How common is it to gain back weight?

How common is it to gain back a good chunk of the weight that was lost through WLS?? I guess I'm afraid that this will happen to me should I choose WLS, and its in my mind because I know someone who had WLS and was trying to pass of fat as "excess skin" (but I could plainly tell the difference). I don't doubt that she weighed less than pre-WLS, but I wasn't seeing the excess skin that she was trying to show me. Just an abdomen that looked like mine. I can only imagine that it would be so hard to change the anatomy of your stomach, lose weight, then gain it again, and I don't want that to happen to me.

I do not know the answer to your question but it is something that I have been wondering too so thank you for asking it!! Nancy

Very easy let me tell you!! I gained 13 from eating the wrong foods you have to stay on track and not eat the wrong foods all the time I learned the wrong way now i am working to get the 13 off GOod luck to you

Well, I'm still pre-op but I'll go over what I've learned so far. WLS is a tool for weight loss... you can overcome your surgery so you DO have to re-learn NEW, GOOD habits while this tool is working for you at the onset. You won't be able to eat certain things at first but you may be able to eat them over time. This is not a cure-all. If you have RNY, your little pouch starts out at a 2oz capacity.. but it stretches.. and can continue to stretch -- it's just flesh. So the answer is YES you can overcome your surgery.. but you have time while you're losing to learn new habits that will prevent you from doing it. It still requires that you make a commitment to your health. It still requires dedication to your goal.. but it WILL make your path a little easier.. IMO it's worth it, entirely. Stef

Nichole, Just FYI, as someone who has lost almost 110 lbs over the past year, I have excess skin that someone might mistake for fat. I thought, honestly, that 'excess skin' would just look like droopy, empty skin. I have learned that the skin still feels thick, and really still feels like fat. There are so many layers to your skin, fat being only one of them, that it can still look like fat. That said, let me also tell you that I eat what other 'normal' people eat. I dont use protein shakes or supplements of any kind. I do take sublingual b12 because it makes me feel more clear-headed when I do. I dont take calcium, because I get my calcium from cheese and milk (regular vitamin D milk btw) My weight goes up and down about 1.5-2lbs depending on the time of the month. However, my activity level is so high that I can eat normal foods, and maintain or still lose weight. I also eat much smaller portions of 'normal' foods, in case youre wondering Best of luck to you!