Search the Community

Absolutely. If you ate, say, 600 Calories on a Wednesday. And if, on that Wednesday, you burned, for example, 1800 calories, then you lost body fat. On that day, you lost body fat. And a little of other things, some protein. Not from muscle primarily like people say but from skin and intestinal lining which are high turnover proteins. The scale doesn't always reflect that linearly. You may retain water, or have inflammation. The people who say "I lost 21lb in the first two weeks and in week three I've stalled" - well, it's simple nonsense! They didn't lose anywhere close to 21lb in two weeks. It's takes a caloric deficit of 3500 Calories to lose 1lb which means that they'd have needed a deficit of 5250 Calories per day. Which even if they ran a marathon and ate absolutely nothing, is impossible. So...they almost certainly lost inflammation weight after their operation trauma, glycogen/water if their carbohydrate levels are much lower than pre-operatively and there will be other aspects too like serious dehydration. And this infamous 3 week stall? Well, all those things are largely finished and most people won't be doing the KFC buckets with extra fries in week three, so why is it? Normally increased fibre, giving roughage weight in the intestine and rehydration due to the ability to drink more water.

A little late in the game but I agree with everything mentioned above. Three week stall, watwr weight, etc. as long as you are sticking to your plan it will break.

You have lost 85 pounds since surgery, congratulations. You may just be in a stall. I believe they typically last a week or two but have heard many people on here have them last three weeks or even a month. If you are sticking to your plan 100% it is just a stall and it will lift soon. If you are winging it you may want to start logging your calories and measuring things again just so you have that info to give to your nutritionist when you speak with them if the stall does not break soon.

Hello everyone! Happy to see that you are doing well! My surgery was on November 24, I lost 57 lb, which is 70% of my weight loss goal. Felling great, no issues at all. I had couple stalls, the last one was almost three weeks long. Last week I noticed that I can eat bigger portions of solid foods without feeling restrictions. Do you guys feel less restrictions too? How much of solid food can you eat at once, like one cup or less?

I am doing well. Had an over three week stall. It was getting a little frustrating that the scale stopped moving. Then one day I stepped on and I had lost 5.5 pounds overnight. I had to weigh again just to check that it wasn’t a mistake. I am back to losing again but not as quickly. Strangely I am having more problems with food these days. My system seems to be getting more picky. I hope everyone is doing well. I still have no regrets.

^^^ I can't believe I didn't catch that! I just re-read the OP's message and ...yep!...right on time for the infamous three-week stall!

Welcome to the three week stall! It is probably the most discussed problem on this message board. Just keep doing what you know to do (follow your surgeon's dietary guidelines, keep walking) and it will work itself out. It is very frustrating when you are in the middle of it, but when the stall ends, you will lose weight FAST.

I'm both a slow loser, and a serial staller. I've lost weight post-surgery at the same rate I did when I tried the old-school calorie counting. I've never had the "honeymoon period" folk on here talk about. I've lost count of how many stalls I've had, and have just this week finally broken another three week stall of zero weight loss. Like you, I follow my plan to the letter, do regular exercise, and know I eat at a large calorie deficit. So I absolutely know how you feel! But as The Greater Fool said - you cannot compare yourself to others, and you cannot let yourself be ruled by the scale. The weight IS coming off, and if it's coming off slower, that's not a bad thing! With luck my slow rate will give my skin the best chance of bouncing back. The trick is to enjoy your own journey without worrying about others, and to celebrate your own little milestones and victories. Because they're happening.

almost all of us have our first stall sometime during the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. It's USUALLY the third week, but not always. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. Scale didn't budge. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale. Maybe just weigh yourself once a week until the stall breaks And as long as you stick to your program, it WILL break, and you'll be on your way again. oh - just wanted to add that I agree with one of the above people who said that this might not even be a stall if it's only been three days. But if it goes on longer, then yes, it probably is - and it's not uncommon at all!

It's very early days, your body is still in recovery, weight is going to be all over the place. It's only been three days since you've lost some scale weight, you are not going to lose weight every single day and three days doesn't make a stall. Give yourself a break from the scales, don't weigh yourself for another few weeks.

you're in what we call the "three week stall" (it doesn't always happen the third week - it can really happy any time within the first six weeks or so after surgery, but most of us have it the third week, hence the name). Probably 90% of us experience that early stall. Just keep following your plan and stay off the scale if you need to. It typically lasts 1-3 weeks, but I've heard of some cases where it's gone longer. Just know that as long as you follow your plan to a "T", the stall will break and you'll be on your way again. if you want to read more about it, do a search on this site of the "three week stall" Last time I checked, there were over 17,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding...

By approximation in theory but in practice I don't need to. There is no weight I could be, where eating 1000 Calories per day wouldn't cause weight loss. The other problem with weighing oneself is seen on this forum which is replete with hand wringing regarding the "three week stall" and many other issues which aren't issues at all with regard to fat loss. They are scale related aberrations.

Right there with you, my surgery sister. I had a three-week stall and it made me insane. Then this week—WHOOOOOOSH. Three pounds practically overnight. Now, obviously there's something going on in there. I have a theory that the Epsom salt bath I took after a physically intense day reduced some inflammation, but who knows.

most people get that stall at or around the three-week mark - so it's late for you. Don't do anything besides stick to your program and stay off the scale (only weigh yourself once a week or so until you get through this). It'll break and you'll be on your way again. Since they typically last 1-3 weeks, you're likely near the end of it.

Sigh. As usual, everyone here is correct. The stall ended after three weeks. Just posting the update for other people who search stories about stalls.

Hello All, Sometimes it is nice to know that you are in a group of the "world's best" at something. It is my opinion that we are the world's best at losing weight. I do not mean to imply that once we have had bariatric surgery, we are good at losing weight. I am willing to say that, prior to your surgery, you have lost (and gained) tens and tens of pounds over your lifetime. You have tried at least six or more diets and you were probably successful in losing a significant amount weight on each of them. I have done this too. The problem is we are world class weight gainers also ...ugh! Thankfully, we have weight loss surgery to help us eat fewer calories. However, each time we lose weight, we must face the "STALL." You know, that period of time when we don't lose weight even when we think we should. Everyone dreads these time periods. If you are interested, I would like to share with you some information that has helped me over the years to overcome and understand stalls. First, I am not a doctor nor am I offering any sort of medical advice. I am simply trying to provide you with information from my own personal experiences. You are free to believe or not believe. Every single person is different. If you know something that works, please share. I would love to learn from you. Until then, here are my thoughts. Vary your exercise routine. This is pretty simple. One must understand that we come from a long, long line of survivors. Just think, there is a very good probability that several of your ancestors survived the black plague which eliminated almost half of the population of Europe. Over time, our bodies have learned to adapt to new "challenges" so to speak. Here is a secret to assist weight loss: YOU MUST CHALLENGE YOURSELF to avoid your body's natural ability to adapt and become more efficient to your routines. If you are doing any kind of exercise, you will need to vary this exercise every few weeks. For instance, I am currently using an elliptical machine for cardio. Every two weeks, I change my routine. I went from just moving for 30 minutes at any speed for the first two weeks to adding intervals of going as fast as I can for one minute and then slowing down for three minutes. I have also changed the interval times. For example, I went fast for 30 seconds and then slower for two minutes for a period of two weeks. Next week, I will be changing to a stationary bike for cardio. In a few more weeks, I will be heading outdoors for walking/jogging, etc. The point is to change it up so your body must adjust to new challenges. Build muscle. These are the facts. Muscle burns more calories, even while resting, than fat does. Did you know that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson eats more than 5000 calories per day? The man is a beast and definitely is not fat. He is able to eat so much because he has a huge amount of muscle mass. That muscle burns a lot of calories. Check out what he eats in a typical day here: The Rock's Diet. I wish I could say the phrase "build muscle" and, magically, I would build muscle...*sigh* Until then, I must incorporate strength training the old fashioned way. I lift weights. At the moment, my routine consists of body weight type of exercises, pushing and pulling. My goal is to preserve as much muscle as I can while losing weight. I want to burn the maximum amount of calories possible...even while sleeping. YouTube has many, many videos to help just about anyone. Keep track of your food intake. I measure my food and keep a daily log. I know how much food my stomach can hold and I do not over eat. But my personal opinion may be different than yours when it comes to caloric intake. Personally, I cannot live for the long term on 800 calories per day. Many of us were/are eating about 800 calories or so per day after surgery. I have no plans to eat only 800 calories per day for the rest of my life to maintain my goal weight. Therefore, I have increased the number of calories I eat per day. At the moment, I am eating around 1500 calories per day. I am about six weeks post surgery. The bulk of my calories comes from protein. I try to add calories to my day without adding a lot of volume to my stomach. Here are some things I do in order to add calories. Once per day, I drink a protein shake instead of water. Also, I will add the following ingredients to meals throughout the day (not all at the same time, mind you): olive oil, avocados, sour cream, cheese, mayonnaise and peanut butter. These are generally healthy fats which allow me to consume more calories at every meal. I try to eat approximately 400 calories three times a day and then supplement with a few snacks in between meals. I typically eat 5 to 6 times per day. Set realistic goals. If you do not know, one pound of fat is 3500 calories. To lose one pound of fat, you must create a deficit of 500 calories per day for each day of the week...500 calories x 7 days = 3500 calories lost. Create a deficit of 1000 calories per day and lose two pounds per week. 1500 calories = 3 lbs. per week. This is the idea...a 500 calorie deficit per day equates to one pound loss per week. A typical male burns about 2000 to 3000 calories per day (typical female: 1600 to 2400.) You can play with these numbers all you like but the reality is: it is very hard to lose a large amount of fat in one week. Last week I lost three pounds. I believe that this result is fantastic. That loss is a 10,500 calorie deficit for the week (equivalent to NOT eating 37.5 Snickers Candy Bars.) I believe this is a heroic effort on my part...I celebrated with a quiet "YES" and a fist pump while standing on my bathroom scale. Fist bumps to all of you who have shared the same win. NOT an exact science. Things change. There is not a perfect formula. When you lose weight, you lose fat AND muscle. This is NOT avoidable. No one is able to lose 100% fat. It is not possible to do so, therefore mentally prepare yourself for some disappointment. If you do not have strength training in your schedule, you will lose more precious fat burning muscle than you would if you incorporate strength training. Either way, you will burn fewer calories per day when you, eventually, weigh less. It makes perfect sense. At 300lbs. you may have burned 2500 calories per day. At 250lbs you may only burn 2200 calories per day. You were bigger so you burned more calories. Therefore, it is harder to create a calorie deficit when you weigh less because you are burning fewer calories. Again, this concept really sucks but it explains why we lose less weight as we get closer and closer to our goal. Okay...so this turned into a much longer post than I originally anticipated. Some of the words above make it sound like I have it all figured out. But alas, no. I have issues too. I gained over 100 lbs. in the last six years eating pizza with extra cheese and trying to diminish the world's supply of beer. I am somewhere in the early stages of this particular weight loss journey. My goal is to make this my last weight loss/gain journey. I truly wish all of you the very best life has to offer. The struggle is real and I know, like me, you are fighting every day. I look forward to all of your comments and learning from your experiences. Best, AnotherGuy

it's the infamous three week stall. It just came a little early for you (actually, it did for me as well, I had it weeks 2 and 3). Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. It'll break and you'll be on your way again. That happens to probably 90% of us. if you want to read about this stall, do a search on this site for the "three week stall". You'll find over 17,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding.

it's almost certainly the three week stall. Happens to almost all of us. If you do a search on it on this site, you will find over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). It usually lasts 1-3 weeks, so you should be at or near the end of it. I dropped about 6-8 lbs in just a couple of days after mine ended.

@MelanatedQueen It's totally the three-week stall. Your body is rebalancing its fluid levels and stuff. While there's some variation (hello, hormones...), generally the rule is CICO (calories in calories out). If you're eating 500 cal a day, there is no way you're not going to lose weight. Even if you're very petite, your body requires a certain number of calories just to exist, and 500 is below that number. If you get through another three weeks without moving, talk to your surgeon, but nearly everyone breaks that stall in a week or two.

I had the loop DS 7 weeks ago and have lost 33 lbs (83 total). My three week stall ended up lasting a while 3 weeks. 😅 I am really happy with my progress. I feel well. My face looks like me again, and I keep sitting awkwardly on my now saggy stomach. I can still only eat 1.5oz at a meal and am not hitting any goals but the surgeon is happy with my progress.

Congratulations!! This makes me so happy for you! Especially that you‘re bettering your relationship with food. Thats huge! I‘m curious. Have you had any weight stalls? I‘m plus/minus around the same time as you and I‘m currently in my second three week long ish stall 😬

here - I just did the search for you (on the three week stall). 17,501 posts at the moment: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall

23 lbs in two weeks is actually phenomenal. You are ahead of the curve. It was probably six weeks before I'd lost that much. you're probably in a stall right now. Most of us have our first major stall during the first month or so after surgery. It's called the "three week stall" because it's usually the third week, but not always. Typically lasts 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you follow your plan the stall the break and you'll be on your way again. if you want to read more about this, search this site for "three week stall". Last time I checked, there were over 17,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding. It happens to almost all of us.

Hold on, I'm about to use SCIENCE! Your body has a set number of calories it burns even if you are completely inert (sleeping, G-d forbid in a coma, etc.). It's called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It fluctuates with your weight and with how fast your metabolism is. For, say, a 40-year-old, 5'4" woman who weighs 250 lbs (not unusual for a bariatric patient), BMR is around 1800. Now add on any kind of daily living to that, which required calories, and you end up with a number called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). If you're the same woman above and you're sedentary, your TDEE might be 2200; if you are one of those nutters like me who goes to CrossFit and goes running and works a physical job, your TDEE might be as much as 3000 calories. Now. You've had your surgery. You are not physically capable of eating anywhere near that amount. Let's say you're at 800 calories a day. Simply by eating those 800 calories and existing, your body will naturally be in a 1000 calorie a day deficit. Add in sedentary lifestyle, and you're in a 1400 calorie a day deficit. Generally speaking, about 3500 calories is a pound lost (this is not always true and can be overcome by fluid retention, fluid balance, hormonal changes, menstruation, eating really salty foods, vitamin deficiencies, etc.). Now let's say you're "overeating" and you're doing 1200 calories a day; you're still 600 calories short of your caloric needs just to exist, and 1000 calories short of what you need for a sedentary lifestyle. You are going to lose weight. You are not going to 'ruin' anything. What is happening to you is your body is rebalancing its fluids. That is why the "three-week stall" happens. Every body is subject to the rules of CICO (calories in calories out), and eventually CICO will take over from your body's rebalancing and the numbers will drop again. And do measure yourself once a week! Bust/chest, waist, abdomen, hips, thighs, calves, biceps, neck. This week I didn't lose a ton of weight BUT I lost a half inch off my waist, and I can tell because my trousers keep slipping and I had to put a new hole in my belt. One suggestion: don't weigh every day. And if you can't help it—some people just have to, I'm one of them—keep a running tally and then pick a day, let's say Tuesday, and average your weight over the last seven days. Then use the average weight to gauge progress, not the number on the scale that day. Where the thick smoothies and things come in is that your stomach is still healing from the trauma of surgery. But here's the thing—your body will TELL you when it doesn't like something you eat. It will clam up your stomach. Or make you nauseated. Or have unstoppable hiccups until your stomach empties. Or give you the sniffles (which is SUPER AWESOME during a respiratory pandemic, let me tell you). I ate a bite of an egg roll yesterday and got punished for it. So... tl;dr... don't worry too much about it, especially at first. Feed your body the protein and liquid it needs, and then move on to other foods.

Don't freak out. Seriously, it will be okay. If you look up "three week stall" on BariatricPal, you will find almost 20,000 posts about it. It happens a LOT. And it's nothing you're doing wrong—it is literally your body rebalancing itself (particularly fluids) after a traumatic surgery. It will break. Mine did—it came late and lasted about a week and a half and suddenly WHOOOOOSH went the scale. I had all the same worries and made a post here and everything. It WILL break. You will continue to lose weight! And once you're fully on solid foods you'll feel the restriction.