Search the Community

Yep. Feeling tired at this stage is normal. I think part of it is that you're not getting a lot of nutrition and the other part is that as you lose fat, the hormones and toxins stored there make you feel icky on the way out. Also, at least for me, I did not lose much during the puree phase. Perhaps that was my (typical) 3 week stall. You'll have a few ups among the downs on the scale even when doing everything by the book. It's just your body adjusting. Just keep working your plan and it'll come off.

You're in what's known around here as the 3 week stall. Many people have a big stall sometime in the first three weeks. This article will help explain why. Just be patient. Weight Loss Stall or Plateau A weight loss stall or plateau is an extended period of time during reducing efforts where is there is no weight loss according to the scale and no loss of inches according to the tape measure. This is why it is so important to take your body measurements before surgery, so you'll have a reference as your weight loss progresses post-op. We suggest you take measurements of your chest, waist and hip, neck, upper arm, thigh and calf. Be aware it is very common for your weight loss to "stall" shortly after surgery. Diana explains the reason for this below. The Inevitable Stall By Diana C. A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days. What You Can Do About a Stall or Plateau If you are experiencing a post-op weight loss stall or plateau further out there are a few possible causes. First, check that are you really in a stall. If the scale has stopped moving you may be losing inches, so check your measurements. Too Many Carbs? Carbohydrates can start sneaking into your foods without you being aware of how quickly they are adding up. For more information on carbs, see our section on Carbohydrates. If you are struggling with your weight loss you may want to examine your daily carb count. You can try to keep your carbs under 50g a day and see if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Do not eat carbs before bedtime as it triggers insulin and initiates fat storage. There are some great web site resources you can use to keep track of what you are eating. Fit Day Spark People - If you join Spark People also join the DS group. The Daily Plate Calorie King For more tips on keeping a food journal see the Personal Nutrition Guide. Eating Enough? If you are under-eating or go more than 4-5 hours without eating, your body will shift into fasting mode, slow your metabolism and conserve your stored energy (fat). This can contribute to a weight loss stall or plateau. Make sure you are eating small meals or small Snacks throughout the day and also ensure you meet your daily Protein requirements. Try eating some protein with every meal or snack. For more information on protein requirements see our section on Protein. Drinking Enough? An adequate level of water in your body aids in the effective breakdown of fat. The daily minimum recommendation is 64 Fluid oz of water a day. If you are in ketosis you will need to drink even more water to ensure the ketones are flushed out of your system. You may also need more than the minimum amount of water if you are exercising or live in a warmer or dry environment. Exercising? Exercise can increase your metabolism and burn fat. Strength training will build muscles and will boost fat burning. In a stall you can try increasing your volume of exercise or changing up your routine to overcome a weight loss stall or plateau. If you have been doing mainly aerobic activity, try doing a bit of strength training, and if you have been doing mainly strength training, try an aerobic work-out. The High Fat - High Calorie Stall Buster Many DSers swear by the fat/calorie shock as an effective weight loss stall or plateau buster. Having a day of higher fat and calorie eating followed by a returning to consistent low carb eating can sometimes "shock" your body back into weight loss mode.

I'm where you are but a month further out. Lost 19 the first 3-4 weeks, gained 4 and and am just now seeing the 4 start to drop off. It's the dreaded 3 week stall and its just part of losing weight. Unfortunately. Start of 3 day pre-op diet 231 Surgery 4/29/13 Now 214 I just want to be to 206 by the 19th! (100 lbs down from my highest)

Hang in there, it will start. I finally started dropping again pretty close to a 3 week stall. I actually dropped down to 358 lbs. and the next couple of days I shot back up to 361 lbs. and stayed there for almost 3 weeks. This past week the scales finally started to move and I'm down to 356 lbs. I know it's hard and for all you've been through you're expecting more. I was feeling the same way, so you’re not alone. We just got to stay strong and stick to our plans and it will happen!

Stalls suck, period. ((hugs)) Hang in there, follow your doc's plan. Don't deviate. Log your food. Plan your meals for the day. And if remotely possible limit the scale time (not possible for me, but maybe you will be more successful! hehe). The 3 week stall usually happens anywhere between week 2 and week 4. Make sure you're getting your fluids in and walking each and every day!

Welcome to the infamous 3 week stall. I've been on mine now on week 4-5

I'm at my 3 week stall as well. Scale hasn't moved in 4 days BUT my clothes are getting baggy . I know I need to increase my water so working on that. And I finally started walking 2 miles a day. I know I was late on that, but better late than never!

I was thinking that I possible avoided that dreaded 3 weeks stall! But, I think you are right, except mine just came a little later and brought a friend too boot! I seriously thought I was the only person in existance that the sleeve was not going to work for! I am glad this was posted today! Kelly

I'm 3 months post op as of today and finally getting my energy back.. Broke my 3 week stall finally and I've lost a total of 50 lbs!! Loving my new body!

I'm 15 days post-op. I stalled at exactly 10 days and haven't lost anything since then. I'm assuming the 3 week stall came a little early for us. The scale will eventually move again :-)

I have had a great 3 weeks post op. I'm walking 2 miles a day and I'm done almost 35 lbs. I think I'm at my 3 week stall. How long does it usually last? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had the sleeve done on 2/4. Lost weight for 3 weeks, stalled for 5 and now just recently started losing weight again. The problem I have is that it seems slower than before. Since March 27th I have maybe lost 5 or 6 lbs. I have 2 different scales, one is a body composition scale that I picked up to see if I could get some kind of baseline on my stats. Anyway 5 lbs in 10 days doesn't seem like much compared to how fast it went in the first 3 weeks. Just wondering if that is normal expected weight loss now? By my calculations I should be burning about a net of 2000 calories per day, which seems like I should be losing more weight than I am. Maybe I'm just impatient because I lost so much perceived ground during the ridiculously long stall.

You're 12 days out, just in time for your first stall we all had (dreaded 3 week stall). Totally normal. Never satisfied, make sure you're taking a PPI for stomach acid or just not experiencing head hunger. Both mimic real hunger. Totally normal. Can eat 4 Oz of food because your nerves have been cut in your tummy, and your "full" sensation is probably skewed because of that. Also, once you start healing and eating honest to goodness real food, you will feel more restriction. Also totally normal. Just breath. You've got a long road ahead of you, and if you're ready to throw in the towel at only 12 days out, well I'm afraid you're going to struggle. Just know that all the fear, frustration and everything else you're going through is normal and is only temporary. Then it will be onto the next stage and different challenges.

So I'm 7 weeks post op tomorrow. Down 32 pounds since surgery after a 3 week stall. I was talking to him about how I would love some chocolate... You know how our minds go. He jumps out with "I'll go get you a cookie, love". WTF? We just spent all this money on surgery and... Really? Hell yeah I want a cookie. But not gonna eat it. And he even brought it over... P.S. my husband is a tall, thin man that has always eaten whatever he wanted and never gain weight. He and my one year old are the reasons for the Cookies in the house.

I agree with the others. LOSE the word "only" from your vocabulary. Pre-surgery, if you had lost 17 pounds in 17 days, you'd have been dancing on the ceiling! All of us would have been! There is a 3 week stall that most sleevers experience. You may just be starting yours a few days early. Our bodies are recovering from major surgery and from a major lifestyle change for most of us. It takes a bit for the body to adjust to the new normal. Don't worry, you WILL lose weight, and very quickly, but it won't be overnight. Think about how long it took to gain the weight. It will definitely take awhile to lose the weight. Once you are back on regular food, it will seem a little less intimidating to get in your Protein and Water each day, plus you'll have more energy for exercising, which will help the weight loss. Toss the scale and concentrate on getting your water and protein in each day. Look for the NSVs like your clothes getting looser and the amazing spike in energy that most of us experience. Look to some of the sleevers who have made it to goal and read their stories. NONE of them got to goal without a few glitches along the way. Some lose slowly, very slowly. Others have had long stalls where they didn't lose anything for weeks. What they all have in common is that they perservered through those stalls/slow losses and continued to drink their water and eat their protein. Oh, and that they all made it to their personal goals! This is definitely a journey rather than a sprint. I'm over 80 pounds down and I know there's no way I'd have made it here without Rex, my sleeve, helping me. I have a long way to go, but I WILL make it to goal. I've promised my surgeon and myself that I'm going to be one of the poster children for weight loss! You will be one too!!

Famous 3 week stall that starts anywhere in weeks 2-5 and lasts from 1-2 weeks. It'll pass.

It is normal to be thinking like you are. I think most of us do the same thing. It looks like you lost most of the easy weight before surgery. Many of us lose a bunch in the preop diet and the rest of the easy stuff in the first month post op then it slows down considerably. After my 3 week stall which lasted 2.5 weeks I am back to losing about 4 or 5 pounds a week. I anticipate that slowing down considerably as I pass 2 months post op. I obsess over weight from day to day and I know I shouldn't be looking at it every day but I do anyway. I find if I UNDER EAT then my body holds on to the weight a little more, like I am going into starvation preservation internally. I upped my calorie intake from 750-800 to 850-900 and it seems like the weight is coming off again. I tinker with things when I slow down to see if I can get it going again. The nutritionist is good about giving ideas on what to try.

I think I'm at the 3 week stall everybody talks about. I started this journey at 192.8 (BMI of almost 32), so I suspected I would be a slow loser but was really hoping that wouldn't be the case. I was really hoping to be down 30 pounds in a month. I have some catching up to do if that is gonna happen. So sad.

I'm at the dreaded 3 week stall, too.

The majority of us have a stall between 2-4 weeks post op. Most people call it the 3 week stall. It is pretty much your body going into shock from what you have done to it...lol. Just hold on, it will pass. You are WAY to early out to be worrying about weight loss. Just make sure you are getting plenty of fluids and as much protein as you can and you will see progress very soon. You are probably getting smaller right now, even without the scale moving

Dawn: I think that you and I are on the EXACT same page (recall that we were sleeved a day apart). I had the 2-3 week stall, and then I'm going through another. Grrr. And this time, because I can get more types of food into my mouth, I'm starting to blame me for bad food choices. I feel you. It was so much fun to be back stateside and buy a bit of a new wardrobe, but this is discouraging. Hopefully it will break soon, being 40 lbs down isn't enough. (I still haven't gotten back to the gym though, so maybe it's time).

U guys just wait u will be losing weight like crazy here pretty soon. The dreaded 3 week stall happened to all of us. I am 4 months out and have lost 56 lbs been stuck in a stall for 3 weeks now. It will pass u just have to wait it out. Before this stall I lost almost every day. About 3 lbs a week. Every week. Keep doing what ur doing it will happen. I went from 2X scrubs to large. From tight 22 to 16. Ready for more charges just gotta wait out this stall.

Really, Im not kidding, This is pretty common. Even if you were eating 1200a day, it is not causing you to stall. Search "3 week stall". The worry is not needed... You ARE "eating like a bird",its your body adjusting to the surgery and rapid weight loss....taking a breath, It probably thinks you were injured and starving! Many have gone through this and gone on to losing massive amounts of weight. Just follow your Drs plan. Also, If you haven't started already, measure as well, you may well be losing inches. I went through MANY stalls over the first 12 months... stalls that lasted weeks. It is common for the body to do this. Just keep up the good work and it will come off.

Hi all, i am a fellow October gal...I had a band revision to sleeve...almost died due to complications with the band-but 2 surgeries later I am recovering. Surg Oct 22nd, spent 9 days in the hospital due to all the complications. I am relieved to see a 3 week stall is common, I have lost about 25lbs but nothing since 11/8...makes me sad! I am eating with no difficulty, about 800 cal a day. Please tell me this weight stall is going to go away soon...

I have been feeling awesome and recovering so quickly it's been a miracle. I had surgery on April 8th. I am already up to soft foods like chicken and fish with steamed veggies. Problem is I haven't lost any weight this week. That makes me upset. Is it common to stall when only 3 weeks out? I lost 10 pounds pre surgery and am only down 14 since surgery. And words of wisdom?