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What you are experiencing is a very normal, necessary, and natural part of the process. We all experience stalls, especially about three weeks after surgery. This will not be your last stall. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

1) unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", your weight loss so far is very normal. Most of us lose 15-25 lbs in the first month after surgery. Yes - you will find people who lose more or less than that, but they're the exception. You're in that range, so you're perfectly normal! 2) you're in the infamous "three-week stall". Almost all of us go through that. It's not ALWAYS the third week, but it is for most (hence the name) - but it can really happen any time within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale if you need to. It'll last 1-3 weeks, and then you'll be on your way again. If you want to read more about it, do a search on this site for the three week stall. You will find about 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding...). It literally does happen to almost everyone. No changes necessary - just stick to your program and wait it out. It WILL break. oh - just re-read your post. Thirty grams of protein is too low. Most surgeons recommend at least 60. So THAT is a change you should make. Otherwise, you're good. Just hang tight!

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.

Linda, definitely bump up the Protein and fluids. My saving grace with Protein shakes was the Syntrax nectar line. Light, fruity, only 8 ounces, no carbs and 30+ grams of protein. Most of the flavors are pretty darn tasty. Carry a bottle with you everywhere. I carry a "sport bottle" version of a Water bottle - 24 ounces and has a flip or screw top. I should invest in Crystal Light and/or Lipton as the little packets that mix into these bottles (I refill about 3/4 of the way with tap rather than clogging land fills) are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Plain water just doesn't do it for me. I'm able to get at least four of these in a day easy - about 100 oz! And finally, eat more!!! I know how very counter intuitive this is to us but really, you are definitely NOT going to overeat at this stage and probably not for a very, very long time, if ever! That said, I've also read here that some docs say not to worry too much about calorie intake so early in the game - it will come - as long as the protein and hydration is up to snuff. A huge help to me to a. make sure I'm eating enough (am!) and b. make sure I'm getting enough protein, keeping the carbs low, etc. is www.myfitnesspal.com. I think Tiffany recommended that site and it is a huge help to me, more than I thought it would be. I didn't start using it until I got to mushies, however. And finally, another common thread seems to be that a stall after two to three weeks post op is also very common. I was there, it lasted for a week and it sucked. There wasn't much I could do but wait. I added a bit more bike riding, however but I don't know if that is what broke the stall or if it was just par for the course. Haven't stalled since but have had some slow downs (pms?) Good luck, cut yourself some slack, you're going to be just fine!! Carol

My suggestion is to not weigh so often, if you can't handle daily fluctuations and periodic stalls and plateaus ..... Weigh once every two to three weeks. You will see a weight loss.

You should look at the quality of drinks you are using. They could be full of sugar. I personally upped my protein recently and broke a stall, losing 8lbs in a week after three weeks of nothing. The protein was what did it likely.

I am following this pattern fellow sleevers... Since the turn of the New Year, my weight loss is very slow... but the scale is going down. I seem, too, to stall for three weeks then lose between 1-2lbs. I am a year out now but this has been happening from around the 5-6mth marker. I have tried all the tricks under the sun; the higher cal, the lower cal, the low carb-nocarb, the more carb, increasing exercise, decreasing exercise, more Water, more water .. did I mention more water... you get the idea! Whatever I do, it makes NO difference to my body,,, At this stage, I have come to accept it but it has taken me a long time! Still frustrating but I don't beat myself up anymore. I am sure I will get to goal eventually... and when I do... boy it will be sweet and you will hear me scream from over the pond... =]

Hi. I'm new to this site but had my VSG 8/14/14. With the liquids, you are doing the right thing with trying different temperatures. You may want to take smaller sips. At one point my sips were just getting the tip of my tongue wet. What really helped me was walking while I drank my Water. I don't mean a stroll. I was moving my legs! The moving helped the water pass without feeling like someone kicked me in my chest. May I suggest that you put the scale away. You are three days out from surgery. Standing on the scale every day will do nothing but drive you batty. I still don't have a scale in my house because I am compulsive. I would weigh several times a day if it was right there in my home. In the beginning I just waited until my surgeon visits to find my weight. I was never disappointed. I didn't have that dreaded 3 week stall everyone gripes about. I weighed in the doctor's office during the week 1 visit and weighed again during the week 3 visit. Guess what....the weight was down. No stall. After a few weeks, I picked Monday as my official weigh in and just plot my weight once a week on a graph. Some people plot their weight once a month. This way I don't get caught up in the day to day fluctuations your body will make. Before surgery I wrote a list of NSVs I wanted to achieve. This way I could Celebrate something in the event the scale doesn't move from one week to another. Who cares that I didn't lose 1 pound this week because I was able to button a pair of pants that I haven't worn in yearssssss!!!! Just find other ways to celebrate.

Actually, I don't think 2 days with no change on the scale really counts as a stall. For me, a stall has to be longer than a week. That said, stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process of losing weight. If you plan to lose a substantial amount of weight, then you will experience stalls. Almost everyone experiences their first stall about three weeks after surgery. Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your Protein and fluids. Stay off the scale. And, Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Around week three I spent 10 days jumping up and down between 259-261. Finally started losing again, about a pound a week, then in the last 5 days suddenly lost 3 pounds. I didn't even chart it at first because I thought it was a fluke, but woke io this morning and still gone. Keeping my fingers crossed now. I think this uneven weight loss and stalls is the most frustrating part of the whole experience, but the big picture is I am the lowest weight I have been in 10 years!

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.

Stalls happen and gaining a pound here and there once in a while happens. I went up three pounds then started down again. I have lost a whopping 1 1/2 pound in the last three weeks. Sometimes upping the calories gets you out of starvation mode then drop the calories and you lose some weight. Hang in there, you will break the stall soon enough.

I was in a stall for almost 4 weeks. Mind you I had my VSG on 8/2/16 so not even three months ago. I was -30 pounds for everrrrrrrr. I finally broke free and I'm -40 pounds as of today. It happens. Dont stress or obsess. I did both. And self sabotaged at times. But I worked through the emotions and got a stomach bug (ha, lost two pounds bc of that). Some days I don't feel like I look different. That may take a while. But I feel different. And I genuinely feel like if I never lost a pound ever again (god I hope not) but I wouldn't regret this surgery. Because of this surgery I have lost 40 pounds. Wow. SW: 264.5 CW: 224.5 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congratulations! Yes, almost everyone experiences a stall about three weeks after surgery. Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your Protein and fluids, take your Vitamins and supplements as directed, and exercise when cleared. Embrace the Stall http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall Congratulations! Yes, almost everyone experiences a stall about three weeks after surgery. Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your protein and fluids, take your vitamins and supplements as directed, and exercise when cleared. Embrace the Stall http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I once was told that when you are trying to adopt a new habit (or break an old one!) to be aware of the dreaded 3's. That is, you will have self doubt and discouragement at day 3, week 3, month 3, and then year 3. I have found that this is so true. Unfortunately for you, the DWTS (dreaded week three stall) exactly coincides with the Dreaded 3's-wait it out...week 4 is coming!

Sorry not to answer you sooner @Sajijoma - I've been swamped with work lately, and a family event too. So today I knew I had a lunch meeting, so I previewed the menu and called to ask how much meat was on the steak salad (3oz) so I started logging with that, and then added foods to get to my targets. - Breakfast I had 1/3 of an ounce of "Just Strawberries" (crunchy dried ones with no junk added, and 1/3 ounce is quite a bit really) and a "peppermint mocha" version of my Protein drink; 1 scoop Isopure low carb chocolate flavor made hot with a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk and two shots of espresso and peppermint extract . - Morning snack was 4 ounces lean Board's Head sliced deli chicken and 3/4 of an ounce of home-roasted cashews I make (less fat/salt/sugar) and half an ounce of aged Gouda. - Lunch at the restaurant was lettuce, a few grape tomatoes, a few toasted pecans and the rare steak - and light on the dressing! - Afternoon snack is 3 ounces non-fat Fage yogurt mixed with another scoop of isopure Protein powder (Combat is good too!), 1/3 ounce dried Just Peaches, and a Mediterranean chicken breast skewer from costco. Also 2 tablespoons cream in my iced coffee with some stevia - yum! - dinner will be 4 ounces scrambled egg-whites , one slice of bacon, 3 more ounces of nonfat Fage yogurt topped with a bit of SF Torani vanilla syrup and 2 ounces of frozen blueberries. - My evening snack (which I finally realized helps me avoid late night foraging!) is half a chocolate chunk Quest bar with half a tablespoon of Justin's Peanut Butter on it. This is fairly typical, though I don't usually have that much fruit. a couple times a week I get my carbs from mug cakes or other things like Halo Top ice cream, maybe skim milk in a small Cappuccino, or Combat protein powder has 5 carbs to a scoop, but 25 grams of protein! My Isopure I get at the Vitamin Shoppe has no carbs or fat, but also 25 grams of protein. It's a LOT of food, and not right for everyone, but after a terminally long stall I finally accepted that it could be my body was needing me to eat more and be really stable in my intakes so it could stabilize enough to begin losing again. I lift weights at the gym four days a week (two upper body days, two lower body) for about 25 minutes including stretching, and do some form of cardio on three of those days for about 20 minutes -- HIIT on the treadmill usually or by swimming laps the same way. Some days I use the torture machine (i.e. stairclimber!) but only rarely. I've consistently lost 2 pounds per week, this week 2.5 (yay!) and I can finally say I'm never hungry or deprived feeling. I have bread or a treat if I want to factor it in, and if it's REALLY good, but decided there's no point in eating mediocre stuff. Hope this is helpful. I aim for 60 ounces of Water each day too. Kate Wow - sorry for such a long answer just now!

My surgeon had me walking the day after surgery (It helps in the healing process) I continued to walk after I was home from surgery. Each surgeons’ instructions are a bit different. Your Dr. will release you for lifting and exercise. After you are healed, you will absolutely be able to get into activity/exercise of your choice. Start slow and work your way up. What did my post op work outs look like? My goal after surgery was to run race for the cure 5K in memory of my mother. I started walking 30 mins and worked it to an hour a day for the first three weeks. Third month I had a major stall. I sold my treadmill and bought a gym member ship. Third month: I did weight lifting with an hour of cardio 5 days a week. I mixed icardio up on elliptical, treadmill, stairmaster and treadmill. I took a women’s lifting class. What I learned is too much cardio will slow down building muscle. I altered my workout program. My workouts have changed and evolve over the years. I am 50. I love being a bad ass grandmother. You never know where your weight loss can take you. We are all stronger than we give ourselves credit for. I have completed 5K to a full marathon. Last year, I ran two mountain elevation/ trail half marathons. This year my bucket list run is Revel Mt. Charleston in Las Vegas. Find exercise/activity’s you enjoy and be consistent!

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.

It depends on how long you've actually stalled. I've had TONS of stalls on my journey. My first one was at three months out and lasted 23 days. My body just had to adjust itself. It wasn't anything that I did wrong, it just had to 'catch up' so to speak. My last stall was in mid January and last 27 days up until mid February. I've lost 7 pounds in the five weeks since my weight loss picked back up. Like I said, stalls happen. Sometimes we just have to adjust what we eat slightly such as watching our sodium intake, our carbs, our fat intake, our calories, our sugar, etc. Sometimes it's nothing we're doing wrong. Think about your diet and if you feel something needs to change slightly then try it. Or, try and ride it out. It'll pass. Maybe call your nutritionist for advice (it's helped me a few times).

Did you stall after three weeks of losing or at the start of your third week?

Today makes a full month since surgery, my weight lost has stalled since I started mushies and food, although I had gained three pounds they are now gone again, so a total of 20lbs from my heavist and 18lbs since the surgery, which is awesome. I am still on soft foods, I have tried eating regular foods in small portions twice and ended up with this scratchy throat feeling and ended up going back to mushies and soft foods. I did have one instance where bread got stuck for almost a day it wasn't a full blockage, because I could still get my protien shake down but boy did I have to burp, so I ended up drinking a soda to get a good one up and it finally moved... but I felt swollen afterwards and went to liquids for a day and felt better. I am back to work, and back to real life running around and working all kinds of hours, My middle daughter had open heart surgery two weeks ago so we have been up with here most of the week and trying to keep up with my protien intake is still a little challenging, I am done with the protien shakes trying to get it through my foods. No port pain but I wake up in the mornings and now know what it means that the band is tight, my throat is also sore, and I am not sure if it is the hiatal hernia repair or what... but intersting I do know that ice Water feels really good first thing in the morning. So far loving the band

You just had major surgery and are swollen and healing. I highly recommend staying off the scale for a while. None of us lose at a constant or steady rate. We all experience fluctuations, slow downs, and stalls. Just about everyone experiences a stall about three weeks after surgery. Just focus on getting in n all of your Protein and fluids, and follow your program, Embrace the Stall http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Hi guys. It's my first post here. I had my surgery on 13/3/2017 .I'm almost two and half weeks post open and I've lost abt 14 pounds till now. Now on my journey of wt stall since last three days but am mentally prepared for the stall as I've read here that it's quite normal. I bought Isopure Dutch chocolate protein shake. Now the problem is.... Can't take it down my throat. It tastes damn sweet. Any tips to make it a bit less sweet? I even tried reducing its quantity in water or milk but still the same result. Need help

And I've lost exactly 14 pounds! I seriously can't believe it! I went in as a lightweight starting at 215.4 on surgery day (was 221 pre op and lost about 6 lbs on pre op diet) and this morning, exactly one week after surgery with Dr. Garcia I weighed 201.4! So exciting! I assumed since I was a lightweight I would lose slower, so I am thrilled with the results so far. I am anticipating a stall soon since I know one around three weeks happens to like 90% of people, but I okay with that I'm still doing Clear liquids including clear Protein drinks, but tomorrow I start full liquids. I have a bunch of sugar free pudding to make tonight and unflavored whey protein isolate to mix into it. I will NOT be sad to say good riddance to the blitz clear protein and Isopure RTD, OMG. They were tolerable pre-op when I tried them, but post op they are just gross. I'm wishing you guys so much success and please feel free to PM me with any questions you may have going forward. I will probably post more often on the post-op board now. Lauren

I was sleeved may 16th and also got stalled at 265. My starting weight was 289. I have found that if you let go a bit and increase your calories by indulging in something like a cookie or a piece or your favorite dessert it will restart your metabolism because it feels like its being fed again. Don't go crazy and pig out lol. Just indulge for a day. I stalled at 265 for almost three weeks before I took a day off from clean eating. I ate cheese puffs and enjoyed a slice of watermelon (a big no no) and last but not least I had a vanilla latte. That weekend I dropped 4 lbs.