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You could just have described me! I am almost 2 weeks post op and other than the acid reflux (doc said to take Prilosec for 3 months to keep acid down and the stomach heals). I lost 7#'s the first week after surgery. I am getting in at least 60g of Protein. I'm drinking 60+ oz of Water. I eat soup (tomato mainly) - and I can eat the entire can - I didn't think I would be able to. I haven't lost any #'s the last week. I feel like I didn't even have surgery! I'm hoping when I get to the pureed stage that I will fill up with small amounts. I'm not depressed - I'm just concerned that I'm not doing enough of something or too much of another; I know about the 3 week stall but I haven't heard of a less than 2 week stall! :/

Usually the 3 week stall is the most common first one but you will have stalls often Don't worry,as always with hard work and dedication they shall pass

Yep...I sure would like the weight o come off fast:-(. I was sleeved on 2/6 and down 35 pounds. I went into a crazy 3 week stall that made me think I was some kind of anomaly:-). How can I lose 80 percent of my stomach and still not lose weight!? I'm passed that now. Happy for the weight I've lost and thankful it is still heading in the right direction albeit slow. Took me years to get this big. That's what I keep telling myself. Good luck

I remember the 3 week stall but is there also a big stall at the 6-7 month mark. I am 10-15 from goal and haven't lost anything in about 3 weeks. Just wondering if everyone stalls or am I leveling off? Hw was 232. Sw 218 and current weight 155. DOS 3/26/13.

I've read about the 3 week stall and even a 6 month stall. Anyone stuck/been stuck on a 3 month stall? I'm going into the 4th week of this stall with my weight fluctuating up and down 2-4 ounces. No changes in body measurements either. Protein goals and water goals met. Not sure what else I can do other than ride this out. All suggestions welcome!

Wednesday will mark 3 weeks for me. My start weight was 283 surgery date weight 270 and for the past week I have been between 250 and 253. I have gone up and down between those weights. My doctor cleared me for soft foods last Wednesday so I thought that would help get things moving. I'm frustrated because I hit a "stall" a few days before 2 weeks and now I'm hearing about a normal 3 week stall. I'm not noticing anymore NSV witch is frustrating to. Actually felt bloated the last couple of days. I'm also having an on and off again horrible pain on my left side closer to rib cage. Doctor said he has no idea what it could be but possible kidney stone. Also worried because I have NO problems with any fluids. I can drink a lot just have to remind myself to. And haven't gotten sick from any food I've tried. Yesterday and today I have felt hungry really for the first time also. ????. I have anxiety pretty bad and I think I'm over thinking all this so much! Any advise would be great. Thanks so much!

I read somewhere that the first few weeks it's 5-10 lbs a week then 2-3 pounds a week on average (of course most of us had the expected 3 week stall). I initially lost maybe 8-10 total in the first 2 weeks then it dropped to 3/week then 2 a week steadily unitl the 6/7 month mark when I hit my goal of 70 lbs. Everyone is different.

It is the famous 3 week stall. You have lost 15 pounds in 20 days! That is amazing! I actually gained coming out of the hospital due to the all the fluids (and imagine you did too) so given that, the loss is great! I thought I was a slow loser too and I will be 1 year out this week and down 120 pounds since surgery (145 total including pre-op diet). Those losses add up! Here are some suggestions: 1) Stay off the scale for a week (admittedly, I was never able to do that but just thought I would throw it out there ). Hopefully the stall will be broken in a week and you will see the loss and can decide how you want to weigh going forward. 2) Are you able to eat more than 1 meal per day? Seems that is a little low. If you are able to eat more than once, I would look in to having at least 2 (maybe 3) small meals per day at this stage. Take no longer than 30 minutes to eat. If you are not done with your 4 Tbsp in 30 minutes, put it away and have it at the next meal. Do you need some suggestions for foods other than fish or were you instructed to just have fish? 3) Are you able to drink something other than Optifast for shakes? I think there are some much better options - but it may depend on what your dr instructed and where you are located geographically.

I lost 6 lbs two weeks after surgery but I had lost 15 lbs the two weeks before surgery. I was dumbfounded that it was "only 6 lbs" after two weeks of 500 calories a day. Then I thought I could already be in my 3 week stall. I hate the scale and refuse to let it dictate my emotions for the day (at least I'm going to try very hard!) In two weeks I'll measure myself and see what's happened there. If nothing else I've lost weight in my boobs. ☹️

It's the 3 week stall. I feel your pain I'm in it right now!

I know it's normal for your period to be irregular after surgery but seriously?? I'm just about 8 weeks post op and am on my period for the FOURTH time since surgery! Every two weeks I turn around and there she is again! I was on a normal cycle before surgery, am not on any type of birth control and haven't been for quite some time. The most frustrating part is the weight gain randomness... I finally broke a 3 week stall, past the 50 lbs down mark and then BAM I'm up 2-3 lbs again. FRUSTRATED!

Sleeved on 1/8. Lost 14 pds the first week. and only 3 pds since then... so frustrated! I'm getting all of my water and protein in, keeping calories and carbs low. -- not hard considering the little amount we can consume. Tell me this is happening to others too, and that it will end!

Please note that I am posting in the "RANT" section and avoid this if you don't want to read my tantrum. OK so this surgery sucked royally for me. The pre-op diet was challenging to say the least. (Fat chick trying to muster up enough self control to eat only Protein powders for 2 weeks---give me a break) Then I go for surgery day and my heart stopped beating when they inflated my abdomen. Chest compressions, followed by panic resulted in my surgery being canceled....I was fine with that. A week later we try again....(please note that this required an additional week of the pre-op diet---grrrr.....) and once again--heart refused to cooperate. Took some extra hands and enough drugs to kill a horse, but I was sleeved. Because the surgery ran really long and my heart rate was low, I wasn't given anything for pain after surgery. They brought me to the room in so much pain that I was unable to see. (Seems if you are in enough pain your brain will start to shut down--vision goes first.) After the longest 4 hours of my life we finally got the pain under control.....sleep 2 hours.....then they want me up in a chair. OK. I can tough it out now. However every time they moved me I blacked out. It took forever for them to get me into the chair and I was terrified of blacking out--falling--and injuring myself. Forward a few days--I am out of the hospital and in a lot of pain. Severe sharp shooting pains in my upper chest and left shoulder---plus I can't get fluids down. Back to the hospital I go for tests and fluids. A few days later (9 days post-op) my drain is removed---I pass out and wake up with most of the pain gone. Seems the drain was on a nerve and that was causing the pain. Now I know that this could all be worse. But for the amount of pain--strike that---agony I experienced during those first two weeks after surgery I should have done my fair share of suffering. It still hurts to eat and drink--but I am managing. I can only get in 500 or so calories a day--at the most. Most days it is more like 300. By this past Friday I had lost 18 pounds. Then, I stopped. Now, 5 days later, I have GAINED 4 pounds back. How is that even freaking possible? I know 3 week stall....water weight....liver replacing glycogen..... menstrual Fluid retention...blaugh blaugh blaugh..... I AM PISSED....and rather disheartened. I told people that I was having the surgery done--now I am the go-to person for all those in my world thinking about WLS......but you know what---I AIN'T YA POSTER CHILD. This whole experience has thus far sucked in a big big way. Maybe I will lose and in a few months be glad that I had it done, but right now I refuse to encourage anyone to do it. What I tell them now is that they need to understand that this is a MAJOR surgery and they need to be prepared for complications. I also tell them they need to go to the support group because I haven't been sleeved long enough to be a good resource. That is the most positive I can muster up. I would really like to tell them that, at this point, I am not real thrilled about my choice and am hanging on and hoping for a change in my point of view.

My surgery was February 19 2014 and I have been at a 3 week stall, before that always losing. How do you break a stall?

Ahhh, yes...the dreaded "3-week stall"! Basically, what happens is your body goes into "survival mode". Because we lose so quickly, the body will frak out so to speak. Your body will think that it will die because you are starving yourself and it will grab on to any fat reserves to keep you alive, even though you are perfectly healthy. You will hit a few stalls. It is aggravating, but don't be a scale ***** (like I am). I used to weigh almost daily. Between Jan 16 and Feb 18, I stalled a few times and only lost 12 pounds, where had been losing 20 per month. I got really bummed about it and quit weighing. I'm out of that stall now, thankfully!!! Scales are evil now! Just stay off of them!!! Good luck!

Hey there - you and I share surgery dates! It must be normal (or not uncommon) to have a stall at this stage. I just recently had what felt like a nearly 3-week stall where I was hovering at 280, maybe up or down a pound on any given day. That finally broke about a week ago - which is also when I had a follow-up appt with my surgeon. He said it's to be expected to happen from time to time as your body goes through phases of 'relearning' where it is, and will go through periods of stalls to try and maintain a normal state based on your current metabolism. So that was probably about a week and a half ago, and as of this morning I was at 270.5.. hoping I can kiss the 270's goodbye tomorrow morning. I was getting pretty bothered by it too and tried to uptake my Water - that's one thing I'm really bad about... if I'm not hungry, then I don't think about consuming anything.. but if I am hungry, then I'm not supposed to drink anything for 30 minutes pre- and post-meal. See if you can up your water. I don't know if that helped break it or not but it's something you could try.

It's tough to get enough calories in when we aren't hungry. Most patients experience the "evil 3 week stall" so you aren't in the minority here. I had a goal of 4 meals a day consisting of at least 15-20 grams of Protein per meal. I didn't really snack, just focused on meals, and getting my protein in. But, if you stay too low on calories, your body can hang onto the weight out of pure survival. If you're working out, or walking a lot, your body needs calories to burn the fat.

I am with you guys. Every time I hit a stall, I wonder why and what can I do to keep it going. Lower carbs, increase exercise, change exercise, get more sleep, drink more water, eat more protein, track your intake. Pick some of these and see what works for you. I still can't figure it out either. And sometimes, I think it's just a waiting game. I wait and BAM! 5 lbs in one week. That was last week after a 3 week stall. Not my first 3 week stall either. On the bright side, I really do feel like even when my body isn't showing a loss on the scale, I am still loosing inches. Defies logic, but I'd swear it is happening. They also say the stall is the body's time to catch up with the weight loss, and that's how I try to look at it. Keep fighting the good fight and be patient grasshopper.

Ok, so I have weighed the same for 10 days. I'm 4 weeks out, and of course I'm starting to worry. I log my food, I get my Protein, I am getting 500-700 calories a day, and I'm just frustrated. Tomorrow is my one month surgiversary, so I'll do measurements and maybe that will make me feel better, but right now I'm seriously down about this. I tried putting away the scale, but that gave me anxiety, so now I'm back to weighing once a day in the morning, and the same number just keeps showing up. I HATE 289!:cursing: And of course it's hard not to compare myself to my husband (who got sleeved the same day as me). He had a small stall as well, but now is back to losing 2 lbs./day the past few days. He'll soon weigh less than me at this rate! Do I just keep doing what I'm doing, or is there something I should try to break this? I'm willing to try something new, but I'm not sure what:confused:

its normal and will end, make sure you are getting in all of your water too... my "3 week stall" actually occurred in week 5 for me.. it's different for everyone... don't stress, that makes it worse.. also, you could try switching out one of the shakes for real protein (in addition to your dinner protein)... maybe for breakfast....

Are you guys outta your stall yet? I'm at week 3 and haven't lost a pound since Monday. I am totally prepared for the 3 week stall everyone goes through but I'm on full liquids and am having a lot of issues getting anything think down. I'm able to get blended creamed Soup, blended greek yogurt, and nectar Protein Water... but that's seriously it! I'm not even close to getting 64oz of fluids in, and maybe get 60g of protein in a day.... I'm so sad! I was so excited to drink my yummy chocolate Protein shakes, but NOPE, they dont go down! So, I was just wondering if ya'll were able to break your stall and at which week did it break? For me, it's not like I can up my calorie intake, or increase protein, etc. I have come to accept the fact that it's gonna take me a while longer to move through the stages. But any advice would be appreciated!!

Same thing happened to me, I had surgery 20 days ago. I lost 14 pounds in 8 days then I went 5 days without losing. I freaked out cause like you said, I had heard about the 3 week stall but not one at one week. Then I lost 2 pounds. So far this week I haven't lost anything (which is very frustrating). First thing, stop weighing yourself every day. I know it's amazing to have lost so much so soon. I made myself put the scale away and will weigh myself once a week at work. I don't believe this is a stall. Your body is regrouping. Just continue what you are doing and you will lose weight. Congrats on the awesome weight loss.

OK, so I was all brave with my talk of how I was all mentally prepared for the inevitable “3 Week Stall”. Yeah, big talk sister! Then after no weight loss since last Thursday, I got socked, like an old fashioned cartoon this morning, WHAM! Picture me (or not) in the bathroom, buck naked with my mouth hanging open, standing on my scale and yelling, “GAINED A POUND??! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!” Not a pretty sight! I’m sort of slogging around in the denial stage right now. “…more water…must have more water…” OK, so I know some of you are gonna say that I should stop weighing every day; but shoot, the novelty hasn’t worn off yet. Maybe it just did…probably not, because I know that I’m going to have to work it out and machinate the heck out of this thing, at least the first time. It’s just the way I do things. Grrrrr So anyway, what do I do? I go running straight to this forum and search “stall” and read just about every post that has anything to do with the word stall!! OK, I got through 2 pages full—there are a LOT of us talking about “stall”. The more I read, the more normal I felt (hahaha, that alone was worth the price of admission!) and I stumbled across this amazingly succinct explanation of why we stall. Now, this makes sense to me and I can deal with it a little more rationally (Lord, I hope that’s not gonna earn me another “yeah, big talk sister!”) Thanks to meggiep for posting this link! I thought it was worth bumping up! The WHY behind the STALL Thanks for listening. I hope this link makes someone else feel "normal." Susan

Today, I am 3 weeks out from band to sleeve revision. My 3 week stall started at two weeks out, and I haven't moved since. I am a lightweight (didn't wait to gain all my band weight back when that went down the crapper) and only have another 20-30 lbs to goal. How long did your 3 week stall last? I wonder if I'm done losing already? If I am, so be it, my most pressing need was to make sure that I didn't keep gaining. Also, for reference, I'm eating mostly mushy foods, just starting to work in some actual meat. Yesterday I had turkey lunchmeat for the first time, today I had shredded chicken for the first time. Otherwise I'm doing yogurts, cottage cheese, string cheese, tuna salad, that type of thing. I generally get in my 60-64 oz of Water, and am usually in the 55 -60 g of Protein a day, without using any Protein shakes. Thoughts? How did other lightweights fare?

My sister and I in the same boat. 3 weeks out and no loss. From what I've been reading this is normal. Alot of people experience the 3 week stall. With the amount of food that you are intaking...loss is bound to pick up again soon. Hang in there!! Trust me this is going to work for you. I'll keep you updated.