Anyone experience a stall at 3 wks out?

I was doing really well - lost 14 lbs during the first 2 wks after surgery.  Doc said he wanted me to lose 10 more before I came back in 2 more wks.  That will be this Thursday.  I've lost less than 2 lbs since that appt and am really concerned although I have been following the plan to a T.  I haven't been exercising as much because I've gone back to work and have been exhausted when I get home in the evenings.  I figured walking the halls several times during the day counted for something. 

BTW, had my first experience with food getting stuck last night.  Not a pleasant experience!  But not as bad as overeating which I've done already, too.

Craclemom,

My nutritionist/support group leader says that this is typical because your body is getting caught up with all of the weight loss you have had preop and post op. Just keep eating correctly and try to start adding the exercise back in. I get up early and go to the gym early because I am so exhausted in the evenings and I had my surgery on 1/22.

Maybe you could get a exercise video and exercise before work. I do the biggest loser volume 1 and I am ordering the walk the pounds off next week.

I have papaya enzymes that have been wonderful when I have gotten stuck. It is supposed to help protien digest but it helped me when I ate oatmeal and put some benefiber in it and it swelled my stoma shut.  Big mistake.

Tamara

My first stall was at three weeks.  My only advice...dont' worry but get used to it.  You will stall often.   Good luck!

Tracy

((((Sweetie)))),

I don't know why they don't tell you (or me) this... That stall you hit is very, very common. I had almost nearly the identical thing happen to me and I was sure that I was doing something wrong. I wasn't and neither are you. Just stay with the program. You will lose the weight. Don't worry about your surgeon being upset with you. It's not likely. You will probably see, over the coarse of time that your body will do this to you repeatedly. You will most likely stair-step your way down this road, instead of sliding down the road. It's part of our bodies defense mechanism to keep us safe in times of famine. You'll experience a drop, then your body will hold on for dear life to those 'precious' fat stores we are trying desperately to lose. The good news is that with your WLS, you are tougher than your body's ability to hold on to those pounds and you will win.

It's so normal to be exhausted at this point of your journey. My goodness, you've just had major surgery and your body is working overtime to heal itself from that 'assault'. On top of that you aren't providing it with the caloric intake it is accustomed to receiving. It's no wonder that you are exhausted. Just rest as much as you can. Be sure to get in as much of the fluids, protien and suppliments as you possibly can and walk.

I'm sorry that you had the experience with food getting stuck and with overeating your pouch. I'm afraid we all have to do that a few times. The good news is that with time we do learn and with time the pouch will mature and you will eventually be able to consume a larger volume without feeling ill. That can be both a comforting and scary thought. ;-)

Hang in there and just keep doing what your Dr  has told you to do. You'll be fine and the weight absolutely will come off.

Barbara,

At what point does a stall become a concern?
I'm 7 wks out and have been stalled for 4 wks.
I met with the Nutrionist last week and she said I was in taking way to little calories. (ya, think!)
My protien intake is good, vitamins ok, exercising ok.
She said to increase my good carbs.

I'm trying to remain positive in the fact that I the weight loss to date averages 3lbs a week.
Just would like to see a change. & no I don't step on the scale everyday : )

Keep on

 

I wouldn't be 'concerned' just yet. Do make sure that you are getting in the requisite protien, hydration, and calories. You should be averaging around 900 calories a day. Also make sure that you are moving your tail. If you don't have one yet, get a pedometer. They are a great way to remind you to keep moving. You should shoot for 10K steps a day. Wear one a few days to see what you have been doing then work on racheting it up until you get to 10K.

If you aren't doing it yet, start logging your intake. At this point, it helps you make sure that you are getting in enough fluids and protien. It will also tell you if you are gettting in enough calories. Sometimes I found that I didn't get in enough and when I would boost the calories up to where my Nut. suggested, I'd start losing again. At any rate, if your stall doesn't break in another week or 10 days, you can go see your Dr about it and if you've been logging your intake and activity, it might help them troubleshoot.

All of that said, it's most likely just one of those unavoidable stalls that frustrates the heck out of us, but comes with the territory. A 3 lbs a week avg loss is actually pretty fair. I think that I averaged just about the same loss pattern for the first several months, then it dropped off from there.

Wishing you all the best and continued success,

Almost EVERYONE!!!! It is normal, your body needs time to catch up...hang in there and I PROMISE the weightloss will kick back in to full gear!! But be prepared for many more stalls to come! It will be frustrating, but know that it is normal and you are not alone.
Make sure you are measuring your food right now! You should  be eating no more than 1/4 of a cup per sitting!! And CHEW, CHEW, CHEW!!!!!

I totally understand where you're coming from. I am in the same place. I am 5 1/2 weeks post-op and lost 36 pounds in the first two weeks and since then nothing. I have been at a stall for 3 weeks. It is very frustrating since, like you, I am following the plan to a T. Sometimes it's hard to believe that I will get over this stall, but I just try to have faith. The thing that's been frustrating to me is knowing that it's out of my control. If I were "cheating" or something then I could blame myself that I'm not losing, but I'm doing everything the way I'm supposed to and yet the scale is not moving. I don't see how the dr. could be upset with you when you show him that you're doing exactly what you're supposed to. For what it's worth just keep making the right choices and believe your body will catch up.

I've had three mini-stalls since my surgery back in December.  However, I've lost 48 lbs since my surgery on Dec 12th and that's an average of 2/3 lb per day.  I'm pretty happy with that.  So, don't sweat the stalls.  They must be very normal.  Annoying, but normal. 

I too find I am WAY too tired after teaching all day to go to the gym.  Plus, the arthritis in my hip has flared up big time and I've had a few days that I could hardly walk.  Not being able to take my NSAIDs for pain since surgery has made my life exceedingly difficult.  My regular doctor had to switch me to a stronger pain med: hydrocodone, which is exactly the same medicine they gave us for pain after surgery when we left the hospital.  It's a strong narcotic and addictive.  **sigh**   So my choices are:  excruciating, crippling pain OR drug addiction.  I think I'm going to have to have that hip replacement sooner than I'd expected. 

For food getting stuck get yourself some chewable Papaya Enzyme from WalMart.  That was recommended by someone on the forum.  I keep one bottle in my desk at school and one bottle at home.  They taste good too.  You can find the Papaya Enzyme where the other vitamin supplements are at WalMart. 

As everyone said,  your stall is totally normal.  You will most likely stall again too.  It's just part of the journey.  As far as Dr. Chapman and his goals, that's all they are is goals.  He knows that everyone loses at different rates, as long as you are keeping to the program you will see results and he will be happy.  I worried before each visit as well and he has always been a great cheerleader.

Take care.
Ellen