BARELY any weight loss in first two weeks??

[MaameWata 15]

Hi all!

I’m a new member of the group - I hope you’re all well!

I had gastric sleeve surgery on 31st January 2023, after losing 13lbs on the pre-op diet.

On the morning of my surgery, I weighed 281lbs.

I lost no weight in the first week even though I was drinking my required Water intake and having between 60-80g of Protein a day.

Today is two weeks post op. I’m officially allowed to move onto purées and so first thing this morning, I weighed myself and I’ve only lost 4lbs??

I try not to compare myself to others, but I’m so disheartened and even low key regret having the surgery now. I keep seeing people reporting a stone weight loss in a week, 12 lbs a week, 8 lbs the second week etc and so I assumed this would be the same for me.

I’ve been very strict with my post op diet and making sure to get in at least 30 mins of movement a day. I’ve typically been consuming Protein Shakes, water, protein yogurt, Tomato Soups and the odd sugar-free/fat free children’s ice cream lolly.

I feel like I’m doing something wrong, and feel like a bit of a failure. I feel like my body is actively working against me. I spoke to my bariatric nurse who just said ‘you’re still healing, give it time’, but I don’t know if it’s just an excuse.

[summerseeker 1,827]

Many people on here have said they are weighing heavier after their surgery and say its because they are pumped full of Water to hydrate them for the weeks after when its tough to drink for many. So you are really lucky that you have no issues there. Water can weigh heavy so just give it time and this will pass!

You feel like you are failing., Please don't. How many calories a day are you logging ? If you could have compared yourself to me at the same stage, I was lucky to get in 300 a day. I was so ill. My body was hanging onto every calorie it could get hold of. People were racing ahead of me BUT, in the end it didn't matter, as I healed my weight dropped. I got to where I am now happy with myself.

Listen to the nurse, give yourself 6 months to a year to do this. Its not magic. You have to put lots of effort in to get to the weight you desire. You may also be in a early version of the dreaded 3 week stall. Hang in there and keep away from the scales if you can.

[catwoman7 10,844]

if you've been following your clinic's recommendations, then it's likely Water retention from the IV fluids. That's basically salt water, and a lot of people retain that. There are some people on here who've even weighed 10 lbs more when they left the hospital than when they arrived! It can take a week or occasionally longer to work its way out of your system.

stick to your plan and the weight will come off. Everyone is different due to different factors, many of which you have little to no control over (like age, gender, starting BMI, metabolic level, how much weight you lost prior to surgery, etc). The two things you DO have control over is how closely you stick to your plan and your activity level. If you do well with those, the weight will come off, whether fast or slow.

also, the 20 lb loss you said you think you should have lost in the first two weeks - banish that thought. If you started out at 600+ lbs, then yes - maybe - but for us more "normal" WLS patients, losing 20 lbs in two weeks just doesn't happen. Most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first MONTH. Yes of course you will find people who've lost more or less than that the first month, but they're outliers. You're probably doing just fine. Give it more time and remember to stick to your plan! I thought i was a terribly slow loser - and I WAS a bit behind others with similar statistics (starting weight, etc), but I ended up losing over 200 lbs.

Edited February 14, 2023 by catwoman7

[Quetta89 49]

Many people on here have said they are weighing heavier after their surgery and say its because they are pumped full of Water to hydrate them for the weeks after when its tough to drink for many. So you are really lucky that you have no issues there. Water can weigh heavy so just give it time and this will pass!
You feel like you are failing., Please don't. How many calories a day are you logging ? If you could have compared yourself to me at the same stage, I was lucky to get in 300 a day. I was so ill. My body was hanging onto every calorie it could get hold of. People were racing ahead of me BUT, in the end it didn't matter, as I healed my weight dropped. I got to where I am now happy with myself.
Listen to the nurse, give yourself 6 months to a year to do this. Its not magic. You have to put lots of effort in to get to the weight you desire. You may also be in a early version of the dreaded 3 week stall. Hang in there and keep away from the scales if you can.

Hi from the multiple videos I have watched the first thing you don't want to do is get on the scale after 2 weeks after surgery. Weigh yourself every month because there will be stalls in between. Don't regret the surgery it will work out for you. Try to watch more videos to get inspired.

Sent from my moto g power (2022) using BariatricPal mobile app

[MaameWata 15]

1 hour ago, summerseeker said:

Many people on here have said they are weighing heavier after their surgery and say its because they are pumped full of Water to hydrate them for the weeks after when its tough to drink for many. So you are really lucky that you have no issues there. Water can weigh heavy so just give it time and this will pass!

You feel like you are failing., Please don't. How many calories a day are you logging ? If you could have compared yourself to me at the same stage, I was lucky to get in 300 a day. I was so ill. My body was hanging onto every calorie it could get hold of. People were racing ahead of me BUT, in the end it didn't matter, as I healed my weight dropped. I got to where I am now happy with myself.

Listen to the nurse, give yourself 6 months to a year to do this. Its not magic. You have to put lots of effort in to get to the weight you desire. You may also be in a early version of the dreaded 3 week stall. Hang in there and keep away from the scales if you can.

Thank you ever so much for responding!

i don’t log calories and have decided not to as I used to have an eating disorder which surrounded excessive calorie counting, and I don’t wish to get back into that routine. I will focus more on low carb/high Protein intake when I eventually start eating solid food again.

The yogurts and Soups I buy all linger between the 100-200 calorie range I guess, and I usually have one yogurt and 4/5 tablespoons of plain Tomato Soup a day. The rest are UFit shakes and water x

[MaameWata 15]

1 hour ago, catwoman7 said:

if you've been following your clinic's recommendations, then it's likely Water retention from the IV fluids. That's basically salt Water, and a lot of people retain that. There are some people on here who've even weighed 10 lbs more when they left the hospital than when they arrived! It can take a week or occasionally longer to work its way out of your system.

stick to your plan and the weight will come off. Everyone is different due to different factors, many of which you have little to no control over (like age, gender, starting BMI, metabolic level, how much weight you lost prior to surgery, etc). The two things you DO have control over is how closely you stick to your plan and your activity level. If you do well with those, the weight will come off, whether fast or slow.

also, the 20 lb loss you said you think you should have lost in the first two weeks - banish that thought. If you started out at 600+ lbs, then yes - maybe - but for us more "normal" WLS patients, losing 20 lbs in two weeks just doesn't happen. Most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first MONTH. Yes of course you will find people who've lost more or less than that the first month, but they're outliers. You're probably doing just fine. Give it more time and remember to stick to your plan! I thought i was a terribly slow loser - and I WAS a bit behind others with similar statistics (starting weight, etc), but I ended up losing over 200 lbs.

First of all, well done on the loss! 💪🏾💪🏾 That’s amazing. I can’t tell you how much more i feel at ease after reading this.
At the hospital, they did give me quite a few iv packs of water come to think of it, so I’ll continue to stick to the plan and give it time.

Thank you so much!

[TRAVELRN 68]

5 hours ago, MaameWata said:

Hi all!

I’m a new member of the group - I hope you’re all well!

I had gastric sleeve surgery on 31st January 2023, after losing 13lbs on the pre-op diet.

On the morning of my surgery, I weighed 281lbs.

I lost no weight in the first week even though I was drinking my required Water intake and having between 60-80g of Protein a day.

Today is two weeks post op. I’m officially allowed to move onto purées and so first thing this morning, I weighed myself and I’ve only lost 4lbs??

I try not to compare myself to others, but I’m so disheartened and even low key regret having the surgery now. I keep seeing people reporting a stone weight loss in a week, 12 lbs a week, 8 lbs the second week etc and so I assumed this would be the same for me.

I’ve been very strict with my post op diet and making sure to get in at least 30 mins of movement a day. I’ve typically been consuming Protein Shakes, Water, Protein yogurt, Tomato Soups and the odd sugar-free/fat free children’s ice cream lolly.

I feel like I’m doing something wrong, and feel like a bit of a failure. I feel like my body is actively working against me. I spoke to my bariatric nurse who just said ‘you’re still healing, give it time’, but I don’t know if it’s just an excuse.

As I am sure many will or have told you this is not a sprint its a marathon. Its a life long change in habits. Continue to follow your plan. you will have a lot of plateaus but have spurts of losing in groups. The best thing I can say is be patient, learn what your eating cues are and make changes for the long haul instead of the immediate gratification we all sometimes expect and look for. You don't gain 100 lbs in one sitting and you dont lose it in one either. Speedy recovery and keep a diary. This helped me figure when I ate (stress, anxiety etc.). I wish you well.

[NettyD 93]

I am just starting my WLS journey so I have no feedback but will follow this thread. I think I will stay off the scale for the first month after surgery or only get on at my follow up visits. I wish you the best of luck

[NP_WIP 273]

As everyone has said stick to your plan and try not to compare yourself to others. All surgeons have different plans, and you will see the most weight loss from those that were on a liquid diet for longer periods. For example, my sister had the sleeve done in April and I in November, her weight loss is higher than mine at 3 months post op even though she was 215 at the time of surgery and I was 268, but she was on liquids for a full month, pureed for 2 weeks and softs for 2 weeks. I was allowed pureed food 10 days post op. We can see how much weight someone has lost but everyone's journey is different. Know that if you do what you are supposed to be doing and put the effort in, you will lose the weight.

[Spinoza 1,125]

Stick to your programme and you will lose weight. Lots and lots of weight. It doesn't come off in a linear fashion, or in the way that others lose it, but it will come off and you will be glad you had this surgery.

I totally totally feel you re the uncertainty at this early stage but honestly if I could go back and whisper something into my own ear a year ago it would 'trust the programme'.

Best of luck and enjoy the ride 😍

[SacB 26]

Contrary to a lot of people, I actually want to lose the weight slowly! My rationale is that because I'm 69, I'm probably going to have a ton of loose skin after reaching my goal, especially if I drop the weight quickly. I'm still 5 months pre-op, so have lots of time to prepare.

[MaameWata 15]

Thank you all so much for your advice. Against my better judgement, I weighed myself this morning again only to see that I’m still exactly the same - so for the sake of my mental health I think I’m going to take the scales out of my home for a while.

[MaameWata 15]

I decided to buy myself new scales that included fat/bone/water mass etc, and found out that my Water percentage is 35%, meaning I’m incredibly dehydrated. I don’t know if it is water weight I’m holding onto, as my water weight is so low already.

I’ve always found it incredibly difficult to consume liquids, especially water as my stomach can only hold so much - even before the surgery. At the moment it takes me about 10-12 hours to drink a litre at most and I’ve tried things like fruit juices and teas etc…I just feel like I’m constantly forcing myself - on top of forcing myself to have Protein Shakes and Soups and all the purées, I spend most of my time having to think about food and drink - planning my days around it - this was the opposite of what I wanted out of my surgery.

Anyway, today I hit the 3 week mark and excluding the weight loss from the liver shrinking diet, I’ve lost a grand total of….. 1.1lb.

Thank you all for your kind messages of support, but I think it’s safe to say that maybe this sleeve has failed me. I guess it won’t work for everyone, and I’m annoyed at how much money I’ve wasted on this procedure that could have gone towards a house deposit.

Apologies for the negativity, I’m just incredibly frustrated and disappointed in myself.

[DebbieDoo 9]

oh sweetheart..... the surgery has NOT failed, I PROMISE! put ALL the scales away. old ones. new ones (which by the way, those things are not as accurate as they would like you to think). Lets look at this from a SIMPLE SCIENCE AND MATH viewpoint, okay? Lets say you are eating 700 calories a day. That is not MAINTENANCE for ANYONE. Not even my 5' self who has a below average metabolism. Add on to that, our bodies are retaining Water and hoarding fluids, to HEAL our bodies. We had MAJOR SURGERY, even if it doesnt look or feel like it. That takes WEEKS AND WEEKS to heal. Theres a reason we are on exercise and lifting restrictions as long as we are. So we can HEAL. That healing takes a lot of water and a lot of our bodies energy. Add on to that, depending on your age, you may be holding on to water due to your cycle. Hormones, which go all kinds of out of whack with surgery, also can make us hold on to weight. Think about it this way... No one who went into concentration camps came out big. not even average. not even thin. Right? Our bodies WILL FIGHT to hold on to weight as long as they can. its life support at its most basic. but it can only do that so long. I know it is hard. I am in a very similar spot to you. I too, and looking at the scale not moving and sticking my tongue out at it. But heres the thing.... it WILL move. BE PATIENT. FOLLOW YOUR PLAN. Get in as much water and Protein as you can. move move move. and know it WILL come off. We are BOTH doing everything right... and it WILL come off.

((((hugs))))

[MaameWata 15]

2 hours ago, DebbieDoo said:

oh sweetheart..... the surgery has NOT failed, I PROMISE! put ALL the scales away. old ones. new ones (which by the way, those things are not as accurate as they would like you to think). Lets look at this from a SIMPLE SCIENCE AND MATH viewpoint, okay? Lets say you are eating 700 calories a day. That is not MAINTENANCE for ANYONE. Not even my 5' self who has a below average metabolism. Add on to that, our bodies are retaining Water and hoarding fluids, to HEAL our bodies. We had MAJOR SURGERY, even if it doesnt look or feel like it. That takes WEEKS AND WEEKS to heal. Theres a reason we are on exercise and lifting restrictions as long as we are. So we can HEAL. That healing takes a lot of Water and a lot of our bodies energy. Add on to that, depending on your age, you may be holding on to water due to your cycle. Hormones, which go all kinds of out of whack with surgery, also can make us hold on to weight. Think about it this way... No one who went into concentration camps came out big. not even average. not even thin. Right? Our bodies WILL FIGHT to hold on to weight as long as they can. its life support at its most basic. but it can only do that so long. I know it is hard. I am in a very similar spot to you. I too, and looking at the scale not moving and sticking my tongue out at it. But heres the thing.... it WILL move. BE PATIENT. FOLLOW YOUR PLAN. Get in as much water and Protein as you can. move move move. and know it WILL come off. We are BOTH doing everything right... and it WILL come off.

((((hugs))))

Thank you so so much my love, I’m going to try my hardest to keep this in mind ❤️❤️