Question:
Post op 25 months, amazingly successful, now gaining, PLEASE HELP!

I had surgery July 2003, surpassed my personal goal weight losing 220#'s and weighing 133! Dr. approved for me to get pregnant, which I could not before. I only gained 22 lbs. during the perfectly healthy pregnangy, all lab work 4 months after delivery, everything perfect! I lost all 22 plus an extra 2 lbs. in 10 days by NO effort of my own! I knew I had been blessed and lucky! I was on cloud 9 knowing I had "done it" I finished my complete journey of losing the weight, getting pregnant without gaining too much and THEN being able to lose it all in no time!!! I did not exercise at all while pregnant. Baby is now 4 months old and in the last 3 weeks, I have seen the scaled tip up a lb. a day or so, and now I weigh 144! That is about 10 lbs. The thing is, the minute I noticed I was 137 I started to walk/jog at least 3 times a week and I do 360 crunches a night on my ab rocker as well. I also really cracked down even harder on the protein, which by the way, my eating habbits never changed, I eat very well in regards to the rules, NEVER have done soda's. Not only cut out all sweets, but started eating about 80% protein. The scale is still tipping. This morning I could not help but feel that old familiar demond of helplessness and the doom of being out of control that I have not felt in over two years. What is happening? I eat one boiled egg for breakfast, maybe another for a midmorning snack. The only snacks I eat are pretzels, some cheese, bananas or popcorn. I have never eaten more than just a half a sandwhich for lunch, or leftover meats from dinner the night before. I also eat a lot of salads. Am I alone here???    — Michele B. (posted on August 6, 2005)

August 6, 2005
Well, hormones will do a number on you for one. Second, are you breast feeding and if so, is your infant eating more? If so, your body may be trying to store up more. Last, I think you probably know this but it bears repeating, muscle weighs more than fat and if you are eating a lot of protein and exercising, you are building muscle.
   — Dinka Doo

August 6, 2005
Well, I'm certainly no expert, but it sounds like you may be eating too little. Make sure your calorie intake is at least 1200... if you eat too little calories, your body goes into starvation mode and try to store up whatever little you get in. My two cents. CONGRATS on your baby!!! :-)
   — [Deactivated Member]

August 6, 2005
I didn't see any reference to liquids!!! You should be having 8 glass of water to help things go. Did you forget about that part?? Rita I hope you start to lose again, I can't imagine going through all you went through to lose it now. Statistics say that most people gain 10-20 pounds back. Rita
   — Incredibleshrinkinglady

August 6, 2005
Michele, I agree that you may be eating to little, your body is recouperating from growing a baby, this process takes a year. Drink lots of water, dont forget! Oh and if your breast feeding, the calories needed are only an extra 300 a day! One more thought, if your building muscle, that weighs more, how are your clothes fitting? Muscle is leaner, and your sizes should drop even if the scale doesnt! Best wishes :) Phyllis
   — PhyllisM

August 7, 2005
Thank you all who have responded... I stepped on the scaled this morning and two lb.s come off. You are right, I AM not drinking enough. I am NOT breastfeeding, never have. My clothes are barely noticeably tighter. I cannot say that I have begun to build muscle because I only started to exercise once I gained 7 lbs. Maybe I just never gained that 10-20 and that is what is happening? I'll be darned if I do it gracefully though. Thanks for your suggestions and words of encouragement. They are like GOLD to me!
   — Michele B.

August 7, 2005
Hi Rita, just for a little encouragement. I had my surgery about 3 years ago. I've gained about 15 pounds back, but have not gained amy more than that. I am not steadily gaining weight. I pretty much stay the same no matter what I do. I am very comfortable with my weight right now. I can do all of the things that I've always wanted to do and my weight doesn't get in the way. Hope this doesn't discourage you, but for me, I'm happy that I'm not huge anymore. I may be just a few pounds over weight, but it's not anything that's ever embarrasing or uncomfortable.
   — Debra G.

August 8, 2005
Not really an answer but I saw the other response that said that if we eat less than 1200 cal our bodies would go into starvation mode, that doesn't really make much sense to me as post-op calories are usually less than 1000/day at least for the first six months or year and that's when the most weight is lost... anyway, I would also say to up your exercises and include weight training - ab crunches aren't really that effective. check www.headbattles.com for some great info.
   — Curly Girl