Whats the longest stall you have had and at what month did u stop losing?

[loveit1222 41]

To get a boost and break the stall' date=' increase Protein, cut carbs completely out and only drink Water for a week.[/quote']

Your exactly right! I know that but have been having a hard time doing it. I'm definitely gonna get back to the basics and let y'all know what happens

[blondie1007 51]

I know how hard it is believe me. Here's hoping you get the strength and will power. Lord knows I need all I can get myself. Keep us updated.

[SunnyCox 245]

Around 3 months, I stalled for 4 weeks. My weight fluctuated about 3lbs throughout those 4 weeks before I finally dropped. I lost a pound a day for the next 10 days after the stall broke.

[seelessofme 63]

Around 3 months' date=' I stalled for 4 weeks. My weight fluctuated about 3lbs throughout those 4 weeks before I finally dropped. I lost a pound a day for the next 10 days after the stall broke.[/quote']

Nice!

[crftskathy 21]

I had a good three week stall beginning 2nd week of December and just ending this past week! I was sleeved on 11/12 so it started at four weeks post op. I am most definitely the slowest loser on these boards -

I am with you sleeved 11/20 3 week stall getting frustrated!!

[clk 3,519]

A real stall is three weeks or more at the same weight. I had two of them and both were nine weeks long. Both started out as "natural" stalls, something you should fully expect post VSG. But like many of us, after about a month at the same weight I fell back into bad habits and had to address the bad behavior before I could get back on track.

It is perfectly normal to have stalls and it is perfectly normal to have a less than perfect journey. If we had all of the tools we need to lose weight effortlessly, we'd skip the surgery and just join Weight Watchers again. The sleeve is that extra tool that helps us do the head work to overcome. So, expect stalls and expect some measure of frustration and expect that you will need to put effort into adopting new habits permanently for long term success.

As for what month you stop losing there's no such thing.

Really. I'll say it again: NO SUCH THING.

Your sleeve is just about as large as it will get at roughly one year post op. Your capacity afterward is tiny compared to pre-op, even if it is considerably larger than immediately post surgery. We're talking about fitting in between 3/4 to 1 and 1/2 cups of food somewhere between one and two years post op. And that's it - forever - unless you try your very hardest to stretch your sleeve (though pain and real effort) what little it will stretch.

So what does all of that mean? It means that there is nothing stopping anyone at one, two, three or even seven years post op, from picking up the pieces if they fall into bad habits and regain. The sleeve was and will remain a restrictive tool to help you lose weight and maintain that loss if you make the right food choices.

Expect that the lower your body weight and the closer you are to your body's happy place, the harder it will be to lose weight. So yes, weight tends to come off more quickly in the beginning and to come off more slowly the closer you get to goal. That does not mean it's more difficult to lose weight. You'll use the same exact techniques and tools to lose. It's just harder for your body to give up those final pounds. I was six months to lose the last twenty. That's a bit excessive, maybe, but I was a slower loser from the start. But everyone slows down near the end - it's natural when your body has less to give up.

And in my experience, people need to feel in control so they fiddle with their diets any time they don't see a drop on the scale every day. If you're tracking your food and you're not eating an extra four hundred calories a day all of a sudden, it's doubtful that your diet is the culprit. Everyone's body reacts differently but in more cases than not, the thing that shakes a real stall is upping the calories and carbs in your diet, not slashing them. Or you could just wait it out. Because with time, it'll pass and it's part of the journey.

~Cheri

[Catracks 865]

Expect that the lower your body weight and the closer you are to your body's happy place, the harder it will be to lose weight. So yes, weight tends to come off more quickly in the beginning and to come off more slowly the closer you get to goal. That does not mean it's more difficult to lose weight. You'll use the same exact techniques and tools to lose. It's just harder for your body to give up those final pounds. I was six months to lose the last twenty. That's a bit excessive, maybe, but I was a slower loser from the start. But everyone slows down near the end - it's natural when your body has less to give up.

~Cheri

Just the thing I wanted to address. I have been gaining and losing the same pound for more than a month now. I finally lost another pound, but I cannot say that the stall has been broken yet.

I almost feel that my body has reached what it thinks is optimum weight. I'm wondering if the 10+ pound of extra skin is not a factor in what my body perceives is fat/muscle ration and metabolism. I'm so close to goal and cannot seem to get there.

The days of losing 5 pounds a week are sorely missed. I'm going to try upping my Water.< /p>

[clk 3,519]

Just the thing I wanted to address. I have been gaining and losing the same pound for more than a month now. I finally lost another pound, but I cannot say that the stall has been broken yet.

I almost feel that my body has reached what it thinks is optimum weight. I'm wondering if the 10+ pound of extra skin is not a factor in what my body perceives is fat/muscle ration and metabolism. I'm so close to goal and cannot seem to get there.

The days of losing 5 pounds a week are sorely missed. I'm going to try upping my Water.< /p>

Bah, what days of losing five pounds a week? I missed that stage entirely.

I think that first of all, our bodies just have happy weights they don't want to leave. I had a heck of a time getting out of the 190s and the 160s (those were my two nine week stalls) because they were previous stopping points for me. I desperately wanted to hit the 120s because I'm not even 5'2" tall. My body had different ideas about my happy place. After a ton of work I could get down to 135 but to maintain there took real effort. I had to count every calorie and keep restricting myself. But if I just let the scale bump up two measly pounds I was able to maintain effortlessly. I didn't have to measure food, I didn't have to track calories, I didn't have to do anything but make sure I kept away from really rotten habits like grazing all day. In the long run, the two pounds affected only me - my pant size stayed the same and nobody else can see the difference two pounds makes. So I relaxed and let it go.

But yes, the loose skin has to factor in somewhere. Mine isn't as bad as it was at one year post up but there's no denying that there's a significant amount of skin there. I often wonder if I'm going to finally achieve that goal of living in the 120s after plastics. But after hanging at goal for a while and being two and a half years out, the numbers really do bother me less. What I want is to fit in my own clothes and to continue enjoying my life. And after this pregnancy, I'm not aiming for a scale goal as my ultimate success. I'm aiming to get back into those adorable dresses I was wearing before I got pregnant!

In any case, those last pounds came off so slowly for me. And while I can say I was six months to lose 20 pounds, there were months in there where I lost one pound the entire month and five the next. It's really hard to do. If you're absolutely certain you have to get there, the best thing I think you can do is check out a gym class that includes strength training. Add in different exercise to shock your body, because at this point, I think you've done all the diet work you can.

Good luck,

~Cheri

[connie3 43]

Having my 1st stall now.. 6 weeks out. 1 week so far. :/

[AussieLady 521]

Had a 2 week stall, 6 weeks out.

[Catracks 865]

Thanks Cheri. I know from prior posts that you were a slow looser and that slow does not mean unsuccessful. I understand the frustration of hearing people complain that they have only lost 30 pounds in the first three weeks after surgery LOL! I am 5'1" and shooting for 130. Like I said, I suspect I have 10+ pounds of skin. Right now I wear a size 6 comfortably. I was trying on pants last week and noticed that if it weren't for the panni, I could easily wear a size 4. I forgot that I have no hips. I am constantly having to pull my pasts up as they slide over the non-existent hips and get stopped by the lower stomach skin. My surgeon's goal for me is 110. I think he's nuts. I would be a size 0 or less. No thanks!

I will try the strength training. I have equipment at home for that. All I need to do is pick it up. No extra money for a gym. It's funny, but when I do exercise there is a weight gain that accompanies it at first no matter what the calorie deficit is.

Connie and Aussie: One week? Nahhh. Two weeks is a little more frustrating, but they can last 1-2 months despite the fact that you are doing the same thing you had been doing when you were losing. Both Cheri and ButtertheBean and others have posted detailed explanations on stalls. The simplistic explanation is that your body needs time to readjust after a weight loss both in chemical terms and physical inches. I sometimes think that the body is actually redistributing flesh.

If you are doing everything right and not losing pounds, do not over-worry. Keep with it and you will lose. There are some that say changing up or playing with the numbers (protein, fat, carbs, exercise, etc.) will shock your body, but my experience up to now has been to wait it out. This may have changed for me since I'm close to goal. Cheri knows what she is talking about.

I am with a few pounds of what I was just before Christmas. This morning I tried on a pair of pants that were super tight that I have not worn since then and I am swimming in them.

The lose skin that I did not think was so bad a couple months ago is more noticeable now. I mentioned in another post that I actually have loose skin on my fingers. Don't let that scare you BTW. I'm 47 and had a 46 or 47 BMI when I started. It's so much better than the fat.

Cheri - Keep us posted on that baby of yours! Named yet? I named my daughter when she was 3 weeks old - I mean 3 weeks from conception I was calling her by name. Yes, I'm weird, but she was long wanted and I have to plan EVERYTHING is advance :-P

[clk 3,519]

Thanks Cheri. I know from prior posts that you were a slow looser and that slow does not mean unsuccessful. I understand the frustration of hearing people complain that they have only lost 30 pounds in the first three weeks after surgery LOL! I am 5'1" and shooting for 130. Like I said, I suspect I have 10+ pounds of skin. Right now I wear a size 6 comfortably. I was trying on pants last week and noticed that if it weren't for the panni, I could easily wear a size 4. I forgot that I have no hips. I am constantly having to pull my pasts up as they slide over the non-existent hips and get stopped by the lower stomach skin. My surgeon's goal for me is 110. I think he's nuts. I would be a size 0 or less. No thanks!

Cheri - Keep us posted on that baby of yours! Named yet? I named my daughter when she was 3 weeks old - I mean 3 weeks from conception I was calling her by name. Yes, I'm weird, but she was long wanted and I have to plan EVERYTHING is advance :-P

On the skin - I hear you. Trust me again when I say that no matter your age that you should still see some more rebound in the next year. I know, it's a long ways to go. For me it was a HUGE improvement. My thighs were so saggy baggy at one year out I refused to wear shorts, skirts or dresses but now they're fine.

And yes, I'm just over 5'1" and my doctor would love to see me in the one-teens and I think that's insane. It's not going to happen. At age twelve I weighed 120 pounds and there is no way I want to be that small. My husband would trade me in for sure! He already complains I'm too skinny. But I could EASILY wear a four, possibly smaller, if my panni were gone. I'm not entirely sure because I am an hourglass, so my hips might keep me in a larger size, but yes, even with today's vanity sizing I'm a small lady. The skin stinks and I'll eventually remove it, but it really is much improved over one year post op. And for me, the extra skin kept me from developing even more stretch marks with this pregnancy. Ha! Not that hearing this makes you feel better. But hey, I have to look at the plus side.

As for the little one, we're pretty sure we have her name but I'm not thrilled. Between my husband's kids, our kids and my late daughter, this is the tenth child, the seventh daughter. And of all those kids, none were ever named after my mother in law and she really feels we need to do that. In his family, that's a tradition they follow but in my family it's simply not done. Number one, we'd consider a list of names before the child is born but never name it until after birth. And beyond that, you'd never, ever name a child after a living relative! But hey, I'm pretty sure we're going to have to buckle on this or her feelings will be hurt forever. I'm a huge planner in every other aspect of my life. But superstitions are hard to break and I haven't purchased anything yet or done any planning. Weird, I know. I'm already getting gifts from the international community here and trying to accept them gracefully but it's so odd to me to Celebrate a birth before it happens.

~Cheri

[Catracks 865]

No, not weird at all. I can see the other side of it. I can understand tradition, but due respect to your MIL, it strikes me as presumptuous in the extreme. Naming a child is an intimate, private thing to me.

Consider hers as a middle name maybe LOL. None of my business though. Just talking.

[dlinnh 44]

the three week stall ended with this past week and a 4lb loss. and now that's it again for days - the same #. I am happy to hear your story Cheri as it gives me hope that although I am a slow loser I will get there. Thank you for sharing. I truly wish I did measurements prior to surgery as I know things fit better on me even if my scale is "broken" lol.

[ThinnerTiff 172]

I just recently had a 3 week stall. I was sleeved 10/9/12. This was my first major stall, I was starting to get a little nervous but I just had my gallbladder surgery 1/10 and I lost 10lbs in 4 days!!!! I think I broke my stall!! I try not to get to mad..it happens and I know eventually itll come off! So my stall started at 228 and right now I'm 218. Btw I started at 300!!!