I am 3 weeks post op and I lost about 30 pounds in the last week. I haven't lost any weight and I have a hard time eating food, especially getting protein in. Did anybody else have issues? I am Really discouraged? My rheumatoid arthritis is flaring up so bad walking is killing me and I am starting to regret my choices.

I'm sorry... can you clarify your post? You said you lost 30 pounds in a week but haven't lost any weight? Am I not reading it right?

Regardless, you have to give yourself time to heal. What food are you eating? On my plan, I was just starting the pureed stage. The focus for me was water and then protein.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean, either, but if you mean you've stalled this week, then you're experiencing the infamous "three week stall" that probably 90% of us experience. Just so you know, this will likely just be the first of many. To get through it, just stick to your program and stay off your scale for a few days. Your weight loss WILL start up again (although probably not 30 lbs - losses really slow down after the first month).

if you want to read more about the stall, do a search of this site on the three week stall. Last time I checked, there were over 17,500 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding..)

Hi! I am going on 6 weeks post op and am only down 18 lbs. I feel like I am failing as well, I haven't lost for a full week. I can get all of my liquids down but am unsure of how many carbs I can consume with canned fruit and other easily consumed carbs like sugar free pudding. My company recently went on strike and my insurance has been cancelled so no dietician appointments for the near future. Does anyone have any suggestions? Anything would be great! I am tolerating 1/4 cup meals of canned chicken and veggies...

I would apply for insurance in the market place online. This is so unfortunate. At six weeks I was eating ground meats (and like one green bean if I had room after 4 oz.). Most of the time I could tolerate 3oz. and would snack on low-fat cheese or chicken bone broth LS to make up the protein. I smeared veggies into a sauce to put on the meat, average amount 1 teaspoon.

Thank you for your response. I have been getting most of my protein from protein drinks which I don't always want to have. I will start getting most of my protein from meats then and see if this helps. I am not a big fruit eater but love my veggies! I will enjoy not so many protein drinks for sure!?

6 hours ago, Cindy51 said:

Hi! I am going on 6 weeks post op and am only down 18 lbs. I feel like I am failing as well, I haven't lost for a full week. I can get all of my liquids down but am unsure of how many carbs I can consume with canned fruit and other easily consumed carbs like sugar free pudding. My company recently went on strike and my insurance has been cancelled so no dietician appointments for the near future. Does anyone have any suggestions? Anything would be great! I am tolerating 1/4 cup meals of canned chicken and veggies...

I lost 16 lbs the whole first month, and i started out at almost 400 lbs. People lose at all different rates due to a bunch of different factors, many of which you have little to no control over, including age, gender, starting BMI, metabolic rate, percentage of your body that is muscle, whether or not you lost a bunch of weight before surgery, etc. The only two things you have a lot of control over are your activity level and how closely you stick to your clinic's program. If you do well with those two things, you WILL lose the weight, whether fast or slow. I was a slow loser from the get-go and ended up losing 100% of my excess weight.

if you havent' lost any weight in a week and you're following your program, then you're just in a stall. Happens to most of us - and you're likely to have more along the way. When you hit one, just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days - and know that it'll eventually break and the weight loss will start up again. They typically last 1-3 weeks.

By 6 weeks @Cindy51, you should be moving on from soft foods & starting to add more dense foods. Think slow cooked meats, minced meats, thick meat soups, flaky fish, eggs, rolled oats, cheese, yoghurt, etc. Start adding more vegetables (well cooked mushy not coarse nor fibrous) now too. I didn’t have a single shake after the first two weeks & I started on purées.

My surgeon was happy if I was close to reaching my protein goal those first few weeks. It can be a struggle if you’re not eating much like me at that time: barely 3 meals a day & only about 300 calories in weeks 3 & 4. I’d have a high protein yoghurt drink every second day mid afternoon - it counted as protein & fluids - double win!

You may find the calories (carbs & sugar) in the canned fruit too high at this stage @Cindy51. Of course how much you eat will influence what percentage of your daily diet the canned fruit contributes. I wasn’t allowed any fruit for a couple of months then fresh only. Fruit is still the only non protein meal/snack I have. I was adding vegetables by then (non fibrous not coarse). A little steamed cabbage, a small cauliflower floret, a green bean or two. I would add carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, capsicum to any soups or stews/casseroles I made - nice & mushy.

Two things you can rely on while you’re losing: stalls happen & we all lose at our own rate. Celebrate every one of those pounds you’ve lost so far.

Hi! I am going on 6 weeks post op and am only down 18 lbs. I feel like I am failing as well, I haven't lost for a full week. I can get all of my liquids down but am unsure of how many carbs I can consume with canned fruit and other easily consumed carbs like sugar free pudding. My company recently went on strike and my insurance has been cancelled so no dietician appointments for the near future. Does anyone have any suggestions? Anything would be great! I am tolerating 1/4 cup meals of canned chicken and veggies...

1/4c at meals at 6weeks post op...I believe my nutritionist would tell u to get that to 1/2c and then to 3/4c. I think you might be consuming too few calories. I'm in the same boat. 6 weeks post op and A LOT of stalls already. Be careful with fruits. Still have lots of sugars.