Three Week Post-Op Stall: Help!

[Strivingforbetter 246]

Hello. I recently had revision surgery from a band to the duodenal switch on June 9, 2017. Since surgery, I have lost 17 pounds, but I have hit a stall at three weeks post-op and it's got me wondering if my body won't respond to this surgery just as I failed with the band. Will I be the first person in DS history to actually maintain my weight eating under 1000 calories? For Breakfast, I usually eat one scrambled egg with mushrooms and grated cheese. It goes down easily and fills me up. For lunch, I usually have something like bean and bacon Soup or a few slices of deli meat. Sometimes I've had refried Beans with melted cheese. In between meals, I'm drinking, drinking, drinking Water. For dinner, I usually have fish, such as tilapia or soup with soft veggies and slow roasted chicken. My system cannot tolerate raw veggies yet or salads. As you know, since I'm a DSer, I only absorb 20 percent of the fat I intake. I have arthritis in my feet and knees, so walking or running is out for exercise; I ride my bike instead. I take my Vitamins daily. Any encouragement you can offer would be greatly appreciated. What is wrong with my body???

[Diana_in_Philly 1,426]

Please remember that your body is going to spend six weeks after surgery healing itself. It may be holding onto things. Give your body time to heal and be patient. It has had major trauma. The weight loss will come. I know that it is so hard to be patient at this point. When I was 3 weeks out, I was 600-700 calories until I was about 6 months out. Maybe you need to take your calories back? Check with your team. They may be able to provide guidance.

[Strivingforbetter 246]

Thank you. I'm guessing on my caloric intake, but I'm pretty sure it's around 700 a day. I'm going to track it today and find out for sure how much I'm eating. It sure doesn't feel like much. Two slices of lunch meat for lunch fills me up.

Edited June 28, 2017 by Strivingforbetter

[Sleeve1stFitNext 924]

I am sure you already know but watch your carbs too. That maybe holding you back. The general consensus is 20g of carbs or less. Also try tracking your food intake. This can give you a better idea on where you succeeding and where you need to work on.

Also remember, that you are still healing and your body is going crazy trying to take care of itself. Right now it won't be worried about weight loss. It is probably just holding onto the weight due to shock. Give it time, you will lose again. Also I stall for 1 week and lose big the next. Try to keep a weekly track of weight loss too. It actually helps you figure it your bodies partners.

Mines goes like this every month:

week 1: Major loss (3 - 4 lbs)

week 2: okay loss (2 - 3 lbs)

week 3: little weight loss (1 - 2 lbs)

week 4: barely any weight loss (0 - 1 lbs)

I hope this helps.

[Strivingforbetter 246]

Yes, I'm following a low carb diet, which is why I'm eating meat, cheese, Beans, etc. I do think my body is in shock from losing the first 17 pounds in two weeks. I eat approx. 700-800 calories a day. I'll stick to my doctor's eating plan and hope next week things go better. Thank you for responding.

[blizair09 3,250]

Google "three week stall." That's all this is. Stay off of the scale, stick to your plan, and the weight will come off in its own time.

Good luck!

[Strivingforbetter 246]

Thank you, blizair09! After Googling this issue, it appears this is very common.

Edited June 28, 2017 by Strivingforbetter

[Strivingforbetter 246]

My stall is officially broken!! I'm down another pound as of this morning!! Whew.

[Lexington1020 73]

On 6/29/2017 at 10:01 AM, Strivingforbetter said:

My stall is officially broken!! I'm down another pound as of this morning!! Whew.

That is great- a little over 2 weeks, I googled the stall and some people had a stall for 4 weeks. I wonder if I should just stay away from the scale for a bit. Not eating much (calorie wise) and not losing doesn't really sound fun.

[Strivingforbetter 246]

22 hours ago, Lexington1020 said:

That is great- a little over 2 weeks, I googled the stall and some people had a stall for 4 weeks. I wonder if I should just stay away from the scale for a bit. Not eating much (calorie wise) and not losing doesn't really sound fun.

If you're hitting a stall, it might be a good idea to steer clear of the scale. I keep telling myself this is a long-term process and it will take time for my body to adjust. It turned out my stall was only for 6-7 days. I was panicking because I was thinking I was going to fail at this weight loss approach just like I have every other time I've tried to lose weight. When I hit my stall I had lost 17 pounds. That was June 28th. As of today, July 13th, I'm down 23.5 pounds. There is no way I could lose this much this quickly without an intervention. I typically lose weight slowly and have never lost more than 20 pounds on my own. It hasn't been easy, but I know my decision to have surgery was the right one. We have to patient....which can be hard.