Crushed by today's weigh-in

[White Sale 339]

Morning, all. I am 2.5 weeks post-op. I'm down 1.8lbs since last Saturday.

One. Point. Eight.

I'm so disappointed. I'm feeling like, "Great.. Even effing surgery won't work for me."

I'm pissed that I measured out my meals.

I'm pissed that I did all the math of counting calories and adding Protein.

I'm pissed that I walk regularly.

I'm pissed that I paid a lot of money for this.

[paul12677 167]

Don't be discouraged.. just follow doctors plan and you will be fine.. we've all been through these moments of frustration and It eventually all works itself out.. I went through a 3 week stall and was miserable.. felt the same way you do now.. but overall down 60 pounds and feel great

Paul12677

[Dairymary 533]

First of all, this is totally normal. You have just been put through major surgery. You were pumped full of fluids, your tissues are swollen, your body is in shock and holding on to every resource it can. Looks like you've already lost over 30 pounds which is great. Your body is simply doing what bodies do....trying to survive this crazy stuff you are putting it through.

Second of all, your BMI is quite low so even once you start losing, it will not be at a record pace. Took me 6 months of losing to get to where you are starting. And another year to reach goal. Be patient.

Third, what happens in these first couple months and the rate at which you lose means pretty much nothing in regards to long term success or failure (unless, of course, you throw in the towel and don't do your part as far as following the program). So keep hitting your Protein and Fluid goals (mine were 80g and 100oz respectively) and you will lose.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Dairymary

[White Sale 339]

Don't be discouraged.. just follow doctors plan and you will be fine.. we've all been through these moments of frustration and It eventually all works itself out.. I went through a 3 week stall and was miserable.. felt the same way you do now.. but overall down 60 pounds and feel great

Paul12677

Thank you, Paul12677. It's weird - intellectually, I know the scale will keep going down so long as I do the work. Emotionally, it still such a blow to see the scale not move this week.

I'm trying to look at it and remind myself that I've lost 16+ pounds since surgery.

Still shocked that the scale didn't move more.

First of all, this is totally normal. your body has just been put through major surgery. You were pumped full of fluids, your tissues are swollen, your body is in shock and holding on to every resource it can.

Second of all, your BMI is quite low so even once you start losing, it will not be at a record pace. Took me 6 months of losing to get to where you are starting. And another year to reach goal. Be patient.

Third, what happens in these first couple months and the rate at which you lose means pretty much nothing in regards to long term success or failure (unless, of course, you throw in the towel and don't do your part as far as following the program). So keep hitting your Protein and Fluid goals (mine were 80g and 100oz respectively) and you will lose.

I'm trying to keep my chin up, I know what you're saying is true.

Going for a walk to clear my head.

Edited January 7, 2017 by White Sale

[ShelterDog64 2,364]

@@White Sale It's SO HARD when you know you're on plan, following your surgeon's advice to the letter and still NOTHING on the scale to speak of. But, as others have said, it WILL come off. WLS failures aren't people like you, who do what they're supposed to and just lose more slowly than others...I know that you know this!

I'm in a dead stall at about 6 mos out and I'm irritated by it and fed up with it...I know it's going to end and the scale will start moving again, but I'm just peeved. We can be mad together, break our stalls and Celebrate it together Hang in there!

[hikerdog 45]

I had bypass on 12/20. At 1 wk postop appt, I was only down a couple of pounds. I also thought wtf? OMG, researchers will interview me as a case study of the only patient who lost no freakin weight. I'm drinking more Protein water(60 calories), less shakes (180 calories). Just this week, I'm finally getting that "full" feeling ppl described after eating a small amount. When I returned to work, I was busy and actually had to remind myself to eat. Hang in there!

[hikerdog 45]

Since Ive traded Water for shakes and I'm doing a little bit of time on the elliptical each day, I'm seeing a difference on the scale.

[White Sale 339]

I appreciate all of your kind words.

Spent the morning meal prepping for the next few days.

Maybe it's hormone-related Water retention? Let's hope so. I'll find out next Saturday...

[rainy1976 2]

It's very hard, I agree! First, there is bloating. Second, your body thinks that is in starvation mode so it tries to preserve what it has. One of the things that I have tried to do is find other ways to measure success. You are moving, measuring and planning. Those are all successes that will pay off. Maybe you could think about some other non-scale victories you'd like to see like how your clothes fit etc... good luck, you can do this!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[Hammer_Down 631]

Most doctors aim for 2 lbs of weight loss per week on their reduced calorie diets.

Following low carb, you can expect a loss of Water and inflammation during the first 2 week since equalling about 10% of total weight to lose, then slowing to about 2 lbs a week after that.

There are hundreds, nay, thousands of posts about the 3 week stall on here. Many people will experience a stall on weight loss during that time frame, and periodically thereafter.

A monthly cycle will affect scale weight, as will things like sodium intake and the time of day you weigh, wether you've had a bowel movement and stress levels.

[hikerdog 45]

My Dr said they calculate % of excess weight lost to evaluate success. Since BMI and other factors influence the rate of loss, comparisons are not always valid. Tracking percent of excess weight lost can be a good way to track your progress.

[Thick2Thin2016 63]

I promise you that you are going to lose more weight than this.you are just retaining.when I had my gallbladder out I hadn't ate in eight freaking days.i mean nothing.not popsicles Water ,ice Nada! Completely kept alive with IVs.i thought this is awesome I must have lost ten pounds.i weighed at my PCP and I was down 2.1 pounds. He told me it takes ten days to see a weight loss from caloric restriction.he was right.

[LittleBill 2,231]

It sucks. But give it time. I lost a bunch of weight BEFORE surgery, so much so that I debated with the surgeon about going through with it. I did, and then shortly afterward, my weight loss came to a screeching halt. I was like, WTF!?! But it started up again of its own accord.

Keep doing all the right things, and you will start to lose weight.

[#BirdDog 604]

It's hard, I totally understand the frustration. The scale is going in the right direction, gotta give it time. You're going to do great!

[Babbs 14,680]

Well, that's it. I deem you a complete failure at 2.5 weeks out. I say you go to the surgeon and demand your stomach back!

Look, I get it. It took me 12 months to lose 85 pounds. Then it took me another 3 to lose 7 more before my weight loss stopped. If it makes you feel any better, I've also seen people who lose more months 2 or 3 than the first month. Doesn't make it any less frustrating.

Us 'slower' losers are a special breed. I think we have an advantage because we learn patience and above all, persistence. Makes us appreciate how hard we worked for our losses, and makes us want to work harder at keeping it off. You'll get there. If you follow your program 95% of the time, the next thing you know, you'll be at goal. Once you're in maintenence, it won't matter one bit how long it took