I do second Katrina here. The jean size will say nothing about how you are doing. I can keep wearing the same jean even with a 20 pounds fluctuation (20 is the limit).
More than 5 pounds up or down consistent for more then two weeks and for no "good reason" should be a big warning sign.
I did spend a full week in hospital for tests in January and had very interesting conversations with internist doctors specialized in nutrition and endocrinology.(we had to jump on the scale twice a week during our stay)
One of the study was looking at my weight over the years. I spent more than one hour with that doctor.
We went back to my early childhood. I do have track from doctors visits, usually once a year for the checkup. But once a year said nothing about why and how a 8 years old suddenly gain 20 pounds in one month after a surgery. Lucky, since I had to take antibiotics/cortisone at that time, the doc did write down my weight at the beginning of treatment, again later during the second round, and at the end. But the following years they didn't...and I was still gaining.
Keeping track is the only way to understand how my body does react to external factors (meds, new diet, stress, new country etc) because I can now connect the dots.
At some point that year (2011) when I had to have cortisone in tablets, spray and nebulizer, I gained 30 pounds in one week....yes...30 pounds!! ( took 3 months to lose...).
Now, post sleeve, I did reach those +30 pounds gain...but this time it took way over 3 months to gain it, with the same meds I took in 2011....still better than gaining those in one week. Tracking can keep me grounded and realistic in my expectations.
In 2016, I had to have cortisone and gained a few pounds in a few days (much less than before the sleeve), lost it back in like two weeks. I was only five months post op, so when I saw the gain I was in panic mode...but then realized it was not that bad compared to before the sleeve. Noticing a big difference was comforting that the sleeve was really helping a lot. But also knowing I could gain weight eating barely anything did confirm what I have known for years. Meds do make me gain weight, even when I eat 700 calories per day!
I do have a consistent tracking from 2011 (usually weekly), but not before. Why?? It's because 2011 was the turning point. I reached my highest weight: 150 kgs, the weight of 3 women!!!! It did quick me hard in the butt to be so miserable.
And to realize that I got there after two double pneumonia, treatment was really strong and making me gain weight for months. I could see I was gaining as always when I was sick, I started to be back on the scale more often, scared I was going to reach 200 kgs without noticing!! It kept me accountable to see how much I gained, and I would think twice about what food was allowed in my mouth!!
Yet, the years before I was so much in deny (the baby weight will go away, I just need to exercise more bla bla) I was avoiding the scale like the plague. And would sometimes be horrified to "discover" at the doctor 'how my gosh I gained ten pounds again!! what!!!why??? I'm eating healthy food!!
yeah healthy, but two servings will never be healthy...it's not just quality, it's also quantity. You can turn into a whale eating healthy and organic!!!...been there done that! but also since I didn't track anything, I also probably didn't notice that I did gain because I had to take some meds!!
Daily is fine for Katrina or Ann, but would be compulsive behavior for most people (daily does drive me crazy), doctors do recommend to check your weight once or twice a week.
Studies done on bariatric patients do show that those who don't track their weight will regain more...same for those who don't comply with post-op visits.
My surgeon had some very interesting stats, some of his patients who regained the most were the very same who didn't show up for most (important and compulsory!!) post-op visits, didn't take their vitamins, didn't have blood tests etc...
They would come at the first post-op (one week), then missed all the others but would show up at one year, in a panic, because they started to regain at 9 months, and couldn't control the regain...very typical.
I mean, everyone is free to use his sleeve the way he wants. But guidelines are made for a reason. The same way nutrition classes, documented weight loss, psych eval, are usually a condition for any bariatric surgery approval. It's a process.
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