GAINED a pound?!?

Hi Friends, I am one day over 4 weeks out of surgery. I had lost 31.5 lbs and was feeling great about it. This morning I got on the scale and found that I have gained a pound! This week, my weight loss has really slowed down, and now I am really despairing. Is this all I'm going to lose?!?! Out of the 130 lbs that I need to lose?!? I am so, so, so discouraged. All of this misery, and I gain a pound. I can't figure this out. Maybe I'm a freak of nature. What should I do? Desparately upset, Chris

You will lose! Keep doing what you are supposed to and don't weigh every day. I'm telling myself this just as much as you. Manymany people slow or stall at about this time. You are doing great! Nan

Greetings, Recently several have expressed concerns about their depression over scale fluctuations. I found the following on the EMOSS site, and thought it may provide helpful considerations to keep in mind: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EMOSS/message/17877 Here's some of the text of that post: "Lastly, did anyone warn you about hormone dumping post-surgery? As you lose weight, all sorts of things like hormones and medications that have been stored in your fat cells get dumped into your system. Some folks (like me) are suceptable to this and experience all kinds of mood swings and emotional upheavals. This too will mellow out with time, but you can also look into anti-dpressants or mood stabilizers. I went on Paxil and I am very glad I did, especially as I believe I was also using food (sugar) to self-medicate my mood swings." Nancy, I remember they also talked about this at the first Stevens support group meeting that we attended, back in August. Take care, Friend, Susan

Remember your body went through a lot recently and cut it a little (small amount, 1/4 cup portion size) slack in this whole weekly process. I too have had a week or so where I gained 1 pound or so instead of losing and I swear I'm going to kill those scales!! Then, the next week I have continued my weight loss and I feel soooo much better. Strange isn't it, that a metal - plastic - artificial thing like a set of scales has such power over us to make us feel good (weight loss weeks), bad (weight gain weeks) or just OK (small weight loss weeks)???? If you're like me, you have been on so many diets in the past where you had to "perform" for the weigh-ins each week and that set the tone for my happiness or sadness level!! I too weight myself but only once a week and I am graphing out the results - I admit I like the downward weeks much better than the stable to up weeks, but in the end it will all turn out just fine as long as I keep living the program and keeping my tiny pouchie happy!! How are you feeling today? Any better? What else can we do to help you? Karen Thompson 09-15-2004 45+ down

Thank you, Karen & all of you wonderful support people! I am feeling tons better. I have decided to weigh myself only once a week, on Thursdays (the day of my surgery). I have always fluctuated so much in my weight, and I guess I just wanted this to be a down-down-down experience with no fluctuations. Ah, but this is the real world! Sometimes I feel like I am not doing the right thing on the program, but then I realize I am being hard on myself again. I think I am doing OK. I try to keep a food diary, and that will allow me to look back over the week if I have an off-week, and find ways to improve. I also start training for the Vancouver Half Marathon tomorrow with Team in Training (my 4th season with the team), and it is my goal to run it instead of walking it! The event always gives me motivation, and the increased exercise should help my weight loss! Thanks, Everyone! -Chris

Don't worry about it. This happens all of the time. I'm a little over 5 1/2 months out and have lost 110 lbs. Right now, I'm 1.6 lbs. more than I was yesterday.