Search the Community

I had my "three-week stall" during weeks 2 and 3 - so yes, it could be it. If it goes on for more than two or three days, then yea - that's likely it. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale if it starts messing with your mind too much. It'll eventually break and you'll be on your way again...

this is part two… part one brought me to surgery with my weight loss adventure .. (quick warning, i tried not to be graphic but an infection is referenced) now I am someone who weighs almost every day for several months but i have trained my brain to be chill about the number… just watch for trends because bodies are sometimes heavier for non fat related reasons… i have seen my body go up, down and drop drastically and rise rapidly all while loosing weight as a trend… now i am in my early post op and start with my surgery weight of 351.4 on 11/3/22 sat, 11/5/2022 - day 2 post op after first night home - i dropped to 349.4 - considering swelling and fluids I was satisfied because I thought that I would have been up.. sun, 11/6 - 348.4 - spent lots of time walking in my yard gathering pecans with my picker upper stick for a few days - more than 5 gallons worth mon, 11/7 - 347.6 struggling with fluids, slight pull feeing while sitting and standing but otherwise good! tues, 11/8 - 349.2 - more sore but not really in pain.. i attributed this to walking a bit much the day before and trying to get more fluids… tried to power through and keep being as active as i could… (today i also had bathroom success lol) Wednesday, 11/9 - 349.2 - incision area hurting more and thought that I truly overdid it and took a lazy day… mild temp of barely 99 Thursday 11/10 - 347 - more pain in big incision area and it was warmer, mild fever 99.8 degrees- still blaming myself for pushing myself to be so active post op. took a super lazy day (even made someone get a birthday cake for my son who turned 19) friday 11/11 - 345.4 - something was wrong. pain was so much worse getting up and down and even sometimes moving. temp went to 100.8 in morning and i was feeing off. called dr and waited for call back. incision area looked ok but felt warm and kinda harder than it did.. not much redness… by 1 pm temp spiked to 101.7 even with tylenol. called again to dr and said something was wrong … they called in antibiotics and made appt for monday to see how i would respond. 11/11 - trip to town going to antibiotics- my husband drove .. we went into aldi to pick up a couple items before going to kroger to get meds and another grocery order ( we were feeding guests on saturday playing a game) and i actually have little memory or the store trip just bits and pieces … i told my husband i had a big problem and my pants were wet.... my infection, well, ruptured while in store.. we went to kroger to get antibiotics where i took one in the parking lot then i fell asleep immediately in the car for the ride home (unusual).. when finally hope after another stop i slept through, i groggily made my way in the house, cleaned myself up with hibclens and stumbled into bed without bandaging my still seeping wound and wrapped up shivering … and immediately went back to sleep… my mom called an hour or two later and i answers on my watch.. groggy and not very coherent.. hard to love, hard to talk, slurring words.. she called my husband who was doing another errand and he eventually came home and checked on me .. i was not medicated as he thought and still seeping a lot and he bundled me up and brought me to the er despite my slurring attempts to protest that i was perfectly fine and just wanted to sleep.. the er had a full waiting room, but when the staff talked to me and saw the state of the towel against my incision area - i was not only taken back but in a room immediately… my bad veins were acting up.. 7 different iv attempts and had to get an arterial pull for blood.. multiple bags of fluid, potassium iv, multiple antibiotics, a ct with contrast, .. in other words a long long night.. 11/12 - 7 am my surgeon came to er and i was more coherent than most of the night… i had a large infection and was a little dehydrated … but with the treatment already received and the iv antibiotics combined with oral, he thought i would be ok and i could go home with a bandages wound and see him monday morning. i slept for a few hours when i got home, then woke up sore and still hurting some but better than i had felt in a few days. bandages changed every couple hours due to drainage. when i got home before 9 am i weighed myself out of curiosity and i was 352. it made me laugh because they really did pump me full of fluids!! every day after got better. less pain, discharge stopped monday and slowly the fluids started to come off. i am now 17 days post op and i am down to 335.6 for the second day in a row. might be that famous 3 week stall early. but i am fine with that because it usually means good healing is finally taking place and the scale with catch up eventually. i can move better than pre surgery and 100% better than six months or a year ago. my stamina still sucks but is improving even with the infection (two types of streptococcal bacteria) I am doing good and on my way to the life that i keep telling myself I deserve to live. i want to make plans and do things for the first time in a few years. i am no longer afraid to go to a store because it hurt my back so badly and turned my face from pale white to tomato red due to the physical effort… i can actually go in without the immediate pain! so far even with the setback this is one of the best things i ever did for me

The stalls are a bit frustrating. I'm having one too, but I'm not as desperate now as I was during my last stall. I have passed my initial goal or getting under 100 kilos (220 pounds). My next two goals are 93 kilos (205 pounds) because then I will have lost an even 20 kilos from my highest weight, and then 91 kilos (200 pounds) which was what I weighed a decade ago after I had my son. Also, 91 kilos / 200 pounds for my height is the cutoff for obesity according to BMI, so once I'm below that I'm considered overweight but no longer obese. I know BMI is not an exact science, but it still makes a difference to me psychologically. Initially, I wanted to be 91 kilos / 200 pounds at the end of this year, but maybe 93 kilos is a more realistic goal. Still, I'm thinking of taking up more exercise to help me reach my goals. I have 7 weeks to go until January 1st, so I should be able to lose at least 3 kilos, and maybe more. Fingers crossed.

I understand and that makes sense. I do know that I have tried everything and nothing has worked so I feel like this is a good alternative for me to trying to do it without the help and support. I keep thinking that if I can make through this two week liquid pre-op I can do it. I believe it will get better for you and hopefully for me when i am at that stage. I thank you for your response. Please keep us updated!

My surgery is December 2nd. I started my two-week liver shrink diet yesterday.

I am one week into the pre-op and the constipation is making me crazy. I read somewhere that it is okay to take colace but I am afraid to take anything without my surgeons approval I plan to call them on Monday but this is day 4 with no bowel movement so it will be 6 days by the time I call them. I don't know if I am over reacting or if i need to do something now. Any suggestions are appreciated!

I am scheduled Nov 28th. I am not going to thanksgiving either not because of covid (I have a really small family, just three of us) but because I know myself and the temptation to eat might be too much, and I am not taking any chances either! I got for my 4 hour nutrition class on Nov 22nd. I will have a week to go ont the liquids after that. I am with you on the hair loss. My hair is baby fine now so this is a real concern. My surgeon said to expect some hair loss but that it will grow back, which is some comfort. In the meantime, I will go buy a wig if it gets too bad I wish you the best, you will do great!!

Flying does sound the best option. I am so happy for you, date is so close. I have another week and couple days. Please keep us posted on how everything is going. You will do fantastic!

Today is exactly 2 months from my surgery. I only lost 8 pounds thanks to a 3 week stall but I did lose 7 inches total from all of my measurements. Last month I lost mostly on my stomach and lost 4 inches just in that one spot. This month I lost mostly on my thighs and calves probably because my only exercise is walking on the treadmill. I'll take any and all progress though! I hope this next month is better then the last but as long as I keep going down, even if its super slow, I'll be happy.

I have been looking for hours and any time I give my number out ,...my phone blows up for a week or more. Please help if you have any information for me.

Hi twin- December 5th for me as well!! (I’m also a Sarah) Skipping thanksgiving this week with the family to avoid getting sick for potential delay. Anyone else in this boat?

I started the Seattle Sutton Healthy Eating program. I thought I was eating lightly but after beginning this program with portion sized meals, I have definitely realized that I wasn't. I've only lost 18 lbs since my first weigh in. I did lose 3 this week though. Congratulations on your successes. You should be so proud of yourself!

the dietitian I did my six-month pre-op diet with had me eating 2000 calories/day and exercising at least 3x a week, I think (well, I'm sure on the calories - I can't remember how often she had me exercising). Between that and the all-liquid two-week diet my surgeon required, I lost 57 lbs (15-20 of that was from the two-week liquid diet)). But then I weighed over 300 lbs, so I would have lost weight on 2000 cal/day no matter what (I was probably eating 3000 calories before that in order to maintain that weight). It wasn't that hard to do. I think i would have struggled on 1200 calories, but then, it's likely I started out much heavier than you.

I agree with the above comment - sounds like it might be a stricture. If you were only not able to keep food down, then a call to your clinic to schedule a upper endoscopy would be fine - but since you can't even keep water down, I'd go to urgent care or the ER. People can live for awhile without food - but not fluids. I had two strictures - one at four weeks out and another at eight weeks out. Easy fix, and you'll feel better immediately if that's what it is. They almost always occur between 1-3 months out (that is, if you have one - happens to about 5% of bypass patients). They've very rare once you get over 3 months out. I know you're only three weeks out, but I think it's possible that is what's going on. I would definitely get it checked out.

I am midway though week 3 post op on purée and going onto soft food that can be cut with a fork next week. The past week I have been having yoghurt, puréed fruits, soft cheeses, super mashed tuna and avocado, and other dips, scrambled egg. I have been away with friends down south for last 3 days though and I have had the odd bite of mushroom, slow cooked lamb rib meat, waygu steak, some soft fish and squid, and a bite of chicken but I chewed every piece until it was almost a paste before I swallowed and I feel worried too.. You’re not alone. I can’t get in more than about 4 teaspoons worth of food in at any given time. Still having optifast/protein shakes, soups, high protein up n’ go’s and water as well as puréed as it’s sometimes easier. I feel ok as I’m not eating past that full feeling but now we are home again I’m sticking with 100% purée until I can start on soft foods next week. I think it’s probably normal to make these little mistakes here and there but I think if you’ve been conscious around how much you’ve chewed these types of things before you swallow it, you should be ok. Just reset and try to always tell yourself to stop when you get the feeling you have had enough.

Oppo squash soup with green papaya, onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and more. (95 cal). I make different versions every week. Different veggies every week. I eat this throughout the day to get my veggies in and stay hydrated. The protein I had was an air fried small tilapia which I ate first. I ate half of it (112 cal). My cat ate the rest.

Wow. Having surgery during the pandemic must have been challenging. I do notice that I'm in a nesting pattern so I smiled when I read that you were too. I'm a 2nd grade teacher and I hope to get back to work after 2 weeks. I'm extremely hopeful that I will be able to. Reading the forums definitely helps as I try to distract myself. Congratulations on your progress. Thank you for your reply.

Congratulations on your date! Sending positive thoughts for a smooth, successful surgery and recovery. I have an upper endoscopy on Wednesday, when my surgeon will look at my hiatal hernia and ulcer which he will fix during my RYN when it is scheduled. But, he will cut some polyps off on Thursday so I will be on a liquid diet Thursday and Greek yogurt for two weeks afterward so I feel you. You have a scheduled date! That's exciting! Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Had my surgery on 10/24. The first week and a half I was steady losing a pound or two a day. For the last 10 days however my weight has gone up and down by the same 1-2 pounds so I guess I’ve hit the dreaded stall that people experience around the 2-3 week mark. I’m down 13 pounds since my surgery date and 24 pounds since starting the pre op diet. I have noticed my pants have gotten baggier and my face is thinner. I started at 215 pounds with a BMI of 34 so I expected my results to be slower since I was on the “lower” size for this surgery. It’s crazy how everyone’s diets are different with each doctor. As of this week I’m allowed most foods with the exception of beef, pork, rice, Pasta, bread, raw vegetables and nuts. I am mostly eating small amounts of chicken, tuna, eggs, refried Beans, cottage cheese and some fruits. My doctor has told me to prioritize Protein and aim for 60 grams a day. I have to drink 1-2 Protein Shakes to accomplish this as my portions are not big enough to get that from food yet. I was also told no straws which is also seems to vary by doctor. I feel like I’m doing ok mostly. I have been struggling mostly with just getting my fluids in. I am supposed to drink 64 ounces a day of which 20 is plain Water. Because I can only take sips and not drink 30 minutes before or after I eat it can be challenging. It takes me a couple hours usually to drink one cup of water. So that’s my biggest hurdle right now. I’m trying to be better with it and track. Any tips? Otherwise I’m looking forward to breaking through this plateau and seeing more progress. Hopefully in the coming weeks the scale will move again. I’m trying not to obsess over it but 20+ years of yo-yo dieting has given a lot of power to that damn thing 😡

Hi all, I’m 3 weeks post op after gastric bypass surgery and the last week I haven’t been able to keep anything down. I’m constantly sipping on water but no matter what I do it comes back up again. Last weekend I made a stupid mistake of having a bite out of a toasted chicken wrap thinking if I chewed it well it wouldn’t do me any harm. I felt absolutely fine afterwards but the following day is when this stage I’m at started. Really worried I’ve done some damage now and don’t know what to do??

I officially started phase 3 of eating today and I started with some of my favorite mongolian BBQ chicken and rice from my favorite Thai place in a very small portion with the chicken cut up into very small pieces. I also didn't want to miss the McRib (it leaves "forever" the 20th lol) so I got it without a bun and cut it in half and then ate half of it cut up really small. I'm having a really good time progressing on foods. Aside from a hiccup where I got sick and vomited up turkey (I shouldn't have ate it during pureed though, I jumped the gun and messed up because we were doing early Thanksgiving and I thought I'd be fine), everything has been fine for me. But what's really crazy is I am officially down 62 pounds. I can hardly believe it. I'm only a month out from my surgery! Albeit, let me add, I was down about 24 pounds before my surgery so I'm really technically down an extra 38 pounds post-op. But it feels so great because I am lower than the weight I was at the beginning of 2020. I can tell I've lost weight in my face and legs at the minimum, but my mother has made multiple comments about how different I look and how much weight I've lost but I keep finding it hard to believe lol. It's those body image issues -- only really hit home I really am losing when I saw my weight yesterday at the doctor's office on the scale. So excited to be on the soft mechanical phase, cannot wait to eat my Sunday chicken dinner. I miss moist chicken soooo much. Wishing everybody good luck and in case I'm not around by next week, happy Thanksgiving to you!

Twice in two weeks but yeh.. I’m not a fan either. Apparently Microlax is not habit forming though so I think that’s the safer one. I just can’t stand feeling blocked. It’s the worst. I think once the diet gets back to normal I should be ok, but will definitely talk to surgeon next time I see him if I’m still having issues.

lots of us take Miralax, stool softeners, or magnesium daily just to keep on top of it. I would only do an enema in an extreme situation - twice a week is a lot. I'd have a chat with your surgeon for sure.

Constipation is very common. It does getter better & you’ll find your periods of constipation won’t be as frequent or last as long. It’s usually worst in the early stages when you’re eating very little, which means you don’t have much to poop out as waste, & on a restricted diet. Once you’re able to eat a little more & a greater variety of food & nutrients, you’ll start to notice an improvement. Keep up your fluid intake & taking your additional fibre. Don’t worry if you don’t go every day (most of us don’t in the beginning) but also don’t let too many days pass before going to avoid discomfort & straining. I used to take a stool softener only if I hadn’t had any movement for two or three days just to keep on top of it. But have a chat with your surgeon if it persists or if you don’t feel comfortable with how long you go without pooping or with how you manage it.

I have been on pantoprazole twice daily since surgery and every time the try and decrease it to once daily my symptoms would flare. Well now I continue to be on it twice daily and my symptoms continue to get worse. So yesterday the added Pepcid, Omeprazole and Sucralfate. I am to give that two weeks and then we will decide if I need a EGD done. Barium swallow yesterday did not show anything abnormal. Frustrated and tired of feeling sick.