Am I doing anything wrong, or is this normal?

[beth28]

I am 3 weeks out to the day. For the last week I have been fluctuating between 207 and 205. Prior to that, I had lost 22 lbs. (not including all the excess fluids from the hospital).

I am getting approx. 40 oz of water, and about 60 oz of protein a day. Carbs, if I get any in a day is less than 40 (and that's not everyday). No simple carbs at all.

I don't think I'm in a stall, but is this something I just have to wait out, or is there anyway to jumpstart the loss again. I so want to get under 200 by the end of the month if possible.

Thanks!

[KathyF]

This is totally normal. You are losing... it's just not showing on the scale. I would suggest not weighing at home and weigh only at the doctor's office. And drink more water!

[renegadeorange]

Did you take body measurements pre-op? I am sure if you measure now, there will be differences.

Don't sweat it. You will stall, it's gonna happen, it happens to everyone. And by 'stall', I mean on the scale. Your body weight shifts, changes, etc. Don't focus on the number so much, or you'll drive yourself nutso.

[bearmom]

Normal. I always looked at my weight loss like a bouncy ball going down stairs - a drop, with a little pause and maybe a small rebound, and then continuing with a larger drop, over and over.

I quit wondering why I lost that way, and decided it was just easier to only weigh once a month, preferably right after my period when I have lost the water weight.

[beth28]

I haven't had a period in almost a year, so I believe Im going through peri-menopause. Will I still gain water weight? I am not weighing daily, and I can feel the clothes getting looser, but I sooo want to get into my wedding rings again.

I don't care how much weight I lose, I just want to wear my rings. :-)

I had read on the OH site (when we were there) that some people could jumpstart their weight loss again like with a donut or something like that. I just thought that I was too early to do that, but is that something I should try? One donut (not a boxful).

I'm honestly not craving carbs (and I used to LOVE donuts, cake, ice cream and eclairs), but I want to do what I need to do to keep this weight loss going.

Thanks for any and all advice!

[kingy]

Here's a previous explanation/comment from Kirmy (from OH), that I read regularly to keep my head in the game:

So you're one month/day/week/hour/second out of surgery and you've been weighing yourself ever 2 hours and you've not lost any weight in the last 12hrs? No your DS is not broken. Despite yourself you cannot overwhelm the new configuration of your intestines and gain weight (well you can if you try VERY VERY VERY hard and have a good blender attachment and don't sleep ever).

Lets go back to basics. You body transports fluids about the place in various spaces. You have some faabulous organs that work as a fluid in fluid out coveyer belt system. Then us nurses and doctors come along and piss on your gate. That's right we cut you open and send your body into shock. To make matters worse we force your body to lose volume via your open wounds, suctioning of blood etc during your op. We then add insult to injury and flood you with IV fluids. So these spaces that handle fluids are going..."what the fuck are you playing at"? They try to pull fluids across the barriers in our body to make up for the sudden loss of volume due to surgery but then we've just dumped in IV fluids so where does all this fluid go? To the wrong space. Yup....and it sits there and just sits there and just sits there.

I guesstimate it takes about 5 days post op to shift the fluids hanging about your body. Point of fact Kingy gained 12.7kgs post op. She is now 13 days post op and has lost 15kgs (fluid weight plus actual weight loss). It is a slow and gradual process slowed by the continual swelling around suture sites internally. This takes about two to three months to settle but is different for everyone.

So you see how silly it is to be target driven in the first three months as to weight loss? You are a sponge and an angry swollen wound during this period. Just heal. That is all. The DS is stronger then you and you will lose weight no matter how you doubt it. Just let it do its thing and chill out.

Now after 12 months you can bitch about a stall...no worries....but before then.......hissssss!

;D

[kingy]

Here's another great bit of info that used to be on EN's signature on OH:

"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."

[beth28]

Thanks Kingy! That's what I needed. I remembered (once I started reading your post) that the vets had explained it to us (but for some reason I didn't bookmark it).

I didn't want to sound all panicky, but sometimes I guess we all need a bit of reassurance. That's what I like about Kirmy, EN and Diana.....no nonsense, no fluff, just facts!

Thanks again to all for the replies. I knew it wasn't "broken", just wanted to make sure I was on the right path!

[Deleted]

Dec 19, 2011 13:07:45 GMT -5 beth28 said:

I am 3 weeks out to the day. For the last week I have been fluctuating between 207 and 205. Prior to that, I had lost 22 lbs. (not including all the excess fluids from the hospital).

I am getting approx. 40 oz of water, and about 60 oz of protein a day. Carbs, if I get any in a day is less than 40 (and that's not everyday). No simple carbs at all.

I don't think I'm in a stall, but is this something I just have to wait out, or is there anyway to jumpstart the loss again. I so want to get under 200 by the end of the month if possible.

Thanks!

You are totally normal and you need to chill out about the numbers on the scale. Put the damned thing in the closet if you can't put it in the trash. Do NOT get on it more than once a month.

[Deleted]

Dec 19, 2011 15:52:28 GMT -5 beth28 said:

Thanks Kingy! That's what I needed. I remembered (once I started reading your post) that the vets had explained it to us (but for some reason I didn't bookmark it).

I didn't want to sound all panicky, but sometimes I guess we all need a bit of reassurance. That's what I like about Kirmy, EN and Diana.....no nonsense, no fluff, just facts!

Thanks again to all for the replies. I knew it wasn't "broken", just wanted to make sure I was on the right path!

You can bookmark it here now, cuz it's gone on OH.

[sheanie]

Also, if you're not taking IN enough calories, you will not lose weight. But that's later on. Now, just concentrate on staying hydrated. Drink lots, all the time.

[Sandra C.]

Hi Beth28,
Since surgery I have felt my losses are slower than most, the feeling comes from reading the rates of losses of others on the forums. I am told some are steadily dropping at the same rate all the way down to their final goal weight, others losses are like going down steps slowly. I keep a daily food diary for fluids, carbs, protein, and meds, vitamins, adjusting my pre planned daily food list to be sure my totals are good by the end of the day... I have been focusing too hard on the scale daily, makes me crazy when it stays stuck on a number for more than 2 days! I need to learn to leave the scale packed away for a week at a time. Exercise has helped me tone all over. I am so surprised how my clothing size has changed in such a short time, especially pants. Never imagined to be fitting in Med. size just a few months from surgery. Fast walking and exercises are helping change my body shape along with the D.S.