TWO WEEKS POST-OP . . . NEED ADVICE

[Strike Up the Band 0]

Hi guys! I used to be so happy with the surgery, but I'm16 days out of surgery and initially I lost the 14 pounds the first week. Week 2 I didn't lose anything. Does anyone know why or experience this themselves? I am so disappointed. I only get on the scale every few days, so I expect to see a lost each time. Thanks.

[jayeljay613 1]

Hi guys! I used to be so happy with the surgery, but I'm16 days out of surgery and initially I lost the 14 pounds the first week. Week 2 I didn't lose anything. Does anyone know why or experience this themselves? I am so disappointed. I only get on the scale every few days, so I expect to see a lost each time. Thanks.

I have had the same issue actually. I lost 6.5 pounds the first week and barely squeezed out a half a pound the second week. I keep telling myself that it is normal and will get better but it is discouraging! I would think with how little we are eating/drinking that we would be dropping pounds like crazy. What I have read from other posts says that the first month is really a healing time and that we shouldn't expect to lose much. That it really takes until we get the fill to see the big difference. Congrats on the 14 pounds, that is awesome! May I ask if you lost any pre-op? I lost 16 pounds pre-op so I expected post op to be a little slower. Hang in there and best of luck!

[Jess55 97]

Don't worry, I lost the first week too and the stalled. I think since I am starting to eat more calories now weight loss is starting again, so don't worry

[JerseyGirl80 12]

It's normal not to lose after the first week. The first month or so is all about healing. Most people don't really start losing until they start getting fills, so don't worry. Every BODY is different and we all lose and heal at different paces. My surgery was Dec 13th, I lost 13lbs that first week and haven't lost anything since. I even gained 5 over Christmas and New Years and had to work that off, so now I'm back to a 13lb weight loss since surgery. This is very discouraging as I was originally hoping for a bigger loss, but it's a loss so I'll take it and be happy with it, for now.

I know we have to be patient and the band will eventually start working harder for us so we won't have to struggle as much as we are right now. Losing weight isn't going to happen over night, and just because we have a band doesn't mean weight is just going to fall off. Until we find our "sweet spot" with our fills it's entirely up to us to watch what we eat and to exercise. And I know that's even more frustrating because if we could really do that on our own we wouldn't have gotten a band in the first place.

Even though you are hardly eating, the body thinks it's starving and just starts storing instead of burning, that could explain the limited weight loss. Give it time, have patience, we've come this far, the weight will start dropping before you know it. I'm finding many Doctors don't tell patients about the in between period where it's all about healing, then about what we are doing and not really about the band right away. I found a lot of important helpful missing information on this website. So keep reading, keep posting questions and get as much feed back as you can from other bandsters, and your Doctor.

Just keep in mind you probably wouldn't have lost that weight without the band. I think losing 14lbs in a month is a success let alone the 2 weeks you lost it in, so be excited about that, it's awesome! Just hang in there!

[aprilalison 5]

Hang in there! You will start to lose shortly. It's totally normal. My first month out I lost almost nothing, even gained at points. I stressed like crazy over it, which I'm sure made the situation worse.

Make sure you're eating enough (if your body gets too few calories it goes into "starvation" mode and hangs on to fat. Also, make sure you're getting plenty of Protein. It tells your body it's ok to get rid of fat, you've got Protein to sustain it.

Take your time to heal. It's ok not to lose during this time. It's your calm before the weight loss storm.

[CheckYes 46]

From what I have read on this site and my own experience, there is commonly a stall in week two. There have been several threads about it. Even with the stall, I lost 25 pounds in my first month. Don't panic. It will happen.

Hi guys! I used to be so happy with the surgery, but I'm16 days out of surgery and initially I lost the 14 pounds the first week. Week 2 I didn't lose anything. Does anyone know why or experience this themselves? I am so disappointed. I only get on the scale every few days, so I expect to see a lost each time. Thanks.

[Strike Up the Band 0]

Thanks so much for all of the encouragement! I have no choice but to hang in there since this thing is sewn inside of me!!!! I didn't lose much pre-op because I had a hard time staying full with those stinking shakes . . . so my loss came in Week 1. I'm drinking more Water today and am going to make sure I have at least 50 gms. of Protein. Thanks so much for the help.

Kellie

[soul2soul75 0]

i am in my second week too and i also lost 14 lb in first week and only 1 lb in second week, so it seems to be normal that way...i have another concern/problem ...if i eat or even drink anything in a last three hours before going to sleep i have such abdominal pain -it is scary..so i stoped eating after 8 o clock, and i have no problem with that , but i do have problem with beeing thursty in a mean time, but i am not allowed to drink since i otherwise i will be in pain at night.

can you girls drink normaly before sleep or do any of you have a same problem as me?

p.s sorry for my broken english- i am from croatia, europe so this is not my moher language but i hope you will understand my question

[Strike Up the Band 0]

i am in my second week too and i also lost 14 lb in first week and only 1 lb in second week, so it seems to be normal that way...i have another concern/problem ...if i eat or even drink anything in a last three hours before going to sleep i have such abdominal pain -it is scary..so i stoped eating after 8 o clock, and i have no problem with that , but i do have problem with beeing thursty in a mean time, but i am not allowed to drink since i otherwise i will be in pain at night.

can you girls drink normaly before sleep or do any of you have a same problem as me?

p.s sorry for my broken english- i am from croatia, europe so this is not my moher language but i hope you will understand my question

Hi! I think your English is pretty good! Have you tried sleeping in an elevated position? If you sleep flat you tend to have more gas. I'm sure the pain is gas pains. You might be able to drink close to bedtime if you sleep elevated. I don't have any problems with that. My problem is that I can eat and drink anything I want with no problem so I'm not losing anymore. So frustrating. Hope this helps.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Hi guys! I used to be so happy with the surgery, but I'm16 days out of surgery and initially I lost the 14 pounds the first week. Week 2 I didn't lose anything. Does anyone know why or experience this themselves? I am so disappointed. I only get on the scale every few days, so I expect to see a lost each time. Thanks.

Change your expectations? You lost 14 pounds in one week. Fantastic...wonderful...but accept that this was a 'gift'. It's possible after such a loss that you won't see another one for a few weeks. Maybe you will...but don't *expect* it.

.

[thu1976355 0]

Hi guys! I used to be so happy with the surgery, but I'm16 days out of surgery and initially I lost the 14 pounds the first week. Week 2 I didn't lose anything. Does anyone know why or experience this themselves? I am so disappointed. I only get on the scale every few days, so I expect to see a lost each time. Thanks.

I saw my surgeon yesterday and I am 12 days post op, dwn 15 lbs and feel great but he wasnt impressed or not impressed.. Simply remindedme that the first week weeks are for healing not weight loss and just take it slow and one day at a time.. I see him in 4 weeks then we will schedule my first fill. Which I am a wreck about.

[wendytip 0]

14 lbs. the first week? That is amazing! I lost 16 pounds my firsth month and was over the moon! You don't want to lose to fast and 14 pounds in one week is awesome. If you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing your body will let go of the weight when ready. The first month is all about healing, and in my opinion it's the most important month. You have nothing in your band, yet and probably feel very little if any resistance, so really, you can eat anything you want; DON'T. Do exactly what your doctor says and stay the course. What helped me was taking in lots of lean liquid protien. I used "Nu Whey". 43 grams of protien and 170 calories. It's gross and disgusting tasting but you down it in 2 swallows and it meets much of your daily protien requirements. 2 of those babies and you're good to go. Just hang tight and let your body do it's thing naturally. In the mean time, Celebrate those lost pounds! And if you think it's not that much to celebrate, go get yourself 3, 5 lb bags of sugar, put 'em in a backpack and walk around with that added weight for a few hours. After you've done that extend your right arm behind your head and towards the middle of your back and give yourself several congratulatory pats and say,"Great job! You're doing great!"

Hi guys! I used to be so happy with the surgery, but I'm16 days out of surgery and initially I lost the 14 pounds the first week. Week 2 I didn't lose anything. Does anyone know why or experience this themselves? I am so disappointed. I only get on the scale every few days, so I expect to see a lost each time. Thanks.

[sandi2004 2]

From what I have read on this site and my own experience, there is commonly a stall in week two. There have been several threads about it. Even with the stall, I lost 25 pounds in my first month. Don't panic. It will happen.

Having patience and not getting frustrated is the key as both your head and your body adjust to your new way of eating and the drastic reduction in calories. Just make sure you get in enough potein and enough Water (follow your doctor's instructions here- they all vary a bit) and before you know it you will be losing again. I too, even with over 200 pounds to lose) stalled at 2-3 weeks for a bit and then one day hopped on the scale and 7 pounds had disappeared. I realized I was getting on the scale too often. This period after surgery is a helaing time for your body and an adjustment period for your head. I managed to get off 250 pounds so it is definitely doable if you have patience and learn what your body needs to fuel it to lose weight. You may want to download our free call the 10 lessons of successful lap band patients and see if you can find some help for going forward there. What do you think?