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Gaining Weight Right After Surgery



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I have a question for anyone out there. I lost 25 pounds

in a four week pre-op diet. Now I am 9 days after my surgery

and I have gained 5 pounds! I am beyond depressed. Almost

everything I have read or heard says the first 2-3 weeks

after surgery are the golden weight loss time, and here I am

gaining weight! I am getting 46+ grams of Protein in 400+

calories, no sugars or fats. I am getting around 50 oz of liquid

each day, and I don't seem to be bloated. I am not taking in

medications which contribute to Water retention or bloating.

What the hell is going on! Am I the only one gaining weight

immediately after my sleeve surgery? Has anyone else had

this happen to them? Any advice?

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I agree with readyforachange. This happens to some people. I do think it's the IV fluids as well. You get pumped up with them and it takes some time. Plus, also remember that airplane flights can cause Fluid retention if you flew anywhere for surgery. So either one or both of those could have contributed!

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IV fluids and swelling. I came home 8lbs heavier, was gone within 5-6 days.

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I too came home about 7lbs heavier too. I lost it in a week then was the weight i was day of surgery.... :-(

but honestly I don't know if the First few Weeks are golden cause I'm three weeks out and only down 10lbs.

I too am Following my dr's advice on diet and exercise and it's just not coming off :-(

I'm sure it's different for us all!!! I'm trying to be patient as its all I can do not to regret!

Time will tell ;/)

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Not to worry! It's mainly all the fluids' retention in your body. I was about 4 pounds heavier getting home from the hospital. I lost a lot immediately after. And everyone is different. ;) Some people lose consistently, others lose in sporadic spurts (like me). I can stay the same weight for a week or two and then suddenly drop 5-6 pounds the following week.

It'll work out. :)

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I gained 13 pounds from Fluid and it took two weeks to come off. Then I had a kidney stone and was back in the hospital for all of week three on IV fluids again. I gained back to my original highest weight when I left the hospital that time. It took about a week for all the fluid to dissapate and for me to see that I had been losing weight all that time, it was just hiding under the fluid! BE PATIENT. That fluid weight will start dropping off, I promise. Your body is in shock and it may take a little bit for it to decide to let it go. Best wishes.

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Although I did not gain weight right after surgery I did find that at about five weeks i started retaining some Fluid (that was a big problem for me prior to the surgery). So, I thought I had not lost any weight in about two weeks. Well, since my blood pressure was a little too close to the upper limit I took one of my Fluid pills that I had prior to surgery. I lost three pounds. So, I know that regardless of what I eat or how little I have to be very careful about salt. Evidently I still have a retention issue, at least right now.

Not everyone has this problem but it kind of shows how all of our bodies react sooo differently to the sudden drop in calorie intake. With my BMI being lower to start with mine tried to hold on to everything like I am starving. lol. But, then it makes an adjustment and my weight drops. I also seem to have built alot of muscle (this is strange for a girl that could not walk and chew gum) and that will mask fat loss as far as the scale is concerned. But the inches show.

Good luck, re read your post in about another month.

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I too was 5 lbs heavier post op the day i got home from the hospital. I was so depreessed, being hypothyroid as well. I felt so defeated . i knew I lost weight on 2 week pre op. To then gain weight on sf Jello and popsicles. I called the drs office in tears of course. I am 5 days post op now and am scared to get on the scale again. However, I can see weight loss in my body. Still# pts hypo scale

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Everyone's body heals differently. It's common for the body to retain fluids and swell during the initial healing. It will come off....stay positive and on the plan...

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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