Hi all - I am feeling very frustrated today. I hit 4 weeks post on Tuesday and for an entire week the scale has remained at the exact same number. I started back at the gym and have been 6 times in 8 days and am following my diet plan to a T. I realize I’m still tracking well overall and know stalls happen, but just pure math tells me the number of calories I’m taking in, plus the exercise and my water should all equal something, right? Any tips (other than staying off the scale)?

14 minutes ago, aag80 said:

Hi all - I am feeling very frustrated today. I hit 4 weeks post on Tuesday and for an entire week the scale has remained at the exact same number. I started back at the gym and have been 6 times in 8 days and am following my diet plan to a T. I realize I’m still tracking well overall and know stalls happen, but just pure math tells me the number of calories I’m taking in, plus the exercise and my Water should all equal something, right? Any tips (other than staying off the scale)?

oh hey, you're singing to the choir

I had my surgery on Dec 11 ws 321 on that day. Two weeks late post op I was 307 and I've tinkered from 303-307 since then with current weight @ 305-406. So that means I've lost 1-2 pounds in two weeks, IF That

This better be a stall bc if it's not, I will cry, and long and hard Lol

We're in this together

My name is Joanna. Nice to meet you

One more thing. How much have you lost since surgery?

It says 83.9 pounds and I sure hope that is not since surgery bc if so, I will cry lol

Although it might not make sense exercising too often and too low of calories can actually inhibit weight loss. Your body can do some amazing things to keep from losing weight. Also bear in mind that if you are this active you could be adding some muscle mass and losing fat. I always hated to get measured at the gym but it's a good (better) way to track progress rather than the scale.

Personally I think 6 days out of 8 it too much. You're what? A month out from surgery? Don't get me wrong - exercising is important but your body has been through a lot. With weight training (assuming you're doing some) you need to give your body time to rest. If you feel your food intake is dialed in then keep it the same for now. You may get to the point where you actually need to try to bump your calories up a bit to get things moving again.

This won't last long so don't worry too much about. Once you go through a stall you'll realize it's annoying AF but you may hit them mulitple times in the coming year. Stay the course and things will be fine.

Stalls are awful and often times make you question what you are doing wrong. The sooner you realize that it is just part of post op life and to stay on track, the better off you'll be. While you are not losing by the numbers on the scale, you are probably shifting your body around, clothes are fitting more loosely, etc. Just stay the course and keep up the great work. Some days will be better than others. Some days I go up a pound or so, then turn around the next day and be down 2. Use the scale as one tool post op, not the end all be all.

Stalls are so common that someone here coined the phrase "Embrace the Stall".

Look for other non scale victories (NSV). I found that as I lost weight, my cloth sizes dropped. I would go to store and buy a shirt that was so tight that if I took a deep breath, I could pop a button. A week later the shirt fit like a glove. Over my weight loss, I went from a size 3X in shirts down to a size Small and from a size 46 in pants down to a size 33. Although I was not normally into clothes, during the weight loss phase, the drop in clothing sizes brought me great joy.

53 minutes ago, Toomanytacos said:

One more thing. How much have you lost since surgery?

It says 83.9 pounds and I sure hope that is not since surgery bc if so, I will cry lol

Nice to meet you too Joanna! We're near sleeve twins. have heard from other friends about the stall, but it's hard when you are looking at that number. And no, my total includes the 51 lbs I lost on a two MONTH pre-op diet!

I am 3 years out. Right after surgery I lost weight for the first 3 weeks and then had an almost 4 week stall. Yes it was frustrating but expected. During that stall I dropped 2 sizes. When I did break the stall I lost 4.5 pounds overnight. Just stick with the program and it will work, I promise.

For me hopping on the scale during the stall wasn't stressful so I did it everyday. For others you may want to move to weighing yourself once a week on the same day or only weigh in at follow-up visits or once a month. Everyones approach to the scale is different. During your stall you need to look for NSVs.

When I moved to maintenance I personally need to weigh every day. It keeps me honest in my eating choices.

The infamous 3 week stall. Keep on keepin' on! Sucks, but happens.

23 minutes ago, MG1776 said:

Stalls are awful and often times make you question what you are doing wrong. The sooner you realize that it is just part of post op life and to stay on track, the better off you'll be. While you are not losing by the numbers on the scale, you are probably shifting your body around, clothes are fitting more loosely, etc. Just stay the course and keep up the great work. Some days will be better than others. Some days I go up a pound or so, then turn around the next day and be down 2. Use the scale as one tool post op, not the end all be all.

Thank you. I'm trying to stay off the scale, but part of me got addicted to the big drops earlier. I know there are other signs, I just need a little encouragement to keep going until it moves.

13 minutes ago, aag80 said:

Nice to meet you too Joanna! We're near sleeve twins. have heard from other friends about the stall, but it's hard when you are looking at that number. And no, my total includes the 51 lbs I lost on a two MONTH pre-op diet!

TWO MONTH pre-op diet? Your surgeon is a monster.

3 minutes ago, aag80 said:

Thank you. I'm trying to stay off the scale, but part of me got addicted to the big drops earlier. I know there are other signs, I just need a little encouragement to keep going until it moves.

I know the feeling. Some days the scale is your friend, some days you want to throw it as far as you can.

29 minutes ago, aag80 said:

Nice to meet you too Joanna! We're near sleeve twins. have heard from other friends about the stall, but it's hard when you are looking at that number. And no, my total includes the 51 lbs I lost on a two MONTH pre-op diet!

please hold me as I collapse or faint Lol

TG.. I mean, that would be great if you lost all that since then, but you know what I mean, right? Lol

How much have you lost since Dec 12?

Lol We are almost twins. I'm older lol

I am actually a twin, twin brother. Seriously..

Have you gone up a pound or two or three thendown, then up. I am going crazy here. Im only eating like 50-50 calories now to 800 , most was 900 a day..

Would you like to be my friend

Yes or No? (circle answer)lol

This is exciting, this journey.. Nothing's holding us back now

22 minutes ago, timarland said:

TWO MONTH pre-op diet? Your surgeon is a monster.

I agree with you..

2 months. Is that crazy?

Ain't nobody got time for that!Lol

This is your body adjusting to your new lower weight. You'll lose, then stall, continuously. Your metabolism needs to regulate itself. I know it's super frustrating but it really is the trend over time that will matter so don't get hung up on the week to week and derail your good progress.

You are very likely losing inches at this time as your body reorganizes a bit. When I stalled I found that if I increased my protein, calories and water it would break, it was my bodies way of telling me it was time for more nutrition. Also if you are hitting the gym as much as you are you could be building muscle back and muscle weighs more than fat. Keep at it!