Question:
2 weeks post op and even gained a pound

I am doing everything by the book and am only down 16 pounds in 2 weeks. I even gained that one pound back this morning and am now at 15. Did anyone experience this at the beginning and then went on to loose 100 pounds in 6-8 months? Help! I'm depressed and it is raining again in VA!    — Sharon B. (posted on May 29, 2003)

May 29, 2003
WHY are you weighing yourself everyday? If I could find a magic lantern and be granted one wish I would wish that all us wls'ers would only be allowed to step on a scale once a week. Our bodies change on an hourly basis. We lose and gain all day long. Women's bodies, especially, can gain or lose depending on what time of month it is and what hormones are freaking out currently. Look at it this way: If you had only weighed yourself twice in these first two weeks you would be totally oblivious to the fact that you gained a pound. You would only know that you have lost 15 lbs in the last two weeks which is FANTASTIC!!! Please, please, please stop weighing yourself everyday and please be happy with the fact that you have lost an incredible amount of weight for just two weeks. That is 15 lbs you would never have been able to lose in such a short amount of time otherwise. Good luck!
   — Kristen S.

May 29, 2003
Hi, Sharon, I agree with Kirsten stop weighing yourself so much cuz that's what I did at first and it drove me nuts cuz one minute I would be a pound or two lighter then the next day I would be a pound or two heavier. Your body is going thru changes and especially at first you are retaining water too cuz your body is getting use to the changes, so your weight will go up and down alittle. I am now 4 mths. post, and am on a platuea but I don't let that get me down cuz I know I will eventually lose again and alot of people go up and down with losing and gaing a pound or two each mth. It just happens with your body changing, it still happens to me at this stage. Plus, you are doing fantastic right now losing that much so far, so do not get discouraged!!! Good Luck!!!
   — Melodee S.

May 29, 2003
Sharon, you are way too early of a post-op to fret about weight loss. If your depressed now, you will have a looooong road ahead of you.. And I will tell you right now, do NOT set yourself up for failure by assuming that you will lose 100 pounds in 6-8 months. Everyone is different,and you can follow all the rules and not necessarily get where you want to be. Some can lose 100 pounds in 2 months and others can take a year or more and still some others never get there even though they are following the rules. Your weight will fluctuate daily-if you weigh daily you will see weight gains and losses and sometimes no loss for weeks. If you can't handle that, STAY OFF the scales...I'm not trying to dampen (I'm in VA too so I KNOW about all this rain. OIY!) your motivation, just get you to be more realistic. This is a wonderful journey and you should enjoy it. You will lose weight for a good year or more, so just relax and enjoy the ride.
   — Cindy R.

May 29, 2003
Hi, I am 8 weeks post op. At 16lbs in 16 weeks, you are still doing better than I did the first two weeks. If you read my profile postings you will see that stupid pound aggravated me as well. It's discouraging, but the temporary (it really is temporary) weight gain happens to quite a few people. I was very bummed out when it happened. But all in all, the weight will drop. If you read the old posts on the topic, you will find that many people have a phantom 1-3lbs which returns to the scale from time to time. Don't let it discourage you. I also live in the DC Metro area and the 28 days of rain is getting to me too. While I feel great about my weight loss, I feel generally "down". I am ready to buy a light box for those with Seasonal Affective Disorder just so I can get a little sunshine even if it is man-made. Keep an eye on the depression, it could be just post-op related (see posts on this website), or related to the rain (SAD). My best regards -
   — M B.