Hi I am only 3 weeks out and getting concerned. The scale dropped like lightening the first 8 days. Since then it's barely moved and in the last 3 days I've gained. Is that normal? I am following everything to the letter so I'm not sure where and if I'm actually falling short. Please help

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or more. But don't worry -- after that, the weight will start falling off if you stick to your program. If you're interested, here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again like crazy!

(Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

I just came out of my first stall. It started about a week and a half after surgery and lasted for 2 full weeks. The good news is that it does end and you will start losing again.

Oh thank goodness! I was getting so frustrated and discouraged! Thanks for your replies

WOW! I am having the same exact issue!!! I was sleeved on 9/17 my HW is 423 in June, then surgery was 9/17 sw was 383 and the first week I was down to 372 and then for three weeks NOTHING

I have been at 365 for the past three weeks just not moving at all....I called my NUT and she said she is very impressed with my food choices and asked me to just keep doing what I am doing.

I have one shake a day in the am and I blend a banana and some spinach with a premier vanilla shake and add two tbls of ground flax seed and that is around like 340 calories and it takes me a good hour to drink it all then so she said to try to eat every couple of hours and hit around 1000 calories with my 112 grams of Protein...but since I am not hungry and I just forget to eat.. so she said I needed to get my calories up there and then I will see some loss.

she explained that I was just too low on calories for so long that my body went into a starvation mode and is just holding all it can.

they say we will break out of this but WHEN??? lol its kinda scary going through all this and NOT losing.

Hey Rach,

Take a look at the article I linked to above. It will explain what really happens around weeks 3-5. I'm 17 weeks out, and still only consume 700-900 calories a day. My doc says that's normal. I get 70-90 grams of Protein and drink 72+ ounces of Fluid each day. Along with my multi-vitamin and calcium-plus-D chews, that's supposed to be all I need. Your situation may be different. Each doc and nut has a different opinion of what's the best way to go. And it may depend on your starting place. Good luck on your journey! It's so worth it!!!!!

I started a stall at 10 days post-op. Isn't this too early? I'm a low BMI and I'm scared I won't lose weight!

I had a brief stall that early too but it passed. My BMI was 39 before surgery. I've since gotten through two stalls about 3-4 days long. I'm 5 weeks out today.

Don't freak! Stalls happen to different people at different times. "Most people" have it around weeks 3-5, but if it happens early, maybe you'll get past it more quickly too. Trust your gut *LOL*. You'll be fine, and the weight will start falling off soon.