Frustrating Stall - and have I lost too little weight so far?

[DustyRecording 0]

So I got my surgery on June 22nd - about nine weeks ago. I am 5'8", 35F, and started out at 320, I'm currently 288 for a loss of 32 pounds over about two months. Is that okay?

For the last week or so, I've had a really rough stall and barely been losing anything. Some days I'll even gain a pound. This is my second stall. I normally eat between 600 and 1000 calories (mostly about 800) and almost entirely Protein really.

Is there an issue with me? Is my weight loss rate okay or is it too slow? I feel like I should have lost like 50 pounds by now. What about this stall?

Edited August 28, 2023 by DustyRecording

[SuziDavis 546]

Hello, I know stalls are frustrating, but we all have them. Your body has to adjust and that is what happens when you stall in the beginning, once you re further out, you have to look at what you are eating, how much, and if you are exercising enough.

As far as 32 pounds in 2 months... sounds good to me. Its more than you probably lost in 2 month pre-surgery. 😊

[Arabesque 7,240]

Yes, 32lbs is a good loss over two months. There’ll always be people who lose more/lose faster while others lose more slowly & there’s nothing wrong with either way.

Yes stalls can be frustrating but they are an important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body takes stock of the changes you’ve made (weight loss, reduced food intake, increased activity, etc.). Think of it as your body being stressed by these changes. Your body then resets things like your digestive hormones, metabolic rate etc. so it can better manage your new needs. Your stall will end when your body is ready to move forward again & they usually last 1-3 weeks on average.

Leave the scales for a few days or reduce how often you weigh yourself. Take some body measurements as some say the scales don’t move but their body is still getting smaller.

[catwoman7 11,212]

32 lbs in two months is excellent. You've lost more than I did in that time frame. Also, stalls are common. You're likely to experience several of them on your journey. When you hit one, make sure you stick to your plan, and back off on weighing yourself for awhile - maybe only once or twice a week until the thing breaks. And as long as you stick to your plan, it WILL break. Usually takes 1-3 weeks to run its course.

[BabySpoons 616]

Based on a weight loss of 32 pounds in 9 weeks, that is an average weekly loss of 3.5 pounds. Excellent. I average a 2-pound loss a week and completely happy with it. The consistent downward trend I see on the scale is exciting to watch. Especially after years of failed dieting.

If you must weigh daily, add up each day's weight for a week, then divide by how many days you stepped on the scale. Then compare week by week. I did this method years ago since this helps factor in Water weight fluctuations. which can cause up to 5 pounds of variation daily, depending on sodium intake and menstrual cycles. I weigh once a week now and let my RENPHO smart scale do the math for me. It also takes bodyfat percentage which to me is a more important measurement as compared to the daily ups and downs of those weight scale numbers.

Also, a stall here or there is to be expected while our bodies readjust but I'll take it.

GL and congrats on your recent WLS @DustyRecording

[DustyRecording 0]

I appreciate your kind words. I just worry because I always hear that you get most of your weight loss in the first three months and I've only gone back to my 'normal' from about a year ago (280s-290s).

When I weigh, sometimes I see the weight even go up by a pound (like this morning). Meanwhile, I used online calculators to estimate weight loss and they kept saying I should be losing like 40-50 pounds during the first three months and so I worry about 'wasting' this apparently golden period of weight loss.

[summerseeker 2,139]

I appreciate your kind words. I just worry because I always hear that you get most of your weight loss in the first three months and I've only gone back to my 'normal' from about a year ago (280s-290s).

When I weigh, sometimes I see the weight even go up by a pound (like this morning). Meanwhile, I used online calculators to estimate weight loss and they kept saying I should be losing like 40-50 pounds during the first three months and so I worry about 'wasting' this apparently golden period of weight loss.

I have never heard of the golden time being only 3 months. I lost a great deal up till 14 months or so. I am still in a calorie deficit, I eat about 1200 cals a day and on a hungry day maybe 1500 cals. My loses are tiny now but still going down. I am 21 months out, ancient and the only exercise I get is walking and housework.
We are so used to having failed diets in the past that it's hard to break the diet mentality. Your body will loose what it needs to. Eat good calories, stick to your teams diet and sit back and watch yourself shrink. In 12 months you will not believe who is staring back at you in the mirror. Have patience.

Sent from my Lenovo TB-J606F using BariatricPal mobile app

[summerseeker 2,139]

I appreciate your kind words. I just worry because I always hear that you get most of your weight loss in the first three months and I've only gone back to my 'normal' from about a year ago (280s-290s).

When I weigh, sometimes I see the weight even go up by a pound (like this morning). Meanwhile, I used online calculators to estimate weight loss and they kept saying I should be losing like 40-50 pounds during the first three months and so I worry about 'wasting' this apparently golden period of weight loss.

I have never heard of the golden time being only 3 months. I lost a great deal up till 14 months or so. I am still in a calorie deficit, I eat about 1200 cals a day and on a hungry day maybe 1500 cals. My loses are tiny now but still going down. I am 21 months out, ancient and the only exercise I get is walking and housework.
We are so used to having failed diets in the past that it's hard to break the diet mentality. Your body will loose what it needs to. Eat good calories, stick to your teams diet and sit back and watch yourself shrink. In 12 months you will not believe who is staring back at you in the mirror. Have patience.

Sent from my Lenovo TB-J606F using BariatricPal mobile app

[NCL04321 161]

Way to go on losing 32lbs! Sounds good to me. I know your frustration though. I am 4.5 months out and have lost almost 60lbs but I have been "stuck" at 172 for about 2 weeks. UGH! I have had a couple stalls here and there but none that lasted this long. It is aggravating but as everyone always says, stick with the plan and your stall will come to an end and you will lose more weight. Congratulations on your weight loss journey so far!

[learn2cook 576]

Your body is your body and you just can’t compare with other people. Thirty two pounds lost is amazing! Did you ever have that kind of success with diets/exercise programs before? There’s no magic time frame. It’s being patient with yourself and continuing your healthy lifestyle that will see results. You WILL get there. None of us got fat overnight, and we didn’t loose it overnight either. Dory from Finding Nemo said, “Keep swimming, keep swimming…”

[Arabesque 7,240]

Weight loss is never a straight down ward line. It zigs & zags, goes up & down & plateaus. As long as your general trend is downwards you’re golden.

The thing about averages is all they give you is an idea of what might happen not what definitely will happen. In saying that, if you’re currently averaging about a 15lb a month weight loss then in three months you can expect to lose about 45lbs which puts you in the middle of your average 40-50lb loss at three months. But it really doesn’t matter whether you do or don’t.

Yes, we do tend to lose more in the first months & then our rate of loss slows. It doesn’t mean your weight loss is over though. When you get closer to the weight you stabilise at it can feel like it’s going to take forever to lose the last pounds - like losing ounces each week. I kept losing at that slow rate for months after I reached my goal at 6 months. I lost another 11kgs over the next 11 months. (I wasn’t actively trying to lose but my body wanted to lose more.) So I was losing for about 17 months in total. The averages were completely off the mark for me.

Breath. Work your plan. And Celebrate every pound you lose.