What Am I Doing Wrong? Or Is This Normal?

[skinnysomeday1211 20]

Hi all, I'm about three weeks post op, and I lost 14lbs the first week post op... but not a single pound more since! I feel like I'm basically eating nothing and the scale won't budge! It is just getting frustrating. I don't get a fill until 12/17.

[mrsto 2,925]

Many do not lose weight during the healing process. It sounds like that is exactly where you are. Until you begin getting fills, you're basically dieting……it's called "bandster hell". Just hang in there and stick to your recommended program. The weight will begin coming off soon enough.

Just a suggestion…… I don't know how often you're weighing yourself, but it might be best for you to stay off the scale. Maybe weigh once every couple of weeks. I know for me, daily weighing has a negative emotional effect. So - I weight once every two weeks; maybe three.

Good luck!

[Ronda50 0]

Hi, I had my surgery on 11/8/13. I lost 13 pounds in the first ten days but nothing since then. I don't think I over eat and yet I haven't lost any more. I am frustrated as well. I hope someone replies with good advice. I'm glad you posted this so I don't feel like I'm alone.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

are you eating more calories than you burn off??

this is how people gain actual/true weight..

if you are losing (inches)...aka clothes getting big, then you are losing no matter what the scale says or doesnt say..dont live by what the scale says....follow your eating advisement (protein, veggies, fruit) (or liquids vis post op).. and stop worrying about the scale...losing true weight is a process over time, the same as we gained it......


stop thinking what you think you are doing wrong but think about what you are doing RIGHT.

[dylanmiles23 2,198]

Congrats on getting the band. Now don't do what I do and weigh yourself 10 times a day. CG, doesn't own the metal monster, she is the smart one.

[Sojourner 2,446]

As others have posted, now is the time for healing. The weight loss will come later.

One important thought to keep in mind is that weight loss will not necessarily be a steady downward slope. There can be weight loss plateaus, and you might even gain a pound or two along your journey.

Try not to get caught up in the habit of weighing yourself too often. Small fluctuations in weight are normal, but you may find yourself feeling discouraged needlessly. I usually weigh myself every 2 weeks.

If you focus on good choices for what you eat and make an honest effort to exercise on a regular basis, the weight loss will come.

[MandaMom23 684]

For the first 6 weeks, or at least until your first fill, focus on healing and not on the scale! If you're following the band rules, and doing what you need to do, the weightloss will come!

[B-52 7,113]

Hi all, I'm about three weeks post op, and I lost 14lbs the first week post op... but not a single pound more since! I feel like I'm basically eating nothing and the scale won't budge! It is just getting frustrating. I don't get a fill until 12/17.

No offense, but you have a LONG way to go....it's like saying you're unhappy because you can't win the Tour De France because the training wheels are in the way....

Any weight loss I experienced at that time was not because of the band...it was because of the food regime I went through...liquids, mushies, etc....THEN, one month later, I got my first fill...and began to GAIN WEIGHT.....

I did not start to experience any real weight loss until 2 months and 2 fills after surgery....and then it took a third fill to get me where I really wanted to be....been there ever since, 2-1/2 years...so it does work!

I now weigh myself twice a day...out of habit...once when I first get up, and the 2nd time when I am at the gym where they have a machine that also measures Water weight, body fat %, muscle and bone mass, etc....

I have been gaining and loosing within the same 5 lbs for 2 years now....there is a normal body fluctuation and 2-3 lbs swings within any 24hrs is nothing to worry about....

And even though I have not lost any weight in quite a while, my clothing sizes continue to drop...noticed just last week my slacks were loose and the next pair I buy will be a size smaller in the waist....

[terrydumont46 1,954]

when i was post op about 2 weeks i decided to record all the calories i was eating, including Protein drinks. my calorie intake was much much more than i thought it was. so was my Protein intake. i didn't need 3 Protein Drinks a day . keep track for awhile. and walk. you can't do much more at this point but you can take little walks.

[skinnysomeday1211 20]

Thank you all for the great advice!!! I do realize I am very early in the game but it can be legitimately frustrating nonetheless, especially when you're used to losing consistently each week as I was pre-op (I lost 78lbs prior to surgery). I am going to refocus on healing and watching my calorie intake and add in extra walks until I can get back into the gym like I was before. I am also a scale addict and like one of you said, not liking the number can set the tone for your entire day. I need to work on that!

[Pepper28 82]

Right now the only weight u will lose will be from your own diet and exercise routine until ur band is adjusted enough to restrict ur food intake & dieting will be a little easier.

This cld take 3-5 months, and ive even heard 7 months to a year.

So its still a Diet until then.

[curvygal 9]

Hi all - I had my surgery 8/7/15 and have been up and down through the process. Has anyone tried waist training "cincher" with the lapband? I'm not sure if I'm still swollen but my stomach doesn't seem to go down where the port is located? Any suggestions?