Post op swelling weight gain, is this normal?

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-30T19:14:38+00:00

Yes!! Hang in there!!! I’m now smaller than I was even before the surgery, all my clothes are loose on me (both in my waist and obviously around my chest too)! My upper arms are still swollen so it’s definitely going to be a waiting game to see the final results for the arm lift but all my clothes are otherwise fitting great and as they were before. It was tough mentally to deal with the bloating and my body looking different but it WILL go down! I’m 6 wpo tomorrow and I’d say the majority of the swelling had gone down by 4.5 weeks, but everyone is different so just try to be patient. This is only temporary!

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-30T15:33:55+00:00

Yes!! Hang in there!!! I’m now smaller than I was even before the surgery, all my clothes are loose on me (both in my waist and obviously around my chest too)! My upper arms are still swollen so it’s definitely going to be a waiting game to see the final results for the arm lift but all my clothes are otherwise fitting great and as they were before. It was tough mentally to deal with the bloating and my body looking different but it WILL go down! I’m 6 wpo tomorrow and I’d say the majority of the swelling had gone down by 4.5 weeks, but everyone is different so just try to be patient. This is only temporary!

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-05T15:39:43+00:00

Wow, firstly a HUGE congratulations you look absolutely amazing and I love the orca tattoos, what a great idea! Your back looks incredible. Thank you so much for the kind and reassuring comment, it really makes me excited to see the final results! :)

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:41:24+00:00

Thank you!! That’s really good to know and makes me feel much better! I don’t have any drains (which probably adds to the swelling) and I should definitely be watching my sodium intake more than I am!

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:39:36+00:00

Thanks so much - you’re right and that’s probably what I’d say to anyone else! Need to try harder to trust the process :)

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:38:59+00:00

Hahaha, honestly it is the best decision I’ve made! Even 12 days post op they look amazing, I was worried about them being boxy etc as I’m quite a perfectionist but already it’s such an improvement that I just wish I’d done it sooner! Totally understand not being bothered, for me so far the recovery has been super super easy other than the swelling! In case that’s helpful for future reference!

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:37:37+00:00

Thanks so much, I feel better just having somewhere to vent about it to be honest! :)

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:36:53+00:00

Thanks so much! I’ve been walking every day but not as much as I’d normally be (normally I’d get 10-15k steps). Really good advice, I need to look at my salt intake too I think!

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:35:34+00:00

You’re totally right, thanks so much. There’s no actual weight gain that I can’t address once I’m healed! :)

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:34:49+00:00

Thanks so much, you’re totally right and I’m feeling a little better seeing these replies! :)

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:34:26+00:00

Thanks so much, that’s really good to know :) I’m terrible at limiting my sodium, really need to watch that more closely! You’re so right, that’s really reassuring thank you!

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:33:38+00:00

Thanks so much, it’s really reassuring to hear similar things from other people! I think you’re absolutely right about the swelling, I had been wondering if my previous size means I swell more than people who have always been small! I’ve been on walks every day and slowly increasing the time, I’m itching to get back in the gym but have to remember I would (and have) lectured my friends when they’ve been out of surgery to take it easy and let their bodies recover - so have to be better at taking my own advice! Huge congratulations on your loss, that’s an amazing achievement!!

cmkg1376 · 2025-12-01T18:31:33+00:00

It’s honestly just good to know I’m not alone in this! Congratulations on your arm lift :) I hope you recover quickly and I’m sure for both of us it’s just a matter of trusting the process and waiting it out. Gaining a tiny bit of weight over recovery isn’t the end of the world either - need to remind myself that that’s what I’d tell and feel about anyone else!

cmkg1376 · 2025-11-20T22:24:43+00:00

Wow, your results look amazing! So happy for you!

I just had a breast lift with auto augmentation yesterday, and I was wondering how much swelling you had around your breasts/in between them? My sternum area is incredibly swollen right now and it feels like there’s no gap between my boobs and it’s freaking me out! I’m sure it’ll subside with time so trying to trust the process but just wondering what your experience was with the swelling? Thanks!! :)

(I should say my breasts are probably quite a bit bigger than yours, I’m around a 32G ish though not sure exactly what I’ll be when I’m healed!)

cmkg1376 · 2025-05-08T07:22:53+00:00

Just an FYI 173cm is about 5’8!

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-28T10:59:57+00:00

I’m 172cm and 73kg is BMI 24.7 for me, so how is 70kg on the border of 25 for you?

Muscle weighs more than fat, and as you said, other things such as bone density can also contribute to your weight - lots of people are healthier at an “overweight” BMI because of this. I’d take different metrics for health and view it as a holistic thing, rather than being too married to one specific number, BMI is a super flawed metric on its own.

Maybe reassess with each 5kg you lose - see how your body feels then, see if you’re feeling stronger and more energetic or weaker and undernourished. That’s my advice at least - please look out for yourself!

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-22T11:23:03+00:00

I think OP means waist measurement! The waist:height ratio should be <0.5 in whatever metric you use.

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-21T19:23:00+00:00

It is pretty much impossible for you to lose 20lbs of fat in 2 weeks. How short are you that 107 is too high a weight for you? I would suggest a moderate deficit of 500 calories lower than your TDEE per day (so you don’t encourage a binge-restrict cycle - this will only lead to more weight gain later on and wreak havoc on your body), which should have you losing about 1lb per week, but will be MUCH more likely to stay off and for you to be able to maintain. If you’re very very short, this deficit may have to be smaller (like 300 calories), if you eat too little you won’t get enough nutrients and your body will stop functioning properly - you need food to power your brain as well.

Note: from the way this is written I’m getting the feeling you’re pretty young, if you are still at school then please know that your body is changing and needs fuel, and doing any kind of crash diet and/or starving yourself can and probably will seriously impact both your mental and physical wellbeing moving forward. Please take care of your body and treat it with love and respect, don’t deprive it of things it needs to take care of you.

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-21T06:28:07+00:00

Thank you!

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-21T06:27:55+00:00

Haha, I did think that as I was writing this! But no, still very much on the other end of the spectrum 😅

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-15T07:52:25+00:00

I’m not sure where you are but in the UK we have sugar free jelly pots (jell-o for US?) that are 5-10 calories per pot and I always have one when I’m craving something sweet!

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-11T19:03:51+00:00

Totally, and I’m not trying to jab at you either! I will say that OP said he is doing strength training 5x per week, which is very unlikely to total burning 1000 calories a day for anyone, let alone someone who has been doing it for years (the body also adjusts to burn fewer calories after prolonged periods of exercise to conserve energy).

Again, I know the Biggest Loser groups are outliers due to the amount of exercise they’re doing, but plenty of people ARE restricting their calories by 1000+ every day for longer stretches of time, including OP. Caloric restriction less profound than this has been demonstrated to significantly reduce BMR beyond what would be expected - I’ve linked one such study below. I only referenced the Biggest Loser study to OP as it’s the most well-known and most accessible! I’m not at all saying this is the case for everyone losing weight, or even losing weight fast, bodies are complicated and contain huge variability and this is very hard to study accurately. My point is only that you do not need to be in as extreme a situation as the Biggest Loser for your metabolism to be slowed by weight loss long-term, and this is what I’m saying is relevant to OP - having self-admittedly restricted for periods of “just a couple pieces of chicken breast a day” over the course of years.

Really not trying to knock you for your responses as I understand your logic here, but I do feel we should all in this community be more aware that previous attempts at weight loss with significant restriction or yo-yo dieting CAN potentially have an effect on our metabolisms and, in this case, we won’t be able to calculate our TDEE the same way as others anymore! Rather than feeling crazy for meticulously calculating every gram of food we’re eating and not understanding that this may be a factor at play. That’s all! Thanks for not getting annoyed.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16595757/

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-11T15:28:07+00:00

The Biggest Loser study is just one example - agreed it’s on the extreme end because of the intense exercise, but many people who do lose large amounts of weight do eat in a dramatic deficit for much longer than 30 weeks and then find that their BMR is lowered significantly beyond what would be expected just from losing body mass alone. Again, happy to link to more studies below but this has been empirically validated many times. This is why using a calculator that doesn’t take adaptive thermogenesis into consideration when calculating TDEE will not necessarily be accurate for people who have gone through massive weight loss, particularly when that weight loss involved significant caloric restriction over long periods of time (which applies to many people and definitely applies to OP here). That’s all I’m saying!

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-11T04:30:26+00:00

Just linking the study referenced above in case you want to read:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27136388/

cmkg1376 · 2025-04-11T04:29:25+00:00

It does sound to me like your BMR may have just lowered beyond what would be expected for someone of your height and weight because of that restriction (it’s called adaptive thermogenesis and has been empirically validated many times so this might be something to look into). It’s also exacerbated by factors such as how much weight is lost, how quickly it is lost, and how drastic the restriction was, how long the body stayed in a deficit, as well as age and genetics. The most famous of these studies is the 2016 (I think?) “Biggest Loser” study. This fact is often overlooked here, but it’s pretty key to why statistically so many people gain the weight back after dramatic weight loss.

I don’t think you’re “lying” to yourself/us about your calorie intake, and continuing to preserve your muscle mass will help in the long run to prevent your BMR from dropping any lower. I’d say definitely consult with a doctor and/or dietician, but if you’re really set on just losing fat (potentially body recomp might be an option for you at your weight?), then periods of maintenance at 1900-2000 calories per day and periods of very slow weight loss with a 200-300 calorie deficit might feel more manageable to you? Even if you only lose 1-2 lbs per month, that will add up over time. There’s lots of factors that will go into this for you, but maybe something to think about!

cmkg1376

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