Weight gain 3 weeks after surgery

[heather26 1]

Im getting a little discouraged,Ive read about the 3 week stall but im having the 3 week gain.

I had gastric bypass 10/18 I also had my gallbladder removed.The first 2 weeks I lost 18 pounds.I was happy and then i go to my clinic for a class with people who had surgery the same day or around the same time.We were there to go over the next phase of eating .Everyone was discussing there weigh loss (30lbs and up) and what they've been eating.I thought to myself im eating far less than most of them why am I only down 18 and there 30+ At the time I was having 8oz of pureed Soup, a Protein Shake or two,and 32oz of water.Im having trouble getting in 64oz of water.I thought maybe Im not eating enough so I started getting in 3 meals a day and now they are allowing us to eat solids at our own pace. I went to the store and bought full grain bread, avacodo,and sliced cheese. First thing in the morning Ive been having 1/2 of one slice of bread with avacodo or a slice of cheese.For lunch I'll have the other half of slice of bread with avacodo,and dinner I'll have pureed soup 4oz. I dont stop eating because Im full,I stop eating because Im afraid of eating to much and getting sick.

I've been eating far less than I have ever eaten in my life and now everytime I step on the scale for the past couple of weeks i've been gaining weight everyday!! I dont get it.Why would I be gaining weight when Im eating healthy and Im not going over 4oz each time I eat. Ive gained 3 lbs so far.

[catwoman7 10,875]

first of all, 18 lbs in three weeks is normal. Most of us lose around 15-25 lbs the first month post-op. Thirty pounds in three weeks is way above average - did they start out at 400+ lbs or something? If so, that would explain it. Starting BMI is a huge factor in how quickly you'll lose weight - at least at first.

Soup and cheese both have a lot of sodium in them. So does store-bought bread. That three lbs might be Water retention from the sodium.

[Spinoza 1,194]

Oh yes I get the comparing yourself to others. That is REALLY HARD. I say Celebrate the 18lbs in 2 weeks (when have you ever lost even close to that on any diet?), get to know how the three week stall hits almost all of us (and can last a few weeks) and then settle into your programme and enjoy the big losses to come. 3lbs gain in a month is nothing to worry about - honestly.

I am really surprised that you're allowed bread at such an early stage. My plan was Protein then veg and no carbs for many months. When I did start earing bread it sat in my stomach like a lump of lead - so did Pasta and rice. Less so 2 years on but I honestly only use them like a weapon in certain situations - not for daily consumption even now.

I wish you all the best

[The Greater Fool 1,953]

I'm just going to list things in no particular order:

1. When sharing weight loss numbers many folks count from their highest weight rather than from day of surgery, or whatever starting point yields the biggest number;

2. There are many, many variables that go into how much weight one might be expected lose post-op. Such as highest weight, how much weight was lost pre-op, starting weight, expected total weight loss, how much of your excess weight is fat vs muscle, how active you were pre-op, genetics, and on an on;

3. Most people will lose weight in the first few months no matter if they follow plan or not. This is why following plan now is so important. When you follow plan you get the positive reinforcement of losing weight. Those folks not following plan also get the reinforcement. In a few months when the weight gets harder or stops altogether, who is going to be able to stay on plan? For you who followed plan it's now a habit. For those that didn't follow plan, they are back to going on a new crash diet just like before surgery, with about as much success;

4. We each manage our meals in different ways. Personally, I don't eat until I am full because it's not a comfortable feeling. Early out it was tough to figure out. With time I learned to eat until I feel like the next bite will make me full. Not unlike your method for avoiding being full.

Good luck,

Tek

[Arabesque 6,494]

I second what everyone has said so far. Unless you started in excess of 400 or 500lbs you’re doing fine. If the number in the scale is bothering you (&it can do a number in some people’s heads), maybe reduce how often you weigh yourself - you don’t have to do it every day.

Weight loss is never one straight downward line on a graph. It zigs & zags, goes up & down, & plateaus. Our bodies have different needs each day, we don’t eat & drink the exact same things every day, our activity is different day to day so our weight loss won’t be exactly the same day to day. We may be retaining Fluid (hormonal or diet related), constipated, have diarrhoea, etc. as well which will affect the number on the scale.

Also don’t forget you can include your shakes & Soups in your fluid intake for the day so you may be closer to your fluid goal than you think.

My plan was also no bread, Pasta, rice like most are. I still don’t eat them as like @Spinoza they sit heavily in my tummy and limit what else I can eat & I’m 4.5 years out. I still follow the eat my Protein first, then vegetables. (I only have two serves of carbs a day & they’re whole/multi grains - complex carbs - not the more highly processed simple carbs.)

If you are concerned speak with your team. I always told myself if my surgeon & dietician were happy with my weight loss I should be too.

All the best.

[New To This23 102]

11 hours ago, The Greater Fool said:

With time I learned to eat until I feel like the next bite will make me full. Not unlike your method for avoiding being full.

@The Greater Fool Thank you for this, I am currently trying to figure this out, even though I am on the puree stage AND I never feel hungry either. My Dr. told me feeling full now is going to be different than before and I am still early out from surgery, but I am starting to get it.

[Hope4NewMe 167]

I was allowed carbs on my diet plan but my office goes by calories instead of size of meal. I think at 4 weeks it was around 400 to 600 calories but by 8 weeks they wanted us to be around 800. I would see how many calories you are actually taking in and just keep following your plan. Every time I hit a stall I gain 3 pounds and my last stall I actually gained 5 lbs. My stalls are usually 3 weeks long but once it was 2 months. When I think I'm in a stall then I only weigh myself once a week at most because stalls can be rough mentally. The mental part of this weight loss was the hardest part for me. Good luck and take care!