6 months out and hit a stall. Normal?

[GrumpyDespot]

I had my surgery at the end of May. Since then I’ve lost weight steadily. Over the last two weeks I’ve not only stalled but gone up 3 pounds. I take in around 1200 calories a day. Is a stall and even small gain normal? I’ve been following my diet but did recently add in a little cardio (but not consistently). Am I taking in too many calories? And is there an average? Sorry about all the questions. I’m panicking.

[RehabNurse]

When starting a new exercise program, the best advice is to stay off the scale. Here's why:

Glycogenation is the prevailing reason people gain weight when starting cardio workouts. Exercise enhances our muscle tissue's capacity for storage of energy.

Since active bodies need more fuel, your body is adapting by funneling the carbohydrates you eat into your skeletal muscle in the form of glycogen.

In the glycogenation process, each gram of glucose is stored with about 3 grams of water. The average person can store about 15 grams per kilogram in body weight of glycogen. This is the most common reason we see stalled weight loss (or even weight gain) when increasing exercise.

In sum, you may have lost some fat in the past few weeks, but the progress you made has been masked by water weight gain. You may have lost a few of pounds of fat but gained a few pounds of glycogen in that time.

And no, you're not eating too many calories. Good luck to you.

[Ann2]

I agree with EVERYTHING RehabNurse said.

I'm 3+ years post-op and have experienced those up-ticks on the scale after increasing exercise.

And I agree that you're not eating too much. 1200 calories at your tenure post-op is good.

In my opinion.

[Christie13]

Most people experience stalls and small gains throughout their journey. Only a few lucky ones never stall. Agree with what Rehabnurse said. Just relax and keep following the rules.

[sraebaer]

You're doing great! Exercise builds muscle which weighs more than fat. You are not eating too much, just keep doing what you are doing. Hide your scale.