Question:
Not quite 4 weeks postop and already Ive hit a plateau!!!

I had my surgery on 1-21-03, at my two week visit I lost 20 lbs, and thats it! No more weight loss yet, in fact I weighed myself today and I gained 4 lbs!!! I do try my best to get enough protein and to exercise, but so far it hasnt helped. Any suggestions??? Maybe I'm expecting too much too soon. I hope I'm not one of those people that this doesn't work on.    — Kris T. (posted on February 16, 2003)

February 15, 2003
Wouldn't we all like that initial quick drop to continue!? I am betting the 4 lb gain is water weight, and that will go away, and take more with it. I have a digital scale and I weigh myself every day.(And you will hear plenty of people tell you not to weight yourself everyday or only at the surgeon's office, but this works for ME!) I graph my weight and on my graph that I made for myself, I have room to make comments. Without fail, if I have any Chinese food, my weight will be up at least 2lbs the next day. I have also plotted trends (rather than plateaus) . I have also noticed that I might go up 5 lbs in a week, to be followed by a dramatic loss the next week. Right now I am stuck at the same weight, but I now know that I may drop again next week. Rest assured, the surgery is working! Dropping 20lbs is kind of a shock to your body; it will put the brakes on and then you will drop more. It's frstrating to lose it in "fits and starts" but that's how it goes sometimes. By the way, be sure to get in plenty of water!
   — koogy

February 15, 2003
A plateau at 3-4 weeks is normal. In fact, if you go to the library and do a search on "3 weeks" you will find that about 80 percent of the posts have to do with the dreaded 3 week plateau. I didn't lose 20 lbs in the first MONTH so I think you're ahead of the game. One thing that helps is weighing only once a week or every other week.
   — susanje

February 16, 2003
Welcome to my world! I am almost six weeks postop and I haven't lost for three weeks. The only thing that has helped is reading all the old posts about plateaus. Go look up all the old posts and you will see you are very normal.
   — Amy E.

February 16, 2003
You're not by yourself. My surgery was 1/23/03 and I've lost 27 pounds before weeks 3. Now I'm just sitting there at the same weight. I'm not worried and you don't need to be. 20 or 27 pounds is alot for the body to adjust to. have you lost inches?? I have. Measure and that will help you get through the rough time. Just think of it like this, how long would it take you to loose 20 pounds on a regular diet and when did you plateau? Don't sweat the small stuff.
   — Sharon M.

February 17, 2003
It's very normal to plateau. I am considered a slow loser. How do I cope with this? Well, I decided not to concentrate on the scale and concentrate on other aspects of my weight loss/lifestyle change. The first month was very difficult for me. I'm a little over 3 months now (11/11/02) and I've seen amazing progress. It's too soon to give up and realize that plateaus are normal. I've hit plateaus several times. As soon as it's over I show a big loss! So cheer up sweetie!
   — Tracy A.

February 18, 2003
I can totally relate to you!!! I had open RNY on 12/30/02 (7 weeks ago). I lost 30 pounds in the first 3 1/2 weeks..then nothing! I finally got a menstral cycle, so I hope this might help kick things back in. I understand what you are feeling, because I feel the same way - wondering if this just didnt work for me! Talk the advice of longer post-ops and hang in there. I came here today to post the exact same question...glad I found yours.
   — Jennifer J.

February 18, 2003
I plateau'd at 4 weeks too. I can't tell you how many times I felt sure that I'd be the only person this surgery wouldn't work for... but I'm a year out now and at goal. This won't be your only plateau... but it WILL pass. Be patient and stay off the scale!
   — Karla K.