It seems that at least 50% of the posts on BariatriPal are bemoaning a stall. Daily, and sometimes hourly, I am reading about how someone ONLY lost x number of pounds and now the scale hasn't moved in ___ [fill in the blank] days/months, etc. Oh no, they write, I am a failure/unique/my surgery didn't work/life is not fair, ... Why am I in a stall?

I know I am exaggerating but I think you get the idea.

Guess what? STALLS are a NORMAL part of the PROCESS of losing weight. If you want to lose weight, you will stall. Not just once, but over and over. And, guess what? A stall is where your body actually does the hard work of becoming smaller. It takes a lot of work and energy to dismantle a structure that has been holding up, in some cases, hundreds of pounds.

For those who think they have to DO something to somehow "break a stall" (in my opinion, you do not break a stall, you just ride them out), here is my response:

What can you do to "break" a stall?

1) STAY OFF THE SCALE

Relax and stay off the scale if it bothers you so much. Weigh no more than once a week, or even less often. Weighing only at your doctor's appointments early in the process is a good strategy if your mood and self-worth are dictated by the numbers on the scale.

2) PICK UP A TAPE MEASURE

In addition to using the numbers on the scale to measure your progress, take your measurements. Inches lost are also a great way to see physical progress when the scale isn't moving. Most people see the biggest physical changes in their body when the scale seems stuck.

3) TRACK YOUR PROTEIN AND WATER AND MEET OR EXCEED YOUR PROTEIN AND WATER GOAL EVERY DAY

As long as you are getting in all your protein and water and following your NUT and surgeon's instructions, you are doing what you are supposed to do.

If you aren't getting in all your protein and water, then increasing your protein and water is something you can do (and should be doing anyway whether or not you are in a stall).

4) EXERCISE

If you aren't exercising, then you can exercise (and should be whether or not you are in a stall). You can start slowly by walking or even moving more around the house. Exercising will help you feel better, tone your skin and build fat-burning muscle.

5) MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR NUT

If you are unsure or unclear about what you are supposed to be, or should not be eating, then make an appointment with your NUT (which you should be doing whether or not you are in a stall).

6) REASSESS AND REEVALUATE

About the only good result I see that comes from complaining about a stall is when you take an honest look at what you are doing and realign with the program recommended by your NUT and surgeon. Have you started eating more outside of your plan? Are you restricting calories? Are you eating enough carbs and protein for your exercise? Are you taking your vitamins? Are you eating often enough? Are you eating slowly with protein first? Sometimes, all you need to DO is go back to basics.

7) JOURNAL

One of the biggest things I have noticed from the various posts is how anxious and out-of-control some people feel when they notice a stall. Journaling can help you gain some perspective and deal with some of the emotional turmoil.

-- Write about how you are feeling about the stall and your weight loss, and surgery in general.

-- Write about why you had the surgery in the first place.

-- Write about what life was like before surgery.

-- Write about what you hope and dream about accomplishing in the future.

-- Write about your fears.

-- Write about your NSVs.

-- Make a gratitude list.

-- Make a bucket list.

-- Write a letter to your old self; write a letter to your new self.

Just write.

8) SEEK HELP

Stalls are when too many people seem to revert to old, counterproductive dieting behaviors (restricting calories, over exercising, bingeing, etc.). If this is you, then another thing you can DO is to talk to a counselor or therapist or consider joining a bariatric support group or a twelve-step group like Overeater's Anonymous.

The discomfort of being in a stall can also drive people to develop new, unhealthy coping habits or even transfer addictions. This is where you want to marshall all the resources you have available to you and use them.

The last, and most important thing you can DO is:

9) EMBRACE THE STALL

Stalls are a normal and natural part of the process.

Our bodies are complex systems and not simple machines.

Stalls go hand-in-hand with weight loss.

If you had Weight Loss Surgery, then you probably want to lose a significant amount of weight. So, get ready to embrace the many stalls you will experience as your body is transformed. It will be worth it.

I definitely agree that both pre-and post-op, the stall is discouraging.

I certainly remember many times hearing my doctors and weight watcher people questioning why I wasn't losing weight when I was following the plan. That is definitely when I would give up and say, if restricting my food and enduring this deprivation doesn't work, why even try.

Thankfully, now, for me, giving up isn't an option.

Now that I have learned so much more about how my body works I have more patience. It makes me so much more willing and able to see a stall as an important and necessary part of the process. Not something to be feared or avoided. Plus, I don't weigh often enough to actually observe many stalls.

On retrospect, if I knew this 30-40 years ago, I MAY have saved myself from decades of yo-yo dieting and super morbid obesity.

To add the OP's excellent initial post, it seems that most people don't understand what a stall REALLY is.

A stall is not the loss of "only 2 pounds" this week nor is it no weight loss for the last 36 hours. A true stall is no movement in weight up or down for at least three weeks.

If you tracked your weight on the way up like I'd assume MANY of us did, you had periods of time where you gained daily, weeks where you went up and down daily and some days where you stayed the same no matter what you ate. You weren't stalled then and you aren't stalled now.

Embrace your success, current and future!

Great advice. Sometimes we want all the weight off so bad, that we don't acknowledge and appreciate the weight that has come off.

I am thankful to be down 74 pounds. And I am earning to change how I communicate that. Over the weekend my cousin asked how much I had lost? My response was I have lost about 70 pounds but I still have 100 more to lose!

I will stop discounting my sucess today. The next time someone asks my answer will be "I have lost over 70 pounds and I look and feel great!" Period. Because that is the truth.

My response is simply "A LOT" with a smile. My weight does not need to be a running theme with my friends and acquaintances and the more I shut it down, the less it seems to be talked about. Period.

@@LipstickLady, this is the first time I have read the information in your signature because I usually post using my phone app. I love your words of wisdom and observations!

I'm 4 wks post op tomorrow, and just hit my stall 4 days ago. Down 27 lbs in total. I'm actually a little relieved, can give up my scale for the week and just relax. There's no way I'm not going to lose additional weight with my new eating and exercise habits. Body is also retaining Water right now. So, will try hopping back on once my ankles look a little less swollen. In the meantime, going to enjoy the compliments from people who are finally noticing I'm losing weight at almost 30 lbs!

Be easy on yourselves.

I was in blissful tailspin for my first seven weeks, and now at eight weeks, I appear to have slammed into a massive brick wall. My restriction feels completely adequate and I cannot eat more than the surgeon's recommended amount of anything. I think we have a tendency to overestimate our physical activity. We can be fastidious about getting the same workouts in (although I will add that eventually the same workout over and over will grow ineffective due to the body's adaptation to it) but it is very possible to be losing steps and other forms of labor elsewhere in the day...such as standing on escalators up which we would formerly climb, not getting up as much at work, and not capering around the house quite as much at night. Fitbit and other things help make these comparisons, but not all steps are created equal and our overall energy output may have stealthily decreased despite similar looking activity. Bottom line...err on the side of restlessness!

@ Innersurfergirl:

Thanks for the post that started this thread. I had hit a 3 week stall in the beginning of month 5 and I was good at reminding myself not to stress too much but there were days where it was just tough mentally. I thought I was doing ok but hubby was honest this morning and said I was in a bad mood/funk for most of it. Your posting was something that helped remind me to keep focused and not to panic. That you for taking the time to write it. ????

Thanks, @MzB. I am glad this was helpful for you.

I read a post this week (I wish I remember who said it), where someone talked about noticing how much her skin tightened up while she was on a stall. It just reminded me that stalls are when our bodies does the work of getting smaller.

This post spoke right to me. I am going to keep this handy. Very, very handy. Thank you for spelling it out!

It is something to remember that's for sure. I lost 24 pounds my first 3 weeks post-op, was flat for another 3 weeks, and then melted off another 15 pounds quickly (in less than 2 weeks). Unfortunately now I've been on another lengthy stall. It's all part of the process but definitely a bit frustrating.

You also need to embrace the stall because they will become more and more common the longer it has been since your surgery.

I just wanted to add an anecdote.

I am on a fairly long stall. Today, I tried on a new bathing suit that is one size down from my last suit and it fits.

I have lost one bathing suit size while in my current stall. At my size, there is still a lot of territory between sizes so this is significant.

I just read a good article through MyFitnessPal that talks about evaluating progress by looking at fitness level. Specifically measuring progress in strength, endurance, and flexibility, rather than obsessing about the numbers on the scale.

It's a good read.

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/what-to-do-when-the-scale-wont-budge/?native_client=1

Inner Surfer Girl, on 17 Nov 2015 - 13:50, said:

unrealistic expectations,http://BariatricPal....brace-the-Stall

@Inner Surfer Girl - glad you posted the link to your earlier thread

i always knew you were aces

hope it's ok that i now am copying my earlier post to your response (did i say that right?)

i won't get arrested, or will i???LOL

rian_, on 17 Nov 2015 - 13:33, said:

upset I did somethings wrong

@rian_

no bud, i doubt you have done anything wrong so early in the game

give it time - you might screw up later

many newbies think the weight excess will come off yesterday!!!

doesn't work that way

you didn't loose weight one night

you will not wake up one morning with all that weight gone

"God Grant Me Patience, Just Hurry Up About IT"

people do loose weight in different time periods

never compare yourself to others

the only thing we have in common is that we are all different!!!

please don't let the scale control your life

that would drive you crazy

i've heard some people weigh themselves before and after they go to bathroom!!!!!!

holy moly!!!! are you kidding me??

relax bud

continue to follow all the rules

you will be a great success

i know you will

good luck

kathy

Sexy at Sixty

life is good

DOS

12/15/11

235 lbs

57 years OLD

present

136 lbs

6 lbs over goal

Bumping this because I have already run across at least 4 stall posts today (and it's not even Monday)!