go to the bathroom and helped me adjust positions in bed since I needed help doing all that for the first 2-3 days. I brought my laptop to the hospital with me and spent time here on the forums and doing other stuff I like -- even played some Sims. My recovery was uncomplicated and three days later I was able to go home. My internal swelling went down fast and by a week out I was so sick of liquids that I couldn't help but try a little puree and it worked just fine to help supplement and keep me from going nuts. One thing that's been very helpful to me is Fairlife Milk. it's heightened protein milk with 13 grams of protein for a cup. I drink it straight and also add it to my Soups. It helps a lot in getting in my 64 oz of liquid and my 60 grams of protein. I've been using an app called Plant Nanny which lets you grow plants based on how much Fluid you consume then you can plant them in your garden and harvest their seeds to get more diverse plants.. it makes drinking at least slightly more fun. I also wear a fitbit flex and it's synced with My Fitness Pal. I log my calories on MFP and my exercise syncs there from my fitbit automatically and tells me if I've earned extra calories from exercise (though I rarely use those). I was never given a calorie goal to shoot for but I set a goal of 800 for myself based on the pre-opp diet and what I can eat and get in 60 grams of protein without feeling too stuffed/ too deprived. I'm on my own for a lot of it because I've only met with the NUT once for 30 minutes pre-opp about 2 months and I won't see her again until in July so... I just read and do the best I can. So yeah I'm 3 full weeks out from surgery on Tuesday and also down 20 pounds since May 18th (the start of my pre-opp liver diet). I faced the three week stall at about week 2 instead of three and I was down to a new low for the first time in a week today so I'm hoping that it's broken and I'll have a bit of smooth sailing for a while from here. So.. that's my story so far. I don't know if people post in these to update but.. every once in a while I'll post back and let you guys know how I'm doing.

I'm almost 3 months too (I'm 11 weeks), and I am down 57 pounds since the start of this, and 40 pounds since my surgery date. I just came out of a pretty rough three week stall, but I appear to have come out of it. I was stuck at 202 for so long, and I'm finally in ONEderland. I haven't been at this weight since middle school! 40 more pounds to go to reach my goal! Starting Weight: 250 Surgery Weight: 233 Current Weight: 193

Take your vitamins and KEEP weighing. It is very good to know where you are at in case you need to adjust your routine(Like in this case). Keep drinking your water and the weight will move. During my three week stall I gained 3 pounds and thought WTF!! I now stick to 600-700 calories and low carb, woohoo!! Keep going, no worries, you can do this!!

Yes, Yes . . we are all very different in the way we lose weight. However with out sorting through every post ever made on VST I was wondering what are the most common times to stall through out the first year and do they last for different amounts of time. Example, if three weeks and 5 months are common stall points , does the three week stall only last one week where the 5 month stall last a month ? Stalls seem to get everyone in such a feisty mood I thought if i just prepared for one in my head I could psych it out

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!

I too am experiencing the three-week stall but I noticed while reading the entries from others, that most of their information on the right column shows they are now at or near their goal weight!

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!

you're going through the three-week stall a little early. Almost everyone goes through that early stall. If you do a search for it on this site, you'll fine 17,501 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding - there literally are 17,501 posts on it). Just stick to your plan and your weight loss will start up again - I promise! My stall lasted for two weeks (weeks 2 and 3 post-surgery), and my weight loss started up again during week 4. I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days that week. So just hang tight and stay off the scale if you have to...

I can't speak to the vomiting - that's a question for your surgeon. But as for the others - yes, it's likely the infamous three-week stall, and yes - constipation is a chronic problem for many of us. Just try to keep on top of it. Some of us take Miralax every day, some take magnesium, some use stool softeners, some drink Smooth Move tea, some use some combination of things. Just figure out what works for you and keep on it.

I had a bmi of 35 on the day of surgery which was a month ago. I have lost 25lbs so far including pre op and 18lbs since surgery. I am now in the three week stall which is soooo frustrating! I am hoping things will start moving this week! I also didn't feel any restriction when I was on the liquid phase...I have just started softs and I can definitely feel it now! Well done everyone on all the lbs lost!! X

Google "three week stall." Right now, your body is desperately trying to heal. Stick to your plan, meet your protein and water goals, walk when you can, and stay off of the scale. The weight will eventually start coming off. And get used to the stalls. I have learned that nothing about post-op weight loss is linear. It is frustrating, I know, but if you just trust in the process and do exactly what you are supposed to do all of the time, you will be successful. Good luck!

How much mayo? I stuck with no-fat or very low fat protein. Even in maintenance, I eat very low fat except for treats. I ate only a couple of bites of veggies with meals because I haf a hard time getting the protein in. But unless you are eating a lot of mayo and peas, it's probably just the dreaded three week stall. Lynda

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!

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!

You won't lose weight every single day. And weight loss stalls happen. The three week stall is very common. I've had several stalls over my journey and the longest one lasted 23 days (that was in month 3), in fact I just got over a two week stall yesterday as I finally lost another pound. Also, since you're exercising you may put on muscle which weighs more than fat so it may not look like you're losing weight when you weigh yourself, but if you take measurements you'll be able to tell the difference with that. Try not to stress yourself out during stalls because the stress can prolong them (almost impossible to do, I know).

Katie and bandalyons.. Good luck.. Keep us posted.. Jakat .. Looks like we started softs the same day... I was in a three week stall.. I wasn't eating much during puréed stage.. But I've been on soft since Thursday and the scale is starting to move again, i am so surprised how few restrictions there are.. its so great to eat real food again.. even if it is only 3/4 cup of food.. I was getting really bummed.. But nut thinks body was starving.. Go figure.. ) but I'm 31 pounds down ( this includes 2 week pre op), and down 14 inches on my one month surg-a-versary ... I've been chatting with Rachel (zebra) and she is doing awesome as well.. Hope everyone is doing well.. Keep us posted on your progress.. Where ever you are.. All the best!!! Stephanie...