Weight gain

I had the surgery in October and was down 85 pounds. The past few months I had been having a hard time getting the 48 ounces of fluid. I am a tax preparer and could not drink as much during the day as I was unable to get bathroom breaks. Now that tax season ended I started increasing my fluids, but find I have gained 5 pounds. Any thoughts?

How many calories, carbs, and grams of protein are you getting each day? Is the 5 lb gain something that happened gradually, or suddenly? Or have you stayed off the scale for a while and are just noticing it?

In addition to what Bufflehead said, 48 ounces of water as a goal sounds really low!  I think folks on the board generally aim for more like 80-100 ounces.   Just get back on track with your protein-first, low-carb plan that presumably got those first 85 lbs off, and you'll be back on the bandwagon in no time.  Good luck!

It was a sudden gain, in about 3 days. I had been drinking more until the season got hectic but had to cut down and struggled to reach the 48 oz. Over the same days the gain happoened was when I started to drink more water. I am thinking perhaps I am retaining liquids for a while.

My surgeon's minimum fluid intake is 64 oz per day. I think that you need to increase your water.

You're right. Your body might be retaining water because you're dehydrated. Keep trying to increase it.

Your body will hold water if it is not getting enough.

Five pounds is not a terrible set back. Maybe it happened because of your hectic work schedule and not really being focused on what you were eating. Now that things are back to normal focus on getting back on track.

It could also be stress.  I see clients for hour long appointments all day and can easily hit the 100 ounces mark for water despite that (I'm a counselor), so its possible even with a schedule of client appointments.  I didn't say it was easy, but its possible!  Cortisol, a hormone stimulated by being stressed, also can cause weight gain.

I also stress eat and am unaware of it.  I literally have to carry around a notebook in hand and write down whenever I am eating.  I found this helps quite a bit.  My bariatric coordinator also told me I could use a straw this far post-op (I'm 10 months) and that helps tremendously, too.  I drink way more using a straw for some reason.