Gaining?!

[mandyjdc]

I’m at the end of week 3 and somehow gained almost a whole pound!! I’m at 500 calories a day and I walk 2-3 miles everyday.
Breakfast is a Pure Protein Shake, lunch is usually one egg, snack is either two tablespoons of protein enhanced applesauce or pureed sweet potatoes, dinner is 3 tablespoons soup/broth, 1 tablespoon mashed potato, and a pure protein shake before bed.

Am I doing something wrong? My sample menu from surgeon is an 800 calorie per day meal plan but the above is all I can fit in right now.
Is it normal to plateau atriums week 3? I’m pretty frustrated 😢

Any suggestions are appreciated
TIA

[RehabNurse]

It's the carbs...they cause weight fluctuations. I'm surprised you're eating so much carbohydrate-laden foods at week 3 (e.g. mashed potatoes, applesauce, sweet potatoes).

One gram of carbs will store anywhere from 3 to 4 grams of water weight in your body. Therefore, if you eat more carbs than your body uses in one sitting, these carb grams will be stored as glycogen in your liver and muscle tissue and result in more water weight.

To minimize these weight fluctuations, curtail your carb intake. Focus on real protein. Good luck to you.

[mandyjdc]

Thanks! Yeah for some reason, on my surgron’s purée stage they have people eating applesauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cream of wheat and pureed meats which I can’t stomach yet.

I start soft foods today so hopefully I’ll be able to get pureeed/soft tuna or chicken down so I’m not so reliant on pureed carbs.
Thank you!

[Christie13]

My pureed phase was protein based. Carbs are last on the list of foods. Protein, then veg, then carbs. More protein, more weight loss. Good luck.

[sraebaer]

Hide your scale. It's totally normal. Makes absolutely no sense. You're fine!!!

Do try to up the protein (eggs, low fat greet yogurt) and skip the carbs. But the stalls/gains so early on are to be expected.

[Cale]

The 2nd and 3rd weeks are the hardest to take off weight precisely because of what you can eat. From the beginning of week two to the end of week four I only dropped 6 pounds. I then dropped 14 pounds in the next 6 days. I think a lot of it has to do with bathroom activity. You won't use the bathroom much until you're back on solid foods. Then your bowels start getting back to normal.

[kenson]

sraeber is that you???? So awesome to finally "see" you!!!!
mandy in addition to what others have said, week 3 is notorious for the stall phase. Don't worry, the weight is going to come off.

[mandyjdc]

Thanks guys!
Yesterday was my first day of soft foods. Had a zero carb protein water mix, an egg, half ounce of soft cheese, ground up beef with a little bit of hummus, and even got tuna down! Ended up with 65 G protein and a total 3 carbs.
I’m sure yesterday helped with whatever was going on before but I ended up losing 2 lbs from yesterday!!

I think now that my stomach can handle protein it’ll be a lot easier.

[julieaponte]

Definitely less cards & more protein. Even though they are on the list they should be the last thing you try to fit in. Lot's of water too. Best of luck!

[Ann2]

Yup -- it's the "three week stall." Google it. It's famous.

You're doing great.

[sraebaer]

sraeber is that you???? So awesome to finally "see" you!!!!
mandy in addition to what others have said, week 3 is notorious for the stall phase. Don't worry, the weight is going to come off.

Hi friend! Hope you're doing well. I'm just chugging along on the maintenance train.

[nicat23]

Keep in mind too if you are exercising more than you used to then the gain could be muscle mass as well, and that weighs quite a bit more than fat

[BlueUmbrella]

I'm 3 weeks out, I got my period and I've gained 4lbs. I nearly cried, when I saw my weight had gone up, I was just baffled. Even though I knew it was water retention and the 3 week stall it really worried me. All I was eating was cottage cheese, eggs, tuna salad and protein shakes. It doesn't make sense but it happens. Hopefully we'll both be back to losing in a week or two. Also, it is good advice to throw the scale away, or "the sad step" as I've heard it called!