Is this Normal ??

Hey Guys, I am four weeks post op and seem to have hit a plateau in my weight loss.  Is this normal? I remember reading that this could be my body going into the starvation mode, but being as this is my first time, I need some more information from some of the long term post op's. Also, I seem to be able to eat more than I thought I would be able to.  Like a whole can of soup or a cup of mash potatoes. Just seems like the quantity is to large. Maybe this is normal too.  I just don't know !! I need some help here guys. Thanks !!

The Plateau or stall could be normal. I had one at three weeks after that lasted for six days. Since then I have been going down a pound every two or three days. The amount of food you can eat does make me scratch my head a bit. I am almost six weeks post opp now and I still can only eat about 3 oz at a time. However liquids are much easier to intake, I can drink quite a bit during the day, so if your soup is a broth then that would explain that. Mashed potatoes are easy to eat, just remember to stay clear of them as much as you can unless your adding protein. It has been said over and over here but just in case you missed it. 1. Get your protein in first. 63 grams or more a day. It is the single biggest key to lossing the weight quickly and protecting your health. 2. Eat five times during the day. This keeps your metabolic engine running. 3. Exercise, I myself am walking every single day. I am up to 3.1 miles each day now. 4. Get your water in. Sip, Sip, Sip all day long, except before and after your meals. 5. Take your vitamins. I know the weight is going to come off bud, hang in there, Troy

I am in the same boat. I am four weeks out, and I have slowed a lot. Only lost about 2 lbs. this week. I had seen people on here talking about it slowing down at this point, so I'm not sweating it too much. I also haven't been in the gym yet, but Doc cleared me to, so i think once I hit it this next week I should see some improvement. I also still can't eat that much. I am still doing about 1/4 cup and that is filling me up just fine. Just do like I am, I keep thinking how awesome it will be this next spring to weigh 100 lbs less than I do now!!

----- 
Even the toughest criminals become remarkably docile 
 once separated from society by six feet of soil. 

What you’re describing is fairly normal, after about three weeks your body is realizing that the changes going on over the last weeks will impact the way it is accustomed receiving food. So at this point, it begins to conserve as much food as it can by acting you’re your starving, and begins to lower your body’s needs. This change lowers your thermostat, and your body begins to burn less fuel and your weight loss slows. If this continues, your body burns less and begins to look for new sources of protein to supplement it’s needs in this reduced mode, like your muscles in addition to your fat.

So you must consume more proteins to keep your body from consuming itself for proteins. In fact you must consume enough to keep your body thinking what it is seeing is sustainable to your needs to keep you out of starvation mode. So at this point do not try to reduce your calories below what ever level your surgeon has recommend for a typical calories per day. In my case it was between 1100 to 1200 calories per day.  To kick up your weight loss, in fact eating (I should say consuming, as in supplimenting - not eating), a few hundred calories more of protein will help you sustain your losing and protect your body.

The other risk you may be facing is the amount liquids or near liquids you have the ability to consume at this point, your stomach has a drain at the bottom that continually passes food to your intestine. When drinking liquids and near liquids, like soft mash potatoes, it can pass quickly through and give you the impression that your stomach is larger than it is. When you move to solid foods like chicken breast or beef it does not pass through as fast, and you get a feeling of pressure and an occasional backflow if you over eat or eat too quickly.

The real risk at this state of free flowing liquids is that your forget that your limited to 4 ounces of food per meal as you move to denser solids. This is a bad habit that will haunt you as you move out from your surgery. It can be very easy at 6 months out or 12 months out to be eating larger quantities per meal than is sensible. And at these later dates your losing rate is much slower than the first few months. A bad eating habit developed early in this process can challenge you ability to lose successfully late in the game.  So while more liquids can flow with ease now, it will serve you well to form a “four and no more” ounces per meal habit early on, in the early phases of mostly liquids and soft foods supplimented with protein powers and liquids to make these 4oz be protein enriched until you can handle more protein rich solid foods. The early stage is where protein supplements, liquids and powders, help you meet your protein needs without eating larger quantities of food beyond the ideal meal sizes recommended.     

I am not an expert, but I can say that these thought represent my experiences.

Herb

From what I have heard even though you aren't losing weight during a stall your body is losing inches.  This happened to me a couple of weeks ago.  Only lost a couple of pounds in a week but dropped 2 sizes in pants.  Kinda crazy.

Be sure you're exercising...I find that if I eat foods that are blan, it goes right through me and I get hungry later. Be sure you have enough protein to fill that pouch of yours. Drink protein drinks. Perhaps you need to shake it up a little by adding more carbs, water, protein, etc.

Michael, A couple of things. For being able to eat that much of a full liquid or mushy food? Seems about the same as mine was. This early out, try to rely on measurements More than your sensation of "Full." Once you are eating solid dense proteins, Typically, much less will fill you up And keep you full longer. For the Stall? Pull back from your ‘daily’ charting, and look at a weekly or even monthly. There are up and down spikes each day, But if you ‘graph’ the highest to the lowest, I’d bet there is still A downward slope over the course of the month. There’s an 8 to 10lb. volume of "wiggle room" due to water alone. And it comes into play a lot. This has to do with our bodies using glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, But it is stored in our muscles for quick energy – One pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, And the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, (Like when you drop down to your calorie intake) Your body turns first to stored glycogen, Which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, You also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it Voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of any diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, Your body starts to ‘realize’ that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue And burning fat for energy. But your body also ‘realizes’---- (by way of your liver releasing hormones signaling low Cal intake) ---That fat can't be used for short bursts of energy – Like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, And rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, (Thus showing negative Calorie load overall) Your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while As you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Yes? The whole ‘weight-loss’ process is not a straight "Slide" down the scale. More like "Stair-Steps," (Down then forward, then down, then forward, etc... As your body cycles fat out of "deep storage" and through the Liver Into the muscles as Glycogen. The muscles and Liver can hold about a 3 weeks supply. This is why many people find that their "Stall" or "Plateau" Breaks when adding a bit of exercise And upping their water intake, or in the case of an "extreme exerciser," The total Calorie or Protein Intake, To signal the liver to let go of more Glycogen. Fear not, many people who are now enjoying life at a normal BMI Once had a few weeks or so of thinking- "...my weight loss has been awfully slow, has it stopped..."? Try a little more walking, or a simple change up in exercise and add more protein Without adding Too many Calories. And, keep the water intake high. If you go a full 4 weeks with 0 (yes, complete 0) loss, Then it can be considered an actual stall or Plateau. Till then, the little slow-downs are actually "Business as Usual." Hope this helps some. You are doing Great! Keep it Up! Best Wishes- Dx

 Depends on how you define "stall" ..   what is your weight loss track to date?   Usually weight loss goes straight down during the first few weeks ( think I lost like 45 lbs. the first week alone)  ..  although maybe your body is trying to play 'catch up" at this point ..  Don't worry, it will start again, and maybe even make up for it by upping the drop rate during that time .. 

Hi Michael, part of this is normal, part of it is the carbs.  The mash potatoes will cause you to stall every time. My surgeon had us on extremely low carbs for the first 6 months.  Stick to the protein, stay away from the carbs and you will drop like a stone.  Sounds like you are "losing" 2-3 pounds and gaining 2-3 pounds.  Just by eating the carbs you are not seeing the loss. Blessings, Greg

Hey guys.... VERY NORMAL. Go back 3 months and read my posts. I OWE A TON OF THANKS to he people of this board. DX wrote me several times... actually he helped me put my scale away for a couple weeks at a time. Soooo many people told me the same thing... "to get off the scales". I thought I was stalling if i didn't loose say 8 pounds over 5 days. I use to weigh my self an insane amount. and if the scale didn't move for 4-5 days I started panicing.... BIG TIME. Well let me tell you this. I am almost 100 days out, I am down 94 pounds. And I know I stalled atleast 4 times for 4-7 days each time. Right now as I write this, I think i am stalled as well. Do I care anymore, no. THE TOOL WORKS, just not over night. 2 weeks ago I weighed 254, 5 days ago I weighed 254, I might weigh myself in the morning... Imight not. It isn't important anymore to weigh all the time. Just be patient, I know it hard. Trust me, I am OCD riddled I use to weigh before and after I would take a dump and **** But now, I understand this journey better. Your body wants to hold on to that fat for as long as it can. Eventually, it will say %uck it, and burn it up. I was so happy that I got into 38's, that now they are already getting loose, and this has been in the last 2 weeks were I know I haven't lost any numerical weight.. So.. as the bumper sticker says.... Sit down, hold on, shut up! (well not shut up, you know what I mean)... It is going to be the ride of your life!!! Someone asked me at work the other day if I was happy I was at goal. I said goal? ****  I still have 50 pounds to go, their jaw was on the ground.... Only 3 weeks ago did I truly start to notice the changes. I have before and pics from 2-3 weeks ago posted... C