post-op weight gain ??

[tonysoprano]

Hey all

Im 2 weeks and 1 day post-op, and seem to have put on a fair bit of weight(fat)  from the looks of things.Im fairly skinny and unmuscular too,so it shows when I am putting on weight that isnt muscle.

I was working out (and eating to fuel my exercising) right up until day of surgery, and I am basically eating the same amount I always have (any less aND i find myself hungry), but barely even been moving physically.


Im watching a lot of tv and reading and crap, and snacking a fair bit(not entirely out of boredom,but some of it is) and I havent really left the house much this past fortnight, and Im still 2-3 weeks off doing any real cardio exercise...

anyone else experience a weight increase, or getting a bit fatter right after their surgery? ....Any advice to help counter this?anyone else struggling/struggled with this ?

It seems that it takes no time to put weight on (just 2 weeks of sitting around the house on my butt without exercise is already showing in the gut), yet ages to work it off again..and I am afriad this may have some dire consequences on the healing and final outcome of my surgery...

Also,I worry that the weight gain may distract my ps from accurately assessing how I am healing, how much swelling there is/isnt present (and what kind of liposculpture job he did), when I have my next follow-up in a week.....

[Grandpa Bambu]

Dude.... don't worry about a little bit of weight gain. I highly doubt it will hinder your recovery . Just get back to the gym as soon as you're feeling better.... Putting on a few pounds is not the end of life as we know it...  

John.

[STILLgotIT]

Agree with Bambu.. but, in the meantime try and scale back your caloric intake since you are not active.

[Spleen]

Might just be swelling.  Also, watch your salt intake.  Extra salt can put on pounds of extra water.

[nukem2k5]

Be sure to drink tons of water.

[Grandpa Bambu]

Be sure to drink tons of water.

But that makes you go pee pee all the time. Also when you drink lots of water and your body tells ya you gotta go, it's like bang, ya gotta go RIGHT NOW!    Not a good thing if there is no potty around. :-/

But yeah, the experts say to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

John.

[John1984]

Hey Tonysoprano, I am 2 weeks 1 day post op too - we must have got 'done' the same day.

I too have noticed some funny happenings with my weight.  Before my op I was exercising LOADS and eating healthily, and my weight went down to 159 pounds.  In these 2 inactive weeks I expected my weight to go right back up but I actually went down to 154 pounds.  And I know what you mean about the snacking.
Maybe I just lost muscle mass and gained fat?  But then again I thought progressions like that took a long time.
Hope your recovery's going well.  Do you have pictures?

[tonysoprano]

thanks people. no it aint swelling.. perhaps my chest is , but my gut, and where my arms are bunching up in rolls at the fringes of my compression vest is definitely not swelling.

hey john1984 - congrats on making a move and getting it done. I am 173cm and was 148 pounds before surgery but am yet to weigh myself since, but just visually I can see that my flat stomach is now a puffed out, "rolly" gut. could be put down to chocolate consumption I guess.
my healing is going ok though I suspect a bit of swelling still in the chest.
unfortunately I have no pics- pre or post-op to show anyone, but hopefully when I see my ps next week he can help me out with that.

look forward to seeing your post -pics john1984~

hope its going smoothly...

[vaio]

I gained fat weight around my stomach during my recovery since I wasent active. I usually work out 4 times a week, and I took off 1 month and 1 week and I did get slightly fatter. I have been doing cardio for the last 2 weeks everyday and my waste is smaller than it was post op.

[Spleen]

TS, it's unlikely that you could gain any significant amount of fat in just two weeks, even if you pigged out.  Remember that compression vest is keeping fluid that would accumulate in your chest elsewhere.  Gravity is drawing that fluid to the next spot south of your chest: your abdomen.  Try doing some cardio work to cycle out that fluid.  Stay well hydrated.

Also, I've seen some pix where guys get their chest done and their bellies look bigger now that their chest is smaller.  Might just be the change in proportions.

[John1984]

Yep Spleen, I'll second that about the proportions changing.
I was watching Eddie Izzard before my op, and he was talking about when he walks around with his false boobs on and people say 'ooh you've lost weight', and he goes 'no, it's just that I've got boobs so it makes my stomach look concave'.
I definitely think the reverse of this has happened - now my gyne has gone, the belly comes into the light more!

Hey TS, do you know what your weight is now? I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!

[rcbrown23]

Go on long, slow walks. That right there should at least keep you stable. It will not take long it burn off the extra fat after your back at excersizing.

John84, where's your post op pics, man?

How do you guys feel about the results so far?

[tonysoprano]

AS i posted in my other thread yesterday -

..."am yet to leave my house still, still havent driven. Have only been sleeping on my back and showering every other day.won't go back to work for another week because I am just having too much of a relaxing time at home watching movies and reading and doing nothing,plus  I still find it difficult to strecth for things,wipe me arse, bend,raise my arms etc."

When I shower my chest seems to look pretty good, still with some minor yellowy bruising, and possibly swelling (cant really tell how much swelling)


What is bothering/worrying me is that my chest now has a muscular,buffed look about it, though considering how fairly slender and unmuscular I am overall (arms,legs,abs,back), I was kinda expecting a flat (as in ironing board kinda) result... again - I know its hard for you guys to imagine without pics. but maybe 2 weeks and 2 days is too early to judge this.

I guess the way to describe what I am seeing in the brief hour that my compress. vest is off for a shower every day, is a chest of someone who does a shiteload of benchpress , when I quit becnhing anything over 9 months ago..

I'll get back to you again after I have a shower tomorrow...

whats your sitch john84 ?

[headheldhigh01]

But yeah, the experts say to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

this became accepted medical dogma for years, and selling bottled water became a huge industry, and people go probably overhydrating.  

then somebody went back and did the math and realized they forgot to subtract out the water in the food you were already consuming etc.  oops.  so moral of the story, if somebody says studies prove x and it doesn't sound right, it's possible it's not -- just like 98.6 degrees is no longer an absolute fixed precise body temp either.  

water's good from time to time, but drink what feels natural, what's right will come to you.  

[nukem2k5]

water's good from time to time, but drink what feels natural, what's right will come to you.  

Well before I started drinking to hydrate myself, I *rarely* drank water.  My piss was always extremely yellow.  Now I try to drink water throughout the day, aiming to have my urine be mostly clear, so I know I'm keeping myself hydrated.  If you pee and see your urine as extremely yellow, go drink a couple of tall glasses of water.  It's pretty refreshing.