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three week stall for sure. Happens to almost everyone. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days if you have to. Your weight loss WILL start up again. My first stall lasted two weeks (weeks 2 & 3). Once my weight loss started up again during week 4, I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days.

I just got back from my three month follow up with my surgeon's office. The APRN was amazed that I lost an average of two pounds week! More than two of those weeks was on 7 day cruise and all inclusive land tour. I ate good, and had a few drinks. Avoided the dinner rolls and other carbs, but there was some cheating. I hit the fitness center on the ship for five of the seven days--that was a good 4000 calories burned! I sampled some bad foods, but I didn't over indulge. A small nibble of the deserts kept me happy. In the past I would have gained several pounds, but I held my own--I see a three week "stall" on my weight charts, which is fine by me. No gain is good! I'm back on the diet plan, and hitting the health club at least 6 days a week. It all pays off, and the band makes it easier. The APRN wanted me back in three months, and I mentioned that I was under Medicare and they don't pay for follow up for surgery... no problem, "I want you back in three months for a follow up." She also asked if I wanted a fill, and I didn't think it was needed, but she said to call anytime if I changed my mind. That is the benefit of being treated by a good surgical group. I may actually hit my personal goal sometime in 2015. For now, life is good. I hope the honeymoon with the band lasts.

Welcome to our three week stall! There is a time honored tradition before this of a stall right now so we are in good company! I am right there with you girl- either up a pound the down a pound and a half then up a pound again- basically stalled this past three days and I refuse to worry- I am getting 80 grams of protein a day, 64 plus ounces of water, and 500-700 calories. I'll up my water and exercise and just keep on keeping on. I am disappointed of course, but I lost 18 pounds on my 2 week pre-op and 12 pounds since and I am sure my body has to figure out what is going on and i will start losing again. So will you!

Water is definitely very important! Your body needs it to function properly. I believe it is also important to us because your body needs water to flush the fat out of your body. As for stalls, water really helped me. I know it doesn't work for everyone but I was in a three-week stall and the only thing I changed was the amount of water I was drinking and I dropped four pounds. I had a hard time getting water down (well, its really liquids, so anything decaf and low cals/carbs should work). At first I had to literally carry around the bottle with me and sip all day. I just hit my six month mark and I can now drink a bit more at a time... but if I'm home I still keep my bottle close to me, just makes it easier. Good luck!

yep - it's the infamous three-week stall - right on schedule!

I was a self-pay patient (my insurance would not provide any coverage due to my BMI being too low to meet their criteria), so I took on the responsibility of educating myself about the surgery prior to having it. I did not attend any classes, have any counseling, or meet with my surgical team in advance, but still felt reasonably equipped with knowledge and confident on the day of surgery. Several reputable bariatric centers - like Stanford, UCLA, and the Mayo Clinic - have information and instructions they provide to their patients available online. I read through it all, as well as published studies in journals and articles, and also found the videos of a bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Wiener who posts on YouTube to be very helpful. I gleaned valuable information from online forums, too, so I was prepared for the "dreaded three week stall" and other common experiences. 1. Did your team discuss your post surgical diet with you in detail before your surgery? No. I received an email with a PDF of the post-surgical diet, and instructions for the 48-hour pre-op preparation diet in advance, but did not discuss it. Had I felt the need to, I could have contacted the surgeon's nutritionist prior to surgery. 2. Did your nurses go over your immediate diet with you in your hospital room? No, but I met with the surgeon's nutritionist the day after the surgery. 3. Were all stages of your diet given to you in written form? Did you understand when to start each stage? Yes, and yes. 4. Did anyone ever tell you not to eat or drink more than a certain number of ounces per hour? I most clearly remember Dr. Weiner's advice on his videos about being careful to avoid having too much liquid at once, but in the month post-op I really could not have tolerated copious amounts anyway. On my instructions it said "sip, sip, sip" to emphasize that you shouldn't guzzle back liquids. 5. Did anyone ever tell you what could happen to you if you ate foods that you weren't approved for yet? It's on all the information bariatric centers and my own surgeon's office provided, but what really captured my attention was reading on this forum about the horrible experiences people had when they ate solid food too soon. That was the best motivation to not deviate from the post-op dietary instructions. I also learned from my own body. It wasn't ready yet to advance, so I stayed on liquids and then soft foods for a little longer than the timeline given. 6. Were you allowed to order a meal in the hospital, and if so, what did it consist of? No. I was brought Gatorade and then broth. I was not at a hospital; I was at a clinic specifically for bariatric surgery, so they did not provide typical meals. 7. Did you have a clear understanding that the surgery was permanent? Yes. ---- I know doctors are all different and we all go to different groups that handle information differently....I just wondered how well these basics were covered for you. Did you feel well prepared to monitor your own Fluid and nutrition after surgery? ----- I made sure the basics were covered and felt prepared. -----Is a lack of basic instructions a common thing? ----- I think basic instructions are commonly provided, but we're all unique learners and have our own level of incentive to remember and follow instructions. I am grateful I didn't have to attend classes because I preferred getting the information on my own and making sure I was familiar with it, but that was a personal preference.

Had my surgery in 2018 and 2019 I had only lost 80 lb. Since then I've had a tummy tuck again. So that means I have less bile in my stomach. Since then I have not lost anything and this is the year 2021 . I have not lost anything since then and why am I not losing. I am eating right but not getting a lot of exercise because of this pandemic covid-19. So I am walking my dog and doing what I can around the house to keep busy and trying to burn off calories but nothing has worked. I don't have the money to go to a exercise gym so my plan is to workout at home but I don't like doing it alone. Don't have a lot of friends. And don't know what to do I consulted my doctor and he said it's because of this covid-19 after this it will come off. I'm just getting stressful in getting down on myself cuz I don't know what else to do. I want to be thinner I want to look good. And I want to be healthier. I'm doing everything correctly but why am I'm not losing anything I know everyone says this two to three weeks stall will pass and then our bodies won't start losing more body weight. And went through the two to three weeks tall and my body has not lost anything since then. And I am getting frustrated. I'm thinking about not eating and starving myself to lose the weight. I eat very small as it is now drink the shakes that I should be 4 meals breakfast lunch and dinner and I haven't lost anything since. I was down before my second surgery at 219 and then I gained 10 lbs back and now I am at 232 and maintain that weight for now. Not lost anything since then. But my hair is still coming out. Im down on myself . don't know what else to do? Why can't I be thin. I want to lose another 40 lbs . be under 200 lbs I'll be good. But can't lose fast enough ! Help me please, tell me what can I do!

I would give it a couple of years before resorting, or going back to, any of these fad diets. One of the greatest strengths of your WLS is that it works well irrespective the diet that you use, so there is no need to jump into one of these diets to try to "improve" your weight loss. As long as you are getting adequate protein to maintain your muscle mass (which at 65 g for an average to shorter woman, you are), and your caloric intake is low enough to provide the caloric deficit needed for burn your stored fat, you will lose. Two of the things that have been shown time and again over the decades to torpedo WLS results is consuming empty calories (calories with little or no nutrition tied to it, i.e. junk food) and drinking your calories, both of which you would be doing by adding that junk to your protein drink. You don't want your calories at a "normal" level - you want them at a deficit (though not ridiculously low - where you are at with 5-600 at this stage is just fine as that is very common at this point for successful patients. Keeping your calories "normal" is how we all got here needing WLS. As noted above, search for "three week stall" as that is very common in these circles no matter what diet is used - it is part of the normal physiological response to the sudden caloric deficit that you now have. That you may not have lost much immediately after surgery is likely just part of the normal water weight fluctuations that occur around surgery time, and if you lost a fair amount of weight before surgery, then you already have lost that big slug of water weight that we all lose when we start one of these programs - particularly if you were playing keto games then, which only accentuates that water weight loss (only to gain it back when you stop.) In short, adding empty calories isn't going to "boost your metabolism", but is a good way to inhibit your long term progress. The best long term results that I have seen over the years is to take this opportunity to learn how to eat a normal, healthy human diet balancing meats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains that that are associated with good long term weight control rather than the diet of the day, which is a good way to help ensure regain once diet fatigue sets in, or it goes out of style and a new latest diet has to be found.

What were your reasons for getting surgery before talking to your boss? Remember those. Remember everything you learned while researching the different surgeries. You need to choose for you. I was sleeved three weeks ago and even though I sometimes eat too fast and regret it, and even though I'm tired of shakes, even though i know there are always risks, and even though I hit the three week stall a week early, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I did this for my health. Not anyone else's. You need to choose for you. You can do this! Good luck!!

it's the infamous three-week stall. It happens to almost all of us (it's not ALWAYS the third week, but that's the most common time. It can happen any time during the first month to six weeks after surgery) I just did a search of this site on it for you - here you go - 17,500 posts! https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall p.s. it typically lasts 1-3 weeks, so you're likely very near the end of it. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you stick to your program, it WILL break, and you'll be on your way again.

You're two weeks out from surgery? Stop worrying. Many of us put ON weight during our first week or surgery from the IV fluids as well as from general inflammation. Honestly, this is very, very normal. You will soon hit your three-week stall as well, so measure yourself, keep doing what you should do, and try to be as patient as possible. Easier said than done I know! I'm going through a slow period right now too and it's frustrating, but it's normal. If in a couple of months you haven't lost anything, you can get upset then maybe, not in a couple of weeks

Im at the end of my fourth week post op. I lost 14 pounds in the first 2 weeks. I have not lost any since. Im not concerned because I was aware of the three week stall.

I had my surgery on June 10th, too, @@BizzyB! I'm at a three week stall. (Actually, I gained a pound.) SO glad it's normal. I was so aggravated. They (nurses, surgeon, nutritionist, anyone!) should tell you about that pre-op. Jeeze.

Yes, I believe I'm in the dreaded three week stall, so I'm putting that out there. I'm frustrated. But really, I am eating very little and I feel like if I ate what I am eating now before I had the surgery, I'd be losing weight pound over pound. Now, I'm staying the same day after day. My husband is eating low carb and the weight is falling off of him. I'm eating low carb and very little calories and it's just sticking to me. I know people will tell me the weight will come off, but I'm so frustrated right now because I'm dealing with the side effects of surgery (terrible potty issues) and not seeing any of the good things to come of it yet. I lost 10 lbs on the pre-op diet and 10 lbs since surgery, but only when I was on the liquid diet. Once I added real food, even this little amount, the weight loss stopped immediately. If I was going to stay fat, I would have been happier being fat and able to eat and potty.

I felt much the same as you did at 4 weeks out -- and don't forget the oft-mentioned "three week stall" which I got about the 4th week. Sounds like you may be there yourself. Your body is learning to live on many fewer calories so you'll have a lack of energy/stamina for a while. I'm just over 5 months out now and feel great -- I started going to exercise classes at about 6 or 8 weeks and had enough energy to do OK but it has gotten better over time. Worrying makes you feel worse too!

The best way to get the scale moving is diet, exercise, and patience. Nearly all of us hit the three week stall (give or take a week). Believe me, you have no where to go from here but down. :-)

Well here we are. I have survived the first month of my gastric sleeve. Yesterday marked the one month date since I surrendered my stomach to the great nation of Mexico. I can’t say it’s been a completely smooth ride, I’ve had my moments of restriction pain, nausea and frustration… and the three week stall threatened to crush my spirit plateauing me for a good 8 days, but at the end of my first month, I can say I have lost 16 lbs. 16 lbs man. That’s nothing to sneeze at. I have read many blogs and posts where people are light years ahead of me on the losing scale and for a short time I allowed that to frustrate me. Then I remembered one great fact. The power of the law of attraction. What I ask the universe for, I get. Always. It does not always seem like things are working the way they should but in the end I get the result I have asked of the universe… this rate of weight loss (which I may find slows further) is aiding me to help my skin retract – which is what I am asking for… no loose skin, no loose skin, no loose skin. So let’s step back to the plateau. It was pretty hard on my nerves, and I think I allowed it to affect me physically because I started having some digestive problems as well, after all had been fairly smooth sailing for the first couple of weeks. I decided one day to sit down and think about the things that I want.. and the things I have wanted, over the last few years… In May 2010 I wanted to lose the weight and get back into shape I wanted my husband to stop drinking and being abusive to me I wished I owned my own home I desperately wanted to have a baby, having fought infertility for 6 long years In May 2011 I wanted to lose the weight and get back into shape I wanted my husband to stop drinking and being abusive to me I wished I owned my own home But I had a beautiful baby boy!!! In May 2012 I wanted to lose the weight and get back into shape I left my husband!! (... but I still wanted love) I purchased my own home!! I have a beautiful son!!! In May 2013 I am losing weight! I have love with my soul mate! I purchased my own home!! I have a beautiful son!!! BUT... I’m on a stall. REALLY JILLIAN??? Perspective perspective perspective! And the non-scale victories are amazing!! I sleep Better My pitting edema that has haunted my feet for the last 5 years is practically non existent The sciatica is gone And the biggest one is the strength I feel when I power walk. Everyday I walk up the nature trail beside my office building at lunch time, or behind my home – and I feel the power. I feel myself walking away from all my misery of the past, all my heartache and disappointment…. The chains drop from me as I go. Pretty soon, it will turn into a run, and once I start running… I will never stop! Join me on My Fitness Pal: JillianMarie73

@blondebomb. What as encouraging post. I enjoyed reading. You lost 62 pounds since surgery? How in the world did you do that? And with a three week stall? Sad to say my weight in NOT falling off. I'm staying the course and following my plan to the letter, but it's pretty slow.

A quick question -- do you both know about the three-week stall? I only ask because many people who've had surgery have never heard of it. If not, read this: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.Uqj2GfRDtzY

Yep the three week stall. Very common.

Most patients experience a stall of little to no weight loss immediately following surgery. It's even nicknamed the three week stall since that is where it often hits. It sounds like it got you a little earlier. I have also noticed that those who have a lot of weightloss on the pre-op diet take a little longer to get the scale moving post-op. I would relax, follow your doctor's diet,drink plenty of liquids, measure your food and stay away from the scale for week. I know it's frustrating but the scale will start to move in good time. Amanda

Hi apw. I had a three week stall during or after my 2d month. Very frustrating but I just stuck to the food plan. Was doing and able to do only very light exercise due to severe osteoarthritis in knees. Just keep doing what you can. You will start losing again.

All the information you need is here on this forum. You may not know many people in real life who have been through this surgery, but everybody here is in some stage of the process of weight loss surgery. If you haven't already, I would strongly recommend that you spend some time looking through the archives of this forum -- it's a gold mine! YouTube is also a great resource -- there are quite a few YouTubers who make videos about their WLS experience. I was pretty well prepared for surgery because I spent months reading this forum and watching YouTube videos about WLS. It seems like the most common questions that come up include: Stalls - Almost everyone has a weight loss stall within the first two months after surgery (commonly called the "three week stall" but it can happen earlier or later). Do not be alarmed. You didn't do anything wrong. The surgery didn't fail. Stick to your plan and you will start losing again. Weight gain from surgery - Many people weigh more when they come home from the hospital after surgery than they did before surgery. That's temporary and it's because they pump you full of IV fluids in the hospital. You're better off not even weighing yourself for the first couple of weeks after surgery because it is honestly meaningless. Fluid & protein goals - It's almost impossible to meet your fluid and protein goals in the first couple of weeks. Most surgeons tell you to get at least 60 ounces of fluids and 60 grams of protein per day. It sounds easy but it's not at the beginning. Do your best and don't worry if you can't quite get there. Dehydration is a serious thing that can land you back in the hospital, so you do need to sip as much as you can, but it's not the end of the world if you can't get 60 ounces. Pro tip: try warm fluids (tea, broth, protein hot cocoa) if cold drinks are difficult. Hair loss - Most people start losing hair around 3 months after surgery (it's a phenomenon called telogen effluvium), and there's not a whole lot you can do to avoid it. Protein and iron deficiencies can contribute to hair loss, and some people say that biotin can help to prevent hair loss, but you will almost certainly have some hair loss no matter what you do. It will grow back. Vitamins - Your surgeon should have given you a list of vitamins that you will need to take. This varies a bit from one surgeon to the next, but most say to take a bariatric multivitamin (or a double dose of a drugstore vitamin), iron (which can be included in the multivitamin), calcium citrate (most drugstore calcium supplements are calcium carbonate, so make sure to check the ingredients and buy calcium citrate), and B-12 (sublingual, injection, or nasal spray). You'll have to take chewable vitamins for at least the first month or two. Vitamins come in different forms (chewable, melt-in-your-mouth, capsules, liquid, patches), so if you have issues with one form, try something else. The BariatricPal store has a great selection of vitamins and they frequently have sales. I purchase most of my vitamins from there (BariatricPal brand). Constipation - Nobody likes to talk about toilet stuff, but constipation is no joke. A lot of surgeons recommend taking Miralax daily (note: Amazon has a generic brand that is much cheaper). Don't wait until you get constipated to take something. Prevention is easier than treatment. Other than that, the one thing you should do today if you haven't already is take your "before" pictures and measurements! Most of us have very few "before" pictures because we didn't like the way we looked before weight loss and avoided being in photos. You will want to have some pictures for comparison when you reach your goal weight. You will want to have your starting measurements so you can see how far you've come. Good luck! Stick around and let us know how it goes!

This is not a stall. Start measuring yourself and recording it as well. You will hear talk around here about the dreaded three-week stall. If you're losing anything, you're not experiencing it.