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This has been aired a lot of times on this forum;people who have just had surgery and a couple of days or weeks out stall in weightloss, IT'S NORMAL! Take a deep breath and please reflect on how long it's taken us all to pile the weight on?! It's not realistic and / or healthy to think it's ALL going to fall off in three weeks! You've put your body through major surgery and it needs time to recover. Please be kind to yourself and your body and give it the time it needs! Stick to your dietary plan and the weight will come off, hopefully in a healthy way and in a pace that you can mentally handle. Best wishes and good luck!

Haven't posted much lately. I have been working on this stupid stall for about three weeks. It broke finally!!!! So excited!!!!! I have lost another four pounds this week!!!!!!! Amazing, just amazing. I'm now exactly one pound away from onderland!!!!! I am so hoping that by this Sunday I will be under 200 for the first time in ages. Thanks to everyone here during the stall I used everyone's suggestions. By not stressing over it it finally happened. The power of positive thoughts. Deb

Congratulations! And I'm glad it's helping your diabetes. I've seen folks on here end up completely off their medications; I think most of them are Type 2, but even so going down that much in just over a week is exciting. I was sleeved same day as you and haven't lost anything, but I have an adrenal condition and had to have buckets of steroids the day of surgery and the next couple days. I'm still dumping the fluids from that! Plus I had miracle loss on the liquid diet. I teased my doctor that made this week my three week stall. But the sleeve is gonna make this work where it never has before. I'm soo happy for you.

I had my surgery on 3/2/11 with BMI of Texas in San Antonio. I went into surgery at 322 lbs and as of this morning I am 257 lbs. I have had one stall a week after surgery that lasted nine days and another this past week of 7 days. The two stalls really bothered me, but just as I read on this forum, they were temporary. I also had a three week battle royale with the gout in both knees and ankles, so my exercise has been limited until last week. This surgery is a great tool and I am still getting my 'sea legs' as far as broadening my food choices. I got overly ambitious on two occasions with poor outcomes... Hang in there and you will be successful. With the road blocks I have had, when I look at my results so far, I realize these are just slight impediments to a healthier way of life. I wish the absolute best to all of you. TexasReD

I cannot comment on the legitimacy of the "starvation mode" theory; however, what I can say for certain is that I have been stalled for two weeks and I have been burning many more calories than I'm consuming. I'm getting in about 700 calories on a good day and burning upwards of 1000 calories/day (biking, walking, elliptical, treadmill). I figure that just seven weeks ago my body went through hell with surgery (although I had a smooth recovery and felt back to normal by day three post-op), so I'm trying to be patient and am going to keep pushing forward. I think eventually these things balance themselves out. So I might not be losing weight now, but I think my body needs time to figure things out and catch up. I've been overweight my entire life; I can't expect my body to adjust to all these changes as quickly as my mind has.

It looks like you lost some weight pre op. My doctor said the first 30 pounds were the easiest. After that it gets harder. Looks like you may be in the same boat. I lost 12 pounds total in the first two weeks and nothing in week three. I was ready for the 3 week stall and didn't get freaked out. I keep looking at 42 pound total loss and am feeling better than before surgery. Stick with the program and it will come off! HUGS

Yesterday I decided not to weigh myself. I had been a little obsessive the past few weeks, kind of obsessive, and sort of endlessly disappointed the way I always am on the scale. You know there is that after-party feeling you get when you've just gotten weight loss surgery and even the loss of 30 pounds in three weeks somehow doesn't satisfy. It's the death of the fantasy-surgery in which you fly back from Mexico suddenly weighing 135 pounds. I mean it was weight loss *surgery*, right? Medical Magic? Where the hell *is* my flying car, by the way? I know there are people who give you this advice anyway. The Weight Watchers lady, the Jenny Craig lady and the Diet Center lady were all prone to the same advice and now thinking back on it they might have all been the same lady. Remember her? Skinny, size zero dress with a tiny waist and no sleeves, huge grin on her face and at least en years younger than you perkily dispensing dictums about how one should comport one's self in life. I swear she was always the same girl. And as far as I knew I was listening to a person who was subsisting on styrofoam and black tar heroin. Jenny Craig was probably the worst diet ripoff I ever encountered -- five hundred dollars "registration" fee and then I would come to get "my food", as they called the minsucule globules of prepackaged crap frozen dinners and "snacks" such as two thumbprint sized, elven lemon butter muffins. Jenny Craig is owned by Nestle Corporation. They are in the food business. The whole thing is designed to sell a vulnerable, aging and overweight population of females their crap food at an astronomical markup. It's all like this, all of it. All of it. What I keep thinking about still is all the lies and nonsense I paid for to try to lose a hundred pounds for the third time and I just knew I never would. I would just *keep buying products* as some sort of offering. Sure I was overweight. But I was doing something. I was spending thousands of dollars a year in extra shit I never used or got satisfaction from because those thousand dollars represented some kind of hope but then....after a while..it's just what you do. You're fat -- this is not a condition but a demographic, a role, a llifestyle. Your market speaks and your ears perk up right away. The salesman in your living room gets you to part with only six payments of 59.99 for some Chinese appliance wih moving parts you are supposed to press or move or kick; or some tape or "plan*. I will never regret the money I spent on weight loss surgery. What I regret is all that *other* goddamned money. Tangent, sorry. I decided to stop weighing myself because I am trying to save myself from the feedback loop I seem get sucked into with the scale. I know it's "stall week". I know I'm going to "stall". I would just rather not hear about it from that appliance. Because what it doesn't know is that I barely have a stomach anymore and I am eating less than six hundred calories a day on average so it's very *likely*, I mean one could *project* that I am losing a shit-ton of weight here. I'm sticking with that for the time being. For as long as I can stand it. It's very zen of me. And today was much better than yesterday. Special K went down with joy and peace in its heart; and then around 4 I went to Culvers and got a cup of bacon and potato Soup to dissect and pulverize. It also went down like a sleepy baby and gave me a nice, rounded, carby buzz. I had some juice in my veins today and did not cry, although I did get way too interested in mineral makeup products and at-home microdermabrasion which I had to force myself not to buy. I don't look all that great for a person who just lost thirty pounds. I look tired and kind of sucked-in and gray, which is what I hear happens to people who've . had surgery recently. But I decided it was not time to worry about that yet. It's really unlikely I'm going to look like Heather Locklear tomorrow no matter what I purchase online. A little more new normal today. And no scale, which to me should be the most normal thing of all.

Just wanted to share my story so far. I had my 1 week appointment at the Dr.s today. I had my surgery last Thursday 4/14. It has been an easy recovery for me. I was out of the hospital the next afternoon, Friday. On Saturday, I had promised to dogsit and went to walk dogs three times. I also grocery shopped. Sunday was two more walks and some errands. I have been out every day since. I have been doing doing some walks with my husband and yesterday we did almost three miles. The doctor said everything looked great. I am down 18 pounds, 10 since the surgery and 8 from my five day pre-op liquid diet. My starting weight was 237 and I am 5'7" tall. I can't see or feel any difference in my body yet though. Getting the Protein in is tough. I do not like the shakes but have been able to tolerate the Isopure drinks which is a big help since a 20oz bottle has 40 grams of protein. I usually get my 64 ounces of Water in and am getting about 60 grams of protein. I am averaging around 400-500 calories a day. My eating plan was nothing at all the afternoon/ evening after surgery, then 2 days of Clear liquids followed by 12 days of full liquids. Next is 2 weeks of purée and then 2 weeks of softs. Full diet taken slowly starting 6 weeks after surgery. 7 more days until pureed food which I am looking forward to - only to try and get more protein through food. I'm not hungry and making meals for my family hasn't bothered me. I am dreading the thought of an upcoming stall. I am also fearing losing my hair as it is super thin to begin with. I am off pain meds and have been able to sleep on my side since the second night. My only problems are slight nausea here and there, but not bad enough to have to take the meds they gave me, and diarhea. I was also lucky as my surgeon did not put in drains. My other issue is that i had the top of my hand turn black and blue, but it was not the hand that had the IV. I know others have had more issues after their surgery and I feel bad as I read their posts. I just wanted to share my experiences so far. Please excuse any typos as I am typing this on my phone and it won't let me go back and reread or edit. Good luck to all the upcoming surgeries!

I was really looking foward to eating again but there are some drawbacks to coming off a liquid diet. First thing is your stomach wakes up and wants to have a long, serious talk with you,. I woke up today feeling a little sick. Just a little nauseated, a few cramps in my intestines. The tummy is pissed. The tummy wants to know what it ever did to me. And finally, the tummy is putting up with none of the shit I tried to lay on it before. Oh, no. It is in charge now. It is recovering from surgery and no way in hell is it parting with the TV remote. Eating was a little easier today mostly because I applied some of the principles I've read here on the board and also because I gave up trying to eyeball what I thought would go in my stomach and broke out the kitchen measuring implements. 1/2 cup Special K Protein Cereal. Out of the measuring cup and into the bowl. 1/2 cup milk. Slowly. 30/30/30. 1/2 cup Healthy Choice red Beans and rice Soup. Chew. Swallow. Slow slow slow. 1/2 cup cottage cheese. It all went down pretty well but the whole time I've felt guilty for eating at all, and also nervous that I had to measure. See the thing with me is I can either be hyper-undisciplined and just dive into the carb ocean, fall asleep inside a cherry pie. Or I can be like this. Obsessive compulsive. How many calories? How many carbs? If I get it into my head to eat according to the numbers no kitchen implement, measuring device or obsessive thought goes untouched. I was hoping that this surgery would free me of *both* things so I could be a normal person so really just the introduction of digestable food has given me a case of nerves. I caught myself thinking today that I might have gained weight because I ate a mashed potato yesterday and felt vanquished. Okay. So this is all stuff I've read people on the boards saying before. Learning how to eat again is weird and miserable and usually causes some kind of strange breakdown somewhere later in in the first month. I did not actually regret what I did to myself but there was a sudden realization that all the unconscious food assumptions i had made up to right now were no longer going to help. Because my stomach simply was not going to let me get away with a single bad choice. My son told me he thought the reason that WLS works so well is tha basically you're afraid your stomach with explode if you eat too much. It's actually not like that, it won't explode. It will *complain*, the way the villagers complain via pitchforks and barn burning. My stomach now reminds me of my mother, who I would rather kill me than *complain* at me. I allso went swimming yesterday and loved it. I've been looking forward to that for three weeks but a few hours after I got home I felt cold and squeezed out. I couldn't get warm for the rest of the night. I turned the thermostat up to almost eighty and snuggled a heating pad. And finally I realized I overdid it. An hour in the pool after recenly...well, recently...was just too much. Just because you can have a mashed potato does not mean you're fully recovered. On the contrary, it means you've got all this other crap to do like count the number of times you chew your oatmeal and figuring out how to not be so overcome with stupidity you don't even know it's time to get out of the pool. . Recovery is ongoing. Today I recovered from overdoing it in the pool yesterday, and overdoing my portions yesterday because when your stomach says NOT ONE MORE MOUTHFUL it is truly not kidding. And I am also recovering from my fear of food. I figured it was going to be stall week this week and I also figured one possible reason is the stomach's getting back to it's job of digesting stuff. The problem is I didn't figure on how I would feel about it. I am afraid I will never lose another pound now that I am eating again until I can get somebody to take the rest of my stomach out. But that is completely irrational and I know it. I ate 380 calories today and to do it right with no pitchforks it took a lot of attention and effort. Simultaneously I'm worried I am starving and/or gaining back the thirty pounds. This cannot be the new normal otherwise my stomach has just become my new career.

Yea 5 weeks.... The first two weeks I was really positive and this last week I just don't feel like anything is happening, like I am in a stall on the pre-op diet, not sure how that happens, I'm not eating hardly anything. Plus every three months I get a depo shot and it is coming up to get it again, May 2nd, day before surgery. Since I have been getting the shot I never get my TOM, however it must be the drastic change in my diet because I have had a light one for the last 2.5 weeks, enough already.....I suppose that is making me more irritable and frustrated. Sorry if that was TMI. I just want it to get here already and I am afraid if I don't lose anything else, he might postpone me again.... Started reading a new book, so hopefully that should keep me busy. Thanks for the support =) Coming here keeps me busy for a while and I love reading all the successes people have and seeing the photos.

I'm so glad to hear that everything went good and that you are feeling GrrrrREAT! LOL I was the same as you 3 days post op, walking fine and sipping tons of baby sips. I'm almost a month out now and I can handle mushies, tuna and seafood meats like scallops and snow crab very well (they have lots of protein too by the way), which is especially good if you have a hard time choking down any type of protein drink on the planet like me! I wish you the best of luck and success with your weight loss. I lost 20lbs the first two weeks and had the dreaded third week stall everybody talks about, but right after dropped another 7lbs in three days. So, don't fret if or when the scale doesn't move on or about the 3rd or 4th week because it is normal. I too wish I had went to Dr. Almanza a few years back when I didn't have as much to lose :-( Oh well better later than never right! I take a One a Day Women's Active Metabolism vitamin, a vitamin B-6 high potency for energy and metabolism and a hair/skin/nails vitamin from Wal-mart. Even with such a little amount of food I feel FANTASTIC!!!! Take Care. You are going to do really well and lose all of your weight :-)

body composition changing. i have been through two shifts in measurements. kind of surprising. my weightloss stalled for about three weeks. I had a fill so everything is moving again. I am learning the weight goes then the body shifts. I am beginning to wonder if the plateau we go through is more of our body adjusting to the weightloss. I was really shocked yesterday when i put on a pair of pants that were a 20. i am so used to wearing 28-30. Congrats on your weightloss!

The scale hasn't moved since last week. That's an initial eighteen pounds at the end of maybe the first week, and nothing thereafter. I think my three week stall came early and I am making myself not think that this might mean I am going to turn out to be a slowpoke loser. I can't start soft food for another seven days. I have to wait eight days til I can swim. I am still changing my drain gauze. Two days till I can stop fussing with paper tape every day after my shower. I miss my moisturixing body wash and my bufpuf I went shopping yesterday and tried to get excited over cream Soups. Brought them home and attempted to add unjury Protein to these things and three attempts at this ended up in the sink before I gave up and had a Yoplait LIght and Fit Red Velvet Cake. It's clear to me that I am in the valley of the worst part of the recovery period for a VSG. Nothing is happening, eat your Jello. Just eat your Jello and watch Midred Piece on TV and go to bed at a decent hour. Your metabolic chemistry has undergone something like a nuclear detonation so just shut up and whatever you do, do not go on a rampage and get a bottle of wine and a philly cheese steak at Culvers. I am on Day 13 since my surgery but I think I'm on Day 2 of gutting it out.

Hey Dani, Try not to feel disheartened! I know it is diffcult. I am well known for my stalls...lol... and am currently in the middle of a LONG one, but I am not gaining so I am relatively happy! It will pass, at three weeks out concentrate on feel 'well'. Remember that your body is still adjusting and is probably wondering what the hell has happened. Your stall will pass and you will lose weight. Chin up and let us know how you get on... =]

Hello this is my first blog, first let me start off saying I am happy that I made the decision to have the sleeve. I had my life changing event on Feb 22, so that makes me 6weeks out. I lost 22 (310) pounds before the surgery, and another 18 (268) pounds since. I didn’t realize how much work it takes to really work the sleeve, I went in thinking this is my magic cure…and boy was I wrong !!! I have been on a stall two weeks now an it’s kind of frustrating, but it made me look at some of the things that I am doing!! I know for one, I have not been drinking enough water, before surgery water was my best friend after it just had such a nasty taste.. I have been getting my protein but I cut it in half because, I am eating more… I can get down about 3-4oz down per sitting before getting full. I have also been struggling with hunger…it’s like I am hungry all the time even after meals, and it drives me crazy sometimes. The way I dealing with the hunger, I started snacking (not good) now I am chewing gum and drinking water when I get these pangs. Eating 4tiny potions daily, and protein shake/smoothie (with strawberries, and ½ banana, and maybe a slice of pineapple and a scope of protein) Exercise I am working out three times a week about 45min, I am doing about 25min of cardio and 20min on weights. This week my goal is five times week, the two extra days I want to do cardio, I also switched up my routine I started riding the spin bike. I really had to check myself this week because I was starting to go back to some of my old ways…and it is way too early for that!!! I really want to maximize the opportunity…I have been a big girl all my life…and it’s hard to break old and bad habits…but this is something that I have to do a failure is not an option. I love this site…..I don’t mind sharing my struggles with people that actually understand what it is that I am going through.

You've been doing great, keeping on since January! I did a very low carb diet for a month before my surgery (on my own authority). So I commend you for your dedication to do this for three months! I don't know if this will work for you, but this did work for me and didn't stall my pre-op weight loss (30 lbs). Every two weeks or so, I would have a carb-filled meal (usually Pasta, a love of mine), completely guilt free. After that "whatever I want" meal, I got right back on the wagon for the next two weeks of Proteins and low-carb veggies. It helped me feel less deprived and dedicated to staying on track. Now that you're approved, hopefully you won't have to keep it up for another 3 months. I promise, everything you do now is such a big help for after surgery.

I felt the same way. I hit my first stall at 2 weeks post-op and didn't lose anything for nearly two weeks. I looked at my diet and reduced my carb intake (won't take in more than 25 grams a day) and increased the Water dramatically (72-96 ounces a day). The weight started to come off again. That was a little more than a week ago. TODAY, I went in for a second follow-up appointment with my surgeon. I was worried because I hit my stall right after my first follow-up and had only lost 7 pounds (all of which came off in the past week and a half) in the last three weeks. They have this magical scale that tells you not only how much body fat and excess Fluid you have but also how much muscle you have. My doctor came in and I thought she was going to be disappointed but she was very happy. She said "You are doing GREAT". I was like "yeah, right". Then she said "I know you have only seen your scale drop 7 pounds since your last weigh-in but you actually lost 16 pounds of body fat and gained 9 pounds of muscle". She was VERY impressed with that. So even though your scale at home might be telling you that you are losing slowly, your body could be actually dropping the fat and bulking up the muscle. I am happy that I am losing at a slower rate because my skin won't be as loose in the end. Keep your chin up!

I am going throughnthe exact same thing ' I lost 30 lbs first three weeks Then I stalled and I actually think I have gained 6 lbs in the last two weeks , Glad to hear I'm not alone,,,,

There will be weeks sometimes months the scale wont move you cant give up and I had to stop weighing myself everyday it only makes things worse. I didnt lose for six months and that was with fills. You body has been overweight for so long it has to adjust and sometimes it just stalls itself out because it was so use to consuming large amounts of calories now it is starving and doesnt want to let go of the fat. keep doing what your doing it will move eventually. Is it frustrating hell yes but we didnt gain it all in three months either. You cant take off 10 to 30 years of weight gain in a few months it doesnt work like that.

I was going through a little stall. I was eating about 60 carbs per day (as advised by my NUT). I decided to drop down to 40 carbs just to see what would happen. I started losing again, in fact three pounds in a week. I also got some advice to workout first thing in the morning before eating (if that is hard, just eat a little bit of protein). This will force your body to use fat stores for energy. I try to get in at least one morning workout a week. Plus, working out in the morning bumps up your metabolism and you burn more calories the rest of the day. YOU WILL BREAK THROUGH THIS STALL!!!!

I went for my two week post op appointment today with my doctor and I am down 25lbs, 10 pre op and 15 since surgery two weeks ago. Before surgery I feared that I would be the one person that would get this surgery and nothing would happen but so far so good and I'm going to mention it anymore to avoid the three week stall, lol. Thanks again everyone for your continued support and words of encouragement.

OK, this may sound a little crazy, maybe not... but at the end of a 4 week stall, I had a little talk with myself. I realized I had some issues with saying "No" and gave myself a little talk about how I am an adult, and can now say no very well. I think eating was a way to say "No" in several different situations. After I did this, I started losing weight. Other factors- I upped my calories by about 100 a day, and started dance class again(for about three days at the time I started to lose), and ate a little bit of junk. Even with the added exercise and calories, I still think the talk just let my body relax a little.

Hiya Olivam, I am really interested in your post... I am a really slow loser and I seem to hit mini stalls every other week or so and have been doing so since October - I am now 8mths out, was sleeved beg July last year. I often wonder if I am not eating enough, my dr says to eat three meals a day with no Snacks, and with this sleeve, I find it hard to eat 1000 cals with only three meals? i did start to have one protein snack but that didn't really change things. Any advise would be gratefully rec'd ... I don't want or like feeling negative but I am really struggling at the moment! Thanks in advance...

Thank you SO much for sharing this. I cried when you were talking about your kids and the Snacks and having the energy to do the things you want to at home. I can relate to both of those things so much. While I am 100% doing this for me, I am so hopeful for the impact that it will have on my family. I think the part where you described that first small gain was exactly what I was talking about. I am just anticipating that " Oh No....I can't gain this back!" moment and just need to be prepared for it and not freak out. I'm just so thankful that we can all communicate on here and know better what to expect. I can't imagine having hit the "three week stall" not knowing that it's common. Now I think I'll be able to be better prepared emotionally. Thanks again for listening and sharing.

OK, so officially I have been on a plateau between 224-226 lbs for 20 days. I am almost 6 weeks out, so this is the dreaded three week stall... started at three weeks, and lasted for three weeks too! I probably weigh myself too often, but even if I weigh once a week, I would still stay the same for three weigh ins. I'm pretty sure I am doing everything I should. The body is just saying NO right now. I get to start going to the gym again in a few days... so Im hoping that will boost the loss. Wah Wah Wah! Thanks for letting me cry a little!