Stall?

Hey Everyone,

I just joined this website as I am fairly new to the gastric sleeve world. I just had mine done 11/16/18, so I am just about 8 weeks out.

I have read that stalls happen, but, I already appear to be hitting one and it's very disappointing. I weigh myself once a week (Fridays) and last week I didn't lose anything. I cheated a bit this week with weigh ins because I was so upset about last week and right now, I seem to be on track to not lose anything again. I know everyone's bodies are different and everyone loses differently but I can't help but feel so disappointed in myself.

I did start solid food about 2.5 weeks ago. And, I still really am not eating too much solid food as I am a little scared to introduce new foods (I have experienced dumping syndrome twice). I don't eat carbs at all nor do I purposely eat anything with sugar. I am working out 3-4 times a week on the treadmill. I walk 30-45 minutes each time on an incline with various speeds (I typically speed up fast, do a cool down, speed up, cool down...etc).

For some background, I am down 34lbs since my surgery date and was steadily losing each week prior to this "stall" (if that's what it is).

I guess what I'm getting at is...is this normal? I know it's a ridiculous question because there's no real "normal" when it comes to this surgery and how everyone loses, but, I am upset and bummed. Any advice or assurance will be greatly appreciated!!

-Katie

Hi and welcome!

Stalls are totally 100% normal. Most people seem to have one at the 3 week mark - you made it to 8! :)

Are you tracking what you're eating with something like MyFitnessPal? How much protein are you getting each day? How much liquid are you drinking each day?

34 pounds in 8 weeks is awesome. :) When was the last time you did that?! Why are you disappointed in ~4 pounds a week?! That's great!

Follow the plan, get your protein and liquid in, you'll reach your goal. As they say, it's a marathon not a sprint.

Gwen,

Thank you for the reply and welcome! :)

I appreciate all the feedback, it has made me feel a little bit better.

I don't track my food, only because when I was doing WW, I HAAAAAATED keeping track and it kind of put a bad taste in my mouth. I did download MyFitnessPal...only to delete it. Maybe it's time to redownload it and try and commit. I do not think I'm getting all of my protein as it is still very difficult for me to eat a lot.

I only just started to be able to drink 60oz of water without feeling overly full or that I was going to vomit (the only other thing I drink is Kefir and that's not every day).

Again, I really appreciate the encouragement. I have a lot of friends who are great at it, but, it's different when it's coming from someone who has actually gone through surgery and all the ups and downs.

-Katie

What's a day of food look like for you? If you share a day's meals, we might be able to troubleshoot for you.

64 ounces of liquid is a minimum goal and stalls can definitely happen if you're not hydrated - so that's something to keep working on. You might have better luck with different liquids or temperatures. Warm tea or hot broth might be better than cold water, for example. You might also want to try using a straw if you haven't tried that - some people have better luck drinking through a straw and for some completely unknown reason a lot of plans tell people to never use straws. Which is dumb :P

And I totally know what you mean - it's so helpful to have access to people who have been there and done that!

Hi Gwen!

I seriously have been terrified to use a straw cause my dr told me not to! Before surgery I drank a gallon of water a day and I KNOW the straw helped with that so maybe I can get back to the straw!

My typical food day looks like this:

Breakfast: Dannon Triple Zero Oikos yogurt with protein granola.

Lunch: Turkey sausage with veggies (maybe a cup total)

Snack: P3 Protein pack with sunflower seeds, honey roasted peanuts, and jerky

Dinner: Not even half of a piece of chicken breast or a salad with chicken.

Snack: sugar free popsicle (not every night)

I just recently hit 60oz of water the other day. I feel like sometimes I have to choose between water and protein because I get full so fast!

Welcome! I agree with Gwen, 34 pounds is wonderful! I think I hit my first stall at about week 5 or 6. Like Gwen mentioned, tracking your intake is so important. It lets you see where you need improvement. Hitting your protein goals and increasing your fluid intake to over 64oz is what helped me the most. I shot for 80oz to 100oz of water to get through the stalls. Be patient, follow your guidelines and you will start loosing again. Join our "Watcha Eating VSGers?" menu thread to see what others are eating.

Hi Kristi!

Thanks! It's hard for me to get in even 60oz of water, but I'll keep pushing!

With the myfitnesspal, or really any food tracker, how do you track something homemade such as lemon pepper chicken breast? That's where I'm running into some issues.

I will definitely keep on following my guidelines and keep pushing. :) And, I'll join that thread! Thank you!! :D

-Katie

Katie - I didn't really like myfitnesspal so I downloaded Loose It! since before my surgery and use it everyday. (I also downloaded Baritastic;and didn't like that app either...so it might take a few tries to find the one that resonates with you.)

I cook about 100% of my meals, so it was key that I found an app that was flexible enough for me to manually enter in ingredients and portions to make a recipe. So, Loose It! works for me. Hopefully you'll find something that works for you.

I had the sleeve August 14th, and am down 59 pounds - so you're doing great! I found that fluid intake is the best way to combat plateaus - I've had a couple and making sure that getting protein and water in will start the scale moving again!

Best - Kathy

Kathy-

Thanks for the tips on trying different apps! I would say almost 100% of my lunches and dinners are homemade so I need an app that can support that.

Thank you for the tip on the water and congrats on your weight loss!! I will keep pushing my water and try to get that up. :)

-Katie