concerning weight loss

garym said:

Weight loss...
keephopealive,

Try not to worry too much about it, some weight loss is to be expected due to trauma, healing, and temporary changes to diet and exercise patterns. The key word here is temporary, by 2 to 3 weeks post op things should be returning to normal and your body weight will begin to work its way back up to where it was prior to surgery. Let your docs know that you are concerned and they'll help you keep an eye on it.

Good luck,

Gary

Weight loss
I've just returned home after seeing my doctor this morning for exactly the same reason. I posted the same question as you before my op. I'm now 5 weeks post-op. I left hospital 4 weeks ago weighing 162 and now I'm 142.

My doc. is an old golfing friend and he's always half-joked about me being anorexic. He's just weighed me and taken blood samples. I'm seeing him again this time next week unless the blood-work throws up anything before Friday (when we'll be meeting at the funeral of one of our long-term golfing pals). Meantime he's not too worried and takes very much the view that garym has already given you.

Since I started this message, out of curiosity I punched in my height and my new bodyweight to an iPhone app called BMI for ADULTS and this shows that even at 142 lbs I'm still within the "normal" range accepted by the World Health Organisation and it tells me that even at 124 I would just scrape into normal, not underweight. So I'm comfortable for now to accept the view of gary and my doctor that in due course I'll get back up to where I want to be - around 154 (until I choose to bulk up again on the weights).

So, don't worry. Longer term you're better off being skinny than being obese and you'll be fine.

Katielynn said:

weight
Maybe I'm the only one that has gained a few after surgery? I think it's because I'm still not as active as I used to be. ( I NEVER sat still) I'm working on losing the few by using my treadmill since it's pretty cold here in Pa. I lost a few pre surgery due to nerves, but they came right back. Just keep a healthy diet. I am eating a lottt healthier now, and have cut out salt almost comletely. I really don't think you'll have to worry about losing 20 lbs. I can lend you some of mine :-) Best of luck to you....God bless....Katie

weight
I've got the pizza place on speed dial. I had been very careful about my weight for a couple years. I ate what and when I wanted, but overall consumed low calories each month. It was effective for me. Then when I was told I had mets in Oct.,everyone said, "Gain weight". It will be helpful and you will need the energy. So I got back into old habits and have gained weight. Well, I don't like it. I'll get all my test results on the 23'rd. If things are good. I'm gonna get skinnier again. Maybe lose 10-12#. Relearning my diet is what will require work.

Limelife50 said:

My experience
I think everyone is different,the day before my surgery I weighed 190 pnds ,3 weeks later I was down to 180 pounds my surgery was on 10/11/2011 now with all this said now I am at 200 pounds as of 03/30/2012 and this sucks,all I got to say is enjoy being skinny because I feel eventually you will put on some weight..

My weight loss
Hi, I weighted about 135 lbs prior to surgery, and after the surgery i only lost two lbs. however, after a few weeks, my weight has came down to 127 lbs, but it is pretty stable now. I am sure once you gained back your appetite, the weight will coming back quick.

So, like others said, it depends.

Lost appetite and weight
I was worried about weight loss, too. I was 115 before surgery and my doctor told me to gain some weight. After surgery I found that my appetite decreased. Now I am 3 months post-op and I have lost a couple of pounds. I found a healthy nutritional supplement called Orgain. My doc said make sure not to skip any meals as you need protein and calories for proper healing. Good luck.

j_rod said:

wt. loss
I was looking forward to a weight loss as I am overweight. I have always been the above average weight for my height, but very solid. However, my surgery and recovery have been pretty easy comparatively speaking, so I lost a couple of lbs. and that was all. I am back to struggling with weight loss. However, I did find that I fill up quickly - I eat less at each meal because my stomach seems to get full faster. If that happens to you, you may need to eat every 3-4 hours only smaller meals of higher calorie foods. The doctor told me to avoid too high fat foods as they may nauseate - a problem I had in the first week and a half. My stomach was good as long as I ate toast, toasted bagels, etc.-any kind of toast - without butter or cream cheese. Hope this helps.

weight, diet
Eating little and often is best for absolutely everybody - say 6 small meals/snacks a day rather than 3 - except for issues of convenience.
I'm about 7 lbs down on where I was before second op 3 weeks ago but will train it back on. Did a hard 40 mins. on my elliptical this afternoon while watching highlights of the London Marathon but would have preferred to have been running in it. Ah, well, there's always another year - well maybe.

On the food front, this paper may interest some.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22186835

ivfour said:

Weight loss
I have lost a total of about 47 lbs total since surgery and was about 75 pounds overweight so it has been good. However at my last appointment I had lost 7 lbs and oncologist was not real happy with that. He said, I know you women like to see weight loss but it makes a cancer doctor very nervous. I have been eating but eat much smaller portions and some meals I am just not hungry. Hopefully, I will level off even thought I personally would like to lose some more weight.

Weight loss worry
Did he explain why he was worried? Have you been trying to shed the weight? Presumably he's concerned that it's illness that's causing you to lose but I'm guessing that you've made lifestyle changes that would have led to weight loss anyway. Was there any suggestion that you're not eating well enough to help the healing process?

If you were a good deal overweight, ate a lot less after surgery and are continuing to eat less, plus spreading your intake better through the day, then the weight reduction is to be expected and applauded.

ivfour said:

Weight loss worry
I believe he was more worried that there might be something to do with the cancer. I will definitely explain that that I am eating enough for survival and healing even though my husband disagrees. Thanks for your encouragement

Most popular story of the year?
Frequent Chocolate Consumption Linked to Lower BMI

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/760920


"Our findings — that more frequent chocolate intake is linked to lower BMI — are intriguing," write the authors. "They accord with other findings suggesting that diet composition, as well as calorie number, may influence BMI. They comport with reported benefits of chocolate to other elements of MetS," the authors write, noting that a randomized trial studying the metabolic benefits of chocolate in humans may be warranted."

[MetS = metabolic syndrome]

katiekatjacob said:

Post surgery care
Turns out that nephrectomy is a fairly common procedure among urologists, so they probably have a lot of experience with your kind of concern. If you talk with them, they can help you figure out the best way for you to take care of yourself post surgery! (this is what Dr. Jared Flalkow has to say about it https://www.healthtap.com/user_questions/86449-is-nephrectomy-a-very-common-procedure).

Urologists familiar with nephrectomy
So useful to learn that!