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What were you expecting to lose? If you're looking for 30+ lbs the first month, that's pretty rare unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life". For most of us "average" WLS patients, that much loss the first month is pretty unusual. Most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range. Plus most people don't lose much the first week because of the "gain" from the IV fluids you get in the hospital (which of course is just water) - and then there's the infamous "three-week stall" that many of us experience, where you can go a couple of weeks (usually 1-3) without any loss, because your body is kind of recalibrating after the surgery - so you may be experiencing that as well. you're not going to lose the weight any faster than if you ate the same thing without surgery. With the extreme calorie deficit we have the first few months out, you'd probably lose about the same regardless if you had surgery or not. The difference is, it's much more easy to sustain that deficit with the surgery. Most people probably could not go for months on end eating something like 800 calories. But with the surgery, you can. Your hunger is suppressed, your stomach is tiny, etc. The most I could ever lose before surgery was about 50-60 lbs. With this, I lost over 200, and have kept it off for eight years. No way could I have done that without the surgery.

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.

Our bodies are complex systems, not simple machines. @@Babbs has a great explanation of the technical/biological reason for the three week stall.

The dreaded three week stall. Just stick to your plan. My three week stall lasted a frustrating three weeks, but many only stall for a few days to a week. It’s completely normal and you are doing the right thing by focusing on inches! 😀

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.

I use the term 'three week stall' because that tends to be when that first stall happens but for some it does so earlier or later.. as long as you follow your program it will drop pretty dramatically when it ends.

Don't forget to track how much and what you are eating. I like using My Fitness Pal. It really helped me in the beginning because it made me more aware of what nutrients I was getting in. My focus has always been to try to hit at least 80 grams of Protein. And, I had a three week stall that started week 3. They happen. I know it can be discouraging to NOT see the weight come off, but it will. I also learned early on to not weigh myself daily. Our bodies will fluctuate in weight day to day, even morning compared to night. Why? The food and fluids we eat/drink that is still in the system will increase our weight temporarily (and don't forget the other bodily functions). Pick a day and time to weigh yourself once a week. I swear it will help keep your sanity intact.

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!!!

yes. Do a search on this site for the three week stall. There are over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding...). Happens to almost all of us... Just stick to your program, stay off the scale if you have to, and trust the process. Your weight loss WILL start up again...

they happen to most of us. The first major one usually hits sometime during the first month post-op. We call it the "three week stall" because it's most often the third week, but not always. mine was weeks 2 & 3. they typically last 1-3 weeks, but I've heard of them lasting longer (although USUALLY 1-3 weeks), Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days - and know that it WILL break.

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

Very typical. It's called the three week stall, the average time people experience their first weight loss stall. You need to eat more calories though.

You are in the most common stall that there is... the "three week stall" that happens to almost all of us. Go up to the top of the vst page, in the search bar and look up three week stall. Also, you will go through a "surge" of hormones. I don't remember when nor how long it lasts, just that omg I am so f'n hormonal, I felt like I was crazy. Just know this - it too shall pass. Change your perspective. Concentrate on your "levels" .. by that I mean protein, how many oz of water you get in, etc. You will have many ups and downs in this journey and through out each trial, you will learn how to best equip yourself for the next hurdle. You CAN do it! And the weight's going to start zooming off... watch. If I could, I'd bet money on that. And I'm not a betting woman... Hang in there sweetie! OH and I (for a while) only allowed myself to weigh every Monday morning. Otherwise, it drove me nuts. Now, I don't care what the scale says as much. It varies (for me) up to 5 lbs a day depending on the time of the day. Limit scale time to once a week if you can!

The infamous three week stall. Mine lasted three weeks. Just keep doing exactly what your doing, it will pass.

Crystal light won't affect the stall. The stall is your body's way of adjusting. Mine lasted two and a half weeks and some have lasted up to several months for others. You want to up protein and be patient. I drank Crystal Light and still do but alternate between that and plain water, with plain water being my main source of liquid. You shouldn't have any restriction on liquid at all. I did cut out the protein shake, which helped me, not sure how much meat you eat so feel unsure you want to cut that out. Walking more now helps, and I'm losing a pound a day. I have no issues, even eating one small scoop of ice cream with a cookie last night, and waking up a pound and a half lighter. (First and last time eating ice cream for a long time, I had no dumping syndrome.) The stalls are hard but normal. There is no dreaded "three week stall", it's just one of several plateaus you will hit. I will say you may wish to not drink crystal light due to fake sweetener that's in it, still having said that I drink it once in a while when water is too redundant. I personally don't think you ought to return to all fluids - you need to eat every three or so hours to keep your metabolism working. It's the yo-yo dieting that ruined the ability to lose to begin with. Just stick with 1-2 oz of food. Measure out 4oz, put half away and eat when you feel hungry. My doctor told me to expect a severe stall after I started solid food and that's exactly what I got. I'm down 53 pounds since May 1st. Good luck.

Google "three week stall".

first week is from the IV fluids they gave you in the hospital. Some people gain as much as 10 lbs from that (I can't remember how much I "gained" - maybe 4 or 5 lbs). It can take up to a week for it to work its way out. Also, almost everyone has their first stall within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. It's usually the third week (thus, the "three-week stall"), but not always. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. During week 4, it broke and I dropped like 6-8 lbs practically overnight.

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!

So I had my sleeve done 11/6. I am on a liquid stage right now. Had to go out to any event to Celebrate my son's birthday and were around family that did not know I had surgery. I had Soup and then tried to eat a few bites of mashed potatoes so that it appeared I was eating like everyone else. I was only able to eat three bites of mashed potato. I'm just wondering once I get to real food next month. Is there going to be a point where I'm going to be able to eat an amount that is not so noticeable that everyone's gonna ask why only take five bites of food ? I'm just wondering if it's always only going to be a few bites of food or what? I want to eventually be able to go out and have normal social life without all the questions or why I'm not eating? So that's my only concern. For now obviously just being on shakes and yogurt etc. i'm already down 20 pounds since my surgery date. Still doesn't really feel good to eat yogurt even then I do better with just liquids. I go back to work this week and I feel fine other than that. I've been able to get up and walk around and be active almost since the first few days I've been home. So no complaints here. More just questions about the future. Happy that I will never be able to sit down with a huge plate of food And eat til my stomach hurts. Just knowing that makes me much more sure about my future. Making better choices and this tool helping for portion size it's really a win-win. Now I'm approaching this three-week stall keep hearing about but I have no complaints 20 pounds even for one month it's nothing to complain about. So far every day still more and more weight is gone. My doctor told me last Friday that that weight loss would slow down but I've lost another 3 pounds since then. Cheers to that!

Just be patient. It is impossible to eat as few calories as we eat post surgery and not lost weight. Your body is just adjusting. I have learned from many others on this site that happens to most of us within the first month and is often around week three and called the three week stall for that reason. If you do a search for the term you will see how common it is. Stick to your plan and you will be losing before you know it.

I am 16 days post op and haven't lost anything in about 5 days, today I gained about .5 pound. I know this isn't a true stall but I was wondering if anyone has hit this wall so soon. So far I've done awesome and I am happy with it but I feel like I am failing already. I am busting my butt to get fluids and protein in, but find it almost impossible to hit them daily. I am also cleared for food and can eat about an oz at a meal. Most of the time it's a meat or a cheese stick ( for the protein). But I am really focusing on fluids over real food. I've also had a bad allergic reaction to the adhesive they used, so I am not sure if that is playing a role. I plan to keep up with increasing fluids/ protein as well as increase my walking. ( currently a mile 4-5 days a week) Is this normal? Did I hit the dreaded three week stall early? Thanks in advance