Embrace the Stall

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Bumping this because I have already run across at least 4 stall posts today (and it's not even Monday)!

[Mania 128]

Quick question. I had my VSG surgery 10 days ago. Before I started my 2 week liquid diet, I weighed 372.8 lbs. On this past Thursday I weighed 335.8. So that a loss of 37 lbs in roughly 3 weeks. I think I am now stalled because I have not lost any weight since Thursday (was seeing a 2-3 lbs a day after surgery.). Can this be my 3 week stall?

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Sounds like it. You can't expect to see 3 or 4 pound daily losses on a daily basis.

[Kindle 8,667]

Bumping this because I have already run across at least 4 stall posts today (and it's not even Monday)!

And not only do they not use the search function to see that their questions and fears have already been addressed a zillion times, they don't even bother to put their post in the stall forum where it belongs.

[sigh] ....it's hopeless. Newbies just won't ever change.

[Kindle 8,667]

Quick question. I had my VSG surgery 10 days ago. Before I started my 2 week liquid diet, I weighed 372.8 lbs. On this past Thursday I weighed 335.8. So that a loss of 37 lbs in roughly 3 weeks. I think I am now stalled because I have not lost any weight since Thursday (was seeing a 2-3 lbs a day after surgery.). Can this be my 3 week stall?

STAY. OFF. THE. scale. (and not losing for 3 days is NOT a stall)

[AmyBug 38]

Bumping this because I have already run across at least 4 stall posts today (and it's not even Monday)!

And not only do they not use the search function to see that their questions and fears have already been addressed a zillion times, they don't even bother to put their post in the stall forum where it belongs.

[sigh] ....it's hopeless. Newbies just won't ever change.

As a Newbie, I think your comment is quite harsh.

I have not even had surgery yet, but looking at the forum so I know what to expect.

Please consider that Newbies are just that, NEW. Not everyone has the hang of this site yet, and searching is very very difficult on mobile. I've been watching this forum for a year, and have not even seen a section for stall.

Being rude, is not helpful to anyone.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Bumping this because I have already run across at least 4 stall posts today (and it's not even Monday)!

And not only do they not use the search function to see that their questions and fears have already been addressed a zillion times, they don't even bother to put their post in the stall forum where it belongs.

[sigh] ....it's hopeless. Newbies just won't ever change.

As a Newbie, I think your comment is quite harsh.

I have not even had surgery yet, but looking at the forum so I know what to expect.

Please consider that Newbies are just that, NEW. Not everyone has the hang of this site yet, and searching is very very difficult on mobile. I've been watching this forum for a year, and have not even seen a section for stall.

Being rude, is not helpful to anyone.

I apologize if you thought I was being rude. As a matter of fact, I bumped the post because it was posted a while back so thought it would be helpful if it were in the newer feed. I realize that most new folks are unfamiliar with the site and with common topics because the are just that -- new.

[AmyBug 38]

@@Inner Surfer Girl, I'm sorry, I did not think bumping the post was rude at all, but quite needed. I was trying to quote kindle, who quoted you. As I newbie, I seemed to have messed that up.

I do believe your posts have been helpful. Thank you.

[Kindle 8,667]

Sorry, but reading the same posts over and over and over gets frustrating. I mostly dont bother to answer anymore, because I've already posted the same answers a dozen time and it's obvious no one bothers to read them. The same question always show up within a couple days. But I just had surgery so I've got nothing better to do this weekend but lay around and piss off people online. (I already got all my Christmas shopping done)

I use the mobile app, too. For search just tap in the upper left corner and select Search from the menu. For all the forums, tap the upper left corner and select forums from the menu. There are 4 main forums but If you tap any of them a bunch of subforums come up. The stall forum is under the General weight loss forum. Take some time to browse through the site, you will find a ton of information that will be helpful to you.

BTW, this thread is IN the stall subforum.

Edited November 29, 2015 by Kindle

[Kindle 8,667]

@@Inner Surfer Girl my apologies for trashing your wonderful thread. I will crawl back under my rock now.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

@@Kindle, I forgive you!

I know it gets aggravating to keep repeating the same thing over and over (I think someone called my response "canned" one time). But, it's hard to remember what it was like when we were new. I hope that whether this is the first post you ever read or the 5,000th, you can find something helpful, even if it's just a reminder of how far you have come or a smile of recognition.

By the way, if you are a newby reading this for the first time, @@Kindle has quite a success story with lots of great advice and experience.

[cindi gant 101]

In 23 months I have had too many stalls to count. I did not have the 3 week stall. It seems like my first stall was at about 3 months. Not sure though. I have probably had 10 stalls or more. Some were longer than others. The sleeve was a revision so I know how this goes. I have not had many surprises. When you have a stall try the usual things, drink more Water, increase your Protein, exercise more, reduce your calories by 100 - 150 or maybe add 100 - 150 calories for a week or so. These things may or may mot help. Bottom line, trust the process. Don"t worry. Depending on when your surgery was, call your doctor if the stall lasts more than a month. You have to be comfortable with what your body is doing. You may not be losing pounds but you are probably losing inches.

Edited December 1, 2015 by cindi gant

[JupiterinVirgo 846]

It seems that at least 50% of the posts on BariatriPal are bemoaning a stall. Daily, and sometimes hourly, I am reading about how someone ONLY lost x number of pounds and now the scale hasn't moved in ___ [fill in the blank] days/months, etc. Oh no, they write, I am a failure/unique/my surgery didn't work/life is not fair, ... Why am I in a stall?

I know I am exaggerating but I think you get the idea.

Guess what? STALLS are a NORMAL part of the PROCESS of losing weight. If you want to lose weight, you will stall. Not just once, but over and over. And, guess what? A stall is where your body actually does the hard work of becoming smaller. It takes a lot of work and energy to dismantle a structure that has been holding up, in some cases, hundreds of pounds.

For those who think they have to DO something to somehow "break a stall" (in my opinion, you do not break a stall, you just ride them out), here is my response:

What can you do to "break" a stall?

1) STAY OFF THE scale

Relax and stay off the scale if it bothers you so much. Weigh no more than once a week, or even less often. Weighing only at your doctor's appointments early in the process is a good strategy if your mood and self-worth are dictated by the numbers on the scale.

2) PICK UP A TAPE MEASURE

In addition to using the numbers on the scale to measure your progress, take your measurements. Inches lost are also a great way to see physical progress when the scale isn't moving. Most people see the biggest physical changes in their body when the scale seems stuck.

3) TRACK YOUR Protein AND Water AND MEET OR EXCEED YOUR Protein AND Water GOAL EVERY DAY

As long as you are getting in all your protein and water and following your NUT and surgeon's instructions, you are doing what you are supposed to do.

If you aren't getting in all your protein and water, then increasing your protein and water is something you can do (and should be doing anyway whether or not you are in a stall).

4) EXERCISE

If you aren't exercising, then you can exercise (and should be whether or not you are in a stall). You can start slowly by walking or even moving more around the house. Exercising will help you feel better, tone your skin and build fat-burning muscle.

5) MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR NUT

If you are unsure or unclear about what you are supposed to be, or should not be eating, then make an appointment with your NUT (which you should be doing whether or not you are in a stall).

6) REASSESS AND REEVALUATE

About the only good result I see that comes from complaining about a stall is when you take an honest look at what you are doing and realign with the program recommended by your NUT and surgeon. Have you started eating more outside of your plan? Are you restricting calories? Are you eating enough carbs and protein for your exercise? Are you taking your Vitamins? Are you eating often enough? Are you eating slowly with protein first? Sometimes, all you need to DO is go back to basics.

7) JOURNAL

One of the biggest things I have noticed from the various posts is how anxious and out-of-control some people feel when they notice a stall. Journaling can help you gain some perspective and deal with some of the emotional turmoil.

-- Write about how you are feeling about the stall and your weight loss, and surgery in general.

-- Write about why you had the surgery in the first place.

-- Write about what life was like before surgery.

-- Write about what you hope and dream about accomplishing in the future.

-- Write about your fears.

-- Write about your NSVs.

-- Make a gratitude list.

-- Make a bucket list.

-- Write a letter to your old self; write a letter to your new self.

Just write.

8) SEEK HELP

Stalls are when too many people seem to revert to old, counterproductive dieting behaviors (restricting calories, over exercising, bingeing, etc.). If this is you, then another thing you can DO is to talk to a counselor or therapist or consider joining a bariatric support group or a twelve-step group like Overeater's Anonymous.

The discomfort of being in a stall can also drive people to develop new, unhealthy coping habits or even transfer addictions. This is where you want to marshall all the resources you have available to you and use them.

The last, and most important thing you can DO is:

9) EMBRACE THE STALL

Stalls are a normal and natural part of the process.

Our bodies are complex systems and not simple machines.

Stalls go hand-in-hand with weight loss.

If you had Weight Loss Surgery, then you probably want to lose a significant amount of weight. So, get ready to embrace the many stalls you will experience as your body is transformed. It will be worth it.

I'm very early in the process, at three weeks post op and have not stepped on the scale since two weeks prior to surgery, but I want to print this out for the long haul. Thank you so much for this well organized, common sense summary!

[ShadowCub67 20]

I'm sorry that some people seem to have gotten their feelings hurt about the "Newbies never change" comment. Personally, I saw it as humor. The Newbies on the site on any given day are all too similar the the Newbies that were on the site a week ago, a month ago, a year ago, several years ago, etc., they're just not the same individuals each time.

As people are on this site for a while, they find the tools, start haunting particular subgroups and so forth.But when they're new, and therefor a Newbie, that haven't had that time yet. So yes, Newbies always seem to have the same questions, fears, and so forth AND they don't yet know how to find the 10,000 other times the same thought, feeling, question was expressed and so post it for the 10,001 time.

Same is true most places. New people, because they're new, make the same mistakes that countless new people before them have made. When you've been around for a while it can get frustrating. But I offer this thought from various 12 Step rooms, "It is the newbies, with their fresh fears and pains, that remind us how far we have come and how easily we could go back there." Granted, it takes a bit of work to put a few hundred pounds BACK on after WLS, but it is by no means impossible, or even uncommon.

I am starting my 5th or 6th journey towards WLS over the last 10 years. This is the second time with Bariatric Pal on my list of tools. And while I have not done it -yet-, I think I will try to gather a collection of links with answers to some of the more repetitive questions and put them in my signature. And THIS thread will be the first. (Just as soon as I remember how to edit my signature. <blushes>)

[ShadowCub67 20]

HA! I even found a way around the "no URLs in signatures" restriction on my 42nd try!