Hi,

I have not lost weight since I started started stage 2. My weight keeps going back and forth between 3 lbs. up and down but remains the same. Today is day 18 post op and i finally start pureed foods last night. I get a feeling of fullness but i have not felt any restrictions. It takes me 15 minutes to finish a shake. I can eat a whole pudding cup or yogurt without difficulty. I have been keeping track of my intake and i am getting in my 60-70 gm of protein everyday. My calorie intake is between 600 to 800. I do my 30 minute walks weather permitting. I do increased housework on these last rainy days. The last 2 days i know i have not been taking in enough water. drinking only 32 oz instead 64, other wise have been right on track. I am very happy that i have lost some weight, but feeling very discouraged that nothing else is coming off after having such a huge surgery. Any suggestions? Id appreciate some help. Thank you so much.

17 hours ago, camony said:

Ok .. misstated then.. Well definitely the metabolism has slowed down due to the lack of caloric intake. That what would explain not losing any weight right?

Yep. When you starve your body of the intake it needs to run (at that many calories its virtually impossible to get adequate protein), it slows down the metabolism, converts muscle into fat (burning muscle proteins as energy and replacing muscle mass with fat), makes you weaker. So after you burn the muscle, you're still left with fat mass.

That's why early on even if one cannot get sufficient protein, they still need sufficient calories that come from elsewhere for the body to use as fuel, keeping in mind that the premise of the surgery post-op is healing first and foremost, and starvation is a barrier to this. The weight will come off as you gradually can have more sufficient protein intake with less calories. The result is the metabolism is instructed to burn off fat through ketone bodies (utilizing fatty acids as energy) rather than gluconeogenesis (burning up muscle proteins), changing the liver to glycogenic state of synthesis rather than conversion to fatty acids and storage, the latter of which happens when you starve yourself, so any weight you lose under a starved state will be water/muscle mass, but your body will be storing the stuff it should be burning off and burning off the stuff it should be storing, in short.

Just be careful for bad advice, like the prior post you responded to.

Edited May 30, 20179 yr by PatientEleventyBillion

Yep. When you starve your body of the intake it needs to run (at that many calories its virtually impossible to get adequate protein), it slows down the metabolism, converts muscle into fat (burning muscle proteins as energy and replacing muscle mass with fat), makes you weaker. So after you burn the muscle, you're still left with fat mass.
That's why early on even if one cannot get sufficient protein, they still need sufficient calories that come from elsewhere for the body to use as fuel, keeping in mind that the premise of the surgery post-op is healing first and foremost, and starvation is a barrier to this. The weight will come off as you gradually can have more sufficient protein intake with less calories. The result is the metabolism is instructed to burn off fat through ketone bodies (utilizing fatty acids as energy) rather than gluconeogenesis (burning up muscle proteins), changing the liver to glycogenic state of synthesis rather than conversion to fatty acids and storage, the latter of which happens when you starve yourself, so any weight you lose under a starved state will be water/muscle mass, but your body will be storing the stuff it should be burning off and burning off the stuff it should be storing, in short.
Just be careful for bad advice, like the prior post you responded to.

I'm drinking/ eating around 500 calories right now. Is this sufficient?

800 calories for 3 weeks out is perfect.

If the lack of scale changes is the question.. it's called the 3 week stall for a reason Between 2 and 4 weeks out, most patients have a couple weeks that the scale doesn't move. It isn't a problem, and doesn't mean anything is wrong. It's just the body adjusting after a major operation.

These stalls will happen throughout your weight loss journey, so it's just as well that it happens so soon so you can get used to it

In fact, OutsideMatchesInside mentioned having a month where her scale never moved, but she lost 2 dress sizes. It is her experience that the greatest diameter losses occur during the stalls. It's interesting!

Also, don't panic if you see a pound or 3 pop back up on that scale. Again, it's just part of the process, and doesn't mean you gained 3 pounds of fat.

6 minutes ago, Joann454 said:

I'm drinking/ eating around 500 calories right now. Is this sufficient?

500 for 8 days out is fine. You'll get it up to 800 at 3 weeks, and 1000+ at 8-10 weeks out (if you want to).. some people are still under 1000cal at a year, so it's up to you.

500 for 8 days out is fine. You'll get it up to 800 at 3 weeks, and 1000+ at 8-10 weeks out.

Thank you!

23 minutes ago, Joann454 said:

I'm drinking/ eating around 500 calories right now. Is this sufficient?

If you're getting adequate protein. Do you know how much you're getting per day? If you're not getting anywhere you should be, definitely up your caloric intake. Your body needs to use something as fuel.. unless you get adequate protein the body will just burn off muscle proteins first before fat.

Edited May 30, 20179 yr by PatientEleventyBillion

I'm getting around 80 grams of protein. 8 days out.

Just now, Joann454 said:

I'm getting around 80 grams of Protein. 8 days out.

Then you're fine. Make sure you're supplementing whatever vitamins you're lacking, and all is good.

Edited May 30, 20179 yr by PatientEleventyBillion

Then you're fine. Make sure you're supplementing whatever vitamins you're lacking, and all is good.

I take an adult chewable centrum twice a day, a sublingual 500 B12 twice a day, and liquid calcium twice a day. I have so many alarms set on my phone it's crazy. Plus my regular meds and Prilosec.

That was great information that I received from the last 2 post. Im very appreciative you both took the time to respond. I defiantly do not want to be losing muscle at this point, but it looks like it may be unavoidable. I also was not aware of the 2 week stall. thanks that helps a lot.. As far as a status update on me I have lost one lb, but im still going up and down on the scale. I do weigh my self daily that is is personal choice i have made and do it the same time every day when i first wake up. Thanks again for the great info

54 minutes ago, Joann454 said:

I take an adult chewable Centrum twice a day, a sublingual 500 B12 twice a day, and liquid calcium twice a day. I have so many alarms set on my phone it's crazy. Plus my regular meds and Prilosec.

Supplements are easily my biggest problem now.

3 doses of 500-600mg calcium citrate with vitD spread out 3 times a day, cannot be taken with iron, somewhere in there do the mv plus b12 sub, then two doses of meds at opposite ends of the day. Makes protein goals look easy.

Edited May 30, 20179 yr by PatientEleventyBillion