Bariatric stall of weight

It will happen

Stall of weight! It is dreaded, it is hated, but it happens to everyone. We somehow think that after the surgery we will start losing and that it will be linear, that every day we will wake up with a smaller number on the scales, and that it is pretty straightforward. We have had the weight loss surgery, right? Some people obsess with the number on the scales. They weigh themselves every morning to see the progress.

Nobody told you that you may come home from the hospital with a few pounds MORE than you had before the surgery. Yes, I mean it. You can weigh more after the surgery. But this is impossible! On contrary. It is quite common. You have undergone major abdominal surgery, you have had anesthesia, and lots of IV fluids, and your body is in shock and retains some water. Just because. It happens.

You are losing just fine

People often ask: is it normal that you have lost ONLY xy pounds the first week/month? Anything is normal. You can’t compare yourself to anyone else. Each of us started somewhere, with different weight and underlying conditions, and each body reacts differently. There will be people who lose 30 pounds in the first month and others who lose “only” 10. All is perfectly fine. It is your journey. As long as you are advancing, all is fine.

It is quite common that after the first and third months, there is a stall. The number on the scales stops moving. It seems it is all over. You feel disheartened, you are tired, you are dizzy, dragging through the day, you can barely eat, you are thirsty. And the sales are not moving a single gram. I went through all this and now it doesn’t work??? You are angry, feeling deceived, and wanting to give up.

https://bariradka.com/en/2024/08/13/emotional-stages-of-bariatric-patients/

Check your volume

But have you noticed that your volume is changing? I stalled at three months. For SIX WEEKS. Omg! That was a good horror story. The weight was the same. Pound more, pound less. Nothing more. Ok, but in those six weeks, I lost 3 clothes sizes. AHA!!! My clothes became completely useless. I could start buying new things because everything was too large.

Here you can see that the weight is irrelevant. I was progressing differently. It is what counts. I had so many non-scale victories. I could cross my legs, I could sit much better in my office chair, I bought some new smaller clothes. But the number didn’t change.

Old obsession takes over

I think this obsession with numbers falling comes from our past when losing a single pound was next to a miracle. And we stepped on the scales with a racing heart, only to be scared of what would show up. It was never about any other thing. We used to think in all-or-nothing mode. Or the number is smaller, or I haven’t lost anything. Maybe we did. But we were never patient enough to keep going. The real change had no chance to manifest itself.

Now, with bariatric surgery, it is all different. We have to follow the diet no matter what. There is no way out. And it inevitably means we would stick to it and the body would have time to heal, to start losing weight, to reorganize itself and we reap our reward.

I am not saying it is easy. Mentally it is a huge toll. You are desperate to see a lower number. Our brain is well trained to look for this. It used to be the only way how to measure our progress. You can feel down, it can be upsetting. You sacrificed so much and now it is not working. You feel deceived. It is normal. Almost everyone went through this stage at some point.

It will start moving again

The good part of the story is that it will start moving again. In my experience, when it does, it will be in a jump. Nothing, nothing, and then 2 pounds in a day. So, be patient. I know it is hard. But it will pay off. Follow the diet, and do your exercise. You will see for yourself.

The beginning is so fast. You are losing like crazy. The first months you are melting. At least it felt like this to me. But it is only the beginning. After six months the tempo will slow down. You will still be losing, but it would be 2-4 kilos a month. It is still great, but you will have to start being more careful about your meals, do your exercise, and build your habits. They will be crucial in the future.

The first-year framework

After the first year, it is often over. What you haven’t lost till now, it will be hard to get rid of later. Keep this in mind. Some people, those with higher starting weight, can lose two years easily. But the lower the starting weight, the faster it will stop decreasing. It can happen that the last 10 pounds you wish to lose will be the hardest to get rid of. There will have to be a lot of work from your side.

It is still doable, but it will be more about exercise than about your nutrition. Don’t starve yourself, eat what you are supposed to eat. And add more exercise. It will move again. Just it will be slow. As long as it is moving, all is fine.

We will gain something back

After a few years, we will likely gain something. They say 10-20%. Pfff!!! No way! That is why maintaining good habits is crucial. Good food and exercise. It is no rocket science. If you eat more than you should, if you start cutting down on exercise, weight gain is inevitable. Be careful about this. It is not the surgery that stopped working. It is you.

People are often anxious about the possibility that they won’t lose weight. During the first year, it is almost impossible to maintain the same weight as before the surgery. You barely eat, at least the first months, you do exercise, at least walking. So you are burning more calories than you are getting in. You lose the weight.

Honeymoon is over

But after the first year, when the bari honeymoon is over, you are left alone in this game. If you have built good habits, you can win. They will work for you when life happens when it gets tough. And it will happen. It will not be a rose garden forever. That is why changing the autopilot and relying on newly formed habits is crucial. It is up to you to build them and have them prepared. If you start cutting corners, you are destined to fail in the long term. Be careful about this.

It is not only the surgery. It is definitely a great tool, but if you don’t put in the work, the tool itself is not enough. The good part is that we have almost two years to build them. It is enough time. If we use it wisely, it will be all ok. We can have fun around food (later), but we have to be aware of what is going on and what we are doing. If we compensate for some feast, we can do that. It just can’t become our daily habit. That is the trick 😉