Question:
3 1/2 weeks since surgery

Mu surgery was Dec 26, 2007 my BMI 44. I lost 20 pounds the first 2 1/2 weeks but the scale has not moved since is this normal? And what can I do to make sure the scale continues to move? Should I start freakin out yet?    — roz_1 (posted on January 21, 2008)


January 21, 2008
Your surgeon should have an established protocol. Specific foods at specific time frames, exercise, fluid intake, vitamins and calcium citrate, foods NOT to eat, etc. All of these should be followed as strictly as possible for the first 8 months or so for maximum results. Weight plateaus are possible, but not this soon post op.
   — Dave Chambers

January 21, 2008
I lost weight great for the first 4 weeks doing everything my surgeon told me to, and then, my weight loss stopped for 15 days. My doctor told me to just keep doing what I was before and it would start up again, and I did. Don't forget to do some excersize. Your body is just thinking you are starving it and it is hoding out. It will change if you just stick with the plan. Do not get discouraged, just keep to the plan.
   — William (Bill) wmil

January 21, 2008
I don't know what type of surgery you had, but definitely you should not panic. I had VGS on Nov. 25. I did exactly the same as you and had a 10 day stall starting at about 2 weeks. The stall stopped and I am still losing. No more stalls. Good luck. Pat
   — pjennjr

January 21, 2008
It happened to me. I lost a bunch of weight at first and now at 6 weeks out, I have slowed to 1-3 lbs a week. I eat about 600-800 calories a day, which include the protein shakes. So I know it is nothing to do with diet. But our bodies still try to fight weight-loss to a point, because of so much dieting pre-surg. Anyway, stick to the foods your have been told to eat (or drink) by your nutritionist, and you will start dropping again, even if not as fast as the first drop. Good luck to you!
   — lesleigh07

January 21, 2008
Hi, Rosalyn. I don't have an answer for you, but I am experiencing the same. I am 2 weeks out and 20 lbs. down and no weight loss has happened for several days. Very discouraging when one is sticking to the post op liquid diet!
   — jujuprof

January 21, 2008
Same thing happened to me - I lost about 12 lb the first 10 days and then didn't loose anything for then next 10 days - I was doing everything right and it was really frustrating. I am now 5 weeks out, have still only lost 19 lbs, but it is coming off slowly - I have seen the scale drop 1 - 4 lb a week - as long as it is going down, I am happy - even if it is slow - they tell me that is better - Congrat! Welcome to the losing side!! Joanna
   — machre

January 21, 2008
Wanted to off my support and sympathy on this...I had RNY Jan 7...lost 14 lbs the first week...Rechecked my weight 4 days later and had dropped another 5 lbs...Now, here I am with no weight loss for half a week...I know I'm still in the very preliminary stages of it all, but still it's discouraging... As everyone has said, just going to keep with the plan of foods, water and proteins, and increase my exercise and see if that helps... Best of luck to us all....Michelle
   — Michelle M.

January 21, 2008
I say don't freak out. Also I think we should all go back to weight loss 101 which says "don't weight yourself everyday". Our bodies our in major flux regarding not just our diet but the trauma to our bodies from the surgery. It takes awhile to adjust. I'm 8 days post op and I weighed 10 pounds MORE when I got home from the hospt. Talk about freak out. Well that's when I decided I'd just weight once every week. So now I don't know how much I've lost but I can tell when I look in the mirror and my clothes are looser. PLUS I've never been on a diet in my entire life that I haven't cheated on a little at least every day...and on this one I'm not. So it has to work....we just need to give it the time.
   — cjjordan

January 22, 2008
I am 2 years out. My doctor didn't want us to weigh at home - at all. I was told to keep track of my measurements so that I could see the weight loss. I noticed that when I would go through a plateau (some lasted 4-5 weeks), that even though I wasn't dropping pounds I was losing inches. Don't be discouraged. I think most of us drop a lot of weight the first month. I keep track of my weight loss & protein/calories in fitday.com. It's free & neat to see your weight graphed in the downward motion.
   — abemmaco4

January 22, 2008
I am 5 weeks out from VSG. I experienced the same thing you describe. I wrote about it in my blog on my page. I am copying it here: "Finally I see the 25th pound off!! It has been 10 days since the scale has moved in the right direction! It even moved UP one pound and stayed there for several days. But I began walking more consistently and for longer -- now up to 30 min per day and sometimes another session in the evening for 15 to 20 min. This seems to have helped move my very efficient metabolism!! The body is a wonderfully made and very smart entity. When the owner of that body stops giving it the calories it once had, the body slows down the process of energy usage to a point where it conserves the most possible. By stepping up the exercise routine, the owner is telling the body that things must go on, and energy must be used. It took a while, but this is what mine has learned for the moment. However, as we all know, teaching is a patience-requiring job -- whether it be teaching children, adults, pets, or the body. My body may in the future challenge me to another lesson plan. I will cross that bridge when it happens and see how best to prepare the lesson for that challenge." Keep up the good work and you will see the change soon!!
   — JStangel

January 22, 2008
My surgery gastric bypass was Dec 21 and on my check on Jan 7th I had lost 18#. Now my scale at home says more but I am only going by docs scale and of course my scale has not been moving either since. But I also discovered that I have not been consuming all my fluids for fear of stretching my pouch. I have corrected this problem this weekend and I hope to see the scale start to drop soon. I go back to the doc on the 28th so I hope I am down more. I did measure my self prior to surgery and I just measured myself on my 4 week anniversary and I am glad to say I am down 20 inches. So we may not always be losing weight at the time but we are losing inches. I need to stay off the scale so much so I don't depress my self. I am also finding on this phase 3/4 that i am able to eat almost all my food and I am not sure if the feeling I am getting is full or just satisfied and that kind of scares me to.
   — iwilllose

January 22, 2008
Are you walking? Walking plays a big role in your diet and weight loss. I was looking for my weight to double the second time i went to the dr too, but remember the liquids for the first 10 days played in that weight loss, now your body is consuming some foods now so we won't drop as much. Good luck, Lynda
   — lyndayvette




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