Ups and Downs

So, I'm 9 days out from gastric sleeve surgery and into the full liquids portion of my diet.  I have been faithfully following all the directions and diet. I'm only down, from the check in weight at the hospital, by 7 pounds. I did gain about 7 pounds in the hospital from the IVs but got that back off in a couple of days of being released.  I did have some set-backs, surtchers leaked and had to get stitches, and was dehydrated and had to get an IV about the 5th day out from surgery. I felt like my heart was pumping extra hard, but they said my numbers were getting better on the blood work. So, I couldn't walk from my room to the kitchen (25 steps away) without being winded.  The IV helped and now I have been able to do a little walking.  I even went to the park track and did one item on the training circuit, but got tired easily and had to quit.  I came home and slept 2 hours after that. I am badly bruised from hip bone to hip bone. Did I just have a bad experience, or are others experiencing the same kinds of things.  I know when I was concerned about "buyers remorse" as they were wheeling me into the operating room, I had never seen others express that until recently.  I have no regrets, but I just don't see these dramatic numbers for me that I'm seeing so many others have. 

So, You've lost 7 pounds in 9 days and you are not happy with that?  I think that 7 pounds in 9 days is EXCEPTIONAL WEIGHT LOSS!  

You need to take the time to care for yourself, follow your program, and heal.  Comparing yourself to others is never a good idea.  We all lose at our own rate. One of the biggest hurdles is getting your head right.  Many of us are so eager to lose weight, we want it off tomorrow.  We didn't gain our weight over night and we will not lose it over night.  If you follow the rules, you WILL lose weight.  

Having realistic expectations is essential to keeping your motivation going.  Get the tape measure out and measure your body.  That will be a better indicator of your progress than the scale.  The fluctuations in your weight will drive you crazy.  We lose weight in a stair-step fashion (lose, stay the same, lose a little more).  You won't lose weight every day, or even every week, but your body will still be getting smaller (even if the scale does not show it).  

Don't let that number on the scale steal your joy.  Change everything about the way you relate to food.  Re-learn how to feed your body in a healthy way, protein first, then non- starchy veggies.  Get moving and drink your water. If you give it your all, you will succeed.

The first month is difficult.  You are healing from major surgery and have been forced to give up your "best friend"... food.  It gets better.

You've got this!

I know that's true, but I was hoping to see some quicker results.  I seem to be getting better each day, so today I walked half the circuit that I was trying to walk yesterday.  Then I was able to walk around the store with a cart, whereas, the first few days, I had to use the electric cart to get my shopping done. I had just seen my scale go up by about half a pound this morning, and UP is NOT the way I'm trying to go. 

You are just setting yourself up for disappointment. You will likely never lose 7 pounds in 9 days again -- that is very, very quick results. After the first month or so, 3 or 4 pounds in a week will be a really great week.

You've had a rough time with some complications, but you should be recovered from that pretty soon. Just work your plan hard, and you will reach your goal. It doesn't happen overnight though.

You are doing really great!  Everyone loses at a different rate. Another consideration is that when you compare yourself to someone else, you have to know when they started their weight loss.  Most people have to be on a diet from 6 months to a year before surgery.  Insurance companies and posters on this website use that beginning weight as their starting point.  So when you see someone that has lost a lot of weight, maybe 10-80 pounds were before surgery.  In my case, you can see the figures in my signature.  I lost 28 pounds in the 2 months before surgery, so if I had a ticker that only showed weight loss, it would look like I lost 85 pounds in 4.5 months.  That is not true.  I have only lost 58 pounds in 4.5 months.   I have only lost 1-2 pounds this month as I am eating too much and am comfortable with my weight.  I want to lose more, but I am wearing a size 4-6 pants and size small/med shirts. My wrinkles are not too bad, I am not sure if I want to drop another 20 pounds.  Well, I do, but more slowly.  So, I am not losing because I am eating too many calories.  Your body will lose if you keep your protein up and carbs down.

At 9 days out, your body is still full of drugs, both pain meds and the drugs used to put you under for surgery. Not only that, but you had a rocky recovery even before being discharged. Your weight loss is EXCELLENT, and you need to be resting, not exercising.

Right now, your main focus should be on staying hydrated---you already know that dehydration is serious stuff. Until you can reliably get in a minimum of 64 ounces of liquids a day, sit on the couch and read a good book.