Depressed with a question

I am four weeks post-op and have lost 23 pound in three weeks. I lost nothing in the fourth week and I'm exercising (15 to 30 mins) at least 4-5 days a week. Maybe I'm jumping the gun and should wait to see what happens in the next couple of weeks but has anyone else done this and not loss anything? This is reminding me of my diet disasters and I'm beginning to worry. Thanks in advance for any replies.

NOT TO WORRY, MS ALICE ... 1st OFF, YOUR BODY WILL HOLD FLUIDS AS PROTECTION FOR YOUR ORGANS AFTER A TRAUMATIC INCIDENT LIKE SURGERY ... AT 4 WEEKS, YOU AREN'T COMPLETELY HEALED SO BE EASY WITH YOURSELF. EXERCISE IS GREAT BUT REMEMBER ... WHEN YOU EXERCISE & GAIN MUSCLE ... MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT, SO YOU COULD HAVE LOST 26 POUNDS IN FAT & GAINED 3 POUNDS IN MUSCLE WHICH IS SUPER BECAUSE THOSE MUSCLES WILL BE THE CATALYST TO REALLY LOSE WEIGHT LONG-TERM. ALSO, IT SEEMS THAT WITH WLS PATIENTS, THEY LOSE A BUNCH OF WEIGHT & THEN THEIR BODIES NEED A REST AT WHICH TIME, THE BODY SHRINKS & LOSES INCHES. SO, IF YOU MEASURE, TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS DURING THE TIMES YOU DON'T LOSE WEIGHT. IF YOU DON'T MEASURE, THEN TRY ON SMALLER CLOTHES & SEE IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GET INTO THEM. WHAT USUALLY HAPPENS AFTER A PLATEAU IS THAT YOU WILL DROP SEVERAL POUNDS IN A DAY & THEN START LOSING CONSISTENTLY AGAIN UNTIL YOUR BODY NEEDS ANOTHER BREAK TO CATCH UP WITH THE WEIGHT LOSS. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NORMAL FOR WLS PATIENTS & NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THIS IS NOT, NOT, NOT LIKE A PRE-WLS DIET DISASTER. DON'T CHEAT NOW ... STAY ON YOUR FLUIDS, PROTEINS, GREEN VEGES, SUPPLEMENTS ... HOLD TIGHT, GIRL. YOU'LL BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED IN A SHORT TIME IF YOU DO. GOD BLESS YOU DAWN & NICK PS: NOT TO DISCOURAGE YOU, BUT SO YOU WON'T PANIC ... PLATEAUS CAN LAST A FEW DAYS TO A MONTH ... SO, IT IS IMPARATIVE THAT YOU STICK WITH YOUR DIET & KEEP EXERCISING.

We all get worried and depressed when our bodies go into stalls, but they are normal. You'll see other messages on the main board on the same subject. And chances are, this won't be your only one. I'm almost 1 year out, have lost 100 lbs, and have had 4 or 5 stalls. Not to scare you, but the latest one lasted almost a month. I was afraid that I had stopped losing for good. I upped my protein, fluids, and exercise, and tried not to think about it. Your body has had such a shock from the surgery and your new way of life. You have to be gentle with yourself and patient and continue to follow your doctor's plan. It is so hard to wait to have the surgery, and then we finally have it, we do the right things, and then.....all of a sudden it stops working and it freaks us out. You are doing the right things! Your body is still healing. Make sure you are getting enough fluids, protein, and enough calories. I remember, at about the same stage, I was surprised when my doctor told me I wasn't eating enough, and I had to really struggle to up my intake. Your body may be in starvation mode for awhile. Try not to compare yourself to others who are still breezing along at this point, (which is almost impossible). Concentrate, instead, on how amazingly far you've come in just one month! You should be very proud of yourself. Having weight loss surgery is entirely different than any other diet you've ever been on before. It also helps to stay off of the scale for awhile. You may not lose anything for a week, and then lose 3 lbs overnight. Our bodies do unusual things now, especially when we're just starting out. Our monthly hormonal changes also come into play. There are so many factors that it's just mind-boggling. Keep up the good work. B

I forgot - we have a terrific support group that meets on Thursday nights called the Low Country Bypass Buddies. We usually meet at the Applebee's by Northwood's Mall, but everybody is going down to the MUSC support group this Thursday. You'll see more about it in this forum. This is just a GREAT group of people at all stages of the journey. Please come join us. B

Not having had surgery yet, I don't have any real words of wisdom. Barbara is right on though - she speaks from experience. I wanted to invite you to our Thursday night meetings also. We meet every Thrsday night, except the Thursday night the MUSC meeting is. We would love to have you. E-mail me if you are interested and I will put you on "the list" of people who get reminders. Susann

Good Morning Alice, I am 5 weeks out and lost around 30lbs. The first weeks I lost 16lbs, and then stopeed the 3rd week completely. Don't worry, it will start melting off in time, just be patient. I am trying to be. JUST DON'T WEIGH EVERYDAY. Thats the worst thing you can do. Please come and join us on Thursday nights. We would love to have you. Britt

LOOK AT YOU, MS BRITTAIN ... 30 BIG ONES GONE FOREVER!!!!!! WAH-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GOD BLESS YOU DAWN & NICK

PLEASE ACCEPT THIS AS A PERSONAL INVITATION TO OUR THURS NIGHT GET-TOGETHERS WITH THE LADIES & GENTS OF THE "LOWCOUNTRY BYPASS BUDDIES". WE MEET BETWEEN 5:30 - 7:30 & HAVE A BALL ... YOU WILL MEET SOME OF THE NICEST, MOST CARING PEOPLE, SO PLEASE COME JOIN US WHEN YOU CAN. FIND SUSANN BUTLER'S POST & GIVE HER YOUR E-MAIL ... SHE WILL SEND YOU A WEEKLY REMINDER. YOU WON'T EVER BE "DEPRESSED" ON THRUSDAY NIGHTS, MS ALICE! GOD BLESS YOU DAWN & NICK