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385.6 H 6/14/10 366.5 Surgery 6/29/10 Current: 322 Had three week stall weeks 5-7 but also added more calories and protein and lost 16lbs in past three weeks.

I had my sleeve on December 10th, and not sure of my regerts just yet. If you would have asked me a week ago I would've told you yeah I regret the surgery its painful it's slow going its hard during the holidays umm everyone tells me that eventually it's going to get better. I'm finally back at work today my back is just killing me sitting in a chair but I know I need to work through this its just right now it sucks. Why the heck does your back hurt so much? Also I gained 2lbs??? I have heard of the three week stall does this make sense?

So my first week big loss… next three weeks stall… they suggested I up my calories and protein… now I gained! 🤦🏽‍♀️ This is really frustrating! Im tracking everything - weigh and measure every bite. I’m hoping there’s going to come a point where my body just gets it together and everything clicks… I’m just wondering when that will be. Right now I’m feeling very bloated and constipated (things moving, but slowly).

My three week stall seems to have officially ended! It started just shy of three weeks post op for me and lasted for about 3.5 weeks.

I was beginning to think I was the only one here! Doing great on this end. I have really had no issues or complications. I went through the "three week stall" and came out unscathed. Steadily dropping, with no hunger and no food issues. I'm glad you are excited, you're like 9 days away! Anxious.....yup, been there too. I just wanted the surgery over so I could start this journey. This has been life changing for me, even at just shy of 2 months post-op. This site has been a Godsend, my life line to the sleeved world. I am so excied for you!

First, thank you to everyone that posted not only where they are but their personal struggles as well. It's a big deal to know that I am not alone here...I knew that, of course, but it's nice to really see it's true. So many things that were written really resonated with me and it was good to see the approaches you guys take. I suppose that right now I'm realizing that I am a horrible hypocrite. Yes, indeed, I am. I must be. I have posted multiple times over the past year about being happy with accomplishments we've made and not worrying about a number on the scale. And here I am, making myself insane in my own head because of a number on the scale. A number that, quite frankly, does very little to even impact how I look. I might not like my snug pants, but they're still a 5/6 and I'm still in a small. I have reassured my friends like coops over and over again that they're successes and here I am beating myself up like I'm a failure. Quite frankly, I'm being ridiculous. Not about wanting to keep on top of things and certainly not about wanting to perfect a way to slide back into loss when I need to. Certainly those are valuable things to learn because maintenance is the long haul and who knows what will happen as I get older and naturally tend to hang on to weight? (Even more than I already do, blech!) I am definitely dealing with some hormonal/emotional wackiness postpartum and where we live does not help. I need abundant sunshine to feel good - days on end of overcast gloominess really affect my mood. I also have a great deal of stress, partly just because of life and this feeling that we're hemorrhaging money lately but also because I try so hard to shape my future and stay on top of things and we have a lot going on. Additionally, crazy as it sounds but a book of poetry I recently read just crawled in my brain and reawakened so many old emotional feelings and really made me reflect on who I am and why. I've been worrying it in my brain for weeks now and I keep trying to find these things I can just "fix" so I'll be back to how I was feeling a few months ago. And let us not forget what sleep deprivation does to a body and mind! I keep wanting to Google things like, "When will this baby ever sleep?!" but I know that it will be at least another month or so before I'm able to get more rest. With all this, weight seems like it should be an easy target, but it's just not. Am I in a better emotional place than I was three years ago? Most assuredly. But it's kind of sad and puts a control freak like me on edge to realize that it's not all gone - that I still have some issues that need attention or work, or that might never go away. A big hallelujah for the fact that I am still fortunate enough to not be battling non-stop hunger or food obsession. But let's just say that when you're not paying attention, a real desire to eat does not have to be there to overindulge or mindlessly snack. I've gone totally off the rails the last few days, eating the sloppiest I have eaten at all since my surgery and after going back and logging all my calories to the best of my memory, I was disheartened to see that I'm eating 1,800 calories a day or more, mostly in junk slider foods. Foods that do not taste good to me, do not satisfy me and even make me sick. I've been having digestive issues all week and no wonder! You know, it's sad...really sad, because I am NOT EVEN HUNGRY. I am not eating for stress. I am eating JUST BECAUSE. Just because it's there and I can. I realized last week that I was a bit peckish for a sweet in the evening and we had nothing to suit what I was looking for (okay, junk, I admit it) in the entire house. So the next time I shopped I bought a bunch of junk! And you know what that stuff does even when you're not triggering cravings? It makes you feel like crap, I swear. Not just physically but mentally. I'm up one pound on the scale, too, and I'm lucky it's just one. Today, I am fasting. I feel good. Well, the sun is shining and I'm sure that helps. But that junk got packed up in a bag and sent to the office with my husband. Let his poor coworkers divide the stuff up, I don't want it in the house. I don't have to avoid those things forever, but right now is not the time to surround myself with it, either. I've gotten more than one email about doing the 5:2 thing and I might try it. I don't know. At first I was convinced that no way would I even consider another diet. But after reading about it, it's actually pretty close to how I ate in maintenance, when I easily maintained. I'd weigh daily and restrict when I needed, but mostly I ate what I wanted, within reason. I'm not sure if it would help me lose again, and honestly, I'm not sure if I just need to take a step back and stop thinking about my weight entirely. I'm sure some counseling would help because I feel like I've been on a roller coaster since a few months before I had the baby. It's unfortunate that it's just not a real option for me - having a counselor write in paperwork that I need regular counseling can red flag my husband's career, and never mind that it's not supposed to happen that way. It does, trust me. So what am I learning? Wherever I go, there I am. I do not get to escape myself and who I am, or my particular issues, just by changing my location or my body shape or my weight. I am still the same person, happier, yes, less weighed with baggage, yes, but still susceptible to depression or anxiety like I was before. It does no good to beat myself up over this, either, it just adds another stress I don't need. Maintenance is hard, and it is forever. I don't care how fast people get to goal. I don't care how they do it. The fact is that it is hard to stay there, forever, if you do not pay attention and keep yourself accountable. If I had avoided VST, gone off to my hermit hole and kept binging on junk for a few more weeks or months, I could easily find myself up twenty pounds and even more frustrated. We say this to newbies all the time, but it's true. I don't care how long you've tried to build good, new habits. The old ones are ingrained, comfortable and immediately gratifying. I can eat wonderfully for ten months straight, but give me a few days with the old foods and tack on some emotional struggles or some boredom and I'll slide right back into the habit of grabbing a snack here and a dessert there. Maintenance is the real battle and it makes things like the three week stall pale in comparison. It is ridiculous to pursue perfection. There is nothing wrong with pursuing a goal. And there is everything right about wanting to be a better person today than I was yesterday, to continually improve myself. But I have a problem with telling myself that I'll be happier, or feel more accomplished, or whatever, once I achieve "X" goal. That's B.S. Because I always have another goal or another reason to beat myself up waiting. I beat myself up for being fat. I was going to be totally happy when I got to 160 pounds and could wear a size 12 again. Then I exceeded that goal. Then it was the skin. I'll be happy once the skin is gone. No, I won't. Because then I'm going to beat myself up over my scars. Or over my lack of physical fitness. Or over the fact that I'm still not 100% over all of my emotional traumas. I'll always find a reason to defeat myself in my pursuit of perfection. The fact is, I need to learn how to love the skin I'm in and the person I am and I still struggle with this. If I tell myself, even whispering it in the most hidden part of my mind, that I'll love myself more when I reach a certain place, I am defeating myself. I am ensuring that I will never be totally happy and totally at peace. Anyway, I'm sorry for the long post. But if you haven't realized now that the way I work things out for myself is by writing them out, you haven't been paying attention! I appreciate all of the advice here. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. The first thing is to try and deal with some of what's bothering me, and I think that weight loss is secondary to that right now. I do want to get back on track, though, so I'm going to focus this week on eating properly again. Beyond that, the scale is going away. I can weigh once a week right now, and so long as I don't see an upward trend I will need to be happy with that. This is not a food issue or an exercise issue for me. This is entirely emotional, and everything I'm dealing with stems from that point. New methods to attack the weight loss are only going to help part of my issue, and it's the smallest part, I think. ~Cheri

Google three week stall. In my experience, stalls are very common. In fact, during my loss phase (I got to goal at 1 year and 4 days post-op), the periods of stall vastly outnumbered the periods of loss. It is just part of the process. Hang in there. Stick to you plan and make the right decisions and the weight will come off. Good luck!

I had my surgery in Feb and experienced about a three week stall where my weight loss was very slow and then it picked up again. Right now I've been at the same number on the scale for almost 2 weeks and it's very frustrating. Has anyone else experienced another stall 3-4 months after surgery? I'm still working out 5-6 days a week and getting all my Protein and everything it's just frustrating. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The three week stall is normal and expected. Normal stalls are at 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and so on. The thing to do to help break them is to UP your calories and exercise. When we eat so small a number of calories, our bodies go into starvation mode and slow our metabolism as much as possible. Exercise helps combat that. And you need to eat a little more (especially protein) when you are going to be exercising. Realize that you didn't gain this weight at a rate of 30 pounds a month, so it's not going to come off at that rate either. Also realize that the weight is coming off. And this time, it is gone forever! So even if it's not as fast as you like (believe me, I'm in the same boat), just sit back and enjoy the ride. This time next year you will be MUCH smaller!

Right???!!! I thought the three week stall was a myth. The Lochness monster of the WLS world, if you will. Then BAM! Three week stall, right on schedule.

I heard that there was a three week stall, does anyone know what's that about? When does it usually end? I got to my third week and I've only lost half a pound after four days. I hate to call it a stall because I can tell my stomach looks smaller and my clothes keep getting looser.... it's just frustrating that the scale numbers won't budge especially because I had a short term goal of 169 by the 7th and I'm still 5 pounds away.

I don't know if I have hit a stall yet. I got so worried about the dreaded three week stall and the frustration and anxiety that could come it that I stopped weighing at my three week mark. I will weigh in again this weekend or at my 5 week point. I'm four weeks out today and feeling great. I can notice a difference in my energy level no matter if I get enough sleep or not. I am very happy with my sleeve!

Hey! I had the sleeve done 1/7/20. I’m official down 60 pounds! I did just come off a three week stall which was so frustrating, but then I lost 7 pounds in 4 days 😂 crazy how this works. I don’t get all my fluid, but I try to get close. Only food I’ve had a problem with are the greasy meats. Sausage, bacon, brats, etc. other than that things have been great!

Just curious about everyone’s experience. I’ve heard there’s a week 3 stall that nearly everyone experiences. I’m just finishing our week 3 and my loss has stalled. Even gained a pound. I assume it’s because of soft foods being introduced.

I know what the three week stall is. The weight loss of 2 pounds in a week happened from day 7 to day 14. I didn't realize something like this could happen this early.

Update: Still noticing some bleeding from the large incision, and the other day I thought there was a piece of the scab rubbing on my shirt that was causing it so I pulled it and it was some of my stitches!! This was right before New Years so I had to wait a few days to call the doctor's office. I put some gauze on it and when I took it off the stitches came off with it (just three stitches I think). The PA told me not to worry, that it's normal to get a little bleeding, that it means it's healing. Not to worry about the stitches either, that the doctor leaves a little bit exposed and there's not a problem with it coming out at this point. So I got some large band-aid type Patches that I wear now, they're actually great because now my shirt doesn't rub against the incision. Hopefully will all be better soon. Looks like I may be hitting the three week stall though. For the first time, I had the same weight two days in a row and then this morning was actually up 4/10 of a pound. Although I still feel great and am already able to wear some suits that didn't fit me a month ago. Looking forward to being able to exercise in a few weeks.

I hit a three week stall and was totally stressing over it. But now moving on to week four and I'm beginning to lose again Last appt the Dr took me off all my blood pressure meds which was over all my main goal of all this. YAY me!

@@MargieW Expect a stall at around 3 week out. Don't panic! It happens to 99% of us and is completely normal. Google the Dreaded Three Week Stall to see why it happens.

Up date.. my opinion on raw natural honey. I was at a three week stall. I figured I needed to up my protein and water intake. So im drinking protein shakes, and 1 pint water with 1/4 cup of honey Daily. To my surprise woke up this morning to see a 4 lbs weightloss for the week. Finding that raw organic honey is not bad. In my opinion. Im going to continue to drink honey water when I want something different then just plain water. I'll keep this updated.

@NickelChip Sorry to hear you're being sick and are back to liquids ... that must be hard. But I'm sure that even if you struggle, you've got this . @LisaCaryl I hope you get help with dehydration and that the nausea passes soon. I hope you have someone with you who is taking care of you. Holding you both in my thoughts. @Rae70 Be kind to yourself and your sleeve, take it slow as @NickelChip and @Noelle74 say your sleeve probably needs some time to recover. @Noelle74 The three week stall is the absolute pits, it does end up by passing though. I'm also finding the waiting to drink a total bore and have started setting a timer on my phone for 30 minutes once I've finished eating.

You're just experiencing the "three week stall" that almost everyone experiences. This will be the first of many stalls you will go through in your journey. During my six month pre-op diet program, my weight loss was linear (3 pounds a week like clockwork for six months). During my seven months post-op, it has been more like a step function. I lose 10 pounds in 10 days or so, and then I stall for a week to 10 days. Then the cycle repeats. My advice is to stay off of the scale for the first month, and then to only get on the scale with a frequency that won't cause you mental anguish. Some people can weigh every day and contextualize what it is saying without causing distress. Others can't do that. You'll do yourself a big favor to figure out which camp you are in and weigh accordingly. Good luck!

Thanks Shelly, I didn't know about the three week stall. But I will watch for it, for me I know it going to be a long hall. right now I just worried if/when I will return to feeling some what normal, with the nauseous and fatigue

I am right there with you!! My surgery was 9/10 and I weigh every Sunday! Last week I was down 26, and this week...... Exactly still 26 . It's the three week stall. I am just going to focus on fluids and Protein this week and not go near the scale until next week. I was also told that our bodies have a "memory" too, and I can't help but notice that I was stuck at 238 for about a year, which is exactly where I am now. So smile and embrace it, some of us are arm in arm with ya right now Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Not everyone has pounds melting off. You have lost 34 pounds total and that is a lot of weight. Your body doesn't know preop from post op weight loss. It is healing and adjusting. Make sure you are getting your Protein, Water and enough calories in so your body doesn't go into starvation mode. I average 125g protein, no worries! Only 800-1000 cals (max 1200 on a heavy workout day), but that is per my dietician's precise instructions. Your take on "Your body doesn't know preop from post op weight loss" is interesting. I lost 21 pounds in the month before surgery, so it sure seems like post-op - with reduced hunger and forcibly smaller portion size, not to mention a two-week liquid diet - I'd be losing MORE than that, you know? I mean, the surgery is meant to make us lose weight, not just maintain it. But that didn't happen. The loss I had was mostly from crazy cardio. I just didn't think losing weight with the sleeve would be this hard. I read posts about the three-week stall, but that's AFTER someone loses, like, 30 pounds or so! I guess my frustration is exacerbated by the fact that I self-paid. This was a very, very expensive 12 pounds. :/

I too was sleeved 12/5. I was down 20 lbs but gained 2 and and have stalled since 12/21. I do see inches coming off but I wonder what my doctor will think when I see him on Thursday. 1st 2 Weeks loose 20 and second 2 weeks I gain 2. The three week stall seems to be holding on to me.