another "is this normal" question..

Hi guys.. me again.. I usually feel pretty good.. but it seems I'm on a yo-yo these days.. Two weeks post op.. lost about 30#.. third week.. gained 4.. fourth week lost 8.. Three weeks later, I'm up 4 again! what is going on? I'm getting mostly protein in (60+g per Dr.).. eating 3x a day.. sometimes a snack.. sometimes two -- always with protein or just jell-o.. just now approved for more activity but have been walking a lot up til now.. total caloric intake each day is between 700 and 1200 (again, per Dr.). It's FREAKING ME OUT and I know I need to stop being a whiney baby but I feel like I'm already stalled and I'm only 7wks out!! maybe I just need a little reassurance.. *sigh* Stef 390/350/175

Stef, Your body is just adjusting ... trust me - i know how frustrated you feel. I just had a LEEP done and a tubal ligation (tubes tied). The day of the surgery, i weighed 226/223 depending on which time the scale stopped ( scale ) after surgery, I weighed 233 ?! I haven't had the calorie consumption to even go there...and my fluids are down... but you have lost around 40lbs and that is about where I am at- my surgery date was 11/11 so we are pretty close ... hide the scale .... trust me... I've tossed mine ... (had no choice, bathroom had aleak with all the rain here and it got soaked in water). Right now, I am trying to recoup this last surgery .... it hurts more than the LAP RNY did ... I think something is wrong with my tailbone ...and I am not being overly patient with the nurse calling me back ... I am back at work today (had it done Tuesday) but I am far from a happy camper and running to bathroom is no more- it is a ginger walk and damn near dizzying after the fact to get back to my desk ....

Thanks, Amy.. I actually have to go out to weigh myself..and usually only do it once a week -- sometimes not for a couple weeks at a time -- but I had to go to the hospital for a follow up class yesterday and I ran up to the ward I was in to visit the nurses and hopped on a scale up there.. I did buy a scale.. but it only has capacity up to 330# so I can't even use it yet.. I'm just emotional today, I think.. Sorry to hear about all your additional troubles, though.. I hope they call you back soon!! dizzyness at work is NOT GOOD!! Please be careful... and thanks again for the words of encouragement. Stef

DH is here to drive me home ... butyou are right, it isn't a good thing ... I am hoping they call soon .... ((((stef)))) Just think how much you have already lost! Have you tried measurements? I bet you are losing inches if you aren't losing pounds ...

I think it's normal. I have been doing the same thing. Up and down.. However, the average is it's going down. I kinda have a scale problem too. I want to step on it too much. LOL Carol

Keep in mind also all of the ways women's bodies change throughout the month... sometimes throughout a single day... hormonal fluctuations (which you have more of post-op as your body adjusts), water retention (which may be worse right now since we are sort of in "starvation mode" post-op), etc. My weight can fluctuate by 4-5 pounds in a single day, so don't get hung up on the numbers. Instead, measure you success by the NSV's (non-scale victories). The first time you can roll over in bed without wheezing. The first time you can reach something you couldn't reach before The first time you realize that you are no longer the only one sweating in the dead of winter. having a little more room in an outfit that previously was too tight.... those things will keep you motivated when the scale isn't moving. Today I realized that for the first time, I can sit all the way back in my office chair and actually bend at the waist to reach my keyboard. That's a small victory... but very huge in the grand scheme of this process. Hang in there!

Don't forget that if you are hopping on to different scales that can make a difference. They are all calibrated a little different. There is 5 lbs difference in my 2 doctors scales, so I only count it when I am weighed at the dieticians scale. My hubby meant well and offered to buy me a "nice" scale (is there such a thing?) right after surgery, but I declined. I don't want to learn to be obsessed with my weight and then get discouraged because I have retained a little water weight. That is what I would do too! Good luck!

I'll call the scale "nice" when it tells me I weigh 138! Summer

I think it's pretty normal. I have had my scale climb a bit too and just looking at the way you describe the dates there might be some correlation to hormones involved... I tend to put on about three pounds the week before my period. Even if you are not having a period right now, you still have cycles and hormones. Just try not to freak out - remember stressing over it makes it worse and it also could cause some water retention. So long as the general trend is down - you are doing GREAT! And as the nurse said (sorry, can't remember her name right off the top of my head) if you are on different scales, weigh at different times of the day in different clothes, you will see different results each time.

Also, if you eat anything salty, such as ham, it can also make you retain water, which makes a difference. I remember one time before surgery, in my dieting days, I gained 6 lbs. I couldn't understand it, because at the time I was LC and I didn't eat anything I shouldn't have. Well, I drank a ton of water the next few days and it came right back off. Our bodies are funny things. I know around the time of my monthly cycle, I don't weigh!! LOL!! I do know how you are feeling...it has happened to me before too!!