I am really frustrated right now. I will be four weeks post-op on Wed. The first three weeks I lost 23lbs. This fourth week, NOTHING!!! During pre-op my doc told me that any weight lost during the recovery time is a bonus loss, especially after starting mushies. He said that some even gain a little weight during the return to solids (and before a fill.) I don't get evaluated for a fill until next Monday. I have been weighing all of my food and calculating calories, protein, fat, etc. (actually my scale tracks it all for me.) Working out everyday, too. Anyway, even though it makes complete sense to me, as explained by the Dr., I am still beating myself up for no loss this week. Any advice for conquering the "mind games??"

I see this really often on this board. On or around the 4th week post surgery, many people come on asking why they've stopped losing, or even gaining, despite eating 1000 calories or less per day, and exercising.

The fact is, right after your surgery, you were on Clear liquids and were eating very few calories - probably around 600 calories per day. On that sort of calorie intake, your body goes into starvation mode, and while you will shed weight like crazy, your metabolism slows down to try to 'survive' starvation. It also burns not only fat but muscle in an effort to 'fuel' energy for you.

Once you start to move from 600 calories to 1000 or so calories, and especially if you start or resume exercise, what you're essentially doing is building muscle again (which makes you put ON weight) and battling a slower metabolism, so even on 1000 calories, your body is hanging on to every kj it can.

You will eventually break the starvation cycle by moving to mushies, and then solids, but your metabolism will be slow, and the only real way to kick it up the backside is to exercise. Aerobic exercise is great (and burns heaps of calories) but muscle-building exercises is what will increase your metabolism.

So in a couple of weeks, if you're exercising, you will start seeing losses again.

But at 4 weeks or so post op, this 'plateau' happens to just about everyone.

HTH.

I know how you feel!

I am going though the samething thing. I feel its not fair, we make the choice to go under the knife change the way we eat and our body holds on to the fat. But I just keep reading some of the post and we know it works. Keep your chin up soon the weight will be gone forever:thumbup: