Search the Community

three-week stall. Almost all of us go through our first major stall with the first 4-6 weeks after surgery (we call it the three week stall because it's USUALLY the third week, although not always). If you do a search on this site of the three week stall, you will find about 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding!). Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days - and know that it'll break and you'll be on your way again. btw - that uptick in weight is almost certainly due to water retention or you have more in your bowels than you did the last time you weighed. There's no way you could gain true weight eating 600 calories. As others have said, fluctations of a couple of pounds are normal. If they play with your head too much, then just start weighing once a week instead of daily.

I had my surgery three days before you and I just got out of my infamous three week stall a few days ago. And in three days I dropped almost six pounds. I was expecting the stall, but it still SUCKED. Don't second guess yourself, you're probably doing AMAZINGLY. It will break soon and you'll be back to losing.

Always been focused on the long term, just because out of the six people I know personally who have had WLS, only one has had long term success. Regain has always been in the forefront of my brain. What is giving me a hard time right now is the stall I am in. I have been between 194-195 for almost three weeks now. Even though I have had a few scheduled bad days (birthdays, super bowl--and by bad I mean like 1600 calories, and going over on carbs), other than that I have been on point. Exercising religiously 5-6 times a week, eating under 1100 calories, under 65 grams of carbs. It is reminiscent with my first major weight loss (305 lbs-->193 lbs) where no matter what I did, I could not get any lower and just got frustrated and gave up. That is what gets me about the forever part. Its the constant discipline to maintain a weight which is not my ideal--killing myself to maintain a mediocre success. And I can see myself, there is still fat there, I still have more to lose. Grrrrrrrrr. (Okay, enough with the pity-party, b***h-fest) On the surreal side, I picked up a medium "ho" dress for after my plastics and the thing fit. Granted my back fat game is strong but it looked solidly alright considering I was not wearing any shapewear. (I'll post a pic) You'll have to picture it without the bra though--no way to go without at the moment. @sideeyeThose spanx bodysuits are pretty--but do you have to take the whole thing off to pee?? Folks in comments were saying that they just pull it to the side, and I know I would be the elegant lady that pees on her hand.

Three week is notorious stall date. I think your body says "Whoa, nellie! I'm losing fast here and I'm gonna take a minute to readjust!" If you are tracking and know you are getting the right amount of calories and you are drinking the right amount of Water, you'll be rewarded soon with a drop of that two pounds and then some. Also, if it's that time of month, lots of people bloat up a little and then drop it in the next couple of weeks. It takes a calorie deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound, and the same is true for gaining a pound. So unless you ate an extra 7,000 calories last week, it's water weight. I was fortunate to not gain at the third week, but I lost only a couple of ounces, compared to the pounds I lost in the previous and following weeks. Best wishes on your journey. Life is grand on the goalies bench - looking forward to seeing you on it soon! Lynda

do a search on the three week stall. Sounds like you started yours a week early (mine was weeks 2 and 3)

I started at 240-ish, wanted to be 140-ish. I had surgery in Feb 2011 and was down 90 pounds by Jan 2012. I am not too fussed about the last 10, but hopefully those come off over time. I had a slow loss overall and a lot of stalls, including the current one -- but I'm also not bothered about those very much. For personal reasons, I didn't do any exercise apart from walking till 9 months post-op, and since November I go to the gym three times a week in addition to the walking. Good luck!

Exact same thing happened to me great weight loss, three week stall, gained two pounds. Then stall broke have lost the weight plus and am back on the losing road.

I hit my first stall at the three month mark and stalled for 3 weeks. After that I was a chronic staller and had to fight for every pound. Stalls are fairly normal. They happen. Having as many stalls as I had is not normal so you'll likely be fine and not stall as much as I did. But yeah, it's just your body readjusting itself. It'll likely happen a few more times in your journey. I'd say to try not to stress about it, but from experience all I did was stress so...

I had the dreaded three week stall that lasted about two weeks and have lost 45 pounds since 2/12. And 47 pounds is nothing to sneeze at. It is all relative! I am happy with my 1.5 to 2 pound average per week. Because this time..it is gone for good!

the infamous three week stall. Happens to probably 99% of us. Stick to your plan and stay off your scale for a few days. Your weight loss WILL start up again.

Ginger6367: I had my surgery July 30th (three weeks ago today) and my weight has been stalled for 1 and 1/2 weeks now. Also questioning if the surgery was worth it, like some others. Averaging 600 cals per day, working out 1 1/2 hours per day. What gives? When will this end? Getting all my Protein in and about 90 oz fluids (g2 gatorade) in per day...

21 lbs in five weeks is very normal. We started off at about the same weight, and that's about where I was at that point I think shows like "My 600 lb Life" give people unrealistic expectations about their weight loss. You have to remember that those people start off at MUCH higher BMIs than the average WLS patient. Most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month. So your loss is perfectly normal! I went on to lose over 200 lbs - so the surgery works as long you're committed and stick to your plan. Edited to add that almost all of us hit our first major stall sometime during the first month after surgery. It's usually the third week, thus we call it "the three week stall". That may explain the 2 lb drop over those couple of weeks (367 to 365 lbs). If you search this site for "the three week stall" you will find over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). but overall, you have lost 21 lbs since surgery. Again, that's a normal loss for the first five weeks.

I have lost nothing.m since week one. That’s seven weeks of no loss. Or I should say one pound. my surgeon and dietician in Mexico literally gave me no information so I had to get a dietician here and see my doctors here in canada. So I’m following what my dietician in canada says. And she was the one that said the 1200 cals a day. I also have to be mindful on the amount of protein because it does affect my kidneys I’ve already been into the hospital for a week two as mentioned above and at this point it’s NOT normal according to my doctor and my dietician….which is what I expected them to say considering three other siblings had it and have a completely different experience than mine. I went for a CT scan last night so now we wait for results sometime this week. absolutely stalls are normal but not from the beginning and not seven weeks at the very beginning of no loss. As mentioned in this post thread my initial weight loss was most likely all water. I do hope everything start sorting itself out soon because I’m kind of thinking if I’m not getting any results after all of this hard work I might as well just eat what I want since I’m not loosing anyways.

Hey, I'm there with you. I had my VSG on 12/03/13, then three orthopedic surgeries (June, July, and October) with an external fixator on my foot from July until October. I've only been allowed to weight bear in a walking boot for the last few weeks. My weight loss has been stalled since June, and I've been up and down the same three pounds since. I've been serious and honest in the kitchen, but no positive weight change for me in a very long time. I've become more creative about burning calories, and have found yoga at my gym to be very effective way to burn calories without high impact or high intensity. After more research following a suggestion by my nutritionist, I'm also planning to do the 5:2 (first fast day tomorrow). It looks like it's been super helpful helping other vets get the last of the weight off, as well as any regain, and for those of us who have had mobility challenges, tinkering with the calories may be the way to go. Best of luck!

I was sleeved 8/22 and down 21 lbs. I too seem to be stuck here but I've heard that there can be a stall at three weeks. I feel like I'm losing inches faster than weight.

Up your protein and your stall will probably break quickly. That's what got me out of my three week stall. I don't say that lightly because I continue to have to work hard at getting in protein. I FINALLY found two protein supplements that I can tolerate on a regular basis (Jay Robb whey protein powder and Isopure ready to drink clear whey protein drinks). If it wasn't for those, I'd be getting about 15 gm a day. I still can't eat enough to get in a decent amount. In addition to the protein being good for your body, it also has a way of squeezing out room for the non-protein foods you might otherwise eat. Now that I can eat anything I want, I am finding myself straying from pure protein foods, like meat. Even something as simple as choosing green beans or sweet potatoes interferes with the amount of protein you can eat. I choose to eat side dishes here and there to keep my diet more interesting, so the supplements are a must for me.

I would guess that about 99% of us have our first stall during the first month or so after surgery. It's usually the third week, but not always. Mine was weeks 2 and 3. My weight loss started up again week 4, and I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. To save you the time, I did a search on the three week stall for you. It's VERY well-known among WLS patients. A lot of clinics even warn you about it beforehand (mine does - so I knew what it was when it happened to me). Anyway, here are all the posts about it. Over 17,500 of them: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall p.s. as the above poster said, it could just be water retention, too. The IV fluids they give you in the hospital have a lot of sodium in them, and a lot of people are salt sensitive. Although usually that's gone by the end of the first week.

I am so happy the stall is broken and the scale is a movin, I have three more pounds to lose by next week not sure if it will happen im just happ the stall is over. last weeks weight : 198 this weeks weight : 193

You all will enjoy your experience, I'm sure. I brought my wife with me but didn't have a surgery pal in terms of someone else going through it with me. I had no friends or aquaintances that had done this. But it was a blessing to bring my wife. Your spouses will have a wonderful time. The food in the hotel is delicious from what I understand and really inexpensive. I was not interested in eating, obviously, so I couldn't tell you first hand out it tastes. They brought us over in a group for the surgery the day that I had it. I made quick friends with the other folks going through it and have kept in touch since. We text each other to see if anyone else is having issues and it has been very nice and comforting when I have bad weeks (which I'm going on 3 weeks of stalling...bleh) to hear that others are doing the same thing. For those of you worrying about pain, I had virtually none. My wounds dehis'd as well - but the other people I had surgery with did not experience that. They closed up nicely on their own, but did have a little bacterial infection. I blame myself and not the surgeon for them opening because I was so nervous to change them that I left them alone for too long at times. I work in healthcare, so I know better which is why I'm a terrible patient. Feel free to inbox me if you have any questions. I try to get on here every few days and see what everyone is up to. I currently have another post going in a different forum looking for help with my three week stall. Good luck all, you won't regret doing the surgery. You'll just miss eating and that's something we can learn to live with.

First off, you look really great. You've both done good work and you shouldn't fail to be proud of your accomplishments just because you aren't to goal yet. Secondly, the only surgery I'd consider revising to if I were you, would be DS. So yes, if you're considering it, I think that BPD is the way to go. That said, it's a HUGE change and a lifetime of supplements and blood panels to stay healthy, so you have to be sure it's necessary. Which leads to my third: I don't think you've got anything to be ashamed or worried about. I think you're right on track for a slower loser. I lost quite slowly, too. It seemed that no matter what I did to mix up my diet it didn't have a big impact. I know there is one more "heavyweight" here who got to goal very slowly. But she got there! Your sleeve isn't stretched. I know a lot of people feel like there's a honeymoon phase but that is simply not the case. You're more than a year out - your sleeve is about as big as it's getting so unless you constantly cheat it or try to stretch it, you're fine. Your tool is in fine working order. And I'm not here to judge your diet or intake but here's my two cents, anyway. You're eating too much for your body, or you'd be losing more. Some folks are lucky and can eat more without gaining. Some folks are athletes and need 1,500+ calories a day. Some of us have to be very strict all the time to lose and stay firmly on track in maintenance to avoid regains. It's just a sad fact of life. My opinion is that you need to cut those calories. Start by cutting 500 out a day until you're consistently 1,500 per day or lower. And then when you hit a stall (same weight longer than three weeks straight) drop them again by 10% - with this tactic you will lose again. If you're having a problem with hunger check if you need to be on a PPI again. Just in the last month I had to restart my PPI. I was feeling like I was starving all day long and at night I'd have an acid problem. It took me two weeks to put two and two together and get back on my PPI. Now I feel fine again and the hunger is gone. And be sure it's not head hunger. Have you worked on your food issues? We all have them or none of us would have a weight problem. Are you compensating, overeating, hiding? Evaluate this honestly so that you can get to where you want to be. Last but not least, stop comparing yourself to other people. Especially men, because they always lose faster! You can always revise to DS and should look into those options if you're certain the issue isn't something you can fix without it. But not everyone reaches goal quickly. Nobody wants to be "that girl" that loses slowly and we all walk into this surgery with some measure of unrealistic expectations, I think. If we didn't I'd never read a single post about someone freaking out over "only" losing 30 pounds the first month or "stalling" for two days! You know what to do, right? We all do! Dieting has been drilled into us countless times, especially when we spend years overweight. Try using 1,500 calories (go 40% Protein, 30% fat and 30% carbs if you want to feel satisfied) as your ceiling for a while. See how you feel. Get back on a shake a day. I'm two years out and I drink a shake most days. I consume between 1,200 and 1,400 calories most days. I like to hit 90+ on my protein and the shake gets me there. I still have very little room for food. Two scrambled eggs, max. So you do have restriction and you do have the tool to do this. I just think you've gotten complacent. I'm sorry to say it that way - it happened to me for a spell, too! But there's a difference between eating "normally" (which anyone who knows my posts knows I advocate) and eating "normally for an overweight person." You don't need 2,000 calories a day, especially not in the losing phase. I don't care what the doctors say or the nutritionists say, either. If they were right, and dieting was one size fits all, I would have gotten thin the first time I tried Weight Watchers at sixteen! Chin up. Be nice to yourself. Pat yourself on your back for how far you've come. And get your buns back on track. Because if you hang in there, you can live at goal. ~Cheri

three week stall.....happens to almost all! its not magic, it wont just disappear. you will get there, but you shouldnt worry about how quick you lose it, some of us take a while to see that scale move....and btw 22 pounds is a great number!

I feel your pain! I saw people posting about stalling for several days .... I was stalled starting at the three week mark ... For five weeks not a pound lost. It did break! Lost about six pounds in one week finally then 2 - 4 pounds per week for a good clip of time. I had been tracking using MFP and I was second guessing everything! But I didn't really do anything to break the stall. I was at a moderate activity level and following my NUT guidelines. I agree with others your body needs to adjust itself. We put it through a lot with surgery!

I lost 30lbs my first three weeks and now have stalled completely. Everyone who says they have stalled says they lose inches during their stall and I'm not. I have been going to the gym since one week out and hate every minute of it (note:I used to love to exercise). Nothing is fitting me right any more and I look like I don't take care of myself. Any suggestions? I dont have money to buy new clothes every month. I am also losing any confidence I might have because I am starting to look funny. I know I know health is the most important thing but so is mental health. I look like a fat pre pubescent boy. I mustve had 30lbs of curves because they are gone but the rest of my fat is there. And I had a thread similar to this but I mustve accidently unsubscribed and I cant find it. I know everyone says patience but I swear if when this is all through if I look like a man I wont be able to live...oh boy and I can't wait for my hair to start falling out. Upset. Sorry for the rant.

You are not doing anything wrong. None of us lose at a constant rate. All of us experience periodic stalls and the fist one usually occurs somewhere around three weeks after surgery. Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all your Protein, fluids, and Water. Take your Vitamins as directed. And, exercise. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!