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My experience was that it eventually moved. I stalled for over a month at about three weeks after surgery. I stuck to exercising and eating as recommended. Eventually the weight started coming off - 12 lbs in the past 2 weeks. I feel better knowing I always stuck with my plan, and it finally paid off! Keep at it!

Stalls ate super frustrating.. My order stall was at three weeks and from what I heard it was fairly common that it happens then the dreaded "week three stall" mine lasted like 3 weeks but then the scale was on the go again!!! I hope that the scale starts moving along for you too! Don't get discouraged keep eating right and drinking lots of water!!

You're in what's known around here as the 3 week stall. Many people have a big stall sometime in the first three weeks. This article will help explain why. Just be patient. Weight Loss Stall or Plateau A weight loss stall or plateau is an extended period of time during reducing efforts where is there is no weight loss according to the scale and no loss of inches according to the tape measure. This is why it is so important to take your body measurements before surgery, so you'll have a reference as your weight loss progresses post-op. We suggest you take measurements of your chest, waist and hip, neck, upper arm, thigh and calf. Be aware it is very common for your weight loss to "stall" shortly after surgery. Diana explains the reason for this below. The Inevitable Stall By Diana C. A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days. What You Can Do About a Stall or Plateau If you are experiencing a post-op weight loss stall or plateau further out there are a few possible causes. First, check that are you really in a stall. If the scale has stopped moving you may be losing inches, so check your measurements. Too Many Carbs? Carbohydrates can start sneaking into your foods without you being aware of how quickly they are adding up. For more information on carbs, see our section on Carbohydrates. If you are struggling with your weight loss you may want to examine your daily carb count. You can try to keep your carbs under 50g a day and see if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Do not eat carbs before bedtime as it triggers insulin and initiates fat storage. There are some great web site resources you can use to keep track of what you are eating. Fit Day Spark People - If you join Spark People also join the DS group. The Daily Plate Calorie King For more tips on keeping a food journal see the Personal Nutrition Guide. Eating Enough? If you are under-eating or go more than 4-5 hours without eating, your body will shift into fasting mode, slow your metabolism and conserve your stored energy (fat). This can contribute to a weight loss stall or plateau. Make sure you are eating small meals or small Snacks throughout the day and also ensure you meet your daily Protein requirements. Try eating some protein with every meal or snack. For more information on protein requirements see our section on Protein. Drinking Enough? An adequate level of water in your body aids in the effective breakdown of fat. The daily minimum recommendation is 64 Fluid oz of water a day. If you are in ketosis you will need to drink even more water to ensure the ketones are flushed out of your system. You may also need more than the minimum amount of water if you are exercising or live in a warmer or dry environment. Exercising? Exercise can increase your metabolism and burn fat. Strength training will build muscles and will boost fat burning. In a stall you can try increasing your volume of exercise or changing up your routine to overcome a weight loss stall or plateau. If you have been doing mainly aerobic activity, try doing a bit of strength training, and if you have been doing mainly strength training, try an aerobic work-out. The High Fat - High Calorie Stall Buster Many DSers swear by the fat/calorie shock as an effective weight loss stall or plateau buster. Having a day of higher fat and calorie eating followed by a returning to consistent low carb eating can sometimes "shock" your body back into weight loss mode.

My family, I think, is done with my daily updates so I will use this forum as it is intended - to share with perfect strangers in the same boat as me. First the great news! It is three weeks since I started my pre op diet 10/25) and it will be two weeks tomorrow that I was sleeved. I have lost a total of 25 lbs, I had no complications, I have been off the pain meds in the day since day # 3 and only take them at night because I am a stomach sleeper. I already got though my first small stall about 5 days without the scale moving but now it is dropping off fast. I have been able to move into puréed and soft foods and have had no issues although I have followed the rules (moslt, I think some of what I am eating is not so much puréed but it is super soft Now the not so gre

I'll be four weeks wen and I try to stay at about 1000 calories a day. I've tried just about everything and nothing has disagreed except too much sugar. I love Reece's and had two Reece's hearts, I know bad but I paid the price. I was only 277 at 6'1" going in to surgery and I'm at 256 now I've been at around 260 for three week sloooooow going. A normal day is coffee in the morning with sugar free apple sauce 1 cup, maybe a little beef jerky or some almonds for snack then some soup for lunch or a yogurt. Then supper I can eat more than a cup of salad or soup or small peice of chicken. Not going to lie I do eat the occasional corn chip or cookie the kids have. Which I know I shouldn't. Try to drink all day. I love the morning orange sugarless powder to add to my water, tastes just like Tang and the closest to orange juice with no calories. From walmart. Hope this helps. Your not alone. Your prob in a stall.

I hit the 15lbs lost since surgery mark today and I have already been thru a one week stall. I eat pretty much what I want to within reasob of course. I am keeping my calories under 700, my protein above 60, my carbs under 40 and my fat under 45. So far so good. For dinner tonight I had three saltine crackers and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. If you want to see the rest of my food logs for the past several weeks you can friend me on myfitnesspal.com. My user name is "MyNanner"!

Yes, congrats on your progress! Some of us just have a longer haul than other folks. It's perfectly okay. I lost in fits and starts the whole time. I'm 5'1.3" and started at 242 and am down to my goal of 135 pounds. After plastics I'll be right where I want to be in the 120s and that's fine with me. I experienced two weeks every month of no loss (and usually had a three pound gain around my cycle, too) and I had two nine weeks stalls on my journey. It took me 17 months to lose 107 pounds, but I did it nice and slow and healthy. If you average it out, I lost just over six pounds a month. You're doing the right things. eggs are impossible for some people. Do you know what Chinese steamed eggs are? It's soft but savory and might be easier on you. Tofu is soft, if you like it. If you can tolerate cottage cheese it's fantastic - until I developed lactose intolerance it was my favorite food post op. And keep pushing shakes! Some folks can give them up and eat enough to get the nutrition they need but some of us can't! I still need them. My restriction is ridiculous (19 months out and one scrambled egg has me stuffed) and I simply cannot sit down and eat four ounces of meat in one sitting. I drink a Protein coffee or tea every morning and it helps me SO much. Keep trying until you find a brand you tolerate well and can enjoy. Vitalady does samples and I found that a huge lifesaver. And as for the other part of your post - trying to conceive. I'm not trying to get too personal, but make sure that both of you are being cleared as healthy. I had half a dozen doctors tell me that the reason my husband and I couldn't conceive was my weight over the course of four years. Nobody thought he'd be the issue because he had kids with his first wife. However, it turns out he's basically clinically sterile. We had to jump into IVF w/ICSI to conceive. Just like in everything else, too many doctors look at our weight and assume it holds the answer to everything. Yes, you are going to be much healthier and yes, likely more fertile, at a healthier weight. But I'd hate for you to slug away for another two years blaming yourself only to discover that it's something else causing the issue! Make sure you get a full workup - HSG, hormone panel, etc. And if your insurance allows it get a more understanding doctor. Preferably a heavier woman! Best of luck to you on both fronts. ~Cheri

Well, it's been a whole month since I've weighed myself. After my three week stall, which broke with a measly one pound loss, I was getting very frustrated. I took one member's challenge (I think it was Lisalu) and decided to stay off the scale for a month. For someone who doesn't own a scale and was fine with a weekly weigh-in, I thought it would be a breeze. Well, it wasn't as easy as I thought. But, my clothes fit was changing so much along the way that it kept me going and I was able to resist. I went in for my 6 week followup a couple of days ago - it had actually stretched into a 8 or 9 week followup - and was excited to find that I had lost 11 pounds since my last weight check a month ago. What a confidence boost! My goal was to weigh 230 at the docs office but I weighed in at 228. Yeah!!! I've gone from a size 22 pants and 2X top to a very baggy 20 pants and 1X and some XL tops. My pants were so baggy this last week I went and bought some 18s. I'm going to have to wear them close fitting for a while because the saggy look ain't working for me. :lol0: I'm making my way out of the Women's section and back into the Misses section. I'm looking forward to the clothing options that will open up for me then. I'm happy to say that I'm finally settling into a good routine and feeling good about having had surgery. It's still difficult sometimes having to think so much about what and how I eat, but it gets better every day. I actually feel normal most of the time. Of course, the minute I sit down to eat I get a dose of reality from my stomach. But, it doesn't seem like such a big deal now. I know the scale strike won't work for everyone, but it helped make this past month so much less stressful for me. I just stopped worrying about my weight and focused on getting my Proteins and my clothes fit. I don't know if I'll stick with the monthly weigh-ins. Once every two weeks will probably be more realistic for awhile, but I don't feel like I have to decide now. I do plan to get a scale as I get closer to goal because it will be more important to monitor those last few pounds that come and go. Until then, I guess I'll keep sneaking onto the display scales at Wal-Mart. :thumbup: Best wishes to anyone starting this journey and empathy to anyone struggling with their scale. I feel ya!

This is so normal that I didn't even have to open your post to know what it said. Anything titled remotely close to "week 4 and concerned" is going to say something like "I lost a lot of weight in the first couple of weeks and haven't lost anything since. What am I doing wrong?" Seriously, do a search on this forum for "three week stall" or "week 3 stall" and you'll see multiple posts about it almost every single day. The best thing you can do is stay off the scale for a few weeks and keep following your plan. As the others have said, your weight loss will start up again and everything will be fine, but jumping on the scale frequently won't make it happen any faster! Rest easy in knowing that you are perfectly normal and doing everything right

Hello, February 10 Bandsters!!! I am just getting back on track after a stall for almost three months!!!! I switched doctors and finally got a good fill! I am at 6.8 cc's and I am loving it so far. I know it may be too soon to tell because I just got the fill on Thursday and it's Sunday. I have lost 6 pounds so far this month and I am hoping by the end of the month I can get another 6 off! That's 3 pounds a week which is possible with exercise. I will be hitting the gym first thing in the morning. I have been working out M-F for 45 min to 1hr in the gym and it's really helping me stay on track. I hope everybody have a great week.

1) three-week stall. Almost all of us experience that. 2) I lost 16 lbs the entire first month, and I went on to lose over 200 lbs.

it's a stall. Almost all of us experience them - and the first one is usually within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery (it's usually the third week, but not always - sometimes it's the second week and sometimes it's the sixth week. But if you want more info about, search this site for the "three week stall" (it's so common to have it the third week that we call it the three week stall). There are over 17,000 posts on it here on BP (and no, I am NOT kidding..). best way to deal with it is to stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. Stalls typically last 1-3 weeks before you're on your way again. And just so you know, this is likely the first of several stalls. It's a normal part of weight loss.

I recommend loggin your food in myfitnesspal, so you can track calories, carbs, protein, fats. My surgeon tracks almost 2000 patients. A year after surgery, most are still eating under 1000 calories a day. They are healthy (some need just vitamins, some also need folic acid and B12 supplements). Did you put on weight at surgery time? Often people do and it takes a bit to shed that. And many many people have a ‘three week stall’ where the weight loss slows at the 3 week (but can me 6 or 8 or 10 week) mark. Stick to your programme. At first blush your eating sounds fine at this point - you can’t help but lose. Are you walking? That helps too...

I'm three weeks post op and I think I'm seeing the beginnings of a stall too. Scale hasn't moved in three days.

I don't know how long your stall will last. None of us lose at a constant or steady rate. Stalls and fluctuations are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process of losing weight. We all experience stalls and almost everyone experiences a stall about three weeks post-op. So, you are right on schedule. Just follow your program, focus on getting in all of your Protein and fluids, and stay off the scale. Embrace the Stall! Embrace the Stall http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I'm nine months out and have only had a few stalls, but these days I don't expect to drop more than a few pounds a week. As long as I'm making some/steady progress, I'm happy. One thing to consider, work on increasing your exercise if you are able to. I walked nine holes of golf yesterday with my sons and ended up losing three pounds between a Sat morning scale check and one this morning. Good luck and enjoy the journey.

sounds like you've entered the infamous "three-week stall" a little early. Almost all of us go through our first stall sometime within the first month after surgery. It's usually the third week, but not always. Mine was weeks 2 and 3.

Great responses so far - agree with all of them. 1. Only weigh yourself once a week - your weight will fluctuate daily and it will be discouraging when you see it temporarily go up. 2. You will have stalls - they are normal. At around 3-4 weeks is when your liver will return to its normal storing of glucose, plus when the liver dumped its stores pre-op it causes dehydration - temporarily looking like more fat loss than really occurred (the pre-op diet shrinks it to help the surgeon) so a stall here is usual. Search "stalls" or "three-week stall" for more posts on this. From what I've read here, stalls will happen occasionally throughout the weight loss process but often the inches will continue to come off. It's the bodies way of taking time to adjust. 3. You didn't mention which surgery you're having. If it's gastric sleeve then initially your sleeve will be swollen so when you start on solid foods it won't hold much at all. But once the swelling goes down it will hold a little more (ounces.) Everyone is different. But don't worry, you didn't stretch your sleeve! That takes "one extra bite at a time over about a year" according to surgeon Dr. Duc Vuong. 4. I started losing right away, and write down everything I eat in a food journal. Don't ever allow fattening, unhealthy foods in again and especially not high calorie drinks - you can override the surgery and regain the weight even eating smaller portions especially if eating every couple of hours. 5. If you haven't discovered him yet, on YouTube I highly recommend watching as many of Dr. Duc Vuong's videos as possible. His breakfast green smoothie is what I've been doing since surgery and plan to continue forever. 6. When your clothes start falling off you avoid spending on new clothes - visit the local Goodwill or thrift store. You'll turn them in for smaller ones the following month after month. It's fun! And costs little. I've found so many nice clothes in good condition available that frankly this will now be the first place I go to shop even when I reach my goal weight. 7. Take your vitamins and get enough protein (and don't forget some healthy fats.) It will help keep you healthy plus temporary hair loss at 3-6 months is frequently talked about here but getting enough protein and the proper vitamins may help either prevent it or make it less than otherwise. They say it grows back - I'm only at two months so haven't reached that point yet. 8. Immediately post-op know that pain meds cause constipation so will keep the gas in causing more pain. By all means if you're in pain and need to take them do so at your surgeon's direction! But be sure to drink enough water/liquids and walk as mentioned by others here. Good luck! Having weight loss surgery was the best thing I've ever done for myself especially for my health. And my knees are no longer aching as well. Whew! Who wants knee surgery?

Today I am 5w 1d post-op. I'm feeling great and am back to full activity. There are no more aches and pains and I've finally managed to regularly get in over 90g of protein without reliance on protein shakes. At three weeks, I hit the dreaded stall but continued to lose inches. It was a little disconcerting for me to be in that position. Of course, inches are great but when I go to the doctor, they don't measure my waist, they weigh me to see if I'm on track. Nonetheless, I was prepared for it and had already made up my mind what I would do when it came. The stall broke today so for 15 days, I was at the same weight. In those 15 days: I increased my protein to between 90-115g per day. I increased my water to at least 84oz. per day. I increased the length and intensity of my workouts. My total calories increased to around 850. I increased my intake of carbohydrates. As I said, I'm doing a good job of weaning myself off of protein shakes. Some would say that it's too soon but I'd rather get my protein through food than a shake. I've found myself in a predicament where I have to eat something every three hours anyway so I just get the protein in at each small meal (about 5 per day). My go-to sources are chicken, fish, shrimp, very lean ground beef, ground turkey, and low-fat cheeses. Increasing my water was the hardest part because water temporarily fills me up so it takes longer than I'd like to get all my water in (and I'm past the sipping stage). However, if we jump into the Way Back Machine and go back to high school physiology class, we remember that we need water to metabolize stored fat. On top of my workouts, dehydration wasn't going to do anything for weight loss so I had to get in more. Some surgeons tell their patients that protein shakes count towards their water totals and since water is in the shake, it makes sense but I believe (and have always believed) that regular water is the best to meet water needs. My workouts started off slow because my surgeon has a sort of vesting schedule for workouts. At two weeks, she only allows walking. At three, speed walking, and it progresses from there. At three weeks, I felt fine. I had no more aches and pains so I went ahead full speed. Pre-op, I was a runner and frequently used HIIT training. I transitioned back into those forms of exercise. I gave myself about 4 days to adapt and then increased the running by about 15-20 extra minutes (about another 1.5 miles). I also reintegrated strength training. The increase in my workouts warranted the increase in my total calories. I was never given a calorie level to maintain by the NUT. In fact, she said not to count calories but to just eat according to the sleeve. The 450-500 calories I had been getting just is not conducive to long-term functionality and it was causing me to retain water. Over the course of a week or so, I increased my calories in a number of ways. For example, for breakfast, I would have a serving of turkey sausage crumbles. I started to add one serving of shredded mozzarella to it for an additional 80 calories and 6g of protein. Lastly, I increased carbs. On my plan, I cannot have raw fruit or vegetables until 6 weeks out. I can, have canned veggies and fruit though. I found some "No Sugar Added" canned fruit that has 30 calories and 6 grams of carbs per serving (1/2 can). I started eating a few slices of the fruit (because I can't manage a 1/2 can) with my protein at lunch. I'm not 100% certain about the science behind this but since our bodies need glycogen and the need to glycogen is one reason that stalls happen, I figured introducing some carbohydrates through food would help my body get what it needs without prolonging the stall. I just started doing this over the last week and apparently it worked because I lost 1.2 pounds between yesterday morning and this morning. As a final note, my surgeon's nurse practitioner explained that with the sleeve, they usually see stair step weight loss. She noted that most people will lose a large amount of weight and then level off for a week or two and then lose another lump of weight throughout the process. Although I'd like to see a weekly decrease in weight consistently, I'll take the alternative as long as my total body composition is changing. My NSV (inspite of the stall), is that I'm back at The GAP! Here's to a fashionable fall.

Aw, honey.....you've technically lost 6 pounds in 8 days, right? I think that's fantastic and I bet that's better than any other diet you've been on! Give your body time and patience. It WILL come off. I lost about 12 pounds the first week (surgery 10/20), got to 288, then the last whole week have fluctuated between 288 and 285! Got down to 285 yesterday, then today shot back up to 288???!! What the hell is THAT! How you do gain three pounds in one day only eating about 700 calories! I didn't even do that when I was eating 3000 a day! But I know it's just my body trying to adjust, fluctuating with Water weight, panicking that it will never get a whole meal again, and scared to death that it's starving right now and hanging on to every little fat cell. One thing you can bet on for sure is that you WILL LOSE WEIGHT! I have not seen one person who had the sleeve who did not lose weight. They might stall, they may gain a few pounds here and there, but overall, we always lose! Hang tight, Sunshine...it'll come. I know it's hard since we're suffering a liquid diet, you'd think we'd at least be rewarded with at least a pound lost a day, but our bodies are fickle little creatures with a ton of overriding responses to starvation!

I only told family and very close friends - so many people have a strong opinion on WLS and want to offer advice. A few people have guessed because I'm losing the weight, but I felt it was for my well being not to have people judge me, etc. I hope you guys have great success - I'm six weeks post-op and have lost about 38 pounds - I hit a stall for three weeks. Had surgery 10/13/11, but since July 2011 I've lost 60 pounds. I was able to eat a little Thanksgiving food yesterday but I preferred the fresh items over anything heavy :-) Good luck!

Hey everyone! I'm eleven weeks out today and have lost 48 pounds. However over the last week nothing is settling. It stops at the end of my esophagus and comes right back up in a ball. Always nauseated before and after I eat. I have to lay down to knock it most times and to top it off I have stalled. I've been the same weight for almost three weeks now very frustrating. Any suggestions? Is this nausea and vomiting normal? I'm miserable. Help!!

I'm with you ladies! It's really tough being a "slow" loser after all we've been through. I do agree that I'm still losing more then I ever could before surgery, and I have every intention of keeping the weight off for once and for all! I read so much about stalls before my surgery, that I decided to just hide my scale for a while. I weighed in at my one week and one month follow up visits with my surgeon, and am looking forward to my three month weigh-in shortly. There's so little we can eat right after surgery, I figured I would just remove the "scale stress" from my life and just be pleasantly surprised at each follow-up appointment. I know I'll have to start weighing myself after my three month visit to ensure I'm doing the right things and tweaking things when necessary. Until then, I have enough to deal with without "scale stress!" Good luck to you all!

Alyce, Our doctor's plans vary a bit, but here is where I was at post-op (I am at 8 1./2 months now). I came home on on Day 3, permitted to drink full liquids. At week two, I went on to purees, which include applesauce, but sugar free. Sugar is still an issue for me now. I just can't afford to give my calorie balance (800 per day) over to sugar or starrch). At week three I started soft foods, and at week four I graduated cautiously to cooked whole foods. I would not accuse you of cheating, myself, but just advise you to be patient withh your team's plan. Oh, and that week three stall is coming up, just so you know.

I am 3 1/2 weeks post op. Things progressing fine. No problem with liquid or Protein requirement. Am able to eat soft foods prepared in the blender. Even turkey meat loaf and tuna. Cannot eat much or I feel stuffed. About 1/2 cup is my limit. Ground chicken chili with soft white Beans has been my latest. I was losing pounds fairly steadily until this week. I've lost 35 pounds since beginning the two week liquid diet on Sept 5. Now I seemed to have stalled. I've heard of the three week stall so has anyone else experienced it? My Doc says to stay away from the scales for a while because I'm replacing fat with lean muscle tissue. I just can't resist stepping on those scales every morning. Any of you sleevers experience the stall? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App