Weight Gain 5 weeks post surgery

[AnnMcD 3]

Hey All.

It's my first post. I was sleeved 5 weeks ago today. I've been weighing myself once a week. I lost fast the first three weeks then week four only 1/2 a lb but still a loss. Then today I get on the scale and I am up 3lbs!! It was very alarming as I've been following my diet to a T and trying to get between 600-800 calories a day (closer to 600 typically).

I don't know what to think. I am at a loss -- a 3lb gain is not a 1lb fluctuation. Has anyone else had an early gain and it resolved itself or is this going to be it for me for weight loss and now I"m going to be fighting to keep even these few lbs off?

[KristenLe 5,979]

I believe this is common. Stay off the scale. Your body starts to think you are in starvation mode. Keep going along following your plan and the scale will move. You'll probably notice a change more in measurements and how your clothes fit.

[Kindle 8,667]

It's Water weight. Don't worry about it. I gained 3 pounds at 6 weeks. Next time I weighed myself (a month later) I still weighed the same. But 6 months later I was 10 pounds below my goal weight. Stalls and even gains are normal throughout the process. Just stay on plan, meet Protein and water goals everyday, take your Vitamins and you'll be fine.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

These fluctuations are par for the course -- especially if you're doing everything by the book so early on.

Really, do not worry about it.

You should see my daily / weekly weight loss graph -- it looks like a drunken snail staggered down a very bumpy hill.

Yet, in the end, I've lost 100 pounds and am maintaining easily at 135 pounds.

There's a happy ending to these stories.

[AnnMcD 3]

Thank you - -It's just disheartening I guess. I know they say you lose the most weight early on so I feel like a 3lb weight gain so soon = failure again.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

@@AnnMcD ...

If you are determined to feel like a failure, you are welcome to go there.

But you're not.

Seriously.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

None of us lose at a constant or steady rate. We all experience fluctuations and periodic stall. It is a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process of losing weight. We all stall and almost everyone experiences a stall about three weeks after surgery.

Follow your program. Focus on getting in ALL of your Protein and AT LEAST 64 oz of Fluid. It also sounds like you need more calories.

Embrace the Stall

http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

[JamieLogical 8,684]

To gain three pounds of actual fat, you would have to ingest 10,500 EXTRA calories. There is no way this is actual fat. It is Water. As for the stall, it is *incredibly* common for people's weight loss to stall for a couple of weeks right around the 3rd week post-op. Look up "Week 3 Stall" on these forums and you will see literally thousands of posts about it.

[AnnMcD 3]

Thanks! I think I equate stall with no loss vs gain. But being new to this process I guess I should just keep plugging along with my plan and getting my fluids and Protein and give it more time before allowing myself to panic/get discouraged!!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Thanks! I think I equate stall with no loss vs gain. But being new to this process I guess I should just keep plugging along with my plan and getting my fluids and Protein and give it more time before allowing myself to panic/get discouraged!!

Exactly!

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Thanks! I think I equate stall with no loss vs gain. But being new to this process I guess I should just keep plugging along with my plan and getting my fluids and Protein and give it more time before allowing myself to panic/get discouraged!!

If there is one virtue that will see you through this process successfully, it is patience! It seems like every step along the way (getting approval, jumping through pre-surgery hoops, getting a date, surviving the pre-op diet, healing post-op, and then the weight loss) we just want things to move more quickly, but we really have so little control over so many of those steps. We can't control how quickly the scale moves, but we CAN control how well we stick to the plan and how hard we work to get our Water, Protein, and exercise in. So focus on what you can control and have patience that the rest will happen in its own time.