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First of all, as far as I know there is no definition of a "stall." Is it when you don't lose weight for one day, two days, a week, two weeks, a month? That said, there were many, many months, including my first month after surgery, when the scale did not move for 3 days and then there sould be a drop on two or three pounds. Most months I lost 8-9 lbs, which is a little more than a quarter pound a day, As the months went on, I sometimes stayed at the same weight for longer periods. In April 2011, I stayed the same for six days and then lost half a pound, but for the month I was down 8.5 lbs. In May 2011, I stayed the same weight for 11 days, and lost only 4 lbs that month. The following month I lost 11 lbs. What I am trying to illustrate is that if you stick to your plan and just trust that you will lose, it will be a lot easier on you emotionally. When I got on the scale and saw the same number a few days in a row, I just said to myself, "Well, maybe tomorrow." Plateaus (I like that word better than "stall") happen. They start, they end. Take a deep breath and just move on.

The three week stall is the most common, notorious stall. It's perfectly normal. Mine lasted for 7 days some people's last longer.

Thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. Saw the post-op bariatrics team last Wednesday. Kaiser defines a sucessful bariatrics patient as one who has lost 50% of the excess weight within one year following surgery. I have lost 81% in 7 months. This forum is a wonderful resource, with many people who are very successful with the sleeve in the long-run. I want to add my experiences to the pool of information. I plan on being one of the long-runs. To keep losing weight, I have to eat fewer than 50 grams of carb a day, and stay under 1200 calories. No, I usually don't get all my Water in. I also drink coffee, with 2% milk. This is the source of most of my carb. Eating too much is as bad as eating too little. Doing either one can make my weight loss stall. I can't snack anymore. The surgeon told me that, after 6 months, it's three meals a day, period. He's right. I still use baby bowls, a baby spoon, and 5-inch plates. I plan to use the small plates forever. I like my baby spoons, and the bowls are still portion-perfect. Too much Protein triggers insulin, and I gain weight. At my weight, 166.6, I only need 65 grams of protein a day, according to my NUT. If I don't eat enough fat, my weight stalls. Fruit = stall. I cannot lose without low-intensity exercise. 3 - 5 sessions a week, 30 minutes, on a treadmill that keeps me at a pulse rate of 107 (based on age) is the key. I also lift heavy weights twice a week. Throwing a 20-pound weight around does nothing for me. I use as much weight as I can lift for 5 slow reps. I am almost to the point of being able to do a real pull-up. I have loose skin. I am a shar-pei. But I am a proud, getting-healthy shar-pei. It doesn't bother my Best Half. Why should I care? I wore a bathing suit in Hawaii, and no one reported me to the Skin Police. Yes, I lost hair, starting at 3 months and it has slowed almost to normal. I ate my protein, took my Vitamins, and I still lost hair. It's based on hormonal changes, just like after childbirth. I still look like a girl. If you are scared to have a sleeve because of the potential hair loss, you aren't a good candidate for the surgery. You don't want to lose weight badly enough to be successful. I did not have a "food funeral" before my surgery, and I followed my surgeon's pre-op diet to the letter. I've spent years eating crap. Two weeks crap-less wasn't going to kill me. I don't miss any foodstuff. I don't cry over crap not eaten. I pull my vintage sized 14 Liz Claiborne clothes out of the closet and rejoice that I no longer wear a size 26, like I did back in 2000. If I really, really want it, I eat one small bite. Most sweets that I used to crave now taste terrible. One sweet potato fry satisfies as well as a bag of gingersnaps used to. Soda tastes like chemical-salts-bilge water. Yuk. I goof. I screw up. I eat too much. I still emotionally eat. That doesn't make me a bad person. There's always the next opportunity to make a much better choice. Veterans, please feel free to add on. I'd love to know what is down the sleeved road!

I am 5'4 and I started at 234. You will see in the video that two weeks after surgery, I had a kidney stone that nearly killed me! I was in the hospital for a week near death, kidneys were blocked by a huge stone. I had a second surgery on my left kidney and a stent placed. Notice the extremely swollen face! I emerged from that hospital stay bigger than I started on my preop liquid diet at 236. It was like starting over at three weeks out from surgery. I was very sad about that. I stuck to Protein first, tried hard to get liquids in for fear of another stone, mostly, and just took it one day at a time. I tracked my intake so I could be sure I was getting as much protein as possible for the first few months especially. I never really got the 70 grams until much later in the journey, though I did try. I could not eat but a few bites at a time. I have great restriction. I had a bunch of plateaus along the way. You can see in my signature there were months where I hardly lost.. 3 pounds per month for some of them. I thought it was close to over for me in June/July because I really didnt lose much and I would gain that back and lose it again. I kicked it in high gear these last three weeks, lowered my carbs to 30 and it took an extra 7-8 pounds and I acheived my goal of making goal by one year. I am going to continue at about 50-60 gr of carbs for the next few months in hopes of reaching 125 by November so I can have plastic surgery. I want to have a lower body lift and I want to be below goal so I have some room to bounce back 10 pounds. My dr. says we will bounce back about 10 over the next couple of years so need to go below goal alittle so we can maintain the weight we want ultimately. That is my plan. You can do this. Just take it one day at a time and dont let the scale control your emotions. The stalls are a necessary part of the journey. Your body must stop and wait every so often, like having rest time, in between drops in weight. Its normal and it doesnt mean you are done or this wont work for you or you will be a slow loser. It means you are doing it right and you must have faith. Eat your protein first always and that is all you really need to remember. If you do that, you wont have room for junk and chips and crap and the weight will fall off, trust me. Enjoy the journey and keep the faith! best wishes, Tammi

If you will look under my name, you will find a post that says, "three week stall ugh"! I am at four months post op & have lost 69lbs! I have had two stalls. Just keep doing what your Dr told you!

Three week stall is normal. Search on the forum under stall and you will find a zillion posts on it. Your body is readjusting to the weight loss and to your new calorie intake, it's spent three weeks being just constantly confused and now it's rearranging stuff. It probably is retaining water. It probably is pulling inches off your body - have you measured? Just because you do not see scale movement doesn't mean your body is not still losing or on track. Stick with it, the stall will end, even if it takes a few weeks. Just make sure you're still keeping yourself hydrated and keeping your protein up. Stalls do not last forever =) Hang in there.

You are losing on average 5 lbs a week. It may seem excrutiatingly slow, but my surgeon would tell you that it is an excellent pace. (I know, because he told me the same thing when I complained that I thought I was losing too slowly after a three week stall. I lost an average of 3 lbs a week in six weeks) Remember, it is a marathon and not a sprint. Hang in there, before you know it, months will pass and you will be posting great before and after photos!

It REALLY varies from person to person. You are doing FANTASTIC! If you want to know how you are doing, weigh it against yourself (it will help you remain sane). Always figure out how many pounds you've lost divided by the number of weeks that it took you to lose them. Medically speaking 1/2-2 pounds per week is spot-on. If you beat that due to this surgery - rejoice! If you make it - rejoice! And when you stall for a week (or two or three) - rejoice (knowing for once it doesn't mean you failed and will "quit" this diet - it will be short lived). Welcome to the loser's bench and keep up the great work!

I just had a horrible pain attack again. This is when i get pain by the bottom of my rib cage in the middle. Horrible deep feeling pain. Didn't go to hospital but took a heavy duty pain killer after i had the pain for 15 minutes. Took a solid hour to work. Was in complete agony. On a scale of 1-10 it got to an 8. I was hot and sweaty. Was pacing around the house. Wanted to cry my eyes out. Nothing I did helped. No way of laying... Or stretching. Ice pack didn't reduce pain. But just made me less hot. Now I am loopy from pain killer. Also have neck and shoulder pain. Still don't know what the f**k this is from. Didnt eat anything stupid or strange either. Seeing GI doctor on Wednesday. If they have even the slightest feeling it might be my gallbladder I want the fucker taken out. This is the fourth time I've had pain and it was absolutely horrible. (went to ER three times for this). Just to recap I've had a cat scan, EKG, blood test, urine test, X-ray, and ultrasound. Ive been to my gastric surgeon and my primary doctor, not to mention the three different ER doctors. The only thing that was found was gallbladder sludge an a polyp in my gallbladder... Which they say wouldn't cause this pain. They all have no idea what this is all about. I'm praying the GI doctor an figure this out. I do a lot of driving for work and see my clients throughout the month (I'm a social worker) so having this pain while I'm at work (which thankfully hasn't happened yet) is just not an option for me. One of my biggest fears is that I will get it at work... I would take a painkiller because there is just no other way to deal... But that would mean I would have to take sick time... And just lay in my car for several hours... No way I can drive on this medication. Sorry for the foul language. Just stressed out. I know I've posted about this pain before... But if anyone has any ideas or similar experiences.... Please please help! Thank you Btw. I am now three months and 5 days out of surgery and I've lost 91 pounds (although been in a stall for a week now due to my period). Went from a 5x and just today I fit in a 3x!

Ditto to what SouthernDonna said! I read all over this forum that a three to four week stall is normal. Still it is frustrating! My scale started moving again this week and this morning I had a five pound overnight drop. When I mentioned to my surgeon during my visit (7 weeks post op) that I had hit a stall for a while, he looked perplexed. He pointed out to me that I had lost nearly 20 lbs in the 6 weeks since I saw him last, which amounted to an average weight loss of 3 lbs per week. He said that was great. When he put it in those terms, it did seem much more reasonable. I think we are so excited with the rapid beginning weight loss that we expect that it will just keep going, so a slow inching of the scale is disappointing. Stick with the plan and you WILL NOT FAIL! If you talk to sleevers who have been at this for 6 months or more, you will see that they have had amazing weight loss, but have all experienced a stall, or several stalls along the way.

I started my 10 day pr-op diet on 06/18/12 & surgery on 06/28/12. I am THRILLED that I have lost 40 lbs (even) since then but all of that weight was lost as of 07/15/12 & I've even gained 2 lbs back since then. I'm still on pureed (until tomorrow....YAY) & haven't cheated a bit! I eat three 3oz meals per day, an ounce of 100% fruit juice, and about 3 sugar free Popsicles (PER WEEK). My husband is a saint and has done most of this with me (including 10 day liquid pr-op diet). He has also lost 25 lbs but stalled around the same time. We are both SUPER frustrated &the he's ready to give-up! No exercise has been started bc I'm only4 weeks out from surgery! My head says "it'll happen" but my gut says "another attempt that's not gonna stick"! Yes I do realize 40 lbs is huge, but I was expecting at least a little movement each week instead of an almost 2 week stand still!! Thanks for any advice!! Jennifer

I stalled the second week. In the third week sometime I lost three lbs overnight. The human body is a funny thing.

I had my VSG on June 28th. I had lost 37 pounds preop from the first week of March. In the first two-three weeks after surgery I lost 17 pounds. For the last 11 days I have been stalled, and actually went up a couple of pounds. I have read all about the 3 week stall and I knew to expect it. I know scientifically why it is happening. I am usually a calm, patient person. But this is starting to drive me nuts! I find myself doubting having the whole procedure. I wonder if this whole thing won't work. It irritates me that I lost all of the weight preop doing low carb with lots more calories and big portions and now I am not losing with this extreme diet. I am sticking to plan, getting in the fluids, getting about 80 grams of protein, usually around 40 carbs, 700-800 calories. I am still on the mushies stage for a few more days. I guess I need to know that other people have had this happen and everything ended up working out and the weight did come off.

You guys are really helping with the motivation here. I have been stalled for three weeks since we came home from vacation. Monday the whole family is going to the gym. I got the couch to 5K ready to roll. I am sure I will need to repeat some weeks but I would like to work up to a 5K. I dont need fast just to be able to finish. I have set a goal to run the Jingle Bell Run this Holiday season. As someone who has never NEVER run anywhere this is a challenge. Ready for the challenge and to try something new. Hugs!!!

I am 4 weeks out of surgery...and I have also hit a stall. At three weeks out of surgery, I had lost 29 pounds...and now nothing, for about a week. It actually has me very worried, that I'm not doing something correctly. I'm sorry to hear of all of you having a stall also, but it really helps me knowing that I am not alone in this. For the people that have had stalls before...how long did your stall usually last? Just curious. This is a great forum.

I was having the same dilemma and asked the same question. Do a search for three week stall and you'll find that it's perfectly normal. Your body is readjusting itself and in a little while you'll be losing weight again. Be strong

I can't believe I am three and a half weeks out now- time is racing by. I had to put my poor little cat down recently, which broke my heart so I have had a serious case of the glums. Some things, however have been going well..I helped to move a friend's apartment contents and cat to a new apartment in the same building, and she has given me a key and said I can use the apartment pool whenever I like while she is away on vacation. Since I was cleared to submerge about a week ago I have been swimming every day and I am loving it. I'm starting to really regret that I don't live in an apartment with a pool though - something to think about for next year when we all have to make decisions about whether to take company housing or not. A place with a pool where I can swim sounds great right now.I can't believe I am so enjoying it- which means I must keep it up, even though it is only breaststroke for 30 minutes a day it burns nearly 500 calories and works on the dreaded batwings. Since my first VSG surgeon consultation back in April I have lost 17.5 kgs (38 lbs ) and since surgery 9.8 kgs (21.6 lbs).Not bad- I've had a few 'stalls' but I keep going back to Benjammin's wise words about this here http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/blog/1390/entry-3580-the-voice-of-reason/ and then I just mentally shrug and get on with it. Yes it is annoying but it'll help no-one to dwell on it. I am onto mashed foods now which is GREAT. I have cooked the yummy baked Ricotta cheese and love it. I also eat scrambled egg, tuna mayo, baked grouper, prawn paste, shredded cheese, bolognaise sauce, minced chicken mayo. I have also discoverd that if I add a really strong 2 teaspoons of decaff instant coffee dissolved in a little hot water to my isopure vanilla shake it takes the sickly sweetness away and makes it like a really quite drinkable type of iced latte. So I'm supplementing my protein with one of those every day, and having no problem getting protein in. I am NOT getting water in so easily. As soon as I go out anywhere during the day I can't drink as it is Ramadan which means no drinks/food consumption in public and that really slows me down. I am getting enough liquids in, just not as much as I'd like. I have found if I eat too much my nose runs and I sneeze a lot which is a bit strange but I am not alone in that and I'm glad I have some sort of full signal. Otherwise, I'm physically good, healing ridiculously well, no weird side-effects from surgery and am finally sleeping on my tum. Now to try and stop missing my kitty so much and drag myself kicking and screaming out of the glums.

Stalls are a natural part of the weight loss process. Undeniably frustrating but nothing to worry about - it will pass. You could try increasing your protein to 100g a day for two or three days. "Pure" protein is the most effective - fish, chicken, turkey, eggs - shakes or powders may work too but they're processed and not as good as pure protein. The increased protein increases your metabolism and sometimes causes the body to burn more stored fat. Other than that, stay focused on following the protocol right to the letter, stay active, and stay away from the scales for a couple of weeks. You're doing an absolutely fabulous job! Congratulations!!

congrats...im down 23lbs since surgery date June 26th..i havent lost any weight this week...im in stall mode.....i hope i will lose some more weight..any suggestions on how to overcome the stall so early in my weight loss journey?? I'm drinking my Protein shakes etc...i don't eat alot at all no appetite for the most part..three bites of food and I'm full.. thanks:)

Hello! I am 2yrs post op, and been in a stall since Oct - 9 mths, I am 14-24lbs away from goal; miy surgeon's is 150 and mine is 138... I don't want to sound like this is a stall competition, just want you to know that stalls are very normal, albeit frustrating! During this stall, I have lost at least one dress size all over, and I am now in between clothing sizes; in Oct I was a comfortable UK16... now UK14s are baggy on me - I've yet to attempt a 12...lol. This stall has been the bane of my life until recently, as I have come to realise there is nothing I can do to change it! I tick all the boxes re Protein, carbs, cals Water etc 95% of the time. The other 5% I am just human...oh, and I have hit many stalls (and I mean periods of no weight loss for longer that 2-3 wks during the two years. The first one was at 2 1/2 weeks and lasted about three weeks). But the weight loss resumed until this Oct - I have lost 74lbs so far. Now, there are more factors than just cals in and cals out for me... I was put on HRT Patches and then tablets and I think this messed with my body - I have stopped taking them now btw. Also since May I haven't been able to train - I was doing really well with my fitness routine until then. I am currently seeing my physio and doing exercises to gain strength in my core so that helps the pressure on my back and hips, and I think I will be ready to start back in the gym soon! Just a bit of background on me to let you know that even though it feels rough at the moment, things will change, even if the pesky scales don't say so! Try not to get stressed about a stall... firstly, have you taken measurements - for me this has kept me sane, especially in the first year. When the scale stopped moving or moved very slowly the tape measure showed a inch loss - that is a great feeling. If you haven't done so already take your measurements as another indicator of your success (I have lost over 3 foot of me with 'just' a 74lb loss - some maybe more, some maybe less). As regards food at water, keep following your plan - you are still in the early days and your body may be taking a little longer to adjust to the changes and that is just fine! I love the fact that you are walking - this really helped me in the early stages, even though I think I was later starting than you are... but it is a great exercise and I still enjoy walking. Another handy hint, is not to compare yourself to others... I did this and it took me to a very dark place. I would constantly and consistently beat myself up that I hadn't lost the same as others who were sleeved around the same time. I learnt that the only person I can compare myself to is me. I have NEVER and I mean never, lost more than 7lbs on any given 'diet' or exercise routine in my whole life - from when I was just a little over weight, to being morbidly obese. Remember, you are you. This is your journey and whatever route it takes, the final destination will be equally as beautiful! I hope this rambling has helped...

Thank you for all your replies! I knew there was a three week stall, but I stalled after about one week. I'm only 16 days out and I stalled at day 10. It just seems a little strange.

At 4 weeks I hit a stall for about two weeks. I didn't really let it bother me because I wasn't doing exactly right - eating all the protein and taking vitamins and what not. Anyway, I put on a pair of preop pants and noticed that I suddenly had three or four inches of extra material on each thigh! Guess I was burning inches instead of pounds! I'll take it!!!!

My "three week stall" started at two weeks and lasted almost 5 weeks even though I was exercising, getting protein, water, etc. And then I lost 15 lbs very quickly and the scale is still moving, just not quite as fast. Just give it time, it WILL happen if you follow the guidelines.

Hello hoping to get some advice and support. I am 4mo 2 wk out and I am having trouble. I was told I should stick to 800calories a day no more than 20 carbs a meal 4 meals a day, I try my hardest to stick to this an I am also going to gym at least 5 times a week and three of those times I go twice a day, I do cardio and core and weight training but stall on the weight loss up and down a pound, I have also found my self hungrier and snacking on weekends. M-F I do great 10 + cups of water and all. The last two weeks I've only lost 3# I feel I was loosing more before surgery . I also measure myself and waist line has remained the same for the past 3 weeks. Please help

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.