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I had a three week stall at week three that I just finally have come out of. I tried changing around everything, increasing Protein, walking, Water, decreasing carbs. Nothing helped. I have no clue what eventually knocked me off the stall, but I do know one thing - it sucked! I can't imagine how you're feeling six weeks into one. My clothes don't feel a whole lot different, but I was slowly losing an inch here and there, so if you're not measuring, maybe that'd help you keep going? I know you already acknowledged the low water, but that would be one thing to add. When you work out it can be really important to replace water. Hmmmm...Have you tried switching up the type of workout you do? I know other times I've reached plateaus in diets I was able to get over the plateau by exercising at a different time of day, for example, moving it to early morning to get my metabolism up. Or changing which workout I was doing so that I wasn't stuck in the same thing every day. On that same token, are you eating the same types of foods every day? That's another thing that will throw me into a plateau. My brother is a creature of habit and has the exact same lunch every day. If I do that, I will stay put at the exact same weight. My body likes it when things are consistent and will try its very best to keep them there. Are you getting in enough fiber? That might help keep your digestive system moving. I'm not sure if it will help the scale, but it would be a healthy thing to have in your diet. I'm not sure what else, but you will get through this! If you are doing the right things your body will eventually have to give up and let the scale move. For the mean time, maybe put the scale away (I know this is so ridiculously hard to do, maybe you'll be better at it than I was!), set some fitness goals instead of scale goals, and measure. You can still be successful even when the scale isn't moving.

You are just in the "three week stall." Google it and you'll find lots of information. Your body is healing right now, and you won't likely get an accurate weight in the first month. You just need to keep meeting your protein and water goals each day, and stay off the scale if it is going to upset you. The weight will start to come off again soon, but it won't be linear, and will often be quite erratic. Good luck!

Well my three week stall is now a gain Just a pound but that's annoying! I am still having bathroom issues though so that must be part of it. I've tried a little MIlk of Mag but what does everyone recommend for the constipation??? So far any soft foods I've had have went down ok but I really need to solve this potty issue!

Every one loses at their own rate. There is no right or wrong amount of weight to lose each week. Yes, there may be average amounts of loss people who are similar height, weight, age, gender, etc. may have in common. As long as you see the trend of your weight loss going down you’re succeeding. The amount you lose each week will also slow as you progress. It is possible you are experiencing a stall as has been suggested. These are extremely common. We talk about the three week stall but that first one can happen at week 2, 3, 4, 5 …. It’s just your body taking a breath & trying to catch up with the changes (surgery, weight loss, reduced calories, dietary changes,…). You will likely have other stalls as you’re losing. We’ve all been on that gain, lose, gain roller coaster. Personally I know the reason I always regained after losing was because the diets I was on weren’t sustainable or I just went back to the same old way of eating. I’d start regaining a couple of weeks after the diet ended. The difference this time is that I work at sticking to the changes I made to how I eat, what I eat, why I eat every day. I have many years ahead of me but I’m going to work my butt off to try to stay my course cause that desire to go down my old path is always there. I just understand it & manage it better now. Your success starts & ends in your head. It’s not just what you put in your mouth. You have to do the head work. Many do this with the help of a therapist, others do it themselves. There are lots of people here who are happy to share experiences & offer support. Follow your plan, meet your protein goals, get your fluids in, be more active and your weight loss will continue. You’ll get there.

it's the three week stall. Almost everyone goes through that. Although you're right, keeping up with your fluids is always important...

I just did a search on this site for you. There are literally 17,501 posts on this early stall. Pretty much everyone has it. I really think bariatric clinics ought to warn people about this because it happens to almost everyone, and people really freak out about it. Just stick to your plan and your weight loss will start up again. Stay off the scale if you have to. It usually lasts 1-2 weeks. Here are all the posts on it. Really - over 17,000 of them. https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three-week stall

it's the infamous "three week stall". Almost all of us experience that. In fact, if you do a search on this site of the three week stall, you will find about 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding!). Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. It'll break and you'll be on your way again. It usually last a week or two - but for a few people (a minority) it last for three. And just so you're prepared, you're likely to hit a few of these on your journey. It's a common part of weight loss...

Take your vitamins and KEEP weighing. It is very good to know where you are at in case you need to adjust your routine(Like in this case). Keep drinking your water and the weight will move. During my three week stall I gained 3 pounds and thought WTF!! I now stick to 600-700 calories and low carb, woohoo!! Keep going, no worries, you can do this!!

I was down about 32lb the first month, starting at 292 & BMI around 42. I'm now down about 100 at seven months and just about at goal (we'll see how the body comp settles out - that's the actual goal.) Whether you stall or not at the typical three week mark, your loss will slow markedly at that point. Initially you are burning mostly glycogen (some stored carb and protein) which burns at a rate of around 2000cal per pound. Once those stores are consumed, you actually start burning the fat that we are trying to lose, but it comes off slower, at around 3600cal per pound. I never had the dreaded three week stall, but the loss curve sure flattened out some right at that time.

6 weeks at 6 months out. This is probably your first (The Dreaded Three Week Stall that most get) and it won't be your last. Just keep getting your protien, fluids, stay low carb and move a little and it will pass. Stalls still suck, though

I love how simple things are such great accomplishments! Congrats on your towel covering up all of you! That's awesome. I'm waiting to see if I will have a three week stall (I'm at 2 weeks tomorrow post op). If there is a stall, your post has relieved me. Thank you!

pretty much everyone has their first stall within the first month after surgery. It's so common it has a name - the three week stall (although it's not always the third week). Search the three week stall - you'll find hundreds of posts about it. Just stick to your plan, and the weight loss will start up again.

I have read tons of posts about stalls and thought I was mentally prepared for the infamous "three week stall". Despite all that, when it happened to me, I got a little down. It's so frustrating to be eating so little and not lose any. ***just venting***. :-)

I had my surgery on January 14th, and lost 14 pounds. Now I have been having the infamous three week stall since last week Wednesday, and have been floating between 177.5 and 178.9. I read a lot about the stall, but this is really getting old. No amount of reading can prepare you for feeling like crap that you had your surgery to lose less than 15 pounds, and I can't help but feel like I am the ONLY ONE that this surgery will not work for. Did you have a stall? How long was it? What did you do to break it- if anything? And in the meantime, how did you survive those days? p.s. my Water and Protein intake has been decent for the most part- 64 oz, and 70 grams of protein.

it's the infamous three week stall. If you do a search for it on this site, you'll find something like 17,000 posts on it. It happens to almost everyone. And as NovaLuna said, it's not always the third week, but sometime in the first month or so after surgery. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. It broke during week 4, and I lost like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale if you need to - and rest assured that it WILL break.

The three week stall is sorta infamous seems like that’s where you are.

I haven't even been sleeved yet, but I am so prepared for the dreaded three week stall. I never want to see another post about that again. Thanks for the blog. It was super refreshing and very funny.

Google "three week stall." That is what is happening. Just stick to your plan and the weight will come off. Nothing about post-op weight loss is linear. It is full of periods of loss, followed by longer periods of stall. That is just part of the process. Also, it is slow. I started my six month insurance-required diet program at 397 pounds, and weighed 298 pounds on surgery day. Even at that size, my loss in the first four weeks post-op was far from "dramatic." But I have followed my plan religiously every single day, kept my carbs below 20 every single day, tracked everything I put in my body every single day, and even with the countless stalls, I have lost 205 pounds and am 12 pounds from goal at 9 months post-op. Put the scale away if it bothers you and keep focused on what is important. Good luck!

By approximation in theory but in practice I don't need to. There is no weight I could be, where eating 1000 Calories per day wouldn't cause weight loss. The other problem with weighing oneself is seen on this forum which is replete with hand wringing regarding the "three week stall" and many other issues which aren't issues at all with regard to fat loss. They are scale related aberrations.

First I want to say that since my three week stall I have now lost more than ten lbs, so the stall for now is over. I think people should have the right to "freak" out if they want. You may say. that will not solve anything. That is not the point. The point is to acknowledge how you feel. This is important. Also, I do not think the mere mention of being disappointment about a stall is "freaking out". Anytime one strives for a goal and that goal is not achieved there is going to be disappointment. That is normal. To state over wise is false. So if you experience a stall cry about it, shout about it, throw something (preferably something that will not break), and so on. Then once you have had your moment pick yourself up off the floor and plan again. The journey we are on is going to have all kinds of feelings/emotions the best way to deal with it is to acknowledge it.

Did any of you go through the famous three week stall?

Quite possibly more than calories, is what those calories are (what is your average calorie count these days?) Since you are already taking B12, that's not likely it (B12 is more of an RNY thing than a VSG thing, but some can be intrinsically low it irrespective, or just diet is low in it for now, though most multivitamins have enough to do the job.) Overly low carbohydrates are frequently a cause of low energy in the absence of other anemia indicators, as that is where our quick energy comes from. It is what helps us chase down that antelope for dinner, or quickly climb a tree to avoid being a lion's dinner (hoping it's not a leopard chasing us!) We typically burn off our glycogen reserves (basically stored carb, held mostly in the muscle tissues) and the water that keeps it in solution first,, usually in the first couple of weeks or so, and then pause while we start to access our fat reserves to rebuild the glycogen back to a functional level - hence the typical rapid weight loss followed by the "three week stall". You may well still be trying to rebuild your glycogen stores to get you that everyday energy that you are expecting. I have seen some programs that specifically want their patients to do a bit of lightweight "carb loading" after surgery to counter this problem - things like oatmeal, cream of wheat, sloppy mashed potatoes, unsweetened apple sauce, watered down fruit juice, etc. I never had consistent energy problems as you describe, though I did run out of gas more quickly for a while - afternoon naps in the first 2-3 weeks were common and my bedtime shifted an hour or so earlier (my circadian rhythm has stayed shifted by an hour or so ever since - about an hour earlier to bed and hour earlier to get up,) but even within the first week I was outpacing my wife on our walks (granted, not a real high bar, but still....) I was back at the gym within the first 2-3 weeks, mostly to keep my wife in the habit, I basically just walked on the treadmill or did some gentle bike or elliptical work to explore range of motion, but moderate energy was there. I was up into the 900-1000 calorie range within the first couple of weeks, and the doc was adding more veg to the diet as my protein was satisfactory at 90+. I wasn't specifically carb loading, but neither was I avoiding them - just eating as healthy as possible within the limitations. Later, however, after about four months I was running into an energy wall after about an hour in the pool, and after consulting with the RD on it and added some complex carb ahead of my gym time, I found that a simple piece of toast made all the difference in breaking through that wall. So simple things can make a difference.

Hello kteacher, I was doing just fine until Dec.23. I woke up with some chest pains that continued throughout that day and I could not get to sleep. I called 911 at 3:30AM on Dec.24 and had to go to the ER. I was concerned about my heart or a blood clot in my lungs. They took some blood tests and one (D-DIMAR) came back positive so they had to do a CT skan. My heart test all came back OK and there was NO blood clot in my lungs. But they did find a large Hematoma on my spleen. I had to stay in the hospital until christmas day about noon. They said it could be causing the pain in my chest area. The spleen could have been bumped and bruised during surgery, but I am going to be ok as far as I know. It will be absorbed by the body. The only time it usually causes problems is when it is infected or if it bursts inside the body. The doctor said that it doesn't appear to be infected. I had plans to leave on christmas day, to go out of state to visit family for Christmas. I ask the surgeon if it was OK to travel and he said it would be OK. So I went to visit Family and I just now arrived back home from the visit. Other than that, I am doing Ok. I am on my three week stall or either things got messed up from me being in the hospital. Dr. Husted told me that I would only have 1 incision instead of 5. I found out that I was the 2nd patient that he had performed the one incision surgery on. You must have been his first one because you had surgery on 11/20 and I had surgery on Dec.2. I am so thankful that I only had one that had to heal. I do not regret having had the sleeve done. I am hoping that after this stall, I will get back to losing so I will be on my way to my goal weight. I hope that you had a Merry Christmas and that you are doing ok from your surgery. I only have lost 16 pounds since Dec.2. I am going to go back to the Y soon so that it will help to burn some calories. I went to the support group on Dec.14 and I hope I get to go in Jan. I hope to meet you at one of the support group meetings. I will be posting more in a few days after I rest up from my trip. Thank you for your reply and have a nice day!!

Don't get discouraged, we have all been there. I hit a three week stall and then it broke. I have been losing 4-6 pounds a week since then.

Check out the link in my signature. It explains the three-week stall. It sounds like you're dead in the middle of it. Don't be sad or depressed, it happens to most everyone.