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DAY 7 - 313.8 lbs Grats to me for making it a week! Three to go! Went up a pound, but not too concerned. In reality I should probably only be weighing once a week, but I want to document a solid month of fruits/veggies. I will however adjust a couple things, just to ensure I keep the loss going: 1) I need more food. It's funny how I was sucking down an entire pizza in 9 hours, and yet now I'm rarely hungry. Not only that, but I will literally eat 1 banana and then wait 4 hours until I eat another one. AMAZING how fresh fruits/veggies eliminate your constant hunger cravings. Processed foods suck. SO in that light, I wonder if I'm hitting starvation mode. My calorie consumption has gotta be way way down. Therefore, I'll drink another smoothie in the afternoons, and then add a snack somewhere. 2) Do a stressful workout once a week, twice later. I think working out 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week is fantastic, and makes me feel awesome. However I'd like to REALLY press myself occasionally, to get the fat burning. I may end up hiring a trainer once I'm not so out of shape. I DON'T want to waste money on a trainer when I can barely climb 2 stairs before getting winded. 3) If a full stall peeks its head in, I may do a 24 hour juice fast. And/or replace my coffee treat with something smaller.

My scale stalled out right about the time I started on full liquids, sadly. I'm going to put the blasted thing away until a week from today, and see what it says then. I need to incorporate exercise, but that's not as simple as it sounds when you chase two toddlers around all day. I've been taking them on a walk then playing at the park to get more movement in, but the scale isn't budging more than two tenths of a pound. However, my pants are all getting so big I can pull them down without unbuttoning them, so something is happening. I need to take measurements again to see just what's going on, but my waist and thighs are definitely smaller. I recommend everyone do this, because if I were relying solely on the scale I'd be pretty discouraged right now. La: I'm glad I'm not alone. My biggest issue is that no Protein supplement tastes good to me anymore. To make them taste better, I'd make them with milk which would push my carbs up too high. I did find two flavors of IsoFlex that work for me, so I'm sticking to them. They're low enough in carbs that I can make them with skim milk and it won't hurt my daily totals. And while I might gripe about eating all day long (which has gotten better now that I'm incorporating some soft foods that are higher in protein) I certainly don't want to drink all day long instead! I'm also putting the scale away - it's hardly moving and it's very frustrating. I need to start incorporating exercise, I guess. Donna: I can easily eat about 1/2 cup of something soft or mushy, but it takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to do so. I can only take three or four small bites, then I have to pause for a few minutes. Maybe the foods you're eating are so soft that they aren't giving you a full feeling? What's your typical meal plan for a day? I also have the same issues with the scale, so don't worry too much. Everyone is different. My hope was to lose 24 pounds the first month which would have been just over 20% of my excess weight. However, I've been stuck around 19 pounds lost for almost a week. I'm losing on average about a pound a week right now. I will most likely lose 20 pounds this month, and that's from my starting weight since I have no idea how much I lost on my preop diet. I hope everyone is doing well. My husband is gone on a trip all next week so I have the evenings to do my exercise videos without feeling silly. I hope that it'll kick start the scale again and help make exercise a part of my regular routine. I do so hate exercise. At least starting out...once I'm used to the habit I look forward to it and enjoy it, but I'm a long way from that place right now! ~Cheri

Oh! I know the answer to this one! First of all, you're so busy kicking yourself in the tushie that you can't focus on anything else. If you truly need a good tushie kicking, let me help you out: Knock it off! You are not a disaster! You're simply stalled, and what you need is a good jump start. If self loathing burned calories, you would be a size two by now. Crawl up out of that pity puddle, take all that energy you are wasting and put it to more productive use! Yes, you CAN do this! It sounds to me like you are exactly where I was several years ago. I was a young mother with two preschoolers and one in first grade. My husband worked out of town and we only had one car. Very rural area, and we just moved there so I knew nobody. I felt very closed in, like I needed air. So I got some. You don't need a cabinet full of videos. You need a stroller and a pair of walking shoes. Girl -- that three year old of yours is THE best piece of exercise equipment you can have! I would rent him from you if I could, LOL. Put that little cherub in the stroller and get outside and ... BREATHE. Notice the clouds. Stop and admire a garden. Meet a neighbor. Think of ways that you'll greet your husband when he gets home. Think happy and you'll be happy. And the thing is -- you don't have to walk fast. You don't have to walk far. Just walk. I did this every day. Pushed the stroller to a nearby convenience store just for something to do, and bought a newspaper every day. Maybe a mile, round trip. I wasn't dieting. I wasn't even conciously exercising. I was just trying to escape my own depression. Within two months, I had dropped from a size 18 to a size 12. I am so not kidding you. I had been wearing leggings and didn't even notice. When I went to put jeans on, I was like ... hang on, where did I leave my tushie and when did I grow a waistline?? You have a minimum of 13 weeks before your hero returns from war. This is SO doable! Stop kicking yourself in the tush and get out there and walk, walk, walk. You can do this!! One mile a day, minimum. More if it feels good. Won't take any time at all, and it will be WONDERFUL for both you and the baby. So go on, lace up those tennis shoes and just do it -- I dare you! In fact, I double dare you. :smile2:

I was sleeved on 12/17...only lost 25 pounds to date....this stall is now going on a month....I only eat between 500 & 600 calories a day, walk for 15 minutes three times a week and lift 10 pound dumbbells twice a week...I really wish this thing would break....by the way, what is TOM?

Today is 6 weeks post-op. I'm down 4lbs from last week, which felt good since it felt like I might have been starting a stall. Still on my doctor's fairly restrictive diet. So far for normal foods I've only done scrambled eggs and pureed chicken salad with hummus and greek yogurt instead of mayo. Both went down with no problem. This will be the second week of me mixing in regular food twice in the week. Next week I'll go to three times a week, barring any issues. Exercise has continued to be a chore due to the heat, but things are cooling down this week, so looking to increase my activity some more. Yesterday was very difficult for me. I ended up receiving some really lousy news that completely devastated me mentally and emotionally. My usual routine would have been to indulge in some comfort food. Except that isn't possible now. Which is definitely for the best, but it really didn't help my mood or mental state any. Still feeling upset today and just trying to get through it.

Tomorrow marks 4 weeks since I had my bypass surgery. Over this period of time I've lost about 15 lbs, including a 10-day stall in the middle where I lost nothing a week after surgery. This corresponds to the 3-week stall, as I started shedding pounds at the beginning of my pre-op diet which was two weeks long. Glad that it's over- I've been steadily losing since then. Here's some stats: I've found that I still struggle to tolerate eating more than 2 oz of food at a time, so introducing vegetables back into my diet has been limited as I'm full up on my proteins. I average anywhere from 550-650 calories/day, which has usually included three 100-150 cal meals and a protein shake. Protein is about 55-70 grams/day. Go-tos have been ricotta or cottage cheese with salt & pepper, sliced ham/sliced prosciutto, smoked salmon with a little bit of lite cream cheese and everything bagel seasoning. Getting used to tossing those 1 or 2 bites of food left on my plate was hard at first, but became much easier after I stopped throwing it in the trash and switched to scraping it into my dogs bowl. Feels like I'm not letting good food go to waste! Mentally, I've had some tough days, but now I don't even think about eating to distract myself. Recently I've been unable to prepare a meal for myself without trepidation and discomfort. My stomach physically gurgles and turns as if I'm already going to experience rejection... has anyone else felt this? Its the worst when I'm heating up something hot... smelling food that used to appetize me causes this reaction. Usually as I begin to eat this feeling passes, but there is always some anxiety at the beginning. The most crazy thing about this is my mind still loves good food and cooking and I think about meals often, only to find that I'm repulsed by the idea of eating them. I've spoken to my therapist and hopefully we can find strategies to help, but so far this has been my primary source of concern post-op. I've been reading all of your posts and the comfort that they bring me as we go through this journey together is invaluable. Hoping for the best for everyone

@@Seastars You said "I just didn't think losing weight with the sleeve would be this hard. I read posts about the three-week stall, but that's AFTER someone loses, like, 30 pounds or so!" My 3 week stall was at 23 lbs, and I started with a BMI of 41 and no pre-op diet so no weight loss. My high weight was my day of surgery weight. I'm in my 5th week and still not at 30 lbs lost. And don't forget that men tend to lose faster than women, especially if they start at a much higher weight. Hang in there...I'm still eating 500-600 cals/day, I can't get to 800 and I think it may be inhibiting my weight loss. I'm walking, using the elliptical, doing some arm and leg weight work, etc...it'll come off.

I'll probably be posting a "bandiversary" post on the 20th, but in the meantime I'll stick my answers to this poll here as well. if you have progress pics... ATTACH THEM!!! See thread called "A Chance to Compare" pre-op weight lost: In the year before surgery, I lost 30 lbs. Then I got a surgery date and in the next two months gained 7 on the last-supper diet. day of surgery weight: 317. My highest non-pregnancy weight was 340, about a year before surgery. 1 year post weight: 253 today. total fills: 3 fills so far total fill amount: Don't know, don't care. A little more than last time. ever been filled to tight? No, although restriction has taken me by surprise sometimes days or weeks after a fill. But it's never been uncomfortably tight. ever vomited when restricted? how was it? I have PB'd five or six times. It's very unpleasant, but not painful, nor is any nausea involved. Once it's over, I felt fine. any complications? No, thanks be. Everything has been smooth as silk! (Knock wood.) do you think your to tight? to loose or just right? All three. I'm a little too tight in the mornings, lunch time is perfect, and a little too loose in the evenings. But that's just life with the band. longest plateau? I normally stall for three or four weeks at a time and then lose several pounds at once. If I worried about plateaus I'd have been hauled off to the funny farm long ago. how often do you exercise? For the last 6-7 months I've been working out regularly three or so times a week.

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...

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

I am three weeks out from surgery today. Although I struggle with it everyday, I have found a way to get in both my Water and my Protein everyday. I eat 4 times a day - but it feels like I am constantly eating - I am always so full! I have been able to get my calorie intake from 350 to 650 a day (they want me at 800). I will keep working on that. I see my NUT in a week. I am walking about and hour a day. Saturday I went back to the pool for the first time and made myself stay there for a half hour doing cardio and aerobic water exercises. It wore me out and I had to go home and take a 3 hour nap! Before surgery, I stayed in the pool 1 1/2 hours a day swimming, stretching and exercising so I am hopping that in time I will be able to stretch my time in the pool out to an hour. After my surgeon's okay I think I will try some weights. My weight has been stalled since the second week. @@60&goin4it I feel your frustration. I am 59 and am wondering whether my body is just taking longer to heal or to recover from the anesthesia. Anyway, I am not going to stress too much over it and just try to keep keeping on! I know that in time it will happen. I am off my blood pressure meds - My BP this morning was 113/61 That is good! Although I am still on insulin for my diabetes, it is very little and my endocrinologist assures me that it won't be long before my diabetes is in remission. That will be a very huge victory for me. Even though my weight isn't dropping, my clothes are lol - it is very difficult to wear anything I have in my closet without looking dumpy and completely lost in the fabric. Anyway, that is where I am at - at this point, it seems as though my days are filled with trying to get the necessary nutrients in. It is worth it, though. My energy level has increased so much this past week and I actually almost feel like my old self. keep on keeping on

I use the reminders, the calorie/macro tracker for protein goals, and the weight/measurement features mainly. I'm not really exercising yet or I'd hook Apple Watch up to it too. Sounds like you're doing great! I think my stall is very very slowly breaking still. I'm down to 250.2! I can't wait to see 249 on the scale. My body loves hanging on to weight at around the 250 mark. I am still happy with my overall loss though. My highest weight was 275, then I was 265 day of surgery (I did not have a pre-op diet, but still lost 10lbs in the three months leading up to surgery). So still down 15lbs in 3ish weeks, and 25 overall. Not a bad little start Also, welcome to all the new people. I hope your surgeries and recoveries go well! I didn't want to post a response to everyone individually and end up spamming the thread with replies.

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.

So many people try starving themselves.....and shoot themselves firmly in the foot. Your body doesn't want to starve to death, and it has a ton of amazing defense mechanisms built in to prevent this from happening....evolutionary coping strategies created by famines and poor hunting season...give our bodies all sorts of hormonal strategies for adjusting metabolism to deal with starvation and NOT LOSE weight. But here's the thing...if your body adjusts your metabolism down to deal with starvation...when you eventually do eat a semi-normal diet someday...it's gonna be a problem. You have a chance to rebuild your metabolism here. You don't want a sluggish metabolism that has learned to cope and survive on 500 calories a day. You want a hot burning furnace that runs all systems at optimal levels and gives you a ton of energy for exercise, burning fat and building muscle....at normal calorie levels as soon as possible. (that is the focus of my group's research...we are encouraged to eat 1000-1200 calories as soon as possible....initial studies support that more calories sooner leads to more sustained weight loss at 5 years post surgery, I'm part of a larger study meant to confirm these results in a larger test group) Bariatrics is an emerging field and there are a lot of ideas about how patients should lose weight post surgically. Old school models are extremely calorie restrictive. There are a lot of folks out there who have lost well on very restrictive plans. Some who have regained, some who have not. Ultimately...there are a lot of ways up this mountain. But, to me...the research makes sense. I want a hot burning metabolism that runs on quality fuel and gives terrific performance. I started eating 1000 calories per day at three weeks. I eat 1200 per day now and am never hungry and have a ton of energy. My weight loss has been steady. (a couple stalls, but par for the course) Another tip....Look up "three week stall"....it's extremely common to hit a stall at three weeks.

Thank you ! I will definitely try to find ways to get in more calories. Solid foods still don’t sit right with me so maybe more soup it is and I’ll add a protein drink ! And I will definitely lookup the threee week stall thing ! I wasn’t eating as much because my body as it’s healing it’s not telling me it’s hungry ( I know I should be getting food in regardless) today is my three weeks and I know it’s not too late I’m starting today and getting in my calories !! Thank you so much so so so so much

Big hello; This is my first post on this forum after lurking for quite a while. Just wanted to say I have lost 5 pounds in three weeks following plan. Great start for me and I am close to half way there, maybe even want to pursue losing back down to my lowest weight. Although the scale has stalled this week - I feel better, less bloated and have found some encouragement. Being on track is a wonderful feeling! Hugs. I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

Hi everyone I was banded Oct 17th..I lost weight pretty good the first week but now i seem to be at a stall..I get my first fill Nov. 14th. I hope it helps. I am still hungry and halloween was tough I like candy...The only things that seem to bother me are chicken and any bread. I haven't weighed myself since i went to dr. but everything still feels the same. I joined the gym have gone three times times this week doing 15 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes on the eliptical, then doing some arm machines and a few floor. About an hr a night maybe a little more. But on my other days I have been raking leaves (uuugghhh). I really hope i start losing weight because I am getting so frustrated. and hungry I think if i could stand being hungry I wouldnt have ended up being so overweight..well thanks for your time..Sherri:ohmy:

Hey Bee....yes I LOVE a drink For my fist time that I had a drink after the op, I just took it slow over the night to make sure that I didn't have a bad reaction....something I was paranoid about after not being able to take lactose for a while so it just worried me that I would have pains in my stomach all night, but it went down so well....ahhh my old friend haha I love the sound of rasp cordial to make a sunrise...haha can't say that without doing the Katut n Rhonda voice in my head hehe. Glad Tiny (haha love it) is coping well with the foods As for hair loss I was unaware, but I have always lost heaps of hair and have so much of it, but I must admit I lose less when I get my Vitamin B shots regularly...maybe that helps. I opted for the three monthly injections as I have been having them since I got the lapband anyway and its just one less tablet to take Toilet.... haha....Ok spoke to my nurse about this and everyone is different but, I used to go every day before the band, then every second day with the band, and now I go every second or third day with the sleeve and she said thats fine Mind you on the Iron tablets that I have just started back on they make you go every day (some people they do the opposite but mostly they make you go) and they said for me to have 2 per day but i tried that and I am sticking to 1 thank you very much So I guess if I every have trouble I will just take 2 iron tabs haha As far as stalling yes I have quite a few times, at 3 weeks then at 6 and now so every few weeks but I think its your way of your body catching up?? I have been on a big stall and got on the scales this morning and I was 119.7 so just under 120....WOOOHOOOO Wish it was more but hey I will take it!! I figure I can't not lose weight with the sleeve and it will happen eventually.....just have to make sure I keep active and eat right. I went to visit a friend at the hospital yesterday and took the stairs and didn't get puffed out once....something i only noticed when I was walking along looking for her room and I wasn't puffing. I know its small but its the little things that make me excited!! Sleeve.....I am so in love with you

yea I'm three weeks stalling as well

pretty much 99.9% of us. Do a search of this site on the three week stall. You'll find thousands of posts on it.

it's almost certainly the three week stall. Happens to almost all of us. If you do a search on it on this site, you will find over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). It usually lasts 1-3 weeks, so you should be at or near the end of it. I dropped about 6-8 lbs in just a couple of days after mine ended.

Almost three months out and I swear after working out I can eat a cow. Well, you know...like a miniature cow. It’s weird how I think I’m eating so much and then I look back at my plate and I’ve only eaten half a piece a chicken. You would have thought I was recovering from a buffet dinner. Anywho, I had chipotle salad with no rice and subway wrap this week. Took me forever to finish both meals. Like a four day event. However, it broke my stall and I’m down 7 pounds in a week!! Meal prepping is becoming frustrating to me because I waste a lot of the food I make. I literally forget to eat some days or just don’t feel like it...the struggle.

I was banded in Nov but would like to join you guys. Nobody has posted on nov site forever. I feel like I'm failing at this band. I haven't lost in forever. My band was to tight three months ago had to have it emptyed from vomiting. The dr said itt was swelling from the vomiting. so of course I gained some and was at a stall. still at 6cc which is better but just had fill last week and could be a tad tighter. I have lost one pound since my fill. Better than nothing I guess. I expected to have lost 10 pounds a months which has not happened. I am not able to eat much at breakfast. Lunch maybe cup to 1/2 cup soup with vegtables in it. supper bout 1 cup. I do use the treadmill for an hour so I should be losing more. i did work out for three hours a day but it wasn't helping so i took a break from all that and went to an hour day. any advice would be good.

I’m with you. I just had my appointment today and was so stressed that I was going to get lectured or my team would think the same things. I have about 150 more pounds to loose (at least) - so I was expecting to have lost at least 30 this month. It was just a goal I set for myself, but I really thought I could do it. After loosing about 23 pounds the first 7-10 days, I thought I’m so going to crush this…. Then a stall hit. My period came back (had it three out of the last 4 weeks) and I’ve been beyond drained. Turns out my BP was low and I’m mildly dehydrated. I kept saying “if I could do more I’d loose more”. The dr and dietitian both told me to ease up on myself. They said I’m doing great and they are pleased with my progress (turns out my weight fluxed up with my period so I’m down exactly 20 pounds from surgery day). Even so - they are happy with how I’m healing and told me to get hydrated, up my protein & calories (they gave me a range) and then told me to follow up with my pcp (see him Monday). But to stay on plan and they both think I’m off to a good start and that I will do well. The first month is all about healing, recovery and getting used to our new routines as we progress through the phases. They asked me what NSV I noticed when I was frustrated with the scales and encouraged me to keep watching my body change because that is sometimes a better indicator of progress (and I do see a lot of changes). I know it is hard, especially when we set goals for ourself and we don’t meet our own expectations. But slow and STEADY wins the race… we can do this!! I was so stressed going into my appointments but I was so happy when I came out hearing their encouragement to keep doing what I’m doing.

You have lost 15 pounds in three weeks. That is an average of five pounds a week! Awesome! If you were on weight watchers you would be doing a happy dance! There is typically a stall at around the three week mark. Mine lasted a few weeks with the scale bouncing up and down a pound or two daily. If you haven't already, start measuring yourself and whenever you hit a stall, measure yourself. Chances are likely you are losing inches. Also, look at your protein intake. I know at three weeks I was not getting enough. Try to increase it a bit if you can. It can help break the stall. Be patient. If you are eating the calories per day you mentioned and getting exercise, your body has no choice but to lose! I know it's frustraing, but it happens. I have experienced two stalls in my 11 weeks post op. Both have lasted three weeks, BUT the important thing is that the scale is going down over time and not going back up! I didn't let the second one bother me, but I did take the time to evaluate what I was eating to see if I needed to do any tweaking.