How do I retrain my stomach to work the way it did post op?
I believe you can re-train the way you eat. I am 8 yrs post op and have regained 25 lbs. I was eating just like you. I ate Fried foods, crackers, chips, candies, pasta, bread ect. I recently went on a 5 day reset pouch test and I honestly can tell you it worked for me. I went back to the basic as if I just got home from the hospital. Taking my vitamins, back to my protein shakes of 90 grams a day and drinking tons of water. This helped me alot. Started on liquids ect... The purpose of all liquids is to break any snacking, grazing or processed carbohydrate habits. I have lost 10 lbs of my 25 lbs that I've gained. It's been over a month since I've eaten any bad carbs and honestly I have no cravings for sweets. If I do then I'll have a sugar free Popsicle or an atkins treat bar. I do watch my carbs and sugar intake now. I can't eat a whole salad in one sitting so I blend mines since drinking it helps me get the nutrient I need. I make a green smoothie every morning with 1 small apple and a handful of grapes. Good carbs vs Bad carbs. I do not eat too much fruits since It does have sugar. You can go this. I know It is hard cause I am going through the same battle as you are. Try the 5 day reset pouch test. Check thou with your doctor. I did this to get me back on track. It works for me. Good luck
Yikes, I bristled when reading some of the replies, for my sake, I'm not on any form of social media much, bariatric surgery related or not.
What Basset said about "retraining" your brain, is somewhat true, I have though a different take, being farther out, with unusual cir****tances and severe chronic pain.
I eat carbs all the time, just very little of them. Some times my weight due to metabolic and thyroid issues will bounce up or down, due to cir****tances that aren't predictable.
I'm also in menopause, which helped initially with losing some regain, it isn't helping now (I've been in menopause for over 2 years).
But the point I'm making is that I know other "grandma or grandpa" grads who've lost weight by following the rules of the tool, like 15, 16, 17+ years post rny.
Rules like already suggested to you, such as trying 5DPT, which can give you an idea of your "pouch" being effective or not, it doesn't teach though how to handle a relationship with food, that you're most comfortable with.
I get that in my case, I'm already controversial in the wls community because I had to have a reversal, almost 7 1/2 years ago, but I participate in the wls communities still (not as actively, unless with complications) regardless of someone had an optimal to catastrophic outcome.
In my case, I have many long term peers that I have social media ties, that talk about regain or maintaining long term weight loss, some are on here, some are spread all over social media.
And in their case, for a lot of bariatric post ops, it does work best for them, to do everything by the book, to lose or maintain their weight loss.
It wouldn't for me. So I've found I'm better off making my own rules being so far out (would NEVER suggest this to a post op who isn't, but you are) especially given the fact I got my whole crappy digestive system back, with a lot of caveats.
In my case, I can't micromanage my diet or my fitness, at this stage of the game, with severe chronic pain, I do my best to not have food be my best friend or worst enemy (which it isn't neither). It's just food.
In my case it helps to look at that I can't have an all or nothing attitude towards food or fitness. There are foods I don't keep in my house, it's very rare though, I find a food that I will binge on, but there are foods like that, such as Target's Market Place Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream (I could only tolerate ice cream, in the last 2 years, 5 years post reversal and 14 years post rny) but for some godforsaken reason, I'll eat that until I throw up, NOT GOOD.
In my case, I have to be careful, if I go too low in calories my wicked severe reactive hypoglycemia comes back and I'm blacking out again. So I try to eat a combo of both carbs that I like and protein that I like and walk when I can, but having degenerative disc and fibro, I have an idea of what your pain and medical barriers are, before I became disabled, I did get a certification (like 12 1/2 years ago) as a CPT, but while I would be my ideal client now, as I wanted to specialize in bariatrics, with respect to rehabilitative and adaptive personal training for exercise, it is difficult. I just bite the bullet, so to speak, on days that I plan on being active, knowing as a "spoonie", that it will knock me out and I won't be able to do a lot, for a few days after that, but that's not a good idea.
Point I'm making with all of this, Cynthia, is the "retraining the brain", is the most important part of this journey, I think some of that you already know. With some wls peeps, for them it is in their best interest to have a more single minded focus on food and fitness and that works for them, with the goal of keeping most, if not all their excess weight off.
But that doesn't work for a lot of people and that doesn't make people like you or me, who can't do what others do, due to physical limitations any less.
I'd see with medical supervision and approval of playing around with what you eat and increasing slightly if you can, your activity level, if that helps, once you've established whether or not you have restriction.
But it might also help though to rule out metabolic and thyroid issues if you haven't already. And if you have "female type of issues", as I went into menopause, fairly young (45 1/2) not peri but full blown, have your FSH levels.
In my case, I didn't want everything I went through for to be for nothing, so I'm okay trying to maintain 1/2 my excess weight off, for you, you'll have to find what will ideally best work for you, realistically. I'm not trying to impose my own limitations on you, just saying that with advice that's thoughtfully given, decide what you need to do, with ruling out other stuff, such as the metabolic and thyroid issues, can help, you figure out what's best for you know in terms of weight loss and going forward.
Wishing you the best of luck. Peace, Lisa
One last (okay couple of ) things, as wordy as the above was, Cynthia.
You had gastric bypass 17 1/2 years ago. I get it, and some farther out, will get it. A lot of people on here won't, though. I thought about going private with you, but in hopes it might help with others for perspective, is why I'm posting again, back here.
When I had rny, and I had a nationally ranked surgeon, rny being done laparoscopically was new. So depending on your surgeon, you probably ONLY had as a choice, an open rny , open ds or vertical banded gastroplasty (vbg, which was replaced by lap band (if by allergan) or laparoscopic adustable gastric banding.
My surgeon didn't even perform lap bands until like 2/2002.
We as a generation, even if you were in the medical field, were not as well prepared, as patients after us, there was no social media, other than OH.com and OSSG groups on Yahoo, if people were on the internet then.
In my case, as unusual as my cir****tances are, they were even more so, because I had a parent who had a gastric bypass when I was in the 6th grade, so I could see bariatric surgery failure, up close, because my Dad had only lost 1/2 his weight, then, only kept it off for a short period of time, to have a revision, 10 months after my rny, and not lose any weight , either.
I had a sibling who had a rny, day after my dad's revision who's kept off the majority of her excess weight and can eat what she wants (i.e. like almost a half of a domino's pizza or a whole chipolte) and ONLY with picking up intense exercise in the last 6 years, maintains what she does. She's never had a complication.
So if I wasn't "unicorny" enough in the bariatric community, my dad and my sister, we ALL had way diverse long term outcomes, if I could just say I had rny, 16 years ago and struggle to maintain half my weight loss, with some drastic bouncing, I'd be more "usual".
Point I'm trying to say is, no one can walk in another's shoes. I've seen with most long termers, except in cases of catastrophic complications, which a lot of people who have that, find me, that most people do have to some kind of management of food and fitness, to have some long term results, but part of that, is luck, too. My sister only had to be compliant the first year and she doesn't even have to think about the fact she had rny over 15 years ago, I get reminded every day.
I'm not saying I don't believe in bariatric surgery or the reasons where it may need to be revised. I'm just saying unless someone's walked in another shoes (which we cannot) I hope people will think about being so judgemental when they don't know the other medical or mh stuff that could be thrown in our way.
A lot of people disappear or are left without support, so posts like yours, are important and trust me, you're not the only 17 1/2 year post rny patient, who's regained all their weight. Just like my sister, as rare as she is, isn't the only rny patient who can eat carte blanche and with intensive exercise, doesn't have to worry about what she eats.
So I guess what I'm saying, as uber wordy as I am :), that more people do get it, then don't, quite a few though, because they are afraid of being chastised, don't speak up.
Again, I hope what some of us have said, does help and you find yourself on the path that best helps you. If I can help you in anyway, feel free to message me on here or at my email address unstapledlisa@gmail.com (trolls will find themselves like other wls trolls the topic of a future blog of mine, so don't even bother, okay, thanks)....
hugs, Lisa
I feel for you. I also had my bypass 10 years ago. I have not gained every pound back yet but I am scared I will because I am 50lbs away from my preop weight. I also had surgeries and depression. My parents both passed away during this time too which caused me to get even more depressed.. for me Depression led to drinking wine which is empty calories.. then I would eat anything and everything that I could hold down. I still dump but I would push the limits. I know what to do.. I just have to get back on the wagon and do it. I am sorry people have been mean in their comments. I think they just don't realize how they sound in text. In their minds their voice might sound like they are being helpful when they are not.. We can do this! Lets do it together!! I am ready.. are you?
Have a great day!!
