3 Weeks out and getting nervous!!
Hi Everyone! I am three weeks post-op and I think I may have reached my first plateau. It is really discouraging! I was so happy when I was losing pounds on a consistent basis and now I am just becoming more upset and more upset by the day. I have a hypothyroid and started on Synthroid for the first time in my life today, so I am hoping that this will help within the next couple of months. Also, I have increased my water as well as protein intakes and this is yet to work. All of a sudden I am lethargic and am having a hard time concentrating. I have a feeling that this has something to do with vitamin consumption. Has anyone experienced this at such an early point after surgery, and if so, did your body readjust after a certain amount of time? I am beginning to get nervous that I will be one of the people that this surgery just doesn't work for. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Sincerely, Diane
Hi Diane! I am 2 weeks post op and have also come to a weight loss stall. I was on a 2 week liquid diet before surgery and lost 12 lbs during that time and then I lost 12 more lbs during the week after surgery and as soon as I started eating somewhat normal food I just stopped losing. I honestly believe that this little plateau is just our bodies getting adjusted to what is happening to it. We lost a lot of weight in a little amount of time and our bodies just need to get used to it. I'm sure that we will both start losing weight again. This website is from a member of OH and it might help you with the timeline of WLS.
http://www.bariatricbytes.com/Timeline.html
I hope this helps to ease your mind a little bit.
Take Care,
Summer
Patience little Grasshopper...
When I had my surgery in June of 2005, I only lost four pounds in first two weeks I think, maybe even only lost two...
I was self pay, and didn't get on the scale for two weeks. Believe me, I wasn't just sad, I was angry! I hurt, couldn't move, couldn't eat, and wasn't losing any weight! Heck, I had lost more than that BEFORE WLS without even trying!
And by the way,,,, three weeks out IS a popular plateau... you will have many!
Word of experience
AFter surgery, I was walking 40 minutes in the moring, 40 minutes in the evening AND doing swimming and pilates.. burning over 800 calories a day. NOW? now that I have lost the weight, it is very hard to do the same thing... I'm not sure why.... weird I think.
Next
I would eat less during months 3-6 Those can be difficult months.
Protein? Protein smotein, I was just fine and didn't try to cram in the protein until about 8 weeks out of surgery. I thought if I tried I would increase my pouch... I tend to think I was correct. If I wasn't hungry I didn't eat.
Often I was hungry.
I limited myself (during Months 3-5) to only 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 4 times a day or such. Perhaps it would be 1/4 cup chicken, fish, spinach I allowed a little more, but always I measured VOLUME not weight.
Just after surgery I noticed if I ate a carb, any carb my weight stalled. (However, be warned that if you do the low carb thing, you will gain a small portion of weight when you begin eating a fair amount of carbs again... ) I did not take shakes as a form of food, but as a supplement to my food when I felt a little ill.
Unfortunately, I have a tolerance to sugar. I think the worst dumping I experienced was eating yogurt... but often I had the "foamies"... oh! too too many times... During weeks 6-20 ... What an odyssey.. what I could eat one day, I couldn't the next... within the same 24 hour period my body would change. Chicken would go down easy and then 12 hours later, absolutely not... Monday I could eat fish and upon eating another fish on thursday, I would get the foamies!
Eat slowly
Onward,
If I could do it again, I would.
Use fitday.com it helps. It is free.
I use the postop planner even to this day.
To answer your question... yep I have experienced the same thing... and a LOT Of other people have a plateau week 3... the plateaues come more quickly and begin to last a little longer.
Measure yourself.