Weight loss stalls

lmryoung
lmryoung Posts: 47 Member
I'm sure I'm being overly anxious and that everything will be fine, but I'm one month out from surgery and have hit my first stall. I didn't lose anything the week of my surgery then suddenly dropped 18 pounds the second week after. Then for 2 weeks, my weight stayed the same. A few days ago I gained a pound and have stayed at that weight since. I've tried to stay positive because the logical part of me knows that at 600-700 calories a day the weight is going to come off, but seeing this same number for so long now is starting to chip away at me. Can anyone share how they took care of themselves during these stalls?
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Replies

  • blairmundy
    blairmundy Posts: 219 Member
    I posted a chart last week called "Data on vsg for newbies" or something like that. It shows my 3-month chart and you can really see the stalls visually. The first one is the longest one and the hardest and it will be different from one person to the next as far as how long it will last. Just know that you are right, the weight is going to come off. Your body is in a bit of shock. It had to spend a good amount of energy to heal and is probably trying to conserve energy now that it isn't having to divert its focus to that. It will break. In the meantime focus on what you can do to help it break - get as much protein and water as you can and be active every day, even if it is just going for a walk.

    Additionally, you can decide to weigh yourself only once a week (this doesn't work for me but if you can do that, it would help). If you do have to weigh yourself every day, make sure to track the number but try to think of your weightloss as a rolling average rather than a day to day number. For instance "in the last three weeks I have lost 18 lbs - that is 6 lbs per week!" is a better way to think about it than "Yesterday I gained a pound." Both are true, one is both more motivating and a more accurate way to measure your weightloss, right? So for me, some of it was trust and some of it was working hard to rephrase the question. It is frustrating though - ride it out and stay positive!
  • cmchandler74
    cmchandler74 Posts: 510 Member
    The huge drop you saw was probably related to the fluid from after surgery starting to come off as your bladder woke up. I typically lose about 1-3 lbs a week with moderate exercise but if I don't exercise and stay sedentary, it comes off much more slowly. That said, I had a two week stall recently and felt the same way. Do stay positive - it WILL come off - but if you think there is a problem, you may want to speak to a nutritionist.
  • lmryoung
    lmryoung Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks for the encouragement. I was prepared to have stalls because I saw my partner go through them. Here weren't so soon or this long (and she didn't go up) so I'm really blown away by this. Blairmundy - I'd really love to see the graph you posted. Where can I find that?
  • blairmundy
    blairmundy Posts: 219 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10154980/data-from-3-months-for-vsg-visual-example-for-newbies#latest

    Remember, yours may be longer or more frequent, but they happen to everyone. And I'd say going up a pound is not really 'weight gain' as your body can fluctuate based on water, when you've had a BM, how much sleep you get, etc. Don't sweat 1 lb. If you gained 5 lbs or something, I'd talk to a nutritionist but I've definitely had days both during a stall and not during a stall that I've gone up a pound or so.
  • lmryoung
    lmryoung Posts: 47 Member
    Thank you so much for posting that - it is so helpful to know that this is temporary and normal.
  • loriloftness
    loriloftness Posts: 476 Member
    My first stall was at week 3. I was freaked out. It didn't last. I have had stalls since then too. (I'm almost 6 mos out) They haven't lasted either. If you are following your program, (fluid, protein, calories) your stalls won't last either. Your body just has to reset every now and then.
  • Jessvaliquette
    Jessvaliquette Posts: 111 Member
    Hi everyone I always tell people this is why pictures are so important and I mean underwear pics, I lost most inches on stalls, I would get so sad on my stalls until I started comparing pictures. I will try to attach my pic to show you all but doesn't seam to work, you can add me and see what I mean. Thank you
  • cabennett99
    cabennett99 Posts: 357 Member
    I agree with Jessvaliquette - I seem to lose inches faster during my stalls...the body us doing some sort of reconfiguration...
  • Dannadl
    Dannadl Posts: 120 Member
    Stalls are totally normal. That being said, when I hit my 1st on (around 3 weeks post op) I freaked the heck out. I was weighing myself 20 times a day, I was in a panic. My husband ended up loading my scale into his car and taking it to his office for a month. (I'm a stay at home mom). I couldn't weigh in for a month. I just had to focus on doing what I was supposed to and trusting the process. By the time I got my scale back the stall had broken and my panic was over. I really recommend having the scale removed during scales if you need to. Best thing my husband could have done for me.
  • badhair56
    badhair56 Posts: 239 Member
    Dannadl wrote: »
    Stalls are totally normal. That being said, when I hit my 1st on (around 3 weeks post op) I freaked the heck out. I was weighing myself 20 times a day, I was in a panic. My husband ended up loading my scale into his car and taking it to his office for a month. (I'm a stay at home mom). I couldn't weigh in for a month. I just had to focus on doing what I was supposed to and trusting the process. By the time I got my scale back the stall had broken and my panic was over. I really recommend having the scale removed during scales if you need to. Best thing my husband could have done for me.

    Now that's the type of support all of could benefit from. Tell your husband to keep up the good work
  • lmryoung
    lmryoung Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks everyone. I feel so much better hearing that this is normal. It was feeling like yet another failure even though I know logically there's no way I could really maintain my current weight considering my intake. The 1.5 pounds I've gained in the past month came off over the weekend and I'm hoping that means the stall is coming to its end.
  • Maria544
    Maria544 Posts: 21 Member
    I do get frustrated sometimes. Pre surgery I was losi g 3 to 4 pounds weekly. Last week I gain weight and this week only lose a pound. But I'm hanging in there and trusting the process
  • jillcwatson1
    jillcwatson1 Posts: 100 Member
    I am not losing like I expected to be in the early weeks after surgery. I dropped 7 lbs in the first week and am happy with that but haven't lost any in the 2nd week and now I am nearly finished with the 3rd wk and down only one pound. I wonder if it has anything to do with the weight I lost before surgery. I am down 46 total since I began the 6 months of monitoring with my dietician. Some in these forums mention NOT losing on purpose prior to surgery to maintain their BMI status and others say they lost only during the liquid diet prior to surgery. I am trying to be patient. I wonder if I am eating too much even though my calories are still low...400-600 range at this stage. Any advice would be welcome.

  • joysie1970
    joysie1970 Posts: 415 Member
    Hang in there and trust the process I was the same way but it picked back after week four, it's your body adjusting. When I was able to work up to 600 calories consistently it seemed to increase my loss, also the best piece of advice I got from my wls team was everyone's journey is different we all loose at different paces but end up at the same in the end - the reason is we don't all start at the same place or have the same body make up. I watch my friends on here post daily losses, I don't have big losses daily (I don't lose a pound a day) but if I wait and capture my weight loss once a week I will the see the scale move 3 maybe 4 lbs and by the end of the month it has added up to a significant amount that makes me very happy!
  • 2BeHappy2
    2BeHappy2 Posts: 811 Member
    Some in these forums mention NOT losing on purpose prior to surgery to maintain their BMI status and others say they lost only during the liquid diet prior to surgery.

    Wow, really??
    Ive not heard this!
    Usually Dr's require patients to lose some amount of weight either so surgery will be more successful or for him/her to see the patients dedication prior to surgery.


  • threecrows
    threecrows Posts: 4 Member
    I stall for 2-3 weeks at a time, but lose consistently from month to month.

    My doctor didn't require any diet or weight loss before surgery, though, so it's all come off since.
  • jillcwatson1
    jillcwatson1 Posts: 100 Member
    2BeHappy2: What they report is that if they lose too much, their BMI would be too low to qualify for the surgery. That wasn't my case. I lost nearly 40 lbs prior to the surgery and dropped 4 points but was still over 40.
  • Cronniss
    Cronniss Posts: 108 Member
    2BeHappy2 wrote: »
    Some in these forums mention NOT losing on purpose prior to surgery to maintain their BMI status and others say they lost only during the liquid diet prior to surgery.

    Wow, really??
    Ive not heard this!
    Usually Dr's require patients to lose some amount of weight either so surgery will be more successful or for him/her to see the patients dedication prior to surgery.


    Actually, I can understand this. There are some people that I have ran into that have tried to get a bariatric surgery who were required to lose weight prior to the surgery (to "show that they mean it") by their medical insurance...and then because of the the weight they lost they actually dipped below minimum weight and/or BMI required by their insurance to cover the procedure.

    This means they not only lost weight as they were told, they lost their means to the surgery. I think it's a crappy move on the part of the insurance company, taking the weight right before the surgery instead of the initial weigh-in, but that's how a number of insurance companies do business.

    (But then I don't know what their BMI & weight requirements are. And if you're right at that point and go below both minimums...barring any other medical conditions, do you really need a bariatric surgery? Or can you do it on your own?)

    Having said that, mine was covered by Medicare. (It has improved my health so much that my headaches & migraines have lessened to the point that I may be able to go back to work. Which means I will get off of Social Security Disability and be productive again! o:) ) I only had to maintain my weight for 6 months, not lose any. (But then, I also lost around 100 lbs on my own before the surgery itself. And I still weighed in at 356 lbs on the day of the surgery.)

    Everyone is different. So everyone is going to have different experiences.

    (As to only losing weight while on the liquid portion of the diet, those people need to look at their habits after getting back on to solid food. I've met people that have said the same thing...and then I watched what and how they ate. It was no wonder that they either didn't lose any more weight or they gained it back.)
  • cheekitty
    cheekitty Posts: 101 Member
    I tend to freak out less by using trendweight.com - I load everything in there and it does all the averaging for me. :)