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Sooo any tips for breaking the infamous 3 week stall?i have researched but still don't know what to do I've tried upping my cals.. Gained. Lowering, my cals nothing!! Licked my hubby's breadstick last night- and I'm up two pounds today!!! Ahhhh. Logically I know it's Water (ring was loose now it's tight). Day of surgery I was 229 got down to 213, today was 217! I'm still on soft foods, 5 1/2 weeks out eating 800-1100 cals about 80 oz Fluid. 60-80gm Protein. Just got released for some exercise. Lap band revision, so I get the stair steps but I'm starting to worry I'm going to fail. Help!!!

Congrats and bigger congrats on making a decision to improve your quality of life and chances of living recurrence free (from stroke). You are doing the best thing you can do for your health! I second being careful about milk having lots of "sugars" in them. Most protein powders do not need additional calories or carbs from more protein. And it sounds as if you are getting plenty of protein. Also, too much protein can convert to energy or stored fat. Because you are sedentary you most likely have a lower TREE (total energy expenditure). Also, check your protein powder to make sure it doesn't have a lot of carbs or added sugars! Drink the lowest carb one you can. I agree you've gotten into the dreaded 3 week stall that hits anytime between 2-6 weeks. But 16lbs during that time frame is awesome! Average losses for mobil wls peeps is only 2-4lbs/week. So that's brilliant. Work your plan, follow your doc's progression to a T and you will be worlds different in 6 months! Cheers!

I am still always tired and I am 4 weeks out and have been nauseous for 4 weeks. I also have pain in my throat and stomach when eating and was told by my regular dr that I haven't given myself time to recoup. I had my surgery on a Wednesday, ended up having to stay overnight, took the rest of that week off, had the weekend off, that Monday was a holiday and I went back to work that Tuesday. But Dr Umbach and everyone in his office is great!!!! I am trying to take some steps backwards and drink more shakes instead of introducing more food because I really don't want to mess this up. I lost 20 lbs the first 2 weeks and nothing since then. But I've seen alot about the dreaded 3 week stall. Mine has turned into a 3 & 4 week stall. I've tried to start working out a bit but was told by my regular dr that it is too soon. Which is confirmed by my weak and sore tummy when I do workout. I walk everyday at work on my breaks. I'm still trying to do some things; work my arms and legs, but I'm trying to take things slower. I have really been pushing myself too much.

This is the one I was thinking of (especially for the "3 week stall"), but I'm sure there are others. I know Alex wrote one, too and I think it's in the Magazine section. http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.U7I2Stq9KSN

I was sleeved on 3/20/15 and total weight gone is 35 pounds since surgery. I hit a 3 week stall that just ended a few days ago. I changed up my exercise routine and food intake and the scale moved again. I actually fit on the ALL carnival rides today..... first time since 2007. I was so happy I happy I cried. Good Job to everyone! It's not an easy journey, but it's YOUR journey, make the most of it.

Normally, I'm a daily/every other day weigher--I like to see what my body is doing. BUT, I hit the dreaded 3 week stall, and suddenly couldn't handle the stress. (I couldn't eat less, I was on my program 100%.) So, I decided only to record my weight on my monthly surgerversary. Letting go a little and trusting the process worked wonders for my peace of mind. I still peek if I'm curious, but I don't get down about it. Once I hit maintenance, or am able to eat more normally, I will probably watch the scale closer.

Stalls suck...but get used to it!!! It's REALLY....REALLY...REALLY FRUSTRATING....but the are going to happen!!! And I gave definitely gotten on the scale and gained 2-3 pounds!!! Don't let it bother you. You will get past it and the scale will move again. I'm on quite a roller coaster right now where I only lose once a month. Crazy!! I'll drop 10 lbs at beginning of month...and then the stall belts get fastened...and I go for a 3 week stall journey!

look up 3 week stall it is very common... I myself stalled for 7 weeks at 6 months out. Just keep following your doctors recommendations and contact your nutritionist. Your body may have gone into starvation mode stopping the weight loss. You may have to try getting in some liquid calories to let your body know everything will be alright. Good Luck!

I hate that 3 week stall. I had my surgery on Aug. 2nd. Third week I went into a 9 day stall. Thought it would never end. But on the 10th day I started dropping again. I can also eat almost anything I want. Just don't want but a few spoonfuls, so am doing great. Still hard to get protein in just because I don't like the shakes and they fill me up so fast it takes so long to try to get them in. I try to eat a few beans, or something with protein to make up for it. Glad everyone is doing great.

You haven’t “officially” stopped losing weight! Sounds like you’re hitting the 3 week stall everyone talks about. Keep doing what you’re supposed to be doing and don’t let the scale stress you!

Yeah, google bariatric surgery and the 3 week stall and you'll see you're not alone. :-D

Hi! i was sleeved 11-12-13. I am in the midst of the 3 week stall and extremely depressed about it I am down 13 since the surgery but 28 since the pre op. hope this stall breaks soon. not happy in ny

"3 week stall" (which really isn't a stall) is almost something we need to expect... but no one tells us about. Honestly, don't try to break it. It's not really a stall, it's your body trying to adjust. You're seeing what goes in to your body, but you aren't seeing what's happening on the inside. Your body's kind of freaking out right now, trying to survive this famine. Your body doesn't know it's supposed to be eating less, your body just knows how to survive. To it, there's not much food, so it must be starving. Reserve energy "troops" are being mobilized out of bunkers like your liver and into your bloodstream. Your metabolism may have been given the order to lay low and avoid enemy fire. Your body is pulling resources like Fluid away from more well-fed troops and giving it to the ones who aren't doing so hot. All of this fluctuation is behind most things we call "stalls" (it's also behind most unexplainable or quick weight losses/gains). Your body is doing exactly what it should do. Don't have a knee jerk reaction and try to "fix" something, because there's nothing wrong and nothing to fix. If you try to fix, you're just going to throw things off even more. After about 5 or 6 weeks of this, then you can start looking at what you're doing and what you night be able to change, but even then you can do everything right and see no results. It's just a fact of being alive.

I was sleeved 6/20 and I am down a total of 31 pounds. I have been in a stall for the past 2 weeks. I knew the 3 week stall was coming, although I had hoped it wouldn't last this long. Hopefully I'll be able to kick it soon.

I had a 3 week stall. I lost 8 lbs last week and nothing this week.

I was also unable to escape the dreaded 3 week stall. Surgery date was 6/24 and I lost 20 lbs the first 2 weeks. Now I have been at the same weight for 9 days. Everyone keeps saying "hang in there, it will pass". I'm ready for it to pass!!

Hi All. I had my gastric sleeve back on the 2nd May, so I'm just over 4 weeks post op. I had a pretty good recovery post op. I was so sleepy from the medications I pretty much slept the rest of the operation day. I got sick of being woken constantly overnight be either buzzers from other rooms or staff coming in to check my vitals or give me medications. I was roaming the halls a lot from day 2 to help shift remaining gas, and made a few friends around the ward in my travels, including a lovely lady who had been sleeved 18 months prior and was recovering from her tummy tuck. I had the unpleasant experience of vomiting up my endone tablets twice in the second day, until I realised it was because of all the gas bubbles coming up when I went from laying down in bed for a while to sitting up and immediately taking the endone tablets (being a controlled substance the staff have to watch you swallow them). Once I had that figured out I made the staff come back 10 minutes later after I'd been up for a while any time they wanted me to swallow something when I was laying down. By the second day I was able to drink about 400ml total. By day 3 it was close to a litre over the day (including a fair bit of diluted protein water) and by the 4th day I was getting close to a 1.5L (57oz). I couldn't have any optifast that the hospital supplies (intolerant to aspartame and MSG/hidden MSG) and though I mixed up a bit of my aspartame-free formulite shake I found I couldn't stand it. I made the mistake of eating some of the soups they sent me on the third day, and was hit with a nasty MSG headache-bordering-on-migraine from the next morning. I was also in a lot of pain on day 3 because my IV slipped out of my vein overnight and pumped a tonne of fluid into my arm, making it very swollen and painful for the rest of the day. Because I'd vomited on day 2 my surgeon wanted me to stay in 5 days/4 nights, but by day 4 with the MSG headache I just wanted to be home where I could sleep without constant buzzers and eat/drink my REAL soups made with REAL gelatinous home chicken stock which wouldn't give me headaches. After initially asking staff mid-morning to request permission from my surgeon to release me that afternoon, I then elected to self-discharge "against surgeons advice" at 4pm when my husband was able to collect me. Best decision ever (sometimes you just have to rebel!) I've been doing really well at home until the past few days. I was getting at least 60g protein within a few days, had full liquids for the first 2 weeks post op, then both purees and soft solids in weeks 3-4. I am now onto the period of "integrating regular foods" however I've been feeling really nauseous the past few days (despite not changing anything I'm eating yet) so only made it to about 500 calories yesterday, slept really bad overnight waking with a crappy headache today, and then slept much of today while the kids were in school. It's now 5pm and I've only had 150 calories and 500ml (16oz) liquids. I've skipped my multivitamins yesterday and today to avoid worsening the nausea but will try hard to at least get some protein water and other fluids in this evening. The nausea could even be a lead up to my next impending "period from hell". I've been taking my reflux PPI medication from day dot so I don't think it's a reflux issue. I might even be dealing with fallout from post-nasal drip having only just gotten over a particularly bad cold my husband brought home and gave to the kids and I. Fingers crossed that I sleep well tonight (will be taking an over-the-counter sleep aid) and tomorrow I get back to my regular cruisy post-op experience. I was 121kg (about 265lb) when I decided in February to pursue the sleeve operation, 111kg on day of surgery after 3 weeks of pre-op VLCD and currently at 102.3kg after spending my 3 week stall at 104kg.

i am 18 days out and that is my prob. i do feel hungry , so when i do ill get some thing healthy and eat n eat til my bellys about to bust ...about 5 tsp......then ill feel miserable afterwards and ask myself ....omg why did i do that ....my weight is at a stall now and am wondering if its because i am eating too much ?lol i have heard ppl go thru the 2-3 week stall.....just wondering how long this will last ? and yes i do need to control my hunger .....lol

I was sleeved on Jan. 22 so I’m 3.5 weeks post-op. Up until Feb. 9th, I was losing weight at a pretty consistent rate. However, since the 9th, I’ve been bouncing up and down between 3 pounds. I have heard about and understand the science behind the 3 week stall. I also understand that my body is going under major changes but I’m afraid I’m doing something wrong with my food choices. If it is just a stall, how long do they usually last? I am starting to get discouraged. I know I wasn’t getting enough Water and Protein so I’ve been very conscientious about meeting the minimums over the last week or so. I have also been experiencing light-headedness. I have emailed my NUT but I don't think I'll hear from her until Tuesday. I figured I'd ask the experts in this group to see if you had any guidance. Thanks in advance for your help.

Not only the 3 week stall, I have perhaps had longer ones thattotally depressed me until I found such wonderful people of this forum. Thankfully 6 week out and I am doing fine inch wise but weight keeps fluctuating before it goes down. But life is simply great post VSG. No diabetic medication, no hypertension medication. Can actually walk 3 miles, feel fit and can actually jog - something that I could never do before.

i am still pre op but please seach 3 week stall on here. it will give you really good insight as to whats happening and what to expect. good luck to you and keep your head up! congrats on the weight loss so far!!!

Chin up and eye on the prize! I haven't had my surgery yet but yes, I see from the forum that the 3-week stall is quite common. I plan to treat it as a tiny hurdle along a lengthy journey - I'm sure the human body is still going through changes even though they may not be reflected on the scale. People report they're still losing inches but the scale doesn't move. Keep looking far into the future at the new you and try not to worry about what the scale says today. We're not embarking on this journey to be a slave to the scale. We're doing this to get a healthier body. That's the ultimate reward!

You could just have described me! I am almost 2 weeks post op and other than the acid reflux (doc said to take Prilosec for 3 months to keep acid down and the stomach heals). I lost 7#'s the first week after surgery. I am getting in at least 60g of Protein. I'm drinking 60+ oz of Water. I eat soup (tomato mainly) - and I can eat the entire can - I didn't think I would be able to. I haven't lost any #'s the last week. I feel like I didn't even have surgery! I'm hoping when I get to the pureed stage that I will fill up with small amounts. I'm not depressed - I'm just concerned that I'm not doing enough of something or too much of another; I know about the 3 week stall but I haven't heard of a less than 2 week stall! :/

You could just have described me! I am almost 2 weeks post op and other than the acid reflux (doc said to take Prilosec for 3 months to keep acid down and the stomach heals). I lost 7#'s the first week after surgery. I am getting in at least 60g of Protein. I'm drinking 60+ oz of Water. I eat soup (tomato mainly) - and I can eat the entire can - I didn't think I would be able to. I haven't lost any #'s the last week. I feel like I didn't even have surgery! I'm hoping when I get to the pureed stage that I will fill up with small amounts. I'm not depressed - I'm just concerned that I'm not doing enough of something or too much of another; I know about the 3 week stall but I haven't heard of a less than 2 week stall! :/ I'm also 3-wks post op and not loving life. I have very little discomfort unless I take too big a swallow of something (my own fault). My biggest frustration is that I'm not losing weight. I lost 10 lbs the first 7 days and since then nothing. Here I am 3wks post op and I've only lost 10 lbs. I hear other people at 3wks lost 20+ lbs. I try not to compare myself but jeeze I'm bumbed. I'm logging every bite (range between 800 - 900 calories/day) and every sip of water (40-60 oz/day) and every bit of exercise (walking about 2 miles every other day). Oh, another crazy thing is the lovely acid reflux I have every time I eat (never had that before - yummy!). And, when I drink water, soup, or any liquid, my internal plumbing likes to grunt, groan, and gurgle until air bubbles come up as burps. I can stifle the burps but I can't control the other noises and my co-workers are noticing and giving looks. Yup, so I'm there with ya on the frustration platform.

Thank goodness someone directed me to this site at our local support meeting last Thursday. Last week I saw my surgeon for my first post op checkup. I was down 30lbs sine December 30th. Since that appt I have not lost a pound. I'm at 3 weeks. I hadn't heard or been told about the 3 week stall! Thank Heaven for all of you. I'm not happy I've stalled but much more at peace knowing others have gone through this too.