Long term weight loss

I just celebrated 20 years after WLS on January 30th!

I had a Biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch 20 years ago. My weight was 215 at that time. I lost 85 pounds from having the surgery. I have done pretty well and haven't had a huge weight regain. However when I have had steroid injections in my back, it made me ravenously hungry! My weight would go up by 10 pounds but I always managed to lose it.

When covid happened and I got another steroid injection plus the bordom eating I went from 140 to 153. I joined Weigh****chers green plan and have so far lost 7 pounds in a month. So my goal is between 138-140 because that's where I feel the best.

I would like to hear from others if you have had similar experiences and how did you get back down to your ideal weight again.

Congratulations!

Some do well and it is a real struggle for others. I am 18 years postop and for the first time ever I am in the normal BMI range. And I never stopped dieting. I had very little easy weight loss after the DS. I had to work for every ounce. But what the DS did for me was to allow dieting to work. If I hadn't had surgery, I would have dieted myself up to 600lbs by now or I would already be dead!

For me it is just DS basics. Eat plain protein and very little else. I eat between 20 and 30 carbs a day. I do give myself cheat days. Out of town vacations and holidays. I want to be able to participate and I know myself well. I can't cope with eternal deprivation. Works out to around 20 days of free food per year. The rest of the time, I am pretty strict.

Congrats on your success.Our timing is similar - I just celebrated my 18 year anniversary of the DS. I'm currently at my goal weight (150) but had creeped up to about 165 a couple of years ago. I went back to DS basics - low carb, high protein, lots of water. I've never "dieted" since my DS. I honestly don't know anything about WW - are you counting calories? Are you getting in enough protein since with the DS our requirements are more than the average human ;)

How are you labs?

Hi there

I haven't been on this forum for a long time. I had my surgery with the wonderful Dr Marchesini in Brazil in 2006 or 2007, I am not sure which. I lost 120 pounds initially, was down to 127 pounds. Then I gained about 20 back. Didn't worry about it much, and one day I went to put on a pair of jeans that I knew would be too small but everything else was in the wash. And (without making any effort to lose weight) they fell off me. I had dropped 20 pounds without ever even knowing it. Since then (2.5 years ago) I have lost a bit more, again not trying, but settled in about the 114-119 range. I am tinier than I have ever been. I basically eat whatever I want, although I do have to pay attention to foods that I know will give me trouble. Not too many foods are problematic, and I decide when I am willing to pay the price. These days my tummy is not fond of alcohol, either, which is a shame, because I enjoy having a drink while making dinner but am not doing much of that any more.

I have struggled with anemia, which is a little complex to deal with. You aren't supposed to take iron with either thyroid meds, calcium, or antacids because they interfere with one another. I do have serious IBS and reflux (and I have a hiatal hernia but I don't want any more surgery if I can help it). I am careful about all my supplements but struggle with iron. I take thyroid and stomach meds in the morning, calcium at lunch and supper, and antacids at bedtime, and it is a real juggling act to figure out how to get the iron in. I just ordered some new vitamins that do have iron and do not have calcium, this my solve the problem. I can take the thyroid meds and pantaprozole, wait an hour and eat breakfast, and take the rest of the morning meds and supplements after that. I will give it a try, anyway. I tend to stay low on protein, vitamin D, and iron.

I am about to turn 67 years old at the end of this month. I walk 2-3 miles 5 days a week in the cooler parts of the year, do water aerobics with my neighbors in the hot season, and do yoga sessions in between. I love to cook, and tend to like to cook healthy stuff, so my diet is, although obviously protein heavy, pretty good. The weight loss journey was a wild one, and even though I am very small, I still don't picture myself that way in my mind. Maybe I never will. But I am SO grateful for Dr Marchesini and for this surgery. I would have been 400+ pounds, wheelchair bound, and at high risk for stroke or heart attack without the DS.

So truthfully, I have no idea how I got back to my desired weight. It kind of just happened. I wondered if my DS had sort of "kicked back in" again, but I really don't know.

I'd LOVE to hear from other people who are a way out from surgery about their experiences. And I have suggestions/tips/ideas for newer folks too. :-)

Blessings to you all