I am hoping to hear from several people who have had the Roux-en-Y surgery to see if you feel it was successful for you. I have been to one of the required seminars for surgery candidates and it was stressed several times that this was not a "weight loss" surgery.  I am not suffering any of the major health issues that affect most people who have gastric bypass. I exercise 4-6 times a week. I am a power lifter. I can run although I hate it, and I bike. I swim routinely laps with resistance fins up to 2 miles 4 times a week (about 125 laps or so). While I have successfully lost a significant amount of weight my body is resistant to weight loss and even when measuring my macro nutrients and with a resting BMR of 2000 (this was confirmed via C02 output) I retain a 40+ BMI. Unless I drastically restrict my caloric intake to obscene numbers and exercise to the point of collapse my body does not give up the fat.

The bariatric Dr. here feels that I am a perfect candidate for gastric bypass surgery and feels this will create enough mal-absorbtion that my body will shed the weight I have not been able to keep off without starvation and over exercise to the point of injury.  However, as I said, at the seminar it was stressed this was not a "weight loss surgery" rather weight loss was a side affect. That the goal was to cure diabetes, sleep apnea, and high BP and other health related issues associated with obesity, none of which I have.

So I guess I would like to know has everyone experience weight loss, what complications have you had if any, and if you did this surgery to lose weight and it was successful for you? I've read articles and heard from Dr.s that this will alter my metabolism, that I will burn fat when I could not before. I'd like to know if others feel this has happened for you? Also, those who have had the surgery, have you been able to maintain any and all workout levels you had before hand? Or do you maintain any kind of workout levels now if you could not before? The kind of workouts I mean are running miles, swimming laps for hours, power lifting, or trail biking/running with 30lb packs on your back, or been able to build muscle and retain the muscle that you had or has your weight loss been mostly muscle first?  How soon were you able to return to your workout routine of weight lifting or jogging/hiking/biking?

Overall, are you glad you did the surgery? 

One last question, when it comes to extra skin, have you found that weight lifting has helped with tightening up your body. I know it won't fix it all, but has it had any affect?  

Thank you in advance for your answers, I really appreciate all the information I can get.

Just to allow you to get the best answers possible to a very detailed question - are you male or female? Age? Current weight? Desired weight? (I see the BMI above, yes).

And to clarify - you have no comorbidities typical to WLS patients? (Diabetes, etc.)

A thought - you may want to cross post in the Exercise forum just to pick up some added insights. 

I really don't have a preferred weight. I am out to lower my fat percentage. If I could be 250 and have a 15% fat percentage I would be doing really well (that would be a ton of muscle though and a bit over done, but that's an extreme example and I really have no desire to look like a muscle head).  No, I have no co-morbidities that most individuals who have this surgery suffer.  

I have had several genetic studies done due to depression, adhd, mood disorders, and autism.  These tests have shown that my brain doesn't register satiety. Meaning, my brain does not receive the signals that tells you when you're full, so I don't know what it's like not to be hungry. I also have some other defects in calcium channels and such, that are associated with adhd and the autism. I am sure they are probably linked to my metabolism, but I just don't know how and neither do the doctors.

On PCOS, no, I do not have this. Yes I have been checked even via ultra sound. I don't have high cholesterol, bp, or insulin. I do only have one ovary (that they could find). I have been fat my entire life. I have had every test known to man, down to having my brain scanned (several times) for pituitary tumors because doctors do not believe that I eat how I eat or am active. I have always been active. There is something wrong with my metabolic system it's just either no one can figure it out (because every test come back normal) or they don't have the inclination to try and figure it out (because, again, every test comes back normal).  

I have been eating clean, strict, and careful for the past 4 years. The first year I began weight lifting I lost 70 lbs. That put me at 250 which is where I am at now.  I was able to get down to 205 with extreme exercise, (I am talking work outs like running a mile and pushing 1800 lbs (yes, eighteen hundred pounds) or running a mountain path with near vertical hills and wearing a 40 lb vest stopping every mile to do kettle bell swings at 50lbs x 100). At that time I was consuming roughly 1500 calories, but my actual numbers were 115 carbs, 125 protein, 30 fats. I managed that for 7 months until I physically and mentally crashed. During that time I suffered several muscular injuries and could not go up in my lifting as my body was starving for nutrients.  When I came off the cutting amounts I gained 25 l bs in a week to 10 days but I went up 65 lbs in my dead lifts to 275 and rack pulls to 295 both were stalled at around 215 and 220. I also went from struggling to run 3 miles to running 13 miles with hills and being able to bike 20 miles where I could not bike more than a couple miles before hand unless it was completely flat. Having no energy and being near collapse upon finishing my workout, to being able to finish and still stand.

In the last 8 months I have gone back up to 250 despite upping my exercise and lowering my calories. My calorie intake is around 1500 calories, but my average workout, especially on a day I swim is 1800 calories burned. On a lifting day it's usually 300-500 calories burned.  My resting BMR--which was measure via CO2, is 2020. This means if I didn't move all day long I would burn 2020 calories.

At a 500 calorie deficit per day, plus my exercise, I should be easily losing 1-2 pounds a week, but I'm not. Some weeks I lose, other weeks I gain, but I always come back to around the same weight 250-255 there about. 

My original goal was 175. The insurance would like for me to be 125 because that's what the out dated weight chart says that at 5'5 I should weigh. I am not anticipating to get that small considering I currently leg press over 800 pounds in reps, calf raise 500+ etc.

I would like to get to 185 though if possible. I have a very large bone structure and carry almost all my extra weight in my hips, thighs, stomach and butt. But as I said, I am not out for a number on the scale, I am out for a fat percentage on my body, less than 20%. 15% would be nice. If I could maintain at 8-10% even better. Remember, I am a powerlifter so this kind of low fat ratio for me would mean better muscle build and lifting strength and endurance. It would also mean, hopefully, my very large chest would be much smaller and less prone to injury.

I have been to multiple nutritionists who look at what I eat (yes I chart it) and how I exercise and they are at a loss as to why I am gaining let alone not losing which is how I eventually wound up at the bariatric doctor. 

Hi, I just read your post and remember a year ago when I was trying to decide which procedure to have. My surgeon actually suggested the Gastric Sleeve for me, but I knew that with the sleeve my digestion of foods would not change. The only change was that I would eat less. I really liked the idea of my body not absorbing as much. I actually was counting on the dumping syndrome to keep me away from eating sweets. Well, I am 10 months since my RNY surgery and so glad that I chose it. I would not change a thing. I have lost 84 lbs in 10 months and hope to lose about 50 more. My weight loss is slowing down slightly but I am not as active as I should be. One of the downsides from the RNY for me is not being able to take anything with Ibubrophen in it. Sorry for the misspelling. I did develop a small ulcer but it was healed very quickly with medicine. As it turns out I don't have dumping syndrome unless I eat too much sugar.. I can eat a bit or two of sweets with no problem. I guess I am saying that I felt if I was going to go through any procedure at all, that I wanted to have the best. I wanted to only do this one time and I wanted to include as many ways to insure my success as I could. The pain in the beginning was pretty severe for a while, but it eventually stops. I am still struggling with my head hunger and probably always will, but I have the tools now to overcome. I hope you figure out what is right for you. It has been life changing for me and whatever you choose will be right for you. Good Luck Martha

Hello,

I am still pre-surgery so I do not have answers for you, however I wanted to suggest that you check out the "What's On Your Menu?" posts that folks post to each day on this forum. I have been watching it for a couple months to help me get an idea of the types of foods/quantities of foods that I will need to eat post-op to be successful.

What I am noticing is that folks are aiming to average between 600-900 calories a day, 60- 90 grams of protein (1g per 10 calories) and low carb (50-80). Is your current diet similar to this? Not that I am any sort of an expert, but as a math geek it would seem that if you are eating equal or above this amount than the surgery has a real shot at helping you.

Good luck making your decision!

Melissa

A 600 to 900 calorie diet would not work for me. I burn that amount in a single workout. It's not about losing weight fast. It's about keeping it off when I've lost it. In my experience extreme calorie deficit only takes the weight off for a minimum amount of time because your body goes into emergency ration mode and begins hoarding fat. Extreme calorie deficits in the end make you gain weight as they are not sustainable. That's the key for me. I need a sustainable food consumption amount that will allow me to burn the fat but build muscle (as muscle eats fat). 

Well, officially I haven't seen anything saying that you have to limit yourself to that amount of calories so, I am sure you could get more in than that with time if it is what you need to keep yourself healthy while meeting your fitness needs. Just consider that your pouch will be the size of a ping pong ball and putting more in than that at a time can hurt you by causing dumping. My surgeon gave us a ping pong ball at our orientation to hammer home that point. Again though, I haven't had surgery yet so I have no clue what this will actually feel like post-op.

And the 600-900 calories just seems to be what folks on this forum are averaging on the "what's on you menu" posts. But most are not doing the type of exercising that you are.

Good luck on your journey!

Do you have PCOS?  Your exercising and calorie restriction but lack of weight loss sound EXACTLY like pre-op me.

At any rate, pre-op me was exactly like you. The surgery was a raging success for me!

Some other points:

1) Get ready to find cardio you like. Cardio gets you skinny, weights will get you lean.  You want to be BOTH right?  That is what I did. I am 139-140 lbs and wear a size 4-6 pant and a size 0-4 top (i.e. J Crew sizing).  Weight is only part of the equation of being thin.

2) I walked 2 miles immediatley after surgery. Like the first post-op day. It wasnt all at once..but in segments. But at the end of the day, it was several miles in a day

3) Walking was teh only thing I could manage for 4 months. I wanted to pass out in yoga class...and yoga wasnt that intense.

4) My workouts are actually better now. Seriously, I used to put in an intense amount of effort and couldnt even achieve a plank. NOw I can do awesoem things wiht the same amount of perceived exertion. Miles running didnt come till after surgery.

5) Hell yes I am happy I did the surgery. Amongst the top 3 best things I have ever done for myself. I would do it again in a heart beat.

6) My nut says my exercising helped reduce teh incidence of extra skin in my case. She had some theory about microcapillaries and blood flowing etc. It was exercise in general and not specifically weights. I have not looked up her theory..so I cant say if it is correct.  The only hanging skin I have is on my inner thighs. I have been trying figure skating for about 4-6 months now (3 times a week; i.e. about 4 horus per week). Anyhow, I have not noticed improvement. 

I have never heard anyone claim that RNY is not a weight loss surgery before. You sound like a great candidate to me. Their statements are strange. The surgery is not just about curing those conditions, it is also about preventing them. When you have a BMI over 40, it is just a matter of time before you develop weight related conditions. I thought I was healthy until I found out that I had an enlarged liver due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the fastest growing type of liver disease. It is estimated that 25% of American have this disease, but most don't even know it. Further, RNY resets your metabolism so that you can lose weight.

I am very happy with my decision. I did not have any complications, and I am losing weight that would not go away before surgery no matter how much I dieted.

As long as you focus on eating protein first, you will mostly retain your muscle. The reason we must focus on eating protein after surgery is so that our bodies do not take it from our muscles. You will probably be subject to exercise restrictions for the first six weeks after surgery while your body heals, but after that it is really up to you how much muscle you lose. Getting plenty of protein and exercising will prevent muscle loss.

Yes, I focus on eating protein now. That's great. I am glad you are losing weight. And yes I agree. It was odd to hear the Dr. say that, but I guess that's their take on the surgery.  My only other concern is being able to intake enough calories to continue Olympic style lifting and power lifting.