Post-Op Stall

Hi everyone.  My surgery date was May 10, 2011.  I initially lost 14lbs on my Opti-Fast Pre-Op Diet which I was super happy with.  During my first week after surgery I lost another 14lbs.  Which brings my total to 28 lbs.  Don't get me wrong.  I am ecstatic about my results this far. However, the scale  has not moved since Tuesday.  Hello????  What is going on?  I have heard of a two week stall but a one week stall? 

I am getting all my fluids in and averaging about 60-70 grams of protein a day and about 600-650 calories.  I also started walking on the treadmill a week ago.  I feel GREAT!!!!!  I am off my diabetic meds and I have been able to cut my asthma meds in half. 

I feel like I am really working hard for every pound and I didn't see anything come off this week.  Is this normal this early on?  How long does this last?  What else can I do to kick start my weight loss again.

 

 Your body has just hit the 'oh crap, what did she do to me?' point. It is adjusting to the fact that you are taking in way less than it is used to and is just making sure that you are getting what you need. Don't sweat it. You will start loosing again. Just stick to your plan and get some exercise. It will start up again soon.

This is common and very, very normal. Lasts about a week or two.  

Some people stall right away, some a little later, and a few not until much later. Don't get your tail in a knot. Your loss will come and the stall break when your body is ready. I did not lose an ounce except the water weight from surgery, for 3 1/2 weeks then took a sudden drop of 5 pounds, then just normal loss from there on out. I didn't even call it a stall unless it lasted more than 2 weeks(I also didn't cout a gain until it lasted at least 10 days). I knew myself. If I obsessed about the whole thing I would have just given up.

A friend who had RNY didn't lose over 17 pounds for the first 3 months, including the pre op liquid diet. All of a sudden 2 months after that I got together with her and she was gorgeous!

Just don't let this throw you off. Relax and remember, now you have a fighting chance to lose weight. Before wls you didn't. You have a tool, but it is only that. You don't get to order it around. Sorry. Hang in there, you are normal. This is a journey, there will be twists and turns, ups and downs. You will get to your destinanation, just not how you think you should.

Good luck, dear.

Hi!!!  I am three weeks post op and have lost 23 pounds.  I am ecstatic about that, but I too have not budged the scales this week.  Maybe a pound.  But I was to the Dr. yesterday and he too said that your body is trying to adjust to the surgery and to be patient and the scales will show loss soon.  Make sure "he said" to keep to the plan though and don't get discouraged.  So I am patiently waiting!!!!  Good luck!!!

Stay off the scales!!! You just had major surgery - take this time to let your body heal and catch up with you. Weight loss - before or after surgery - is not a linear process. It goes up, it goes down, it stays the same, all while being very unpredictable.

Focus on doing your part, and your body will catch up and drop the lbs

 This is normal. You really don't need to do anything other than follow your surgeon's plan. It sounds as though you are doing perfectly. How much protein does your surgeon want you to have? Being able to get 60-70 in a day this early out is pretty impressive, to me. It took awhile to get to that point. I think that almost everyone gets nervous during the earliest days if they don't see a daily loss, but you'll be fine.

stay off the scale if it bothers you. You arent going to lose every day, this is not a sprint.  maria

The following explanation is courtesy of Diana Cox:

Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.
As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

 

Everyone else has already given you the answer to your question. This is normal and you are doing wonderfully well!  I just wanted to tell you that patience is the key to a successfull (and minimally stressed journey).  There will be many stops and starts along the way.  Try to relax and enjoy the ride!

Don't worry. Sometimes stress  makes the body do crazy things.  I'm 20 months out and every so often my body still tells me: "What  you're not done yet?"