14 weeks post op no weight loss

[Cat2336 2]

I'm 14 weeks nearly 15 weeks post op, I have only lost 19lbs overall, I was on holidays and have had a some social occasions, I started at 93.6kg, I'm 85.5 this morning, my calories intake is only every 1200, I'm hitting my Protein target, I walk 4 to 5km a day and started doing couch to 5k. It's so frustrating, is it alcohol stopping me losing weight? I have an active social life I thought the sleeve I would be able to lose weight and maintain that. I know other people's surgeons said no alcohol for the first 6 months, but my surgeon was like go be free live your life, maybe I'm expecting too much?

[summerseeker 2,062]

Really you need to toe the line in the first 6 months to give yourself the maximum weight loss. This way we learn how we should eat. Our bad habits need to be changed. This is the theory. 0-6 months is the sweet spot for the easiest weight loss.

This of course does not allow for real life BUT if you have too much life, you will struggle with this surgery. You can't do what you did pre surgery. That will only lead you back to where you started pre surgery. You need to find a midline you can live with.

If you are truly on 1200 calories a day then you will loose weight, especially if you are exercising like you are. Do you log your alcohol calories, your non alcoholic calories ? Some mixers can hide serious calories.

And if you drink a lot and log your calories, you are not getting the nutrients you need on such a calorie deficit, How many grams of Protein do you need per day ? Every surgeon has different guidelines.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,528]

3 hours ago, Cat2336 said:

I'm 14 weeks nearly 15 weeks post op, I have only lost 19lbs overall, I was on holidays and have had a some social occasions, I started at 93.6kg, I'm 85.5 this morning, my calories intake is only every 1200, I'm hitting my Protein target, I walk 4 to 5km a day and started doing couch to 5k. It's so frustrating, is it alcohol stopping me losing weight? I have an active social life I thought the sleeve I would be able to lose weight and maintain that. I know other people's surgeons said no alcohol for the first 6 months, but my surgeon was like go be free live your life, maybe I'm expecting too much?

That's a lot of calories so early out, and yes, alcohol will definitely stop your progress. Especially this early out. What are you eating? How often are you eating? Slider foods can also derail things. Prioritize Protein first, then veggies, then carbs and healthy fats. Make sure you get enough Fiber, hit your fluid goals, and cut way down the alcohol. There are significant dietary changes you have to make with weight loss surgery. Eventually, like at a year or more out, you can start to live/eat/drink more normally, but this soon out, there are big changes that should be made to maximize your weight loss.

[GreenTealael 25,165]

12 hours ago, Cat2336 said:

I'm 14 weeks nearly 15 weeks post op, I have only lost 19lbs overall, I was on holidays and have had a some social occasions, I started at 93.6kg, I'm 85.5 this morning, my calories intake is only every 1200, I'm hitting my Protein target, I walk 4 to 5km a day and started doing couch to 5k. It's so frustrating, is it alcohol stopping me losing weight? I have an active social life I thought the sleeve I would be able to lose weight and maintain that. I know other people's surgeons said no alcohol for the first 6 months, but my surgeon was like go be free live your life, maybe I'm expecting too much?

Honestly you need to return to your surgeon and let them guide you in the next steps

[Hiddenroses 87]

17 hours ago, Cat2336 said:

I'm 14 weeks nearly 15 weeks post op, I have only lost 19lbs overall, I was on holidays and have had a some social occasions, I started at 93.6kg, I'm 85.5 this morning, my calories intake is only every 1200, I'm hitting my Protein target, I walk 4 to 5km a day and started doing couch to 5k. It's so frustrating, is it alcohol stopping me losing weight? I have an active social life I thought the sleeve I would be able to lose weight and maintain that. I know other people's surgeons said no alcohol for the first 6 months, but my surgeon was like go be free live your life, maybe I'm expecting too much?

You must be so incredibly frustrated! Which type of surgery did you get, the sleeve or the bypass? I'm at about 7 weeks post op from getting the sleeve + intestinal revision and my calorie consumption ranges from 500-700/day, with my carb intake less than 35/day and a Protein goal of 60/day with fluids of at least 48oz/day.

I agree with others - it seems like a good idea, regardless of any advice you get from this forum, to revisit your surgeon. That said, I do believe you hit the nail on the head for one with the alcohol, and secondly I'd ask how many of your calories are coming from carbs. It's ok to include carbs in your diet, but really, this early, unless you are very physically active there isn't cause for many of them.

At this stage it's typical to eat no more than 1/2cup - 1 cup of total food per meal, three times a day (or spaced out into 4 meals if needed). That's including your protein, which as someone else said should be the first thing you eat. Another thing about alcohol - it tends to cause dehydration - so you'd need to be consuming even MORE Water throughout the day to compensate for that, just like caffeine. If you aren't hitting your hydration goal (PLUS, because of alcohol) then your body will struggle to convert your stored fat into energy, which is what causes most of the weight loss.

An example of what my diet looks like at this stage is a single serve yogurt for Breakfast (I have been getting the Aikos zero sugar or 2Good ones) - Remember no drinking 30 minutes before or after, and your meal should last at least 20-30 minutes. For lunch I might have a 'tuna melt' - which I make out of 1/3 can of tuna in water, a zero net carb small tortilla, and maybe 1/8 cup of shredded cheese or a low fat string cheese (I cook it folded over like a quesadilla) with maybe 1/8 cup of low fat cottage cheese, then for dinner a serving of one of the many bariatric recipes - there's a ricotta bake (lasagna with no noodles, basically), unstuffed cabbage rolls (Kind of like egg roll filling), or maybe chicken or tuna salad made with low fat mayo and a dab of relish with some cucumber slices/2-4 saltine crackers. I use the free Baritastic App to track my food and Fluid intake. Using a tracking app increases weight loss significantly from what I've been told because you can see and understand what exactly you're putting in your body.

The good news is that as far as I know, it isn't too late to backpedal and reset yourself! I'm NOT a doctor but my understanding is that if you get off track after weight loss surgery, especially this soon, one way to 'reset' is to go back on a liquid diet for a week or two, with zero-sugar Jello, zero sugar pudding, and Protein Shakes (less than 5g of sugar each) to hit your goals. After that, work your way back up to puree foods for a week, then soft foods for a week. I strongly recommend eyeballing the nutrition information on any shake you think of buying, too, because there are some that are loaded with sugar and have as many as 22g of carbs EACH. After weight loss surgery it's also strongly discouraged to have fried food at all for the first 6 months, and after that maybe once per month. The same goes for sweets and baked goods.

I hope this helps, and again - I feel like you should really follow up with your surgeon and a nutritionist! Best wishes!

[Arabesque 7,035]

Do you track (weigh and measure) everything you eat and drink? Are you following the plan set by your surgeon and dietician? Are you meeting your Fluid (alcohol doesn’t count) and origin goal every day? Are you focussed on eating Protein rich and nutrient dense foods?

Yes, alcohol will slow your weight loss. Did your surgeon really say live your life? Did they mean alcohol? Did they know how much you drink? Did I drink alcohol while I was losing? Yes. I had a gin & tonic at around month 3 (nursed it for hours) and then a couple of single glasses over the next 6 or so months after that.

This first 6 months to a year or so are a gift. You want to embrace this time to lose the majority of your weight. So yes, you will have to make some sacrifices but for these few months it’s so worth the lifetime of future benefits. Doesn’t mean you can’t go out and socialise. It just means you have to make best choices you can in whatever situation you’re in and put yourself first.

The reset diet of returning to the liquid stage is an old wives tale. You’re not trying to reset your tummy but reset your head, your thinking. You can do this.

[SpartanMaker 747]

On 9/24/2024 at 3:46 AM, Cat2336 said:

I'm 14 weeks nearly 15 weeks post op, I have only lost 19lbs overall, I was on holidays and have had a some social occasions, I started at 93.6kg, I'm 85.5 this morning, my calories intake is only every 1200, I'm hitting my Protein target, I walk 4 to 5km a day and started doing couch to 5k. It's so frustrating, is it alcohol stopping me losing weight? I have an active social life I thought the sleeve I would be able to lose weight and maintain that. I know other people's surgeons said no alcohol for the first 6 months, but my surgeon was like go be free live your life, maybe I'm expecting too much?

You've gotten some good advice already, but reading your post, a few things stood out to me. These are in no particular order:

• 1200 calories sounds high for 15 weeks post-op, but if that's what your plan calls for, who am I to question it? I think the bigger question is does this 1200 number include all the alcohol? One of the reasons alcohol is not recommended post bariatric surgery is that it's got a ton of calories and will definitely slow weight loss. The other huge concern on alcohol is that a substantial number of post-op patients develop alcohol use disorder. (Some estimates are as high as 20% or even 30%.)
• You didn't actually specify how much you drink, but when I see "active social life", I interpret that as "I drink a lot". Maybe try drinking non-alcoholic drinks when you are socializing? If you find that you can't give it up the alcohol, this is a major red flag and you really need to seek help.
• Taking another approach here, I noticed that you are being more active, which is fantastic! I did want to make sure you knew that changing your activity levels like that (starting a couch to 5k plan), will cause your body to retain more Water. This means you may not see the results you are expecting on the scale, even if you are still losing fat. Keep in mind that the your weight is made up of lots of things other than just fat, so variations are normal and are just part of the process. If you are eating less than you burn in a day, then you are 100% burning off fat reserves, even if the scale does not show it.

Best of luck.

[AmberFL 665]

16 hours ago, Hiddenroses said:

You must be so incredibly frustrated! Which type of surgery did you get, the sleeve or the bypass? I'm at about 7 weeks post op from getting the sleeve + intestinal revision and my calorie consumption ranges from 500-700/day, with my carb intake less than 35/day and a Protein goal of 60/day with fluids of at least 48oz/day.

I agree with others - it seems like a good idea, regardless of any advice you get from this forum, to revisit your surgeon. That said, I do believe you hit the nail on the head for one with the alcohol, and secondly I'd ask how many of your calories are coming from carbs. It's ok to include carbs in your diet, but really, this early, unless you are very physically active there isn't cause for many of them.

At this stage it's typical to eat no more than 1/2cup - 1 cup of total food per meal, three times a day (or spaced out into 4 meals if needed). That's including your Protein, which as someone else said should be the first thing you eat. Another thing about alcohol - it tends to cause dehydration - so you'd need to be consuming even MORE Water throughout the day to compensate for that, just like caffeine. If you aren't hitting your hydration goal (PLUS, because of alcohol) then your body will struggle to convert your stored fat into energy, which is what causes most of the weight loss.

An example of what my diet looks like at this stage is a single serve yogurt for Breakfast (I have been getting the Aikos zero sugar or 2Good ones) - Remember no drinking 30 minutes before or after, and your meal should last at least 20-30 minutes. For lunch I might have a 'tuna melt' - which I make out of 1/3 can of tuna in Water, a zero net carb small tortilla, and maybe 1/8 cup of shredded cheese or a low fat string cheese (I cook it folded over like a quesadilla) with maybe 1/8 cup of low fat cottage cheese, then for dinner a serving of one of the many bariatric recipes - there's a ricotta bake (lasagna with no noodles, basically), unstuffed cabbage rolls (Kind of like egg roll filling), or maybe chicken or tuna salad made with low fat mayo and a dab of relish with some cucumber slices/2-4 saltine crackers. I use the free Baritastic App to track my food and Fluid intake. Using a tracking app increases weight loss significantly from what I've been told because you can see and understand what exactly you're putting in your body.

The good news is that as far as I know, it isn't too late to backpedal and reset yourself! I'm NOT a doctor but my understanding is that if you get off track after weight loss surgery, especially this soon, one way to 'reset' is to go back on a liquid diet for a week or two, with zero-sugar Jello, zero sugar pudding, and Protein Shakes (less than 5g of sugar each) to hit your goals. After that, work your way back up to puree foods for a week, then soft foods for a week. I strongly recommend eyeballing the nutrition information on any shake you think of buying, too, because there are some that are loaded with sugar and have as many as 22g of carbs EACH. After weight loss surgery it's also strongly discouraged to have fried food at all for the first 6 months, and after that maybe once per month. The same goes for sweets and baked goods.

I hope this helps, and again - I feel like you should really follow up with your surgeon and a nutritionist! Best wishes!

just here to say that the tuna melt sounds super good! lol

[Hiddenroses 87]

7 hours ago, AmberFL said:

just here to say that the tuna melt sounds super good! lol

It's been a life changer for me, honestly!! I came up with the idea by chance after finding the zero net carb street taco size tortillas at Walmart - they actually have 5g of Protein per two, which is a major bonus! I'd been eating a lot of tuna since it's high in protein and seems to treat me well, same with canned chicken. I figured I could have a tuna version of a cheese quesadilla, and boom! I like that they are small and easy to eat, I do out a dab of butter on the pan before I cook on each side - and I figured out yesterday that a little garlic//onion powder on the meat or Italian seasoning gives them a great added flavor, and so does Everything but the Bagel seasoning! I either have one and cottage cheese or two made a bit on the thin side. So tasty! 😋

Edited Thursday at 03:34 AM by Hiddenroses

[AmberFL 665]

11 hours ago, Hiddenroses said:

It's been a life changer for me, honestly!! I came up with the idea by chance after finding the zero net carb street taco size tortillas at Walmart - they actually have 5g of Protein per two, which is a major bonus! I'd been eating a lot of tuna since it's high in Protein and seems to treat me well, same with canned chicken. I figured I could have a tuna version of a cheese quesadilla, and boom! I like that they are small and easy to eat, I do out a dab of butter on the pan before I cook on each side - and I figured out yesterday that a little garlic//onion powder on the meat or Italian seasoning gives them a great added flavor, and so does Everything but the Bagel seasoning! I either have one and cottage cheese or two made a bit on the thin side. So tasty! 😋

the 25cal tortillas are a staple in my house! I use them for everything, Nachos, cinnamon Sugar bowls, pizzas, everything!

[SecretAgentDD 45]

I’m not allowed to eat any tortillas for three months. I know it sounds dramatic but it’s driving me insane! I love the tiny zero carb ones and they were always in the house prior to surgery. I felt like it made Portion Control a cinch.