Question:
How long does it take to see any body changes post-op?

I had LAP-RNY (distal) 2 months ago and have lost 72 lbs (and 30 inches) in the first 6 weeks post-op. I see absolutely NO changes in my body after losing 72lbs!! I mean, I know I have alot of weight to lose, but to see no change at all?? How can this be?? How long does it take to see any body changes post-op?    — thumpiez (posted on March 17, 2003)

March 17, 2003
I started at 304 and I am 258 now. It has been about 6 weeks since surgery. It took me until the third week before I could see changes in my face. Now every week I see more of a change. I have also found that there is like 40 lbs between plus sizes. I have lost almost 50 pounds and I have only gone down one size. You'll see the changes soon!
   — SarahC

March 17, 2003
Christie, I know how you feel! I have lost 120 pounds since August 2002, and a lot of the time I don't feel like I look any different...I don't know how long it takes before we notice!
   — fropunka

March 17, 2003
Christie, 72 pounds in 7 weeks, that is wonderful. I am 4 months post op and have lost 56 pounds. I have gone from a size 22 to a size 16 jeans. I also have troble "seeing" the difference at times. I think a lot of it is our minds playing tricks on us. We are just so used to being "fat" that we still see that. Did you take before photos? If so take another photo now and compare them. I have done that and what I can't see in the mirror I can see in my photographs. Keep up the good work.
   — Dana M.

March 17, 2003
You could take photos of yourself regularly and compare them to earlier pictures. It is easier to see differences when you have something to compare them to. And, with that much weight loss, you must notice the difference in clothes sizes, right?
   — cherryswitch

March 17, 2003
I'm down 115 1/2 pounds and I still have some trouble 'seeing' it. I hold up pants that I know will fit me and in my head I'm saying 'No WAY is this gonna fit'. Then I put them on and they slide right up and button/zip comfortably. However, the real answer to your question is, it depends. Some people see changes early on and others don't see them till a few weeks later. If you haven't had pictures taken yet, do so NOW. Then repeat once a month. Same thing for measurements. If you haven't already taken them, do it now. I had planned to do the measurements, but decided it could wait until I got home after my surgery. Big mistake for me. I didn't get home (feeling OK anyway) for 5 months. By that time I was down 80 pounds, so I have no idea where I started. It's a good thing I got weighed while I was still in the hospital immediately post op. Neither my scale nor any of my doctors' scales went up high enough, so I would not have known.
   — garw

March 17, 2003
I am 4 1/2 months post op (lap rny 11/1/02)and i have lost 127 pounds from 391 down to 264 and I did not "see" a difference at first but I too took pictures of myself and did so every week and I can tell you it is a difference. just hang in there and you will "see" the difference as soon as you "accept" that you really "are" losing it Chris
   — Christopher W.

March 17, 2003
Its an odd thing, but <i>you</i> may not see the changes for a long while though others do. I knew I was smaller because my clothes were hanging off, but I couldn't see a change when I looked in the mirror. I finally began to notice when I hit the 90 pound loss mark. We lose it so fast that we can not wrap our minds around it! You and I both lost alot in the first few weeks which causes others to notice, but we ourselves, don't. You also have to realize that your size, height and how you carry the weight can hender how you can tell.....Congrats on the fantastic loss!!..........Karen (lap rny- 6 months post-op- down 119 pounds!)
   — karmiausnic