Search the Community

unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", 14 lbs in three weeks is pretty normal. Most of us "average" WLS patients lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first MONTH, so you'll end up somewhere in that range. as for stalling at three weeks post op, do a search on it on this site. I just did. There are literally 17,501 posts on it. Happens to almost everyone. To get through it, stick to your plan and back what off on weighing yourself. Maybe weigh just once or twice a week until it breaks. And it WILL break, as long as you stick to your plan. Usually lasts 1-3 weeks. And it'll likely be the first of many stalls.....

I'm 3 weeks post op and have only lost 14 lbs and now have hit a stall for almost a week. I was losing like a pound a day during full liquids. Now I am in soft food stage and haven't lost a lb since starting soft food. How do I break this stall. I've only lost 14 lbs and almost 4 weeks post op. Sent from my SM-N970U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have never heard of the golden time being only 3 months. I lost a great deal up till 14 months or so. I am still in a calorie deficit, I eat about 1200 cals a day and on a hungry day maybe 1500 cals. My loses are tiny now but still going down. I am 21 months out, ancient and the only exercise I get is walking and housework. We are so used to having failed diets in the past that it's hard to break the diet mentality. Your body will loose what it needs to. Eat good calories, stick to your teams diet and sit back and watch yourself shrink. In 12 months you will not believe who is staring back at you in the mirror. Have patience. Sent from my Lenovo TB-J606F using BariatricPal mobile app

I have never heard of the golden time being only 3 months. I lost a great deal up till 14 months or so. I am still in a calorie deficit, I eat about 1200 cals a day and on a hungry day maybe 1500 cals. My loses are tiny now but still going down. I am 21 months out, ancient and the only exercise I get is walking and housework. We are so used to having failed diets in the past that it's hard to break the diet mentality. Your body will loose what it needs to. Eat good calories, stick to your teams diet and sit back and watch yourself shrink. In 12 months you will not believe who is staring back at you in the mirror. Have patience. Sent from my Lenovo TB-J606F using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m thinking withdrawal from caffeine &/or from sugar. Any headaches? That’s another side effect (fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, etc. too). Often it takes 3 or 4 days for these symptoms to pass so you may struggle for a few more days. Give your team a call to be sure.

Hi Peggy Anne, I just couldn’t do puréed meats or much of anything puréed, thankfully it was my 4th week and I survived on the eggs then cream soups and ground sausage. having meatballs with a brown gravy and mash potatoes for dinner. I’m happy to say that it was my first full day away from home for dr appointments and I left at 9 and got back at 9 pm and I had breakfast was 1/2 small Wendy’s chili lunch Popeyes 1 chicken strip with red beans no rice small Early snack dinner Jacks chicken finger and a small mash w gravy Having a very light dinner so it was fairly easy and happy no problem with the chicken. about to see where my calorie count is at I’m happily retired for six years now. what kinds of crafts? I like to do some crafts I see on YouTube videos and am threatening to turn one of the spare rooms that I have a bunch of craft items in into my craft room but haven’t had time since we bought this house in February. wishing you great success with your show!!!

I’m 10 weeks post surgery and still have this problem. For me, it’s eating one bite too many. The foamies happen and it feels better to just to get rid of that bite. I’m still learning what I can and can’t eat. Things I heard were tough to eat, like chicken are not hard for me. I can’t eat any kind of pasta, bread, or cracker. It’s very painful, I sweat profusely when I eat a food my new stomach doesn’t like, and I literally have to lie down until that feeling subsides. I struggle with getting my water and protein in daily. It has gotten easier since I was six weeks post-op, and I feel like it will get better with time. I did learn my trigger when I’m full, my sinuses get stuffy and I sneeze over and over. Just eat slow. My trigger doesn’t happen until about five minutes after my last bite. I always put my food to the side and re-visit it in an hour or two. I’ve lost 35lbs so far! Patience and learning your new tummy is key.

I'm now in the September group. I was booked for my RNY yesterday and after sitting in my super sexy drafty gown & see through blue booties for 5 hours (I was the last case of the day and they were running behind from the start), an emergency case came into the hospital and 'stole' my nursing team and my surgery was cancelled. Definite lunchbag letdown. I'm now booked for the first slot of the day on Sept 14. Thankfully I've been given an alternate real food diet and don't have to work through another two weeks of OptiFast, so I'm taking that as a win.

Hi everyone, I’m new here & hope ur all doing well. I had gastric bypass on 8/15. I did well overall. I had never been under general so that was a bit off putting when it was hard to take deep breaths after. They jumped me right into stage 2 and sent me home the next day. I’ve been meeting my fluid goals and doing mostly ok on my foods bc I’m good about eating super slow. I had a couple of unpleasant experiences. One was dehydration bc I took an extended shower and I must have missed my timer-that was scary. The other was that my husband measured the baby food a little over 1/4 and I felt overly full. ffwd to today. I was excited to begin stage 3 since I’d be taking my vitamins & trying textures. I was told to have a poached egg & 1/2 cup greek yogurt for breakfast (seemed like a lot but ok I’d try). The egg took forever but I ate it (this was around 7:45 am).The yogurt was not going to happen but I thought it could wait. I soon started to feel horrible. I felt (still 3:15 pm)feel like I ate a truck of concrete. I hear gurgling noises and even water feels like I can barely take it in. I called and they tell me I need to “wait it out” (??) Nurse says I should have eaten the egg in 1/4 increments ( I was never told this), as I said it took me forever. She told me to chew a Gas-X and use a phenergan suppository for nausea.She told me she is not so worried about how much (or little) I eat today, but I must stay hydrated. TBH, I can’t think of eating a bite! I am terrified of that “dumping” syndrome. Has this happened to anyone here? I have other health issues-I have MS. This is stressing me out & I can’t even rest bc I am so uncomfortable. Can anyone share wisdom and/or hope that this will pass & improve? I am feeling fearful & wondering if this was a bad decision Thanks for reading my long msg Emme

I struggle with eating chicken at almost 5 months out from surgery. I can't imagine eating it at under 3 weeks. And even though I have clearance to eat regular food now, some things I just don't. I try different foods and quickly learn if it's a no go or not. I figure I have the rest of my life to eat it again at a later point. So, I try not to force things too quickly, just because I can. Especially If it makes me feel unwell. In your case, there's a big difference between puree and a drumstick. But everyone's food plan/tolerances are different after WLS when it comes to timing of food consistency phases. So, I get that people test the boundaries. I myself was too much of a chicken sh*t to try it for fear of damaging my new tummy. Which can happen. From what I understand, a leak or damage would cause excruciating pain, fever, sepsis etc. So, you would know it. But I would be curious if anyone here has had a leak or blew out their staples and lived to tell about it??? Would be quite the cautionary tale. 🤔

I'm going to try and keep this from being too long, but there's so much to say!!! First I'll start with my newest NSVs. I'm officially in a size 18 clothes (from my original size 30), size 10 shoes (from my original size 11), size 6 1/2 ring (from my original size 10), 18" chain on a necklace (from my original 24" chain), and 2x jacket (from my original 4-5x). I can now comfortably fit on a massage table without fear of it creaking or breaking. I can now ride a bike because I'm within the weight limit. I now am able to hit my favorite thrift stores and walk out with seriously cute clothes that look nice, sit well on me, and actually fit comfortably!! My asthma is almost completely gone (I only have it when I get super sick now instead of all the time). My blood work came back and my hormone levels are almost in the normal range (I have PCOS) and my cysts that completely COVERED both ovaries are totally gone (without having taken any meds or done any hormone therapies!!) I did a 6 mile hike this past weekend with my son. I am completely pain free and am able to go full on beast mode with my workouts again. I can go up 5 flights of stairs before I need to stop and rest. Now for my new chapter in life and old dreams becoming new again. So years ago, I wanted to become a nurse. I completed all of the academics with a 4.0, aced all the labs, but couldn't do any of the clinicals because I couldn't do all the walking, I was 400 pounds, and my health/joints/back were way too bad. So I gave up on it. Then about 2 years later, I thought "well, maybe I can be a medical assistant. Surely THAT'S not as hard" and once again, I couldn't do the externship because I couldn't do the physical stuff. So I went into other areas for work, ballooned up to 421 pounds, worked remotely, and made good money. I loved what i did, but there was always a part of me that regretted not being able to go into the medical field. That was my heart's desire. So fast forward to now. I'm between jobs and miserable. I had to stop working because of all my complications from my first surgery. Now that I've been cleared, I can't get hired anywhere. So I decided that now is a great time to go back to my dream of working in the medical field. So on Sept 5th, I start school to become a certified pediatric oncology medical assistant. Most of my previous credits transfer over, so I only have about 6 months of academics to do and then the externship. Then I sit for my certification exam and then I get to finally FINALLY do what I've always wanted to do. By my 46th birthday next June, I should be right where I want to be, doing what I want to do, and hopefully at my goal weight. I'm sitting here in tears as I type this, because I thought this was something I would never see happen. I resigned myself to being morbidly obese, extremely unhealthy, and needing a cane to get around. I may not be at my goal weight (the weight comes off a lot slower with a revision, and also as your bmi gets smaller and you get closer to your goal) but I believe eventually I'll get there. But the things this surgery is giving to me, the dreams I can live out, the health and wellness and years of my life I'm getting back..... it was all worth it. The complications, the uncertainty, the pain and healing and stalls.... all completely worth it. We all start this journey wanting the numbers on the scale to go down. But there's SO MUCH MORE this surgery gives you. I will never, ever regret my decision. Never.

Based on a weight loss of 32 pounds in 9 weeks, that is an average weekly loss of 3.5 pounds. Excellent. I average a 2-pound loss a week and completely happy with it. The consistent downward trend I see on the scale is exciting to watch. Especially after years of failed dieting. If you must weigh daily, add up each day's weight for a week, then divide by how many days you stepped on the scale. Then compare week by week. I did this method years ago since this helps factor in water weight fluctuations. which can cause up to 5 pounds of variation daily, depending on sodium intake and menstrual cycles. I weigh once a week now and let my RENPHO smart scale do the math for me. It also takes bodyfat percentage which to me is a more important measurement as compared to the daily ups and downs of those weight scale numbers. Also, a stall here or there is to be expected while our bodies readjust but I'll take it. GL and congrats on your recent WLS @DustyRecording

32 lbs in two months is excellent. You've lost more than I did in that time frame. Also, stalls are common. You're likely to experience several of them on your journey. When you hit one, make sure you stick to your plan, and back off on weighing yourself for awhile - maybe only once or twice a week until the thing breaks. And as long as you stick to your plan, it WILL break. Usually takes 1-3 weeks to run its course.

Been having a low grade fever since Saturday. 100.8 was my high. Can't see my surgeon as I did it in Mexico. However he is quick to respond to messages. I am allergic to Tylenol so I am having to take Ibup. He has me taking 600mg every 8 hours. Fever is under control at that point, but it has been 3 days. I have an appt with my Dr tomorrow. No pain or swelling or anything like that, so hopefully it is something that isn't a complication. That scares me the worst! Will ask the Dr for ABX tomorrow, and hopefully he won't trash me for going to Mexico for surgery. Surgery was 8/15.

Yes, 32lbs is a good loss over two months. There’ll always be people who lose more/lose faster while others lose more slowly & there’s nothing wrong with either way. Yes stalls can be frustrating but they are an important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body takes stock of the changes you’ve made (weight loss, reduced food intake, increased activity, etc.). Think of it as your body being stressed by these changes. Your body then resets things like your digestive hormones, metabolic rate etc. so it can better manage your new needs. Your stall will end when your body is ready to move forward again & they usually last 1-3 weeks on average. Leave the scales for a few days or reduce how often you weigh yourself. Take some body measurements as some say the scales don’t move but their body is still getting smaller.

This is so true! I’m 2 weeks out as of tomorrow, and everyday there are huge strides. One thing: dumping syndrome is no joke, so be sure to do what your medical team is telling you to do and don’t do something stupid like have a half-cup of Thai soup broth with coconut milk in it—like this idiot did. (Me😬) You are going to be just fine, @Danielle07!

Lunchbag Letdown. Was scheduled for my RNY today at 2:15pm. Arrived at the appointed check-in time of 11:00am and sat patiently for a couple of hours with an IV started wearing a very drafty gown and see through blue booties. The surgeon dropped by to let me know they were running behind and it would be 2-3 hours longer as they were taking the RNY case before me next. 2-3 hours turned into 4 then 5, then I was advised an emergency case had come in and had 'stolen' my nursing team and my surgery needed to be cancelled for today. Now I'll wait to hear from the surgeon's office some time over the next few days to get a new date. If there's an upside, the surgeon gave me a 'free pass' to eat whatever I want tonight and to just follow a low fat/low carb diet from tomorrow until my new date; I won't need to hop back on the OptiFast liquid diet train again. Yes it sucks, but it can always be worse - I wasn't the emergency case, so I'll take that as a win.

Peggy Anne, I feel your pain. I'm supposed to move from pureed to more soft foods this week. I have stalled in my weight loss but I also have a thyroid issue now apparently. My dr did a blood check last week and my t4free is low but I quit my Levothyroxine at the time of the surgery bc they told me the thyroid was too high at that point...smh. For the last week I've been so tired I can barely walk, and then I developed a rash on the thyroid area of my neck and other thyroid symptoms so I started the meds back a couple of days ago but they still haven't helped. I called the nurse at my surgeon's office to ask if they had seen my results (i got them the next day) and she said basically she could make me an appointment but that really isn't their issue? I guess she wanted me to see my primary care dr but since I don't actually HAVE A REGULAR DR I told her I'm seeing my nephrologist tomorrow and I'd see if he could tell me what to do. I'm kind of like Why am I following up with the surgeon at all bc apparently if there is an issue, he won't handle it so I'm going to get labs done and sent to him to tell me to see a regular dr.???? About your meatballs....I had 1/4 lb of ground beef I cooked w./brown gravy and put over some mashed potatoes that stayed down so I took out a 1 lb pack of 12 frozen, pre-made meatballs last night that I thought I'd cook down in some spaghetti sauce. Didn't consider adding cheese but I thought I'd cook meatballs in the air fryer and then drain well and add to some store bought sauce. I am missing vegetables, carbs too like rice, breads, potatoes, etc. but the veg is almost a craving since I haven't had anything green in 30 days. I'm maybe eating 2-3 times a day, I also tried a piece of baked tilapia with butter and seasonings that stayed down well with no issues. It seems anything without a sauce or gravy causes issues, nothing too dry. Other than that I seem to be progressing along in the healing up process. Now if I can just get the strength back and walk across the room ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ:)

Hello, I know stalls are frustrating, but we all have them. Your body has to adjust and that is what happens when you stall in the beginning, once you re further out, you have to look at what you are eating, how much, and if you are exercising enough. As far as 32 pounds in 2 months... sounds good to me. Its more than you probably lost in 2 month pre-surgery. 😊

So I got my surgery on June 22nd - about nine weeks ago. I am 5'8", 35F, and started out at 320, I'm currently 288 for a loss of 32 pounds over about two months. Is that okay? For the last week or so, I've had a really rough stall and barely been losing anything. Some days I'll even gain a pound. This is my second stall. I normally eat between 600 and 1000 calories (mostly about 800) and almost entirely protein really. Is there an issue with me? Is my weight loss rate okay or is it too slow? I feel like I should have lost like 50 pounds by now. What about this stall?

I think I misspoke, I did lose 3 lbs week one (plus the 6 lbs of water weight from 4 days of IV fluids) and 5 lbs week 2 in total 14 lbs but really I shouldn't count the water so 8lbs. My sister reminded me this very morning that an 8 lb loss in 2 weeks is amazing. I always want to hurry up and wait. As for the meatball recipe it was 1 of 4 recommended recipes except I added the ricotta trying to get my protein up. I'm supposed to be eating 5 to 6 servings of 2 oz of meat a day and I can't seem to get past 1 1/2. So far I can do one meal and 2 protein shakes or visa versa. I fear my metabolism will stall if I can't get more in but for now it's day by day. I appreciate the input though. Everyone is so helpful in this group and I'm loving it.

Most post-op diet plans I see here seem like standard weight loss diets. Some of them seem quite draconian. My surgeon's philosophy was different. From the very beginning he stressed that I was learning a new way of eating. This was a new way for me, but most rational people would view as "healthy" and nothing much out of the ordinary. This would be for the rest of my life. As I said in my previous post, I didn't count things in my plan beyond basic meal planning: Protein first then some veggies. I started at what most here would call a "maintenance diet." In the first 6 weeks, it was no different than my most recent 6 weeks, other than the food was pureed. When I reached goal, nothing changed. I had no desire nor inclination to live the rest of my life dieting. Good luck, Tek

Day 1 of the liquid diet for me too. So far I've forgotten my box of liquid IV and all my little water flavoring packets. I did stop and pick up a box of crystal light along with some sugar-free jello since I'm allowed to have that as well. I'm making due with some of the protein I bought for after surgery until I can get to Sams this afternoon and get premade shakes because my approved list for pre-op liquid diet is tiny. I'm supposed to drink two 8oz glasses of regular OJ everyday, and I drank the first one and yeah, that hit me like a lead balloon. I think I lost about 1/2 of the 22 lbs you were talking about earlier hahaha but serously! I hope everyone's getting excited. Counting down the days and praying they go as quickly as the last few weeks have gone. Just trying to figure out how I'm going to make it all work with no PTO to cover my surgery days. I only have 20 hours left and that won't cover much considering I have to go to Mayo this Friday for 3 appointments so there's anther 5+ hours gone since Mayo is 6 hours away. I'll be driving all day. YUCK! And I'm supposed to cut out caffeine completely too? Somethings just aren't fair hahaha

You shouldn’t be experiencing a slow weight loss at only 2 weeks out, especially if this is the original bariatric surgery. Even with a revision, you shouldn’t be stalled (speaking as someone who has been). Looking at the ingredients in your meatball shake, though, I’m not surprised. The meatballs, ricotta and Parmesan are heavy, even though they’ve been blitzed. It sounds like you’re trying to move through the food stages to get to “regular” food again too quickly. This reminds me of a scene in an episode of “ER,” where a bariatric patient swore he was drinking his shakes. Turns out, the ingredients were pizza, an entire fried chicken dinner, and any kind of fast food you can think of, all blended in a blender. We all understand how it feels to be so desperate to get to solid-(ish) foods. The best thing we can do is follow the plan to the letter (and keep after the constipation, that’ll weigh you down, too). Take care, and keep up the good work.