I've heard of the "3 week stall", but this seems never ending!

Okay guys, I am 8 weeks post op this coming up Wednesday. I hit a stall at 4 weeks (up to that point, I had lost 35 pounds), in the past 4 weeks, I have not lost anything. My surgeon was expecting me to lose 41 pounds in the first 6 weeks, but due to him having an emergency surgery scheduled the day of my appointment the week before, I am scheduled to go in this coming Friday - I'm worried about this, I haven't seen anyone stall for 4 weeks straight right out of surgery, 2 at the most. I am getting discouraged, so I decided to come to the place where people understand and am searching for words of wisdom and encouragement, harsh if need be - am I the only one feeling like they are doing it all wrong? Thanks in advance for all the comments and words guys!!

I also noticed my ankles swelling up again, not as bad as before surgery, but it may just be from being up for 24 hours during the holidays assuring everything got done.

Truly confused,

Rebekah Lynn

What are you eating? How much are you drinking? Are you trying to get some exercise in? Did you lose weight before surgery? (some people who lose a lot pre-op lose slower in the beginning)

Tell us more.

If you could post what a typical day of eating looks like for you (list everything you eat and how much) we can try to troubleshoot for you.  It's hard to give advice when we don't know what you are eating, how much protein you consume daily, and how many ounces of fluid you are drinking.

I will describe what a typical day is like for me, but as for losing a lot before surgery, my highest weight at the beginning of this journey was 486, I was 441 the morning of surgery. My dietician told me last visit (graduated to soft foods, and after 2 weeks, gradually try different things), eat 5 - 6 small meals a day, 1 of those to be a protein shake. I get sick from doing the protein shakes, so I try to just make sure I eat plenty of protein. I eat a lot of tuna, I can consume about 1 3oz packet now, I usually add peas to it. Another meal, I will make an egg with yolk, with a small block of cheese. Another, maybe a little bit of a chicken thigh in some soup with chyote squash, and carrots....cream of mushroom or chicken soup (maybe a cup of it)....4 pieces of thin sliced deli meat, and a few blocks of cheese...as for drinks, I've had a few slip ups with sprite, but that was in the beginning, and the uncomfortableness, let me know right quick that wasn't going to become a habit....as for as exercising, I am a lot more active now that I was before surgery, but not at a gym...yet

Rebekah Lynn

Like Dietguy stated every program is different. At 4 weeks post-op I was still on pureed foods. I didn't transition to softer foods until about 6 weeks post-op. I couldn't eat much more than 3 oz, total, at any one meal for the first 4-5 months. Even now I can't each much more than a cup. The cup includes my protein and whatever vegetable I'm having. I had a stall at about 3 weeks that lasted a couple of weeks but I knew from posting here that it was normal so I didn't get too discouraged. Talk to your doctor and dietician they will be able to help you identify if you transitioned to solid food too soon or are eating too much at your meals. Good luck and stay in touch here.

Are you keeping track of everything? You really should be recording everything you eat in myfitnesspal so that you can determine how many calories you consume. I also suggest weighing food for accuracy. For example, what do you mean by a block of cheese? I always weigh my cheese and typically only eat 1 ounce as part of a meal. Also, cut back on the starchy veggies. Peas, potatoes, and squash are all starchy veggies which should be mostly avoided. Soups are also not a great choice because they are slider foods that do not fill us up, but creamy soups should be off your menu entirely because they are high in calories with little to no nutritional value. Overall it sounds to me like you need to start keeping better track of what you are eating in order to determine if you are consuming too much. At your stage, I stuck to 800 calories or less and less than 50 carbs per day. Please understand that I am telling you this because I want you to succeed.

Oh sorry, as for drinking, I probably don't get as much fluids in as I should, I have a hard time reminding myself to stay on the water and stuff, but have been trying to remind myself. I feel like I'm almost 8 weeks out, I should have a better grip on this process and things should be settling down a little - but truth is, I haven't thrown up yet, but have come close 2-3 times to doing so, I do however feel uncomfortable everytime I eat, no matter what it is, how smooth it goes down, always... I do plan on talking about my concerns with Doctor, as well as dietician when I go back Friday (as they are 2 hours from me), but I couldn't think of anywhere better to bring up my concerns today than with you guys.

Rebekah Lynn

I am 4 weeks out and a stall!!  I am scared that this isn't working!  I was just going to post something similar!  Only thing I know I am doing wrong is that I can't get enough fluid in.  I try but with the 1/2 hr before and 1 hr after no drinking rule it is tough.  I am full even after I take my meds...hoping that I can push more fluids in.  Hang in there, hoping someone here has some good advice! 

Hello I'm sorry to hear that your weight-loss stalled
The first two weeks after surgery I lost 24 pounds
then I got down to 292 pounds and was there for about 14 days and never lost any more . Then finally after two weeks I  started to lose weight again
I am about five weeks postop RNY and I've lost about 36 pounds since surgery
I know that every program is different I can only tell you what my program recommends
I am supposed to try to get about 64 ounces of water a day  also I'm supposed to get 60 to 85 g of protein a day

i'm supposed to try to walk four times a week for 30 minutes .. on food I only get three meals a day for 3 ounces of food  once I was one month postop I was allowed to add a protein bar a day seems like most days I get about 900 to 1000 calories a day total so far today I've had one egg three pieces of bacon and one protein bar. I mostly consume turkey or ham or some type of meat or eggs.  Hope this helps. :)

After the first week, I stalled for 3 1/2 weeks. It was rough. In the end it passed. My only recommendation is just change up what you are eating because we can get into a rut. Make sure are eating enough protein, drinking your fluids, and make sure you eat some fat. We need that too...