Perplexed. Surgeon says no such thing as a "stall"

[kndoster 33]

Hi, all! So, I had my two week follow up today at 2 weeks and 2 days post-op. I am down 12.5 lbs since surgery and 22 lbs total since beginning my journey. I lost 11 lbs in my first week post-op and only 1.5 the second. So, I asked my surgeon today if I should expect stalls-- Now, let me preface this by saying that while I have total faith in my surgeon's ability to manage my care and he truly is an excellent physician, he has a horrible bedside manner. This is something I was made aware of before ever meeting him the first time. So, when I asked him about the stalls, he said there is no such thing as a "stall" and that the word is something people made up for periods of non-loss when they aren't eating and/or exercising as they should.

Now, I know there are people on here who haven't lost weight, despite doing everything by the book, and maybe he meant that that wasn't a "stall" but that that is just how weight loss ebbs and flows. I'm not sure, but I left the office feeling so disappointed in myself because I only lost 1.5 last week even though I know I did everything right. Just wondering, has anyone else heard this from their physician? If so, what did they say about periods of non-losing? If not, what exactly did they medically attribute "stalls" to?

***Please refrain from generic comments such as "it has to do with glucose and your body catching up and adjusting to your weight loss"

thank you!!!

[beachgurl84 456]

I think he probably meant something other than what he said. Of course stalls exist. Not everyone calls them stalls though. My mom refers to them as plateaus. It's not exclusive to WLS patients. EVERY diet out there or every weight loss journey includes "stalls". It's impossible not to. You may think it's generic or whatever but it really is just your body adjusting to the changes you're causing. That's for people sticking with the program. Of course the ones not sticking with it, grazing, etc. have other reasons for stalling. It's scientific fact your body will go into starvation mode, shut down your metabolism, and conserve as much energy as possible if you significantly reduce your diet. That's why it's up to us to exercise to keep our metabolism up, and get enough Protein to maintain/build lean muscle. It's why we can't cut out carbs or calories completely because we need fuel to function. We "trick" our bodies into burning fat while consuming a fraction of what we are used to. And since our stomachs are smaller, we have a physical barrier to help with the mental need to eat. Our bodies were designed efficiently. Eat, burn, eat, burn. Stop eating, stop burning.

So I think either he was talking about something else, OR he's an a** that wanted to make you think there was no such thing so you would work harder. Psychological so to speak.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

​I won't be generic comments....so I will say this.....Your body can be referred to as a city. If one thing breaks down or changes it causes the whole city to turn into ciaos. So if he thinks that it is possible for you to lose 11 lbs. every week, something in your city is going to shut down to protect itself from keeping things running smoothly.

It is impossible to lose that much weight every week. It is recommended that to keep weight off we should lose between 1.5 to 2.5 lbs a week. To keep things balanced. Our bodies go into a kind of shock when we dramatically change it and weight gain or loss can bring that on. This is due to the surgery and the honeymoon period. But it won't last forever. Depending on how much we have to lose each one of us lose at a rate our own bodies see fit. If you stay on course you will lose the weight....

Call it a stall, plateaue or body at rest. But we need that to keep healthy. Going into starvation mode which will eventually give you the chance for your body to eat its self is a prelude to much worse things or conditions such as Anorexia.....

Is it his thing to have all the star losers on his watch or is he just being a dick head....It does not even make sense that he should say that.......what a dipwad thing to say!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I love it when someone asks a question then tells us what NOT to say. It truly tickles me.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

@@kndoster - You didn't actually have a stall. You lost weight, it just wasn't as big a weight loss as the previous appt. That said it's not uncommon to have a smaller loss after that first weight loss. Think about what played a part in that first loss; you had surgery which removed part of your belly and then needed to readjust to eating/drinking again. Most of us eat or drink very little during that period. At my 2 week f/u I had lost 26lbs, yet at my 6 week f/u I had only lost another 6lbs. I do believe there can be periods where people are doing right and not losing. However I am not a daily or even weekly weigher so I personally have never experienced it. I only get weighed once a month or when I see the doctor. Whether small or large, I have always shown a loss. Honestly as long as the scale is moving in the righ direction, I'm not gonna complain.

Edited March 13, 2015 by BLERDgirl

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Oh! And for the generic answer. A true stall is when you haven't gained or lost weight in three weeks. Yes, they exist, but you aren't in one.

[kndoster 33]

Definitely didn't mean to offend by telling anyone not to say anything. I am just searching for a far more complex explanation to something that so many make seem so simplistic. I love when people who have issues with a post respond anyway.

[Elode 8,093]

It does have to do in part with your body adjusting and catching up. As "generic" as that may sound it's human physiology and your DR should know that maybe he didn't feel like explaining the human body, I don't know. I've been in college for going on 8 years to learn it so I wouldn't have time to explain it all either . There can be a million reasons why someone has a "stall" even when they are doing everything right. Just one example:Water weight can affect your total weight anywhere from 1-5 pounds and sometimes even more. It is important to understand what kinds of dietary factors can make these Fluid shifts happen. To start, many of the high Protein, low carbohydrate diets can cause a dramatic shift in your Water weight. This is because as you cut back carbohydrate intake, your body starts breaking down the stored carbohydrates (glycogen) to use as energy and this breakdown causes the body to excrete large amounts of water. Once the body begins to use stored fat for energy, weight loss slows. This is the reason why most people lose a significant amount of weight right away on a low carb, high Protein diet. (Which many of us do)

When a person following a low carb plan eats a carbohydrate-rich food they can easily gain 1-3 pounds. However, this weight gain can be misleading because it is usually your body replenishing the Fluid it lost and not gained fat. This 3 pound fluctuation becomes frustrating for many people and they end up yo-yoing back and forth with fluid weight thinking that it must be the half cup of rice they had the night before that caused them to gain that 3 pounds when in fact eating the rice just allowed them to regain some of the fluid they had lost from following a strict low carb plan. The fact is, carbohydrates do not affect your weight quite that simply. Excess carbohydrates can strongly stimulate insulin production, which may promote fat storage and increases appetite. This kind of weight gain will happen gradually, not dramatically overnight.

Sodium is another dietary component that can lead to fluid gain. Sodium can cause the body to retain fluid, leading to these frustrating daily weight fluctuations. Some people are more sensitive to sodium than others.....blah blah blah. Now, see why it's easier for people to just call it a "stall" especially if they aren't medical experts or understand how the body works? That's just a few examples (still all body adjustments). Take it for what it's worth call it what you will the majority of people would just call it a stall....or AKA the part of the weigh loss journey that "sucks"

Edited March 13, 2015 by Elode

[beachgurl84 456]

generic does not equal simplistic. The answer about stalls really is simple. Generic would be if we all came on here and told you Stalls happen to everybody, deal with it. No why, how, or what. If you really want to know about stalls there are tons of other forums already started by people asking the same questions and getting the same answers. Just because you got the same answer they did does not mean it was generic, it means it was right.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but @@LipstickLady is right. Why post a question but tell us what you want us to say?

Edited March 13, 2015 by beachgurl84

[kndoster 33]

I'm not trying to tell anyone what to say-- I also said in my post that I would like to hear the medical explanations others' surgeons have given, hoping to hear something other than that. If that's what everyone surgeons have told them, than it is a sufficient answer for me. I'm sure everyone can understand why it would be confusing to leave the doctor after he told me "stalls don't truly exist"

Truly just searching for answers...

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Definitely didn't mean to offend by telling anyone not to say anything. I am just searching for a far more complex explanation to something that so many make seem so simplistic. I love when people who have issues with a post respond anyway.

It didn't offend me at all! Like it said, it tickles me.

As for a complex answer? To me, that WOULD include the science behind it.

[kndoster 33]

You are totally correct, the science behind it is truly what interests me and maybe that's what I should have clearly stated. Is that I was looking for a complex, even if also simple answer.

[Elode 8,093]

If you want more complex I can give you a list of my medical/chemistry books and you can spend the next 10+ years studying them! You'll probably be skinny by then and won't give a hoot though. Lol!! Seriously it's more complex than you probably really want/need to know. Just save yourself some years and call it a stall!!

[ProjectMe 909]

I'm sure surgeons hear questions and concerns on stalls too many times to count...probably the reason for the non scientific response. Btw, It is not a stall if you are shrinking/losing inches...even if the scale hasn't budged.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

You are totally correct, the science behind it is truly what interests me and maybe that's what I should have clearly stated. Is that I was looking for a complex, even if also simple answer.

Ok, if you want complex, @@Elode gave you an excellent answer but as I stated before, a true stall is only if you have NO change in weight, up or down, for three weeks.

So yes, they exist, no, you aren't in one.

Just keep working your plan, the weight will come off. It's hard to be patient but...oh wait. That's too generic, isn't it?