Not even 6 weeks post op-Gaining weight-WHY?

Tuesday will be 6 weeks post op and I am GAINING! Please explain how this is possible and don't suggest that this is a stall. I was on a stall from 2/5 to 2/21 when I didn't even lose a pound. But at least I didn't gain. Now I am gaining. To give you some additional insight here are my statistics.

DAY                   Calories   Protein

Last Sunday          495           54

Monday                 638         84

Tuesday                491         56

Wednesday           472          60

Thursday              466           59

Friday                   457          55 

Saturday              411           43

From everything I have read on this board and another bariatric board everyone at this stage says they are getting in 60 to 80 grams of protein.  Well at 1 month out my surgeon (his office doesn't have a NUT) told me now that I had lost 20 pounds since surgery I need to cut back to 41 grams of protein and should not be drinking any more protein and only eating 3 times a day.  As you can see I didn't really do that. Is that why I am gaining? I can barely eat 1 1/2 to 2 oz of food at this stage yet I gained 6 pounds this month.  How is that possible?

how much water are you getting in? how many carbs? what kind of carbs?

Carbs are 11 to 43 grams. I haven't eaten any beads, or starch just the carbs in the foods I am allowed at 6 weeks which is soups, cheese, turkey, tuna,  yogurt, cottage cheeese etc.  Water is 8 glasses a day. 

You may not be getting enough protein. I have had some trouble getting in all the protein my surgeon recommends (60-80grams a day) when I haven't met the numbers I have had swelling occur in my lower legs. I was sent for labs that showed my albumin was quite low. Luckily increasing my protein has remedied this situation. And of course you need to get your fluids in as well. 

There are a myriad of reasons why you're having a setback. Are you weighing and tracking (on an app such as myfitnesspal.com) EVERYTHING you're eating? If not, start now. You may actually be eating more than you think you are. 

My plan calls for a minimum of 60 gr of protein a day & I was told, early-on when I couldn't eat more than 2 oz at a time, that if you are unable to "eat" your protein, you should supplement your intake with either a shake or by adding a protein powder to your food. At this point it shouldn't matter how you get your protein in as long as you do. As for 3 meals a day.......whoever said a meal has to be eaten all at once. There are many times I can't finish my lunch in 30 minutes & I end up having the rest of it an hour or two later. 

Sounds like your surgeon's office doesn't really have the follow-up support you need and you may want to find a support group in your area or a nutritionist that supports bariatric patients. Keep at it and don't get discouraged. 

My plan called for 65-75 grams of protein, less than 30 grams of carbs, and a minimum of 64 oz. Of water. During my weight loss phase, I rarely had cheese, and ate protein forward...a bit of veggies here and there, but no fruit. It looks like your protein and water are too low. It was hard for me to hit my protein numbers without adding a planned snack.

Does your surgeon offer a support group?

If your body is not getting enough water it will start retaining water.  A gallon of water weighs about seven pounds.  You need a minimum of  64 ounces of water a day, but you might need more. 

Your urine should be a pale yellow.  Try increasing the water and track it carefully.

I personally use a scale that measures my weight, fat percentage and water weight.  If I have a gain, I can tell immediately if the water weight also went up. 

First, ignore your surgeon. Dropping your protein is horrible advice. 41 is half of what you should be getting.

Second, ignore your scale. Weight loss is not linear. Lots of things will cause weight gain. What you really need to worry about is gaining and losing fat. And if you are truly eating that small amount of calories, you have less fat now than when you started. It will show up on your scale. Maybe not today, this week, or even this month. But it will. You need to think long term.

Hide your scale if it makes you nuts. Up your protein a little, if you can do it without increasing calories. And mostly, as a couple of others mentioned, drink a lot more.

^ THIS!