How nervous should I be?

  I have my second dietitian appointment on Wednesday and I'm getting scared. I lost 8 pounds in the first 2.5 weeks after I last saw her, then 1 pound the next week, then I went on holiday with my daughter for a week. (got back last night after driving for almost 2 solid days)

  My scale says I GAINED 2 pounds! I followed my plan carefully the entire time away, only going over on my calories once (by about 50 calories) and once on my fat. I still ended the week under my limits on both, so I don't think that's why I gained. What did I do wrong? What will happen when she weighs me?

  I was eager to get to the weigh-in at my Internist appointment. I'm dreading this one.

Kelly-Anne

After driving for 2 days I'm pretty sure it's fluid retention and if you drink lots of fluids it'll help flush you out. When I travel it happens to me also, I think it's just the sitting thing with less movement. You have done nothing wrong and you'll be just fine.
Congrats on the scale going down and you know really thats all that matters to them. They want to see a decrease with each visit and you have acheived that.

Good Luck.

Kee.

I had a weigh-in where I had gained a small amount of weight as well.  The dietician and nurse (saw both that day) both said it was nothing to worry about, that what they were looking for was an overall trend down.
There's very little judgment there, lots of help, so don't stress and keep doing great!

 Thanks for the encouragement, but I'm not sure if they'll agree. I've only had 3 appointments so far - my nurse, dietitian 4 days later, then Internist 2.5 weeks after that. I lost 8# in that time, but there hasn't been time for them to see a downward trend yet.

 I've been slugging down water all day, then spent the evening with my feet up - except when I was in the bathroom. Hopefully it'll help by Wednesday afternoon...

  My dietitian is great (Carlene) but I'd really hoped to lose just another 2-3# for this visit. I have 14 more to lose before they'll even consider me for surgery, so every ounce matters. (the 24# I lost on my own before Intake don't count)

  On a more cheerful note, I think I've found a good purse snack! (you know - something to keep in your purse for when you're "oot and aboot" at snack or meal time but don't want to mess up your plan)
 When I was in Bellingham I found 100-calorie packets of raw almonds. I'm ALWAYS under my fat allowance, so the fat shouldn't be a problem, and the packets are within my calorie allotment, so I'm hoping Carlene will agree. I've been looking for something other than protein bars (cut in half to fit my calorie allowance) to keep in my purse and I'm hoping these will suit. There are 14 almonds in each packet - just think how many teeny baggies I could make up from a bag of Costco raw almonds! (just keep them in the freezer so they won't go rancid) Purse snacks that won't melt, leak or otherwise make a nasty mess AND they don't have ANY sodium! :o)

Kelly-Anne

Hi Kelly-Anne,
Usually they are very supportive. I had a really hard time losing any weight pre-surgery. Very very difficult. They had me work hard at just maintaining my weight and having a slight but steady downward trend.

If you have the overall downward trend, keep all your appointments, and make sure you keep your food journals, they will know you are accountable & committed.

Amazing job so far, and just hold on & stay healthy in your preparation for surgery- then it will help you get to your goal.
~mtrai

I followed everyone's advice and pushed water for the past couple of days and was down 4# acording to my scale this am. So - I should be down a little today. I'll be happy if their scale shows any loss at all. :o)

On the happy front - I realised that in only 7.2# I'll have lost 1/4 of the weight I want to! Isn't that cool? 261, here I come! (I target small goals - can't handle the big picture)

Kelly-Anne

Hey Kelly-Anne,
  I'm glad to see the fluid weight drop for you.  I have an appointment tomorrow with Dr. Karmali and am a little nervous.  My weight loss this week seems to have stalled.  I think I'm bordering only 1lb this week when I've lost nearly 50 since December.  I don't want my first appointment with the surgeon to be a gain.  I'm now afraid to pump water tonight thinking what if it makes it worse...such an evil cycle.  Let us know how the appointment goes.
D.

  It went great! Thanks to everyone's advice (and 2 days spent guzzling water or in the biffy) I was down FIVE pounds since my Internist appointment 2 weeks ago. I think she was almost as pleased as I was, and said several times during our time together that she can tell I'm totally getting what she's teaching me. She gave me tonnes of ideas for eating while travelling, gave me a recipe for fresh pickles without salt (can't wait to try it) and told me that otherwise I'm to keep doing exactly as I have been this past month.

  Also, I met my personal goal of being under 270 before my trip to NB to visit my daughter, AND I only have 9# to go for the Internist's goal for me before I can be considered for surgery. Of course, it could well take 2-3 months to lose it, and even then there's time between being referred and actually seeing him, THEN more time awaiting the actual surgery. (all of which time I plan to put to good use continuing to lose my pound or so a week while building better eating habits, following my dietitian's instructions) Even so, I'm pretty pumped!

  Next personal goal - 161#, at which point I'll have lost exactly 1/4 of my excess weight. I pick small goals, since I can see getting to them. If I look at the big picture of having another 133# to go I get overwhelmed. 7# I can DO.

Kelly-Anne (the one with the big, toothy grin)