I had gastric sleeve surgery last Tuesday the 9th and have only lost about 2.5 pounds since then--I managed to lose about 13 pounds on the pre-op diet and am hoping to lose around 115 the first year to get to my goal weight (but of course the timing isn't as important as eventually reaching that milestone). I am trying not to get discouraged by my modest weight loss since the day of surgery, so I'm mostly just looking for some reassurance that weight loss in the first few weeks after surgery isn't a predictor of how much you'll end up losing overall and how quickly. How much weight did you lose the first month, and how did that taper off (if it did at all) in months two and three?

There are many factors that affect your rate of loss: age, gender, starting weight, genetics, etc. Some are slow losers others are fast losers to begin. The rate you lose doesn’t affect the amount of weight you will lose. There are slow losers who reach their goal & fast losers who don’t.

Don’t worry too much about your weight loss immediately post surgery. You have swelling, possibly still retaining fluids, your body is under stress, etc. Some surgeons even advise not to weigh yourself for a couple of weeks after surgery because of this.

There are a couple of things you can rely upon. We all lose at our own rate & your rate of loss will slow as you get closer to goal.

Every pound you lose is a win. Congrats on your surgery.

I agree with everything Arabesque said. Plus I don't know if you weighed yourself when you got home from the hospital or not, but most of us "gain" weight from the IV fluids they pump into us -- some people up to 10 lbs. It takes a week or so for all that to work its way out, so it's not uncommon to have no weight loss at all - or even a gain - for at least a week.

Just as the two above said, results can be super variable. I lost 50 lbs in three months but I just saw another post where someone lost 46 lbs in only one month! It's hard not to compare yourself, especially if you're a competitive person, but give it time and stick to your plan and you'll see the scale start moving. Good luck!

22 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

I agree with everything Arabesque said. Plus I don't know if you weighed yourself when you got home from the hospital or not, but most of us "gain" weight from the IV fluids they pump into us -- some people up to 10 lbs. It takes a week or so for all that to work its way out, so it's not uncommon to have no weight loss at all - or even a gain - for at least a week.

Yes. 1 bag of fluid is 1000mL which weighs 2.2 lbs. Your body holds onto a lot of that.

Couldn’t agree more with all the advice above. The goal is a future healthy life style. The first weeks weight loss is not a predictor of that. It’s hard in the first month or so to see the light, but if you work the process you’re going to succeed.

We all seem to use the scale to measure success so I get it. I did the same thing and did experience the three week post op stall. I too was frustrated and concerned, but I held steady, it passed and I continued to see success. I’m three months out and have surpassed my original expectations.