Question:
Stuck at a weight at 3 wks post up

I am 3weeks postop and have lost 30 llbs and i have been stuck at the same weight for days, i have been eating a little more, since i have gone back to work two days ago, if anything i have been more active and would think i would lose. i know i need to back off from the scale, and not live on it every day, but it's hard not to. Am i the only one out there, who is worried about this so early in the new life? Also, i have been very lucky not to get sick on what i have eaten, but i have the problem of the bathroom on a regular basis now, any suggestions it's such a horrible feeling.    — Barbara R. (posted on October 11, 2000)

October 11, 2000
I too got stuck there. I am 4 weeks post op and haven't made the scale budge too much in the last week. I happen to think my scale is playing tricks on me. I did find that many people get stuck in this same time frame (plateu). If you go to the question part again and click on the plateu category, you will find many answers to this questions. I was just in it yesterday and it helped. Good luck and congrats on your loss. I am at 27lbs and I am trying to remember what a good loss that is.
   — Gina K.

October 11, 2000
I am 2 1/2 weeks post-op and have lost 20 lbs. I haven't lost anything in the last 4 days. It is frustrating, but I am hoping it is temporary. I am eating between 600 to 800 calories a day, am exercising and getting my water in. Logic says that we should be losing. Maybe our bodies are catching up to the huge weight loss at first (especially yours at 30 lbs). Hopefully we will be back on the losing track soon. Take care.
   — Private P.

October 12, 2000
ditto to everything written on this subject .. my buddy Zuni tells me to stay off the scale .. finally i will listen to her OKAY ZUNIA .. I AM OFF THE SCALE .. maybe my weight will move now .. lol
   — Vanessa B.

October 12, 2000
Hi Barbara. Well, the queen of plateaus here to answer your question. I had my open RNY on March 8th and lost pretty consistantly for the first 4 weeks and then started my first (of many) plateaus. I was scared to death that "this was it"...and I simply wasn't destined to lose anymore. For nearly 3 weeks I stayed at -28# and then,lo and behold, within 2 days I dropped nearly 9#. I've continued to plateau on a regular basis since then (plateau 2-3 weeks...lose 1 week) but in the 7 months since my surgery I've still managed to lose almost 90#. I'm now down from my post-op weight of 288# to 200#...a size 26 to a size 16-18. I also battle a lot of water retention and can gain 4-5# sometimes overnight. Many times during my plateau-ing periods, I've found that I altho' I'm not losing the weight, I AM losing inches. This was very evident during my last plateau when I suddenly dropped from a "comfortable" size 22 to a size 18 within a 3 week period. Sometimes the body just has to "catch up" with the lost weight and kind of "redistribute" it's weight before it will allow itself to lose more. It happens and yes, it's frustrating. But use this time to re-evaluate your new eating and exercise habits and reassure yourself that you are, indeed, doing all you can to use your new "tool" to it's best advantage. The weight WILL come off. There's no way that the amount of calories that you're now consuming can possibly sustain your present weight. If you can, stay away from the scale, but if you can't, (like me), recognize what's happening as "just a plateau" and don't give in to the frustration and allow yourself to second-guess your decision. Stick to your guns and to your surgeon's recommended eating and exercise program and give your body some time to catch up with what's happening. Good luck, sweetie, and God bless. cj
   — cj T.