Hey everyone! I am just over 6 weeks post-op and I read about stalls on here all the time. However, I have not yet stalled. I know, stalls are inevitable and eventually I will experience one, but are there others out there who haven't stalled early on? I hear so many patients stall around week 3 and I'm curious why I haven't stalled yet. I have been losing about 2 pounds a week since surgery - and I am definitely not complaining, just curious! ☺️

I was never aware of a stall.

I was too large to fit on a home scale, or most scales anywhere, so for the first 6-8 months I wasn't able to weigh anywhere but my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups.

As a result of the experience once I was able to weigh at home I still chose not to, sticking with only weighing at the Doctor's office. So, I never actually experienced a stall even though there must have been some in there somewhere.

Tek

My first stall was at about 6 weeks, lasted for a month!

The third week stall that is so common signals a change in your weight loss character, from the initial loss which comes primarily from glycogen (short term reserves of stored carbohydrate) and the associated water weight to the longer term draw from our fat reserves once the glycogen has been depleted. This can take some time to shift gears (and sometimes very little.)

I, too, never had a third week stall, but there was certainly a slow down in loss rate right at the three week mark (fat burns more slowly than glycogen/carbohydrate, on the order of the classic 3500 calories per pound vs. around 2000 calories per pound.) My only real stall (a week without loss, by my definition) was at about four months for a week, when I was travelling, so it was possibly a result of increased sodium intake from eating out more (I usually would gain 2-4 lb on those trips, which would dissipate within a week - classic water weight.)

Why didn't we stall and others did? It might be random chance, or it might be that our metabolisms are still fairly robust, or maybe diet is not a low in carbohydrate as many maintain, so the glycogen reserves were able to more quickly return to a functional level.

Whatever the cause, enjoy the ride!

Thanks @RickM for your insight!

not everyone experiences that early stall, but the vast majority of us do

4 hours ago, Jnfinney said:

are there others out there who haven't stalled early on? I

I did not stall at all. There may have been a couple days in a row that I didn't lose weight here and there, but every week, I logged a loss.

Thank you @ms.sss. I only weigh on Monday morning, so if I have any fluctuation I don't really see it.

I never hit a stall but never had a huge loss initially. Mine was slow and steady for 6 months.

I never really had a stall either. I just merged my weight loss charts since around Pre-op and have weighed in daily and only missed a few days of recording. This didn't start at my top weight of 280 either as I had lost some weight earlier in the year. This starts a few days after I started my pre-op diet and prior to my surgery on 11/11/20. You can also notice that it was really fast at the beginning and has slowed down the last while as I am at maintenance weight already.

Edited April 27, 20215 yr by mswillis5

Thank you for all the replies! I had my 6 week post op appointment today and I was told I’m actually ahead of where I was expected to be for my weight loss, so that felt good!

I am hoping I am going to avoid the stall. I have been stifling with the program to the letter. No cheating at all. Fingers crossed.
It does seem like mostly women get the stall or is it just not men commenting. I know many more women than men get the surgery.

I seemed to hit my first stall in my 7th week. It lasted about 4 or 5 days. Currently finishing my 8th week and the scale started moving again this week.

I am thankful that I was informed that this was a normal part of the wls process, and I didn't freak out! I just followed the program & waited for that scale to move!

Good luck to you!

I didn’t stall until after I was in the “normal” BMI range for my weight. I’m in the midst of another stall right now - it’s very frustrating - but I was fortunate not to stall at all in the first 6 months. I think I’d like to lose another 7-8 lbs - going for 135 which is 10 below my initial goal - and it is frustrating to now be this close and hitting longer stalls. Not sure if it’s that I’m eating too much (around 1200 calories a day) or not enough because I am very active - weights 3/4 times a week for an hour and at least 20 min of cardio on weight days, if not, 45-60 on the other days (which is intense cardio - Peloton bike).