Weight fluctuaion (4wks out)

Hi, I'm a little startled by the WL progress thus far. I'm 4 weeks out and have lost 20 lbs. Some days I lose up to 26 but it can go back down to 20 just as fast. I seem to be stuck at this 20lb mark. I'm not sure what's going on.

Also, I skipped the puree stage and went to straight real food after wk 2 (puree textured foods made me gag). I've had NO issues with solid foods. I usually can't stand breakfast but be sure to have a filet mignon medallion for lunch and supper with some cheese throughout the day. I'm getting about half the amount of water I'm supposed to. (everytime I drink water it gives me hunger pains). Really weird. I could only stand to drink apple juice.

Mind to chime in?

Our stories seems to be very similar.  I'm much farther out than you, but at about 3-4 weeks, I had a "stall".  Almost everyone I've heard from has experienced this same thing.  It seems at that point, your body just needs to take a break and assess what you have done to it.  I also never went to the pureed foods stage.  I was sent home from the hospital and told to eat whatever I could keep down.  I had absolutely no problems with any particular foods - some sat a little heavier than others, and there was one incident with a grape (of all things) that I thought was going to cause me to hurl.  To this day, at 7+ months out, my weigh fluctuates wildly.  I'll step on the scale and have lost 2-3 pounds, and then the very next morning I'll be up 4.  No explanation - at least I don't think I'm getting up in the middle of the night and eating half the refrigerator!!!  It just seems to be how my body is.  And it's frustrating, discouraging, and maddening at times.  It's hard not to compare yourself with others to see how you stack up - and then I see people who have a lot less to lose than I do losing more than I have in the same time frame, and I wonder what I'm doing wrong.  Am I eating too much, am I eating too little, am I eating the wrong foods, etc.  I try to remember that everyone's journey is person, and that it's a marathon, not a sprint.  I'm naturally impatient and competitive, so I have to focus on the little victories.

 

I don't know how much you have to lose, but 20 pounds in 4 weeks is pretty darn good.  When have you ever really done that in  your life?  You're still very early out, and it sounds like you are doing a great job focusing on protein.  I had a very hard time with liquids in the beginning - water made me feel absolutely horrible, and I was convinced I'd NEVER be able to drink big gulps again.  But it comes in time, and it gets easier.  The DS WILL work for you, and things will pick up (and invariably slow down again as your body adjusts).  Be patient, be kind to yourself, and keep plugging away - and drink as much as you can, whether it's crystal ligh****er, diet cranberry juice, iced tea, coffee, milk or milk substitutes.  Ohh - and that feeling of water giving you hunger pains - well, I can't tell the difference between hunger and fullness sometimes, or even just my stomach starting to digest my food.  It all feels the same to me.  My belly talks to me the second I put food into it, and it almost feels and sounds like hunger grumblings.  Sometimes it's so loud that it startles my dog, LOL

 

Good luck to you - and my personal two cents is you are doing great!!!

Thank you for posting my story! I am 5 weeks out today have lost 24lbs and the scale has not moved since week 3! I go up and down a pound or two. I lost 10 of the 24 on the pre liquid diet! Hard not to read how weight falls off of other folks. Makes me feel I am doing something wrong. I am a revision maybe that has something to do with it too? All I can do is trust God did not bring me this far to leave me stuck where I am! Positive thoughts to you my friend, I know where you are coming from!

WOW! Truly appreciate your replies. I don't feel so alone! 

Check your carbs. Make sure you are eating low carb. 

It's a little early to be worried about your weight loss. I think that will come. How about liquid and protein totals. Are you getting enough of each every day?

 Maybe adding something to the water would help. I use the little go packs of crystal light and propel. I'm not sure apple juice is the best choice (carbs?) but better that than less liquids.

Remember, 4 weeks out you are still healing. Give it some time. Good luck.

 

My best advice is to stay off the scale!  I know that sounds counter-intuitive when our goal is to lose weight, but weighing too often can just cause you to feel bad about yourself every time the numbers aren't what you want them to be.  I'm six months post-op and I only weight ONCE A MONTH.  It was too depressing to expect a huge loss and then see nothing or a tiny loss after all that hard work.

I don't know what the science is behind fluctuations, but I can tell you that you can be making tremendous progress even when the scale doesn't say so.  In the month of April I only lost 3 pounds, and I was so upset - depressed and defeated (just like all those failed diets before the surgery).  I had to get some new clothes for an event, and . . . surprise!  I had gone down two clothing sizes with only a 3 pound weight loss.

If you're following your plan and doing what you're supposed to, you WILL lose weight; you will get more energy; you will lose inches.  

Stay away from the scale and just listen to your body!

Take ur measurements. You may be losing fat and gaining muscle. Since muscle weighs more than fat, it can give a false perception of what's really going on inside.