Really confused and frustrated..
jl191
Posts: 33 Member
I'm 8 weeks post op (I was thinking up until now I was 6, but I'm actually on week 8) and have lost minimal weight. I'm actually still the weight I was on surgery day, but a week later I had gained 15 lbs (water I assume). I lost that and lost a few more lbs, got down to 368. Last week I gained to 374, this week I'm up to 375. My book says 3 meals a day, focus on protein. I was getting in about 400 calories following their "guide". It doesn't list a calorie amount just get at least 60 grams of protein (which I was). I had a bad stricture and wasn't able to eat for weeks and it got to where I was even throwing up water, but even then I was only losing 2 lbs of water weight a week. I got that fixed and when I had my egd the surgeon asked me how much I lost, I said 25 lbs since my 1 week follow-up. He was extremely disappointed. I told him I just wasn't losing, but he didn't have much to say. The PA said to up my calories, so I did. I'm getting about 600 calories and 80 grams of protein a day. My meals are pretty much nothing but protein at this point. I called again and said hey I'm still not losing weight, he didn't have much to say except that 600 is still probably too low. That's the confusing part, the meals they have in the book they hand out there is no way to get more than 600 calories a day from. It says eat 3 meals a day, other bypassers tell me no, eat more than 3 meals a day. If I eat more than 3 meals a day I don't get my water in, but obviously I can't eat much more than I am in a setting. I'm frustrated and the depression is through the roof and I just want to give up most days. I want the surgery to work for me, but at this point I was doing better losing before surgery than I am now. I feel like my doctors don't want to deal with it either, and their information is so conflicting..
Oh a standard meal for me is, 1-2 oz tilapia, 1 cheese stick, 1 half deviled egg with light mayo. This is all stuff the book says I can have..am I overdoing the protein thing? I eat a half deviled egg pretty much with every meal for extra protein (only way I will even eat eggs) Seems to be the only way to get my protein in is pack my meals full of protein. I think I've gone through 2 bags of string cheese since my surgery too (low moisture part skim mozz.)
Oh a standard meal for me is, 1-2 oz tilapia, 1 cheese stick, 1 half deviled egg with light mayo. This is all stuff the book says I can have..am I overdoing the protein thing? I eat a half deviled egg pretty much with every meal for extra protein (only way I will even eat eggs) Seems to be the only way to get my protein in is pack my meals full of protein. I think I've gone through 2 bags of string cheese since my surgery too (low moisture part skim mozz.)
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I'm a newbie, but have they told you drink your protein between your meals? I was recommended to have a shake between breakfast and lunch and another between lunch and dinner - and it counts towards my liquid intake. Just a thought... the other thing maybe is to mix your deviled eggs with fage 0% plain yogurt instead of mayo cuts out the fat and provides even more protein. IDK, like I said I'm a newbie just a week out of surgery but I hope things turn around for you real soon. Sending you good thoughts and lots of prayers!0
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I'll try the fage idea, so they think you should drink more protein then you eat? I thought the main goal was to get rid of protein shakes and get in more solid protein. Do I have to wait 30 minutes between drinking a protein shake and drinking water? I seem to be always worrying about it being time to put something else in my mouth. Seems like food is more of an obsession after surgery then it ever has been before!0
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my program considers shakes liquids so not 30 mins before food or 60 mins after, you could also try isopure zero waters0
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I was thinking if they asked you to up your caloric intake it might be easier to do it through drinks with protein rather than more food
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jl - have you been working with a nutritionist at all? Maybe getting an appointment with them would help? They may have some further insights for you. It's disappointing that your surgeon isn't being more helpful. If you don't mind my asking, what type of surgery did you have? I'm sorry you're having such a hard time.0
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Jl191 - I'm about 8 weeks out from surgery. I'm still supplementing my protein with at least one protein drink per day. Portion sizes do restrict getting enough protein from meals. I try to have one meal that contains protein, veggies, and a starch (dietitian suggestion). My other two meals are mostly protein with a vegetable or fruit but not both. I do sometimes have a scheduled snack of yogurt. Adding in the snack is difficult because I can't eat 30 min before and 60 after so if it's a day when I need more fluids I don't have the snack. I would reach back out to the dietitian in your surgeons office, print out your food diary from here and take it to your appointment. I'm losing about 2 pounds per week, which my surgeon said is just right. Just keep logging your food and stick with the program the weight will come off. By the way, I'm eating between 600 -800 calories per day including my protein drink.0
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I had RNY on Feb 23. I worked with the dietician before surgery but not since, it's super hard to get in to see her and they are an hour away. I am drinking atleast 1 protein shake a day myself, or I wouldn't be getting to 60-80 protein. I'll try to get in to see her again, but eating 600 calories you'd think I would be losing.0
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I don't think 600 calories is the problem. That sounds totally within the normal range to me. I'm a little confused - you've lost 25 pounds in about 7 weeks, right? That's more than 3 pounds a week so I'm not really sure there IS a problem. And increasing your calories is not going to make you start losing faster at this point ("starvation mode" is a myth and you're not going to have any kind of metabolic slowdown after only 8 weeks of a very low calorie diet anyway).
How much water are you drinking? How much activity are you getting in - if it's a dramatic increase than your baseline you could very well be retaining fluids. My advice is to focus on getting the 60-80g protein and at a minimum 48-64 oz of water (in addition to protein shakes if possible). I also don't think it's a problem to drink a daily protein shake. Most people transition to all solid food at some point because it's more satiating, but that's not likely an issue for where you're at post-op.
I can promise you that any weight gain is fluid retention. Also, most people hit a stall around 3 weeks post-op and it can last for a few weeks. Thirdly, There is NO physical way that you are gaining eating 600 calories. You are most certainly at a calorie deficit and will start losing. Hang in there, it will happen.0 -
I am so sorry you're going through this. I really have nothing more to add to what the others have mentioned here, but I wanted to say that I hope you are able to get it figured out. Things are hard enough, aren't they?0
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April731, I'm drinking 60 oz of water a day on average. The weight loss isnt the problem per say, its the weight GAIN. 8 lbs in 2 weeks instead of losing is a little much. Plus my surgeon is pretty disappointed to begin with that I only lost 25 lbs. I did lose 200lbs before surgery, so I figured I would be slower than most bypassers. I have physical therapy twice a week and walking around more than I am use to (I use to be wheel chair bound, any walking is exercise to me and my pcp told me to take it slow I have to retrain my body) I do have a history of retaining fluids, but when I was losing on my own I never gained weight even while drinking up towards 80oz of water a day. So how do I naturally shed the water, I can't keep going on lasix or I'm going to destroy my kidneys! I also try to hit the gym for water aerobics once a week.0
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This thread is really confusing! Lol. I can't tell if you've lost or gained? April sounds right though. Something's off.
My only suggestion is don't weigh yourself unless your at Dr's. This is a lifelong process. The weight will come off if you do the right things. :-)0 -
My weight on surgery day was 374. 1 week post op was 394. 2 weeks ago I was 368. Today I am 376 (higher then I was on the day of my surgery) if that makes it any less confusing!
I was also on a low calorie diet before my surgery for several months0 -
I'm sorry the process has been so frustrating so far! First, congratulations on losing 200+ pounds! That's quite an amazing accomplishment. If I were you, this is what I would do:
1. Give the scale a break for two weeks. I think you're really stressing yourself out with this and stress can do crazy things to your body. I'm a fan of frequent weighing because it keeps me on track, but it can be counterproductive if it's causing you this much anxiety and feeling like you need to react to the numbers.
2. When you do weigh, be consistent with it - to get the most consistent reading, wake up, use the restroom, get naked, and step on the scale once (the same scale on the same floor surface every time). Done. Plot it on a spreadsheet, smartphone app like "My Weight", or a the website trendweight.com, to get an idea of trends. It's the trend that is important, not the number; daily fluctuations happen in the best of circumstances.
3. Drink more. Aim for closer to 100oz. The best way to improve fluid retention is to drink more. I lose best when I drink 3L of water in addition to my protein shake. You may have to experiment with this - 100oz seems to be best for me but you may need more or less.
4. Be patient. This is probably the hardest of all. We all want so desperately to be successful at this. And you will be - know why? Because it's clear that you WANT to be successful. The big differences between weight loss pre-op and now are that you've already lost 200 pounds and you just had major surgery (i.e. major stressor to your body) and having a stricture probably affected things as well. Trust the process. It will work.0 -
I am 3.5 years out and will say April731 is right on track. At your stage I was eating 6 small meals a day. I could not get my protein in otherwise. Use the shakes and bars as snacks if you must to get your protein in and make sure to get all your water. Isopure Zero is a flavored water with protein. 1/2 bottle in the morning and 1/2 in the afternoon is going to help you get both water and protein. GNC carries it, maybe other places as well.
Patience and persistence will get you there.0 -
How do you get water in with 6 small meals? I don't even work right now and feel like I would never have time for that. I run constantly (I have a doctors appointment just about every day, plus doing other necessary things) and still feel like it's impossible to get my water in with 3 meals!
I went to see the doctor who deals with medication after surgery today, and I'm pretty fed up with my so called "team". One person is telling me one thing and another is telling me another. He says I'm definitely holding water in my stomach (only my stomach, which I figured..I never swell anywhere else) but instead of doing tests (oh and listen to me when I tell him I had reoccurent cellulitous in my stomach for years, so I have a mass that holds water) and trying to figure out why I'm holding so much water, he just pushes more meds on me. I asked him to check my aldosterone levels and he said absolutely not, and just put me on something that blocks aldosterone (says its a water pill) and lasix (another water pill) my kidneys already don't work as they should and I can't be on water pills the rest of my life. He said I need MORE protein (I'm taking in 80 grams a day.) less calories (how is that possible? I'm eating barely 600 on a good day and its nothing BUT protein), less sleep (I have no energy and at the beginning of the surgery I could easily go 6-8 hours and be fine..Now I just can't wake up in the morning. He blames this on a medication I've been on for 4 years (metroplol). I came home with 5 new meds and more depressed then I have ever been in my whole life. I'm also only getting in 15-20 minutes of exercise a day, I explained to him why. (My doctor told me I have to start slow, I was wheel chair bound for quite awhile) So he boosts it to 60 minutes a day instead of the 30 he wanted me to get. That makes no sense..I tell him I find it hard to do 30 so he raises it? I do 1 hour of physical therapy twice a week and the rest of the week I'm in pain and can barely move. Water exercise is easier for me, but he wants me to be able to walk for 30 minutes straight a day.0 -
Take all your info into account and do what's best for YOU. You know your body better than anyone.
Personally I would eat MORE. And the protein shakes are mostly water. You don't have to wait that ridiculous amount of time in between. water is important but you don't need as much as media says. Do some research. You'll be surprised. That's just MY OPINION.0 -
I'm 8 weeks post op (I was thinking up until now I was 6, but I'm actually on week 8) and have lost minimal weight. I'm actually still the weight I was on surgery day, but a week later I had gained 15 lbs (water I assume). I lost that and lost a few more lbs, got down to 368. Last week I gained to 374, this week I'm up to 375. My book says 3 meals a day, focus on protein. I was getting in about 400 calories following their "guide". It doesn't list a calorie amount just get at least 60 grams of protein (which I was). I had a bad stricture and wasn't able to eat for weeks and it got to where I was even throwing up water, but even then I was only losing 2 lbs of water weight a week. I got that fixed and when I had my egd the surgeon asked me how much I lost, I said 25 lbs since my 1 week follow-up. He was extremely disappointed. I told him I just wasn't losing, but he didn't have much to say. The PA said to up my calories, so I did. I'm getting about 600 calories and 80 grams of protein a day. My meals are pretty much nothing but protein at this point. I called again and said hey I'm still not losing weight, he didn't have much to say except that 600 is still probably too low. That's the confusing part, the meals they have in the book they hand out there is no way to get more than 600 calories a day from. It says eat 3 meals a day, other bypassers tell me no, eat more than 3 meals a day. If I eat more than 3 meals a day I don't get my water in, but obviously I can't eat much more than I am in a setting. I'm frustrated and the depression is through the roof and I just want to give up most days. I want the surgery to work for me, but at this point I was doing better losing before surgery than I am now. I feel like my doctors don't want to deal with it either, and their information is so conflicting..
Oh a standard meal for me is, 1-2 oz tilapia, 1 cheese stick, 1 half deviled egg with light mayo. This is all stuff the book says I can have..am I overdoing the protein thing? I eat a half deviled egg pretty much with every meal for extra protein (only way I will even eat eggs) Seems to be the only way to get my protein in is pack my meals full of protein. I think I've gone through 2 bags of string cheese since my surgery too (low moisture part skim mozz.)
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I feel your pain. I'm 5weeks post IP, and the scale is barely moving. I try and get 700-800 cals a day, but even that takes a lot of work. I also get 70g protein. What I do notice is inches coming off. My surgeon said to not get obsessed with the scale, but take measurements too0
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@jl191 not having dealt with your particular medical issues, I don't really have any other advice. I will say that, while exercise is great for overall health and fitness and a great stress reliever, you honestly do not need to exercise in order to lose weight. I did very little exercise for the first 5 months or so after surgery and lost very steadily. I exercise now because I enjoy it, not because it has any impact on my weight.
It does sound like a second opinion from another (set of?) doctor(s) is probably in order. My heart goes out to you and I hope you figure out what works best for you.
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