Hi all,

I am one week post-op. Surgery went very well. I am eating soft foods. Here's the thing..I have not lost any weight since being released from the hospital the evening of my procedure, 2-15-2008.

While in the hospital, I caught an upper respiratory infection and got a yeast infection from the IV antibiotics. Done with yeast medicine now and still have just a bit of a cough left.

Anyone else not lose anything immediately post-op?

I am hoping it is the infection causing imbalances in my Fluid retention, I am certainly eating less than I was pre-op, except for the two week supervised fast right before surgery.

HELP! Need some advice/cheering-up.

Denise

Your body has probably just gone into it's "starvation mode". It thinks you are starving so it is trying to hold onto everything it has. Don't worry. You are probably due for a big loss any day now. Stay positive. There will be many weeks that you don't lose anything and can't figure out why. Your body is used to getting everything in excess so when you stop it goes into shock. It will start coming off soon.

Thanks Andrea, I know all you said to be true, but it is nice to hear it from someone else!

After having gone through this surgery, I think I should be down 50 lbs by now! (Well, my brain knows that to not be ture, but you know what I mean!).

And I know I need to get off the scale! I did finally get out for a walk at the mall today--and got myself a dress one size smaller than I am now. It felt good after fighting the respiratory infection post-op to get out!

Denise

Denise,

This will be the first of many times you will be scratching your head asking "Why isn't the weight coming off when I am eating so little?" I am still asking that question a few times a week. I have plateaued a couple times (in the middle of one now), and I yo-yo up and down. I keep being told that I won't start losing regularly until I reach my "sweet spot". 5 fills and 9ccs later, I'm still trying to get there. My progress is also a lot slower than I thought it would be, but I'm trying to take it one day at a time. There are days I want to fling my scale out a freakin window, but I just keep thinking that at this time next year I will be in a great place. You have to set small goals and look ahead at the big picture. We have taken the first step on a very long and winding road and there will be plenty of bumps along the way, but there will be an AWESOME reward at the end!! Remember why you did this and think of that every time you see that same number on the scale day after day. :biggrin:

cocca, i too had a bad respiratory productive cough for over a week. but i did loose 8 pounds goin into my 2nd week post op. hang in there . it will come off

Thanks BJR and Andrea--hanging in is about all we can do, eh?

My cough is nearly gone, yippee!!

I am looking forward to starting on fills to get the hunger under control. I have been very hungry today, I guess I am healing from the surgery. But I still have a month before my 1st fill.

I know it is worth it in the long run, and I need to focus on that, as you said Andrea. This is a long-term solution, after all!

Denise

I went to my Dr. for my 1 week followup (on Tuesday) and had lost 4lbs (I was happy), but he said I should have lost more because I was on Clear liquids, (about 400 calories a day) but my body shut down because I wasn't eating enough calories. He put me on mushy foods (800-1000) calories a day and I am down 9lbs (5 of those in the two days I upped my calories)

I never thought I would eat too little to lose, but man oh man, it fell off when I upped my calories.

Hi Wendy,

Glad you are losing so well now!

I had what I call an "explosive decompression" of my bowels yesterday and today. I was on the pot for a while.

I am pretty sure I am down now, but tomorrow is my "weigh-in and measure" day at home. I am trying not to weigh myself every day...well, OK, Friday was my first day not getting on the scale first thing in the morning.

I'll post my findings tomorrow.

Denise

It's okay not to lose weight at this stage, even if you are only on liquids. You might find that you end up losing weight while you are on the liquid phase, only to gain it back in later phases...and then when you are eating food and you don't have any fill yet....Some people worry when their weight loss doesn't take off right away, but try not to. Your doctor probably told you this, but the post op phase is not a weight loss phase, it is a time for your stomach to heal and settle in with your band. Make sure you follow the diet as prescribed so your stomach can heal properly and become secure, and don't worry if weight loss stalls or if you even gain a little before you get a fill. All along this journey, you will find times that your body just plain FREAKS OUT that it is losing weight and adjusting. And it will stop. But it will start up again, don't worry!

You are doing great. Congrats and I hope you are feeling well after your surgery! Welcome to the loser's bench.:w00t:

Thanks Gwen, the doc said that "many" of his patients lose weight during the post-op phase.

Today, at long last, I am down 2 lbs. From when I began the pre-op diet on 2-1-08, that is 10 lbs. total at 4 lbs. since surgery two weeks ago. I am pleased with that! Apparently it took my body a while to get the flick after surgery. :w00t:

Eventhough I have no fill, I am still eating less, thus I feel I "should" lose weight. But my brain knows that they body doesn't always do what we think it should.

But, for today I am very pleased!

Now, if I can just get rid of this back-ache....

Denise

I found that on my liquid phase I wasn't consuming enough calories... like only 500..and only dropped 1 pound in two days then when I added cream of chicken soup I lost like 3 pounds the next day... now I'm eating tuna with a little bit of light miracle whip on multigrain crackers, glass of milk for breakfast, Isopure clear bottle throughout the day, some sugar free pudding... and I'm dropping steadily 1-2 pounds a day... So, I think I have to get like 1,000 calories a day to really drop the weight or else I go into starvation mode. Right now I'm averaging that... and feeling full all day long.. I feel great! Do you ever watch Biggest Loser? there was this one where the black team thought they were helping themselves by working out 6 hours a day and only eating 500-800 calories and they didn't lose anything.. Jillian was SHOCKED.. then she found out that they weren't eating enough calories.. the next week they got back on track and their numbers were amazing. So, I always just remember that episode...

Hi Crystal! I am happy you are doing so well.

I am on relatively solid foods now and have started losing, about a pound a week. So it is not as fast as I would like, but then again 1-2 lbs per week is expected--long term.

Eventhough I haven't had a fill yet, my appetite is reduced. Maybe I still have some swelling, I don't know. But I am pleased to be seeing the scale move downward!

Denise

Hi Crystal! I am happy you are doing so well.

I am on relatively solid foods now and have started losing, about a pound a week. So it is not as fast as I would like, but then again 1-2 lbs per week is expected--long term.

Eventhough I haven't had a fill yet, my appetite is reduced. Maybe I still have some swelling, I don't know. But I am pleased to be seeing the scale move downward!

Denise

Hey Denise! I think you're doing great! Plus, you are at a pretty low weight to start with. Dang, I looked fabulous at 200 pounds and would kill to be that weight again! I'm probably just losing this much a day because I have a lot of extra to lose and way more than you. I think the bigger you are at first the more you lose in the beginning. I'm sure here shortly it will start steadying out and I'll also be down to one pound a week. My big goal is to just get down 4-5 pounds a month and I'll be very happy!

Hi again Crystal!

Wow..to be told I have a low weight! (grin) Yes, my lower starting weight enters into the speed of my losses, I am sure. It is sort of mathematical--but not totally, I know!

Funny story, I went to lunch yesterday with a slim friend who really watches her diet. She looked at my plate, looked at her plate and said she felt like a "pig" because she had so much more than I did!

I am trying not to focus on the scale (ok, not really winning that battle!) because we all know that you can be doing everything right and still not see a loss. So, we should reward ourselves for doing things right.

I bet you will "catch up" with me pretty quickly and we'll both be lookin' and feelin' fabulous!!

Denise

Hi again Crystal!

Wow..to be told I have a low weight! (grin) Yes, my lower starting weight enters into the speed of my losses, I am sure. It is sort of mathematical--but not totally, I know!

I bet you will "catch up" with me pretty quickly and we'll both be lookin' and feelin' fabulous!! :tongue:

You do have a low weight!! and now look, you are like 190! I'm so jealous!

I hope I catch up soon.. I had some chili yesterday and gained two pounds. LOL. I heard it will go up and down post op, so I'm trying not to freak out too much. Maybe I should just weigh once a week and pick a day so I don't get too upset or frustrated.. lol

I have gone up and down a little in post-op. I think it is fairly normal. As someone here said to me, this is the time for healing, not so much for weight loss.

I have chosen Saturday as my weigh and measure day. I am taking measurements as often our inches change when our weight does not.

You are down 22 lbs! That is fantastic, something to be very pleased about!!

Take care of you!!

Denise

You do have a low weight!! and now look, you are like 190! I'm so jealous!

I hope I catch up soon.. I had some chili yesterday and gained two pounds. LOL. I heard it will go up and down post op, so I'm trying not to freak out too much. Maybe I should just weigh once a week and pick a day so I don't get too upset or frustrated.. lol