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almost everyone has their first stall within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. It's called the three week stall since it's USUALLY the third week, but not always. Just stick to your plan - the weight will start dropping again. Mine lasted for two weeks

Three week stall ... it's not an urban myth . Google it.

I also had the three week stall. As well as a couple others along the way so don’t be discouraged if this isn’t the only one. I am almost 8 months out now and while the loss has slowed I am still losing. Just stick to your plan and the weight will just start dropping again.

happens to about 90% of us. If you do a search on this site for the "three week stall" (yes, it's so common it even has a name), you will find over 17,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding. just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days - and know that it will eventually break and you'll be on your way again. It usually lasts 1-3 weeks.

re: weight loss, You usually come home from the hospital weighing more than you did when you went in because they pump you full of fluids during your surgery. It takes a few days to get all that water out of your system. Secondly, almost everyone has their first stall right out of the gate - as in within the first month. They call it "the three week stall" because it's usually the third week out, but not always. Mine was weeks 2 and 3. Once I hit week four, it broke and I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. Just keep following your program and the weight will start coming off. I should add that not everyone drops 30 lbs the first month - in fact, I've been hanging around bariatric sites long enough to know that that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. I lost 16 lbs the first month. I was a slow loser practically the whole time and ended up losing over 200 lbs. Just stick with your program and it'll happen - whether fast or slow!

Thanks Sleeve of Steel. I've been mainly walking now, since I don't really live close to a gym, but once school starts up again, I'm going to their gym. I'm probably saying the wrong phrase, lol. I guess I took net gain from profits or sales terms, and put them in a sleeve-situation! Let's say you eat 800 calories in a day and do some exercise that burns 300 calories. I'm calling that 500 (800 in minus 300 out) calories a "net gain." I'm bad with phrases. I'm surprised your doctor says to start 1200 calories immediately. A lot of people I see on here don't reach that until a few, or several, months out. I didn't get the three week stall, so I'm guessing this is my body just being stubborn and going to be doubly frustrating and making me stall longer than I should.

First of all, 12 pounds in 3 weeks is right on target, so you're doing fine! Many people gain weight immediately after surgery because of all the IV fluids, which can skew your early results. Many people have a stall in the first month (commonly referred to as the "three week stall" because it often starts right around week 3, but that varies from one person to the next). If you follow your surgeon's plan, you WILL lose weight. I know it's hard to be patient, but you have to be. What did your surgeon say about exercise? Some surgeons actually discourage strenuous exercise in the beginning because, as you've discovered, you don't have enough energy while you're eating so little. Are you walking at all? It is good to walk a little, even if it's just around the house or up and down the street, but you don't need to be going to the gym or anything at this point. Did you exercise regularly before surgery? If not, you'll probably need to start slowly.

sounds like the three week stall that almost all of us go through (it isn't always the third week - it can happen any time within the first six weeks or so post-surgery). If you do a search on it on this site, you'll find hundreds - if not thousands - of posts on it. I had mine weeks 2 and 3. Just stick to your program - your weight loss will eventually start up again.

This is a common stall called the "three week stall" Don't freak, your weight will come down after a while. At 2 1/2 weeks I had a 4 week stall. You are not eating enough to gain weight, so deep breath, things will be fine. Get your protein in, and sip sip sip. You need your water. Do not let yourself get dehydrated or you will have to go to the emergency room! It also makes you feel horrible. Logically you have to know you will not stay the same and stop losing forever. Come on girl! You will be fine!

I was the seventh and just about to post this exact same thing - I had lost 14 pounds at two weeks post op ( I started at 223 so the slower loss is expected ) and haven't lost a single pound from week two to week three. I've heard of the three week stall but I too was so used to watching the scale go down - I'm still on purée and was on liquids for two weeks- all I've had so far in the purée stage is cream of chicken and mashed potatoes one time and an egg one time ( I couldn't even finish half the egg) so I haven't "cheated" per say - this sure is annoying to say the least- I was hopeful to see a one on the scale for the new year and at this rate I'll be lucky to even loose a pound :/ Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My story is very similar to yours. I'm a very strong woman and have made wise decisions in life but I always felt like a failure with my weight. I too, had watched all the videos about WLS that had turned out badly but at 60 years old I was out of options. My surgery was very successful without any problems. My point is you have made a very wise decision to have your surgery. I did not have the option when I was your age and I struggled my whole life. I bet I had lost and gained over 400 pounds in my life. Surgery is not a free pass to weight loss. You will still have to battle every day with food BUT you now will have a fighting chance and hope for a healthy life. BTW the three week stall after surgery is real. It will pass! Best of luck on your journey and believe me when I say it will be a journey.

Hi Splat, No worries. I totally get it. I was just there last week (three week stall). I saw my surgeon yesterday for my one month postop and to advance to soft foods and finally saw the scale moving again. I was starting to freak out that I hadn't lost anything in two weeks. Saw my specialist doctor for the bariatrics and nutrition info today and learned that since my water intake was still below 60 oz, my body was holding onto water to preserve it. Another interesting thing I learned was that even though I was getting in all my protein usually through shakes and a bit of my pureed stage at the time, it did not amount to enough calories. With two 30 grams of protein each in the premier shakes I was using, calorie count was only at 160 calories each! She told me I actually at three weeks to one month post op need to be around 800-1000 calories and protein should be increased from 60 g to 80 g or more. I am now diligently watching my meal preps and making sure I eat even when I am not "hungry". She told me it is not about tastes or when I want to, it's about supplementing my body so it can function. I left with the promise of trying harder on both water and protein intake. Suffice it to say I stepped on scale today as I had stopped 3 days ago from discouragement and was pleasantly surprised stall had broken and I am down 3 lbs in 3 days! Hang in there and I hope this helps you. Aloha[emoji4] Sent from my SM-N920P using BariatricPal mobile app

Michell, Everyone here is right. That three week stall is a bugger!! Just keep doing what you know you have to do: work on getting in your Protein and your Water, walk as much as you can, do a little light weigts for your arms (to avoid the jiggle arms) and don't worry about it. I'm a classic control freak, but I've found that I have to let go of what I can't control here and let my sleeve do it's job. I'm on MFP as well (Lissa912 if you want to friend me) and, at two months and three weeks out, I've lost nearly 60 pounds. I've been floating between 295 and 299 for over a week, but I didn't let it frustrate me because my clothes were getting bigger and bigger. Have you read about NSV's yet? Those are Non scale Victories. Check out that thread in success stories and definitely keep your eyes open for them. It makes letting go of the scale obsession so much easier when you start seeing all the other positive things that happen besides dropping pounds! Good luck on your journey!!

the lack of weight loss the last few days could be the infamous "three week stall". I had mine during weeks 2 and 3. The weight loss should start up again in a week or two...just stick to your plan.

@@Dknal2 that's an amazing weight loss! My dr has me come weekly for the first six weeks post op and he said my weight loss was pretty rapid and he wanted to see it slow down because I'm loosing ppm and ffm a little to rapid:/ you are kicking butt tho! I was hopeful to see a one on the scale for the new year but I'm sitting steady at 207 and I've been warned of the three week stall- so I guess I'll get there eventually when I get there lol Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Search the forums for "three week stall". It happens to almost everyone.

I finally broke through 250 after a three week stall. I started doing keto and going to the gym 3 times a week. My workout: 20 minute Cardio (I try to do at least a mile) Dynamic Stretches (bear crawls, frog jumps, inch worm) Strength training (squats, lunges and all arm exercises are weighted.) Another 20 minutes are cardio (my second mile) Stretch and go home My workout is never the same. Maybe download the Nike fit app great workouts for all levels on there.

I'm really discouraged and feeling completely ashamed about almost EVERYTHING following this surgery. Pretty much the same amount of self-loathing before the procedure! The three week stall, the weird things happening to my insides, the stomach acid...I could go on. It's all distressing. And frustrating. Even though I'm on soft foods now, I still can't get in enough calories on high Protein stuff. I try to choke down 1/4 cup of tuna or egg salad each day for lunch but I can't force myself to eat more than 4-5 bites of it. Two days ago I decided to eat a piece of pizza and I was able to eat the whole slice! Then another a few hours later! It was music to my mouth and I was SO relieved to be able to eat something. But now? Eater's remorse. I feel like crap for doing that now because I feel like this isn't the right food to be eating. The last day or so I've done a tortilla once or twice a day with a little cheese and guacamole and have been able to eat and enjoy it. Again, I feel like this is not what I should be having but my hunger is starting to finally come back & I want to start eating more. I'm going to bake salmon tomorrow & see how I tolerate that but I really hate that the high protein foods I'd LIKE (and NEED) to be eating aren't being tolerated successfully. Please tell me others have had this happen and have gone on to do better, have the ability to eat the "right" foods over time AND have gone on to lose weight.

Hang in there folks, we have been told about these stalls we would have along the way but when it finally happens to you, it really is a bummer. Two or three week stalls are so emotional for all of us. Thank the good Lord we have each other for support. I have come to the conclusion the CARBS are on my worst enemy list.

Hold on, I'm about to use SCIENCE! Your body has a set number of calories it burns even if you are completely inert (sleeping, G-d forbid in a coma, etc.). It's called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It fluctuates with your weight and with how fast your metabolism is. For, say, a 40-year-old, 5'4" woman who weighs 250 lbs (not unusual for a bariatric patient), BMR is around 1800. Now add on any kind of daily living to that, which required calories, and you end up with a number called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). If you're the same woman above and you're sedentary, your TDEE might be 2200; if you are one of those nutters like me who goes to CrossFit and goes running and works a physical job, your TDEE might be as much as 3000 calories. Now. You've had your surgery. You are not physically capable of eating anywhere near that amount. Let's say you're at 800 calories a day. Simply by eating those 800 calories and existing, your body will naturally be in a 1000 calorie a day deficit. Add in sedentary lifestyle, and you're in a 1400 calorie a day deficit. Generally speaking, about 3500 calories is a pound lost (this is not always true and can be overcome by fluid retention, fluid balance, hormonal changes, menstruation, eating really salty foods, vitamin deficiencies, etc.). Now let's say you're "overeating" and you're doing 1200 calories a day; you're still 600 calories short of your caloric needs just to exist, and 1000 calories short of what you need for a sedentary lifestyle. You are going to lose weight. You are not going to 'ruin' anything. What is happening to you is your body is rebalancing its fluids. That is why the "three-week stall" happens. Every body is subject to the rules of CICO (calories in calories out), and eventually CICO will take over from your body's rebalancing and the numbers will drop again. And do measure yourself once a week! Bust/chest, waist, abdomen, hips, thighs, calves, biceps, neck. This week I didn't lose a ton of weight BUT I lost a half inch off my waist, and I can tell because my trousers keep slipping and I had to put a new hole in my belt. One suggestion: don't weigh every day. And if you can't help it—some people just have to, I'm one of them—keep a running tally and then pick a day, let's say Tuesday, and average your weight over the last seven days. Then use the average weight to gauge progress, not the number on the scale that day. Where the thick smoothies and things come in is that your stomach is still healing from the trauma of surgery. But here's the thing—your body will TELL you when it doesn't like something you eat. It will clam up your stomach. Or make you nauseated. Or have unstoppable hiccups until your stomach empties. Or give you the sniffles (which is SUPER AWESOME during a respiratory pandemic, let me tell you). I ate a bite of an egg roll yesterday and got punished for it. So... tl;dr... don't worry too much about it, especially at first. Feed your body the protein and liquid it needs, and then move on to other foods.

You are doing fine. Some folks gain weight from the IV in surgery. I gained 10 pounds during the first two days. It will come off. There is also a three week stall that is soooo disappointing... get ready for that too... and you do not feel real restriction until you get to dense protein at 4-6 weeks, so do not freak out. Just hang in there, the body is just trying to figure out what the heck you have done to it... You will start losing soon. Just make sure you drink your water, stay away from a lot of salt and walk walk walk. Good luck!

I am four weeks out. I made my husband hide my scale because it didnt move in four days and I freaked out. I googled and it seems lots of people talk about a three week stall. Did any else experience this? I am going to the gym 5 times a week and trying to get all my protien in. I am just not sure what to do?

I agree with the above poster - many people don't loose weight for a week or so because you can gain up to 9-10 lbs from the fluids they fill you with during surgery. Or, you may be in the "three week stall" which can happen early and last for a few weeks. Make sure you're getting all your water and protein, and hang in there!

Google three week stall. This will be the first of many stalls throughout your journey. My entire post-op weight loss journey was a series of stalls. (In fact the time period of stalls were more than the time period of loss in number of days...)

Search for Three Week Stall.