12 Days Post-op and already on a 5 day stall

I was mentally prepared for the famous 3rd week stall but having one on my second week is just hurting my feelings lol. I had Surgery last Monday and I lost 16 pounds my first week (yay!) but I have not lost anything since Sunday the 7th. Actually I have. Sunday I weighed 259, Monday I weighed 262, and Tuesday 260, and every day after that it's been 260. I'm being patient because this is only the beginning and obviously this won't last but wow. The disappointment I feel in the morning is not how I want to start my day after everything I went through. Yesterday I added another shake into my day to make sure I'm getting enough protein. I really thought I would wake up today, step on the scale and it be at least the 259 that I was.  Thanks for listening to my rant! I know this will pass.

You will never, ever lose 16 pounds in a week again. I GAINED 11 pounds during surgery, and it took me over a week just to get back to zero.

Keep calm. Work the plan.

Ya know, I never thought about gaining during surgery. It's not uncommon. I guess I should be grateful I didn't! Thanks Grim ;)

That damned scale... well it just sucks most of the time!

I understand your frustrations with it too...

Hang in there, this too shall pass... 

I'm being pissy with my scale today too, so I do get it. You know that it will move, but the fact that it doesn't stinks! And waking up, going through the routine, ever so gently stepping on, and not seeing what you want to see is such a let down!

Maybe go for a week without getting on that thing? (Not that I can do that, but you know, it's so easy to give advice )

This is why I say not to weigh daily - there is too much variability - IMHO - you should not weigh at home until the 2nd or 3rd month.  You should not even know that you have a "5-day stall' - which you don't have - a stall is 4 weeks of no loss.  Keep weighing yourself daily and you will drive yourself crazy.  Just saying. 

You are till processing the anesthesia and fluid from surgery - and you could even expect a 5-8 pound gain in the few weeks after surgery as your body adjusts to all the changes. 

Your expectations are way out of line, if you are having extreme disappointment like you describe.

Having done this (and I am a numbers person, so I knew that the normal variablity of daily weighings would be a problem) - so I focused on what I could control - as you mention - protein, fluids, vits, and waiting between eating an drinking and drinking and eating.  Write down that daily, weigh weekly, and take measurements monthly.  Use your time to find fun exercies and activites to begin.

Do not give the scale the power to dictate what kind of day you will have - follow your surgeon's instructions and the weight will come off, without this drama. 

I don't mean to be harsh - but IMHO getting on the scale frequently is like picking a scab and they being upset that it bleeds.

All right, all right, I will put the scale away. I wouldn't say my expectations are way out of line. I'm just an excited newbie . There is absolutely no extreme disappointment either. And trust me, the scale is not dictating my whole day. I refuse to let anything do that. I've got some great ideas now to distract me from the scale. For 3 months? Not a chance!  

Give it a try and see how it goes.   I was into see my doctor, or go to a support group meeting, or pick up a perscritption, so I weighed about weekly at my doctor's office for the first 2-3 months, then I got a scale for home.  But I weighed about weekly at first.  I 'only' lost 10-12 pounds a month, so I knew that if I weighed daily, I would drive myself crazy.  So, every Sunday, I get on the scale and first Sunday of each month, I measure.  I record the numbers in a special notebook. 

Someone also weighs on the monthly anniversary of the surgery, so they know exactly how much they lost each month. (in addition to weekly).  When you get close to maintanence (9-15 months) you may adjust your weighing frequency again to support your compliance.  

Also, anyone who has an old dial scale (not digital) will want to replace it - the springs wear out.

Im not going to weigh daily anymore. Years ago when I went to the quick weightloss center my weight did this same thing. I would stay the same for 5 to 7 days then drop, stay 5 to 7 days then drop. I suppose I might loose the same way this time too. I'm going to try the monthly thing. At least for a few months. Thanks for the info :)

I;m the same way 0 wy torture myself, but it is important to track your protein and fluids and comply with your doctors food plan.  Weekly worked for me after the first two months when my body was going through alot of changes.

This is the reason I started to keep track of my measurements.  It seemed like when I had a little stall I would lose some inches.  Then I would lose weight...then inches.  At least that is how it worked for me.  So I started to record the measurements around my chest, waist, hips and thighs.  I would write down the date and the numbers.  it made me feel good (even better then the scale) to see those numbers going down.  Another thing I started to do.  I would buy some jeans at the local Goodwill a few sizes smaller than I was.  So if I was a 22.  I would buy a 20 and a 18.  I would try them on once in awhile.  And the gratification I had when those jeans would slowly start to fit and finally when I would zip them up.  It was pure heaven.  Also better than the numbers on the scale.  Because it is tangible. 

These are just a couple of things you can do to get your mind off the scale.  Yes the scale is important.  But there other ways that are (in my opinion) more satisfying to "see" your weight loss....especially when it is not showing on the scale.  BIG morale booster.