If you have recently had gastric sleeve surgery and you have noticed that your weight loss has stopped, you may be feeling frustrated. If you aren’t seeing the results you want and aren’t sure why, you may feel like you’ve hit a wall.
Most of the time, you won’t see significant weight loss right after their surgery completion. That’s because the body is adapting to and healing from the procedure. The transition to protein shakes and soft proteins will also take some time for your body to get used to.
At a certain point along the weight loss journey, however, it’s less about the amount of weight you’re losing and more about maintaining your weight. The surgical procedure is designed to help you get rid of excess pounds. We all have a healthy target weight – losing much more than that isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Gastric sleeve weight loss surgery or gastric bypass surgery is just the first step. Learning how to eat a balanced diet and increasing physical activity is the overall goal. We feel this holistic approach gives you a better chance of reaching your fat loss goals as well as leading an overall healthier lifestyle.
How it works
After bariatric surgery, your body starts burning glycogen, which means you’ll lose a lot of water weight. Then, the body will start turning to fat and muscle mass to burn. Once this happens and muscle is being burned, the metabolism slows.
This slowed metabolism is sometimes called a weight loss ‘plateau’ and you may not see much weight loss happening. Often our patients will see these plateaus at six weeks, three months, six months, and nine months after bariatric surgery. This is your body readjusting to a new “normal.”
In other words, if you have a high metabolism, you will burn more calories. If you don’t, then you won’t burn as much. Your metabolism naturally slows as you get older – it’s one of the reasons we just can’t seem to keep the weight off like when we were younger.
How to reach your weight loss goal
We understand that reaching your weight loss goal after surgery is very important for you! Don’t lose hope if your weight loss has slowed down or even stopped completely. You can continue losing weight if you stay committed, even after you hit a plateau.
First, stay on track with your exercise and diet routine. If you have slacked a little on your exercise regimen or you haven’t been as strict with your eating habits, it’s time to get back to what you were doing right after surgery.
Also, try switching up your exercise routine a bit – challenge yourself, make it a little more intense, or try something new completely. If your body adapts to the exercise and it’s too ‘easy’, the body won’t need to work as hard, and you won’t burn as many calories.
Supporting your weight loss after gastric sleeve surgery
The WeightWise Program is not a “quick fix” and the procedure is just the first step. The most successful patients are the ones that follow a life-long commitment to improved eating and increased physical activity. That’s why our clients are assigned a dietitian as well as an exercise physiologist.
Some clinics will perform the surgery and then give their bariatric patients recommendations for personal trainers or nutritionists to follow up with. We feel having everyone under one roof leads to better results because of this collaboration. Miscommunication is greatly reduced and patients won’t receive conflicting directions.
Working together, our surgeons, dietitians, and exercise physiologists will create a plan designed specifically for you. We also take into consideration the emotional side of weight loss surgery. Our patient advocates are here to answer your questions, provide a shoulder to cry on, and share in your achievements.
Our team at WeightWise wants to help you achieve your weight loss goals and put you on the path toward a healthy lifestyle. Watch our free online seminar to see why our program has been so successful for so many. And when you’re ready for that initial consultation, we’ll be here for you.
5/7. Ive been at the stopping point for 3 full weeks now can’t get Below 234. And I haven’t deviated from the program at all. Can’t seem to get all 96 ounces of water down but continue to try.
Glad to read that ‘stoping weight loss ‘ can be normal?????? !!!!!!
I was getting real discouraged. But I’m feeling a bit nauseated. Not throwing up – just a really RAW feeling in my stomach.
Hey Mary! I would contact your dietitian and/or surgeon regarding your nausea and weight loss stall. They can conduct a full assessment and provide recommendations based off of that assessment :).
I had bypass surgery on 9/27/2021. My pre-op weight was 268.6 lbs. After week 1 I was down to 253 lbs. From day 7 to day 13 I am down to 251.4 lbs. My surgeon joked that hopefully it wasn’t all water weight. Well I guess it was. My new morning routine is get up, weigh myself, then cry for an hour or two. I am so afraid that I will fall into the 15% of people that surgery does not work. I had alot if repair work and scar tissue removed along with the Roux en Y so recovery has been rough. I just can’t understand why such a stall so early. At this rate I will be lucky to lose 5lbs a month at a time when my weight loss should be at it greatest. The nutritionist said that if I was following the “rules” then I would be losing, implying that I am cheating. Hah. I can barely get the minimum done let alone cheat. What am I doing wrong? My physical activity is limited because of the extra work I had done so there is that. Please help. I am tired of crying every morning. This was to put me on a path to be able to stop crying about my weight.
Hey Wendi! I am so sorry that you have experienced this. I would recommend contacting your operating physician or dietitian regarding this question. That way they can conduct a full evaluation and provide you with recommendations based off of your individual circumstances. However, if they are not the most forth coming, you could call our front desk as well, and they will set you up with a virtual appointment to visit with one of our physicians/dietitians if you would like, at 405-359-2475.
Hello have you started back losing weight. It has been 4 weeks since I had the surgery and was just concerned.
Hi Mary,
Did you loose further any weight? Please update. I had vsg done 3 weeks ago. I lost 20 lbs in 5 days and ever since this is my 4 th week I haven’t lost a bit. Just being hopeful.
Gastric sleeve Patient since 42 days, Ex weight 122kg/height 174cm,
i have been following my surgeon’s plan for weight loss and i lost only 3 KG the 1st month (Eating only soups and walking 6km everyday and drinking 1 to 2 litres of water),
now after 42 days i have lost 7 kg, it doesn’t seem to be normal at all,
Please i need help
Hey Aymen! I would contact your operating physician and/or dietitian regarding this. That way they can provide you with full evaluation and recommendations based off of your individual circumstances. Or, you could call our front desk and they will set you up with an appointment to visit with ours 405-359-2475.
6 weeks and I’ve hit a wall at 194 lbs from 224 at date of surgery, bummed dont eat, exercise every d add y and still stuck fed up and giving up
Slow down on exercising .. I didn’t start until my 9th/10th month and lost 100 lbs by month 7.
Same for me. I noticed when I exercised I wasn’t losing as fast so I recently went from working out 4-5 days a week to only 1-2 and now I’m losing TWICE as fast. I’m sure it has something to do with the body not getting enough nutrients and with trying to burn off the little we have by exercising, our body is holding on to any stores of fat it can.
Good Morning Tony! Weight loss stalls are very common after surgery. They typically occur around 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year post-op due to your body needing 4-6 weeks to adjust to its new normal before losing more weight. It is basically the body’s natural way of regulating to its new normal before losing more. As long as you continue eating 3 meals a day, drinking your full amount of fluids, and keeping out any occasional carbohydrates, you will start losing again.
Hello I had VSG surgery 2.5 years ago.. I unfortunately never reached my original WL goal. I am now 235 , started at 298.. my issue is that I have not lost any weight in over a year but I work out all the time but still consume 800-900 calories a day . My doctor insists this is correct but I don’t understand it. An example .. I burned over 1600 calories and consumed 854 the other day .. I feel like I need to eat way more to lose weight because I am under nourishing my body since I exercise so much
Good morning Lissa! I would contact your dietitian regarding this question. That way they are able to do a complete evaluation and provide you with the appropriate recommendations. However, if you are consuming any occasional starches your body will not fully be in fat metabolism to allow you to lose weight like you would like. It takes 7-10 days for you body to transition into fat metabolism. Meaning if even a bite comes in once a week, you may not lose. Also, I would dial back on the intensity of your workouts. You heart rate should remain below 120 to ensure that you are burning fat and not building muscle.
I got my surgery like 3 years ago. I was 268 before surgery and I only got down to 190. Then I keep going from 205 to 215. Now I’m just just 225 because I was tired of eating 1000 to 1200 pounds and working out all time and not losing weight from 189. I would asked did I even get the surgery. Now I just want to get to 170 then I will be content.
Hello! I recommend discussing that with your dietitian, as they can do a full evaluation with your current diet to help you get to where you need to be. At WeightWise all of our patients meet with our surgeons, nurse practitioners, dietitians, and exercise physiologist as weight loss can be complicated and there are many factors to keep in mind. At WeightWise, we see patients that have had previous weight loss surgeries and also have a non-surgical program that can help with getting people back on track with weight loss. The first step to the program is to watch the free online seminar. Then someone will contact you to set you up with an appointment to see the surgeon whom will discuss the pros and cons of each surgery, review your health history, and discuss our process to operation. You can watch the seminar online at https://weightwise.com/seminars/#seminar-tabs. You can call our front desk as well, and they can set you up with a virtual appointment to visit one of our providers, at 405-359-2475.
I’m in the exact same boat, Did you figure something out?
I had surgery in January and it is now July . I started at 310 and got down to 263 and have not lost any weight in almost a month . Feeling a little discouraged because i need to get down to 230 for hernia surgery . I eat multiple times a day but very little and cant understand how I am still at 263 after almost a month .
Hey Luis! I would contact your operating physician and/or dietitian regarding this. That way they can provide you with full evaluation and recommendations based off of your individual circumstances. Or, you could call our front desk and they will set you up with an appointment to visit with ours 405-359-2475.
I am almost 3 months out from gastric sleeve but have not lost a single pound in a month! I had a lower starting bmi lost 27 lbs quickly then just nothing. I was a very restrictive water before surgery and my body was already used to little calories. Could this be hurting my progress?
Good morning Angela! I am so sorry that you are experiencing a stall. Weight Loss stalls are very common post bariatric surgery. They typically occur around 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year post-op. They are primarily due to your body losing a significant amount over a short period of time and needing about 4-6 weeks to re-regulate to its new normal. Once your body adjusts, you will start losing again as long as you are following your dietitians recommendations.
Is there any zoom meetings I can join for suggestions to weight regain and get opinions from others how to get back on track?
Hey Lisa! We have online support groups each week that you can join if you would like. You can register for them on our website, weightwise.com. If you scroll down a little on the homepage there should be a button located on the right that you can click on to register :).
Been a weight loss plateau myself. Got surgery about 3 weeks ago , and lost 24 this far. But for the past week , been stuck at 250. I can’t drink all the protein shakes because they simply don’t fit my stomach and I end up throwing up. Any help here ?
Hello! Weight stalls are a common part of weight loss, especially being 3 weeks out of surgery. I would contact your dietitian and operating surgeon as each program follows different diet guidelines and they will be able to do a thorough evaluation of your diet. At WeightWise, our patients follow a post-op diet in different stages for a certain time frame — liquid diet, soft proteins, and “regular” foods. During this transition it is common to see weight stalls as patients are early out of surgery and adjusting to different stages of the diet. As for protein shakes, sometimes it is recommended to help switch up the brand of the shake which may help tolerate it better — contact your dietitian to see which type of protein shakes they recommend based on your programs diet guidelines. You can call our front desk and they can set you up with a virtual appointment to visit one of our providers, at 405-359-2475.
Hi I have a question I had Gastric Sleeve in 2015 starting at 327 I and currently ay 224. I made it to 198 one time then of course covid happened. I have not lost any weight since 2019-2020. Has my sleeve stopped working? I’ve never been able to drink the amount of required water but I still try daily. When I eat sometimes In feel like I can eat more than my “normal” and sometimes I can’t. My portion sizes are still not big though. Also I’m in AZ if that matters. Any info would help. Thank you
Hey Danielle! I would recommend contacting your operating physician and/or dietitian regarding the discomfort if smaller drinks does not help. That way they can conduct a full evaluation and provide you with recommendations based off of your individual circumstances. Or, you could call our front desk and they will set you up with a virtual appointment to visit with ours 405-359-2475.
I had the sleeve done two years ago, and my weight loss was s…l…o…w. But, at least I was losing weight. In total, I lost 116lb, but in April 2020, my weight loss just stopped completely, so after a year of slowly losing weight (trickle trickle), my weight would go up a pound or three, then down one, then up 2-3 lbs, then down one. Now, after of year of this, I’m 30lbs heavier than when my weight loss stopped. I eat very little. I don’t eat bread or rice or carbs, I don’t eat sugar (I’ve been eating like that for over ten years), I eat a lot of protein, and I exercise every day on the treadmill. I’m at a loss. I’ve tried eating more, eating less, more water, less water, more protein, less protein, more veg, less veg, literally, no matter what I try, the scale keeps going up and up. I don’t know where else to turn. I asked my surgeon and he said it’s my body adjusting, but it’s been over two yrs since the surgery. I’m terrified of waking up on two months to find out that after everything I’ve gone through and how hard I’ve fought, my weight’s gonna be back up to 260 beyond my control for inexplicable reasons that are not my fault.
Hey Cindy! I am so sorry that you are experiencing this. Since you already reached out to your operating physician, do you by chance have a dietitian at your operating facility? If so, I would also recommend contacting them in regards to your weight gain and diet. That way they can conduct a full evaluation and provide you with recommendations based off of your individual circumstances. Or, you could call our front desk and they will set you up with an appointment to visit with one of ours 405-359-2475.
I have a question, did my gastric bypass 2017 got pregnant 2018 and gave birth to my son 2019 .. lost 40kg before I got pregnant. But of course gained weight during pregnancy. Now to my question .. I had 9 kg left to the weight I weighed before I got pregnant but then my food was mismanaged and I went up instead of loosing the weight. I changed my diet and lost 7 kg then I started exercising etc and lost another 2 kg but I still have 9 kg… I do not get rid of them. I have contacted a dietitian but received no help other than that my values were good and that I sould sharpen up…how could I loose this weight? or is it just to get used to this?
Hey Lin! I would recommend contacting your operating physician and/or a bariatric dietitian regarding this question. That way they can conduct a full evaluation and provide you with recommendations based off of your individual circumstances. Typically our facility recommends cutting out any occasional starches (bread, rice, pasta, etc.), sweets, and sugary beverages to increase weight loss. You could call our front desk and they will set you up with a virtual appointment to visit with one of our dietitians at 405-359-2475.
I had the sleeve done February, 16, 2021. Starting weight 351. Current Weight 306 September 3rd. I’ve been fluctuating between 310 and 302 pounds since June. After 3 month my doctor told me to eat more protein. I workout around 3 days a week.
Don’t bother having this surgery. It’s a waste of time. You won’t lose weight unless you stick to a really strict diet and exercise routine. If I could stick to that I wouldn’t have needed the surgery in the first place so there is really no reason to have it done. I just had 2/3rds of my stomach removed for nothing….
Were you not aware of the diet requirements that you would need to adhere to after bariatric surgery? It is no one’s fault but your own if you are not following the guidelines.
Hello everyone I had VSG done October 20th 2021 I lost a total of 33lbs and I haven’t lost a thing since. I know people go though a weigh Stoll but it’s only been a month since I had surgery. I think this is to soon for a Plato. Staring weight 308, current weight 275, goal 180. Any suggestion on what to do.
Hi, Patricia! I recommend you contact your operating surgeon or dietitian, as they will be able to do a full evaluation, as there are many factors to consider. Each program has different guidelines for diet recommendations. You can call our front desk as well, and they can set you up with a virtual appointment to visit one of our providers, at 405-359-2475.
i have struggled my whole life with weight loss. i have lost and gained 100’s of pounds in my life time. i have been on low carb eating. for the last 20 years. countless diet plans if there is something new i try it. 5 year ago. i started to go to the gym. i lost 90 pounds. before i had surgery. i was 385 lbs. with 137 pounds of muscle. i work out a lot. i can only eat 900 1200 calories a day. 15000 to 20000 steps a day. 2800-3500 calories burned a day. if i go up even 100 calories i can gain 2 lbs in days. 7 months since my surgery, i have been 242-239 for 3 months. i have tried everything. more exercise less. more food and less food. my doctors have been no help. eat 50 carbs. i eat 25 carbs a day or less. just chicken and vegies. i count every calorie. the lowest weight i have ever been is 167 when i was 9 years old. 220 was my lowest adult weight. 23 years ago. now i am 55 still trying every day. i tried broth and protein drinks for 3 weeks. i gained 2 lbs. i will never give up. any suggestions????
Hi, Natalie! I recommend discussing that with your dietitian, as they can do a full evaluation with your current diet to help you get to where you need to be. At WeightWise all of our patients meet with our surgeons, nurse practitioners, dietitians, and exercise physiologist as weight loss can be complicated and there are many factors to keep in mind. At WeightWise, we see patients that have had previous weight loss surgeries and also have a non-surgical program that can help with getting people back on track with weight loss. The first step to the program is to watch the free online seminar. Then someone will contact you to set you up with an appointment to see the surgeon whom will discuss the pros and cons of each surgery, review your health history, and discuss our process to operation. You can watch the seminar online at https://weightwise.com/seminars/#seminar-tabs. You can call our front desk as well, and they can set you up with a virtual appointment to visit one of our providers, at 405-359-2475.
Hello,
To everyone who is feeling discouraged after having VSG. I feel that you all need to give your bodies a chance. Everybody’s body is different. Don’t compare your body or weight-loss to anybody else. We all started out in different places. Taller, shorter, more muscle, more fat, male, female. First of all if you are weighing everyday STOP IT. I just focus on eating better, and living a more active lifestyle. If you change your focus and stop looking at the numbers on the scale, I promise you the weight will come off. Every few days try switching things up, try a new exercise or even switch your eating habits up. Eat your breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast. It’s all in keeping the body tricked and confused. You will get there just find another focus and go from there. Whatever you do, don’t give up on yourself!!! Hang in there and keep going! Good luck to all of you 🙂
I got a gastric bypass, March 30,2022 . I hit my 6 month mark sept 30,2022. I have lost 123lbs so far, my start weight before the 2 week liquid diet was 353, day or surgery I was 338. I am currently 230 and at a stalling moment which I have experienced appx 3 times since having surgery. i will go two-3 weeks with no weight lost then lose 10lbs in 5 days. I lost 40lbs my first 30 days after surgery . I haven’t exercised yet but I am going to start back my walking 2 miles a day/ 5 days a week. Every time I am experiencing a stalling moment, I get very discourage because I am not at my goal weight and i start to thinking “OMG, my body is done losing it” so it causes me to get very discourage. Getting this surgery was the best thing I ever did but it can cause emotions to be everywhere when your experiencing stalling moments or losing hair, I had to double up on my vitamins because I experienced really bad hair lose and still is even though i am doubled up on vitamins. But i still don’t eat much, maybe snack 3-4 times times a day/2-3 bites. I get satisfied very quickly. I like strayed away from meat, because one bite gets me too full. I cant even eat a whole chicken wing. Its still very hard to actually get as much fluids as possible . one 16-oz drink takes me about 6 hours to drink. But defiantly worth it! I am so far happy wit results, just wishing it would stall as much !
Hi, Amber, you should reach out to your operating surgeon and your dietitian. The dietitian can take a deeper dive into your diet and give you feedback to make sure you get out of your weight stall — I know different programs follow different diet/exercise guidelines. At WeightWise, all of our patients meet with a dietitian and exercise physiologist pre- and post-op.
At WeightWise, we emphasize spending 20-30 minutes at meal minimum, to make sure you are getting more protein to stay fuller longer. It is also important to take small bites and chew well so foods do not cause discomfort while eating. Not getting enough protein may also be associated to hair thinning out, but generally due to the stress of losing so much weight from surgery. Our patients meet with us post-op to make sure they are following fluid, diet, and vitamin guidelines. You can call our front desk as well, and they can set you up with a virtual appointment to visit one of our providers, at 405-359-2475.
I had a gastric sleeve surgery on March 1st 2022. My weight before surgery was 297. 3 months after surgery (June 2022) i stopped losing weight and currently stuck at 251-255 since then. My portions continue to be the same. 3/4 cup to 1 cup depending on the type of food, I am following my diet and seeing my nutritionist, i also exercise 4/5 days a week 40-45min of weights and 30min of cardio. I haven’t lost anything. Don’t know what else to do or what to believe anymore because i have struggled with weight all my life. I have tried on my own with diet and exercise but that never worked. i would only lose about 10-13 pounds max and would go for 6month+ without losing anything more than that. My nutritionist does not know what to say. She has suggested that it can be my genetics and that gastric sleeve doesn’t work for many people, regardless if the smaller portions and diet. They are also suggesting the gastric bypass but at this point i am not willing to go through something painful for it not to work. i don’t know what to do anymore
Hi, Alejandra! I would reach out to your operating surgeon and dietitian as all programs follow different guidelines. Your dietitian will be able to evaluate your diet and give you feedback, but I will say weight stalls are a common part of the weight loss journey. At WeightWise our patients follow specific eating and diet guidelines to ensure they are able to get to their weight loss goal after surgery. Our patients also meet with exercise physiologists. Sometimes increased exercise (weight training) may cause weight stalls since you are not eating enough to sustain the calories burned with weight training, so I would reach out to your programs exercise physiologist.
This is exactly what I’m going through right now at 6 months PO I stopped losing weight 2 months ago and still doing everything I’m supposed to. Very discouraging but I keep going and even increased my workouts to 90 min a day but no luck 😞
Hello! If you are in a weight stall, I would reach out to your program’s dietitian and exercise physiologist. At WeightWise, our patients see both every 2-3 months post-op. They can review your diet/exercise in depth to troubleshoot any issues with weight stalls. As mentioned in another comment, increasing intensity/time of exercise may lead to weight stalls. With weight loss surgeries, your intake is very limited and when you exercise more, you burn more calories. Since your stomach has a restriction, you cannot easily eat enough calories to sustain what you burn from exercise. Therefore, your body holds onto everything you eat, so that may cause weight stalls.
I was 369 at surgery mine was January of 2021 I hit my goal of 159 in July of 2022 made it to an ideal BMI and no longer overweight at all. I went from size 30 to size 6 and love it. Now it is December and I weigh 157 and holding
I had VSG April 2022 and by November I have lost 90 pounds and have been gaining and losing the same 4 pounds since November. How can I restart the weight loss? I still have 30 pounds I need to lose to get to my goal.
Hello! I recommend to reach out to your operating surgeon. At WeightWise, our patients meet with us (nurse practitioners, dietitians, and exercise physiologists) every 2-3 months post-op to monitor rate of weight loss and make sure everything is on track. Each program does have different guidelines they follow so best to reach out to your operating team.
If reaching out to the team who did the survey is not an option. What do you suggest? I had my VSG overseas and never spoken to them after I came back to the states.
You could reach out to your primary care if you have one, but in regard to bariatric surgery it is best to be seen by someone who specializes in bariatrics. You could meet with one of our operating surgeons and nurse practitioners in order for them to review your medical history and do a full evaluation to determine a plan of care. If you wanted to be seen at WeightWise, the first step to the program is to watch the free online seminar. Then someone will contact you to set you up with an appointment to see the surgeon whom will review your health history. You can watch the seminar online at https://weightwise.com/seminars/#seminar-tabs. Or, you could call our front desk and they will set you up with an appointment to visit with ours at 405-359-2475.