Stall, 3 week post op

No i am not constipated at all. My bowel moment is fine once a day.

Starvation mode is nonsense. If you are eating at a caloric deficit you are burning fat to make up the difference, no ifs ands or buts. You may not lose weight on any given day or week, but you are burning fat. You will lose weight if you stick to the plan. Your metabolism does not shut down the way that the foolish starvation mode theory says it will. Starvation mode is pure ho ***

BTW, there is no such thing as starvation made.  Every prisoner of war camp in history proves the point.

The answer at 3 weeks is simply that your body is rebalancing itself as you shift from liquids to mushy (and later to solids).

However, in your case there's also the water to consider.  Exercising boosts the ability of your (repairing) muscles to retain water.  Tha****er has weight.  So as you loose fat, you're likely gaining water as an offset.  This happens to me I notice between workout days and rest days.  The impact will be even greater at heavier weights.

The same can happen when you get off the diuretics frequently included as part of hypertension treatment.  This happened to me. I appeared to stall for four weeks back in the 3rd month, but while doing that I lost 5% body fat.

 

 

One other thing I remembered, as you burn fat it releases a substantial amount of water into your system.  Tha****er does exit the system immediately so you'll retain it's related weight until it does.

The cure is to actually boost your water intake to well over 100  ounces.  The motto is "water pushes water".

How is it possible to not lose weight? I guarantee you your body is still changing in ways that have nothing to do with the scale. Here are a few thoughts for you to consider to help keep your perspective (and sanity) as you go through this journey. This won't be your last stall, so work on developing a healthy coping mindset.

1. Find ways other than the scale to track progress. This might be a measuring tape, body fat analysis, clothing sizes, etc.

2. As my surgeon told me, our bodies are not machines. They are not linear, its is not a strict 1:1 for input and output. Yes, there is a general correlation between inputs and results, but it generally doesn't happen all that fast, as in daily influence.

3. Focus on behavior not results. Sounds like you are working your plan. Stay focused on that and results will come.

4. Get to the point where you can develop a healthy weigh in schedule. For some, it is 1x week. For others it is 1x day, but then consider the other points here, especially #6. If you find yourself getting a little stressed over the scale, back away from it a bit.

5. Related to the above, find and take comfort in your personal pattern, then just live your life and track your pattern, not your daily weight loss. Look in my images for the "zen and the scale" album and see how inconsistent my loss pattern is close up but how consistent it is when you take a step back.

6. Unhook your loss from the clock or calendar. From my observations, people get themselves worked up into the biggest tizzies when they are not losing by some calendar that their brains determined. Related to #2 above, out brains can think whatever they want but our bodies are going to do what they are going to do. The odds are so greatly in your favor that you are going to lose as a result of this surgery. But, nobody guaranteed you a daily loss. I have a goal to hit my goal by march. Will I make it? I have no idea. I might, but it ultimately is up to my body. Can I make it? Yes, it seems feasible given my loss patterns, but it is ultimately up to my body. Will i be devastated if I miss that date? Hell no. how could I say a loss of almost 95 lbs is anything BUT a win? Why would I lose sight of that just because I didn't hit a date?

All I have control over is my own actions, and that means how I work my plan.

Good luck on finding balance.

Laurie

Excellent points!  Especially about finding other ways to measure success.  That's why it's so important to take measurements.  You might not see any weight loss, but it sure feels good to see several inches gone too!

I think people get so stuck on picking a particular date, or particular weight as a goal.  That can lead to disappointment.  It's better to pick a range (spring/summer, or a weight range) rather than a particular number. 

Stalls happen.  No one likes them, but they are part of the process.  Keep to the plan, keep a positive attitude and you will succeed!

 

 

I'm just going to say "welcome to the club"! :-)   If you are stalling at 3 weeks then you are in very good company.  If you do a topic search on here for 3-week stall you will get a million hits and see that almost everyone experiences it and it doesn't predict future failure. 

Keep your chin up, keep doing what you're doing and stay off the scale for a week or so.  

Can I add my two cents...

I have noticed that heavy exercise will cause you to gain a little weight. It is most likely fluid retention in the muscles.

Also, your body is going to most likely lose weight in stair step fashion. You'll lose a bit, lose a little more, and then go through a period of no loss because your body has to shift things around and "catch up". Or so I have heard. In past weight loss of mine, I noticed that the 'catch up' phase seems to involve some skin tightening.

I think it may help to think of your weight loss as a way that you are healing your body. I think that even during stalls, you're still losing fat, it's just not showing up on the scale right now because it may be time for repairs. You could be adding vascularity, muscle mass, or blood volume to help support all this working out you're doing.

Of course, if you stall for 2 months or something, that may be a sign that it's time to shake things up in the diet and exercise front. If it's just a few weeks and you're truly following the program (Watch out for BLTs - bites, licks and tastes!),  I doubt that it is anything to be concerned about.

Ahhhh.... the dreaded stall...

I am 5 months out and it took me a few months to realize that stalls are just part of the process.  I was on the scale obsessed side of things and it was hard to break through.  If you are following the program, it will pass.  In the meanwhile, here are some possibilities why the scale is not moving....

• Excess sodium
• Weight gain due to muscle gain
• Water retention by your body if you are working out a ton
• Body adjustments

Just remember that this is a permanent lifestyle change.  500 cals, 5 workouts a week, and water... nearly impossible not to lose.

In the meanwhile, while you wait for your scale to be more agreeable, focus on other NSV's.  How are your clothes fitting?  Can you walk easier than 3-4 weeks ago?  Do you sleep better?

I bet if you think about it, you will find some victories.

And, Tracey... keep your chin up.  We all have stalls and even reversals from time to time.  It will work.  The surgery is obviously working if you lost 22lbs over 2 weeks!  After 4 weeks though, your pace will slow a bit more than likely.  Just be prepared for it.  Welcome to a healthier lifestyle.  A new you is just around the corner.

The only other thing I will write is that this is work.  VSG is a tool.  You will get what you put in... but make sure you see the forest through the trees.  I am sure that 22lbs of loss is nice in the big picture!

Thanks for all the replies .  I know for a lot of you it is redundant chatter but as someone fresh outta surgery, I have the fear that this won't work for me...lol.