Weight loss in life before any part of surgery comparison to after surgery

I have a question - mostly just curiosity but sparked by watching YouTube videos tonight. I'm new in my process and researching everything!

Most of us have tried dieting in many ways before considering and getting weight loss surgery - so my question is when you dieted on your own and were successful to any degree (for example, I've lost 40 lbs fairly quickly before self sabotaging and gaining it back) in comparison to after getting the surgery - did you find your weight loss after surgery to be faster, about the same or slower than when you did it on your own?

I'd hazard a guess that it's faster after; it does slow down as the months go by which is why people advise newbies to "be a machine" and lose as much as possible that first 18-24 months.

The real benefit for me though is that post-surgery I've been able to keep it off (with a couple of regains/relose episodes). I lost over a 100 pounds twice before surgery and then put it all right back on. Usually with some extra for good measure.

The surgery has allowed me to keep it off overall, and I actually reached my lowest weight ever in my 10th year out.

Good luck in your considerations.

That's amazing that you were able to keep the weight off overall. That's my long term goal - so it is so nice to hear about others successes to know its absolutely possible.

My loss after WLS was MUCH faster than I ever lost on my own. I don't think I lost especially quickly-it was about average, but by a year out, I'd lost 140 of the 153 lbs that I wanted to lose. I don't think that would have been possible without WLS-not for me anyway. Hope this helps.

I can't even imagine losing so much weight - and I have it to lose! Thanks for sharing.

Faster after surgery. Having a tool, Even when I had a bad day and I wanted to cheat, I really couldn't do a lot of damage. Volume got limited by my pouch, it still is, and fairly early I realized I was a dumper. And dumping cause RH after all that pain, so I got punished twice. Not worthy! it. Plus carbs caused really bad, nasty gas. I worked full time, and nothing may make you eat clean like working in an office with other people and having bad flatulence. When I was single, I could try to eat crazy carbs on weekends, but I wanted to get out, be active. Again, gas could prevent most activity. When I added dating - my diet was almost always rather clean.

To add: I have been post op close to 11 years. I had months that my eating wasn't very good, I ate too much carbs, and I was drinking alcohol socially, or to help me with gut pain after eating.

And couple of times I had significant for me regain. (App 25-30 lbs). And both times, after I cleaned my diet, and I followed diet of proteins forward, plus veggies, plus a couple of bites of starch, if I still have room, I was able to lose the regain and got back to my long term goal.

Unfortunately alcohol can make it very easy for me to gain weight. A few months ago I decided to stop drinking alcohol, became an abstinent. I like wine, but with my altered anatomy post op RNY, any alcohol can hit me hard and fast. And the next day my body punupu me for drinking. I decided it's just not worth it. Not worth the side effects of weight gain. As I age, my liver has hard enough time to deal with toxins in food and water. Or the meds I gave to take. Adding alcohol stresses the liver so much more. As I told my doc,. I could deal with my anxiety by drinking, but I really like my liver too much to do that. What is funny - he even put that in my chart.

I am choosing RNY as well because of the restriction and malabsorption - I'm a little nervous about any dumping, but can use that as a tool if I get that effect.

I like how you were able to reuse your tool to get back on track. Good news that its still there for you after time goes on.

Be aware that only app 30% of RNY may experiance dumping. My first year, beside some blueberries "binge" I had one day, I was close to perfect. I lost 110 lbs, to my goal , within 9-10 months. After I got to goal and even got to be slightly too thin for my frame I would do things that could cause dumping. And initially, it didn't take a lot. But sugar is my main weakness, so over the last 11 years I learned how to cheat and I can eat a lot of sugary stuff before I the full spectrum dumping. But I almost always get the RH (Reactive Hypoglycemia- really low BS) and I hate RH with passion. I hate RH more than I like most sweets.

My personal observation: watching people IRL and from forums, people who never really gave up sugary items, and ate little her, little there slowly increased the sugary items portion (including fruits high in sugars) either don't get dumping, or takes a lot of sugar fo them to dump. Staying away from sweets first year made me very super sensitive to sweets and I had a hard time to try to introduce them back in my diet. That was a very good thing for me.

I hate being in pain, sick, so the sensitivity to sugars was a good things for me.

"I hate RH more than I like most sweets"

Amen Hala. I also seem to remember someone mentioning she was now "allergic to cake". I've used that one also, many times, along with "next meal, not next day". ;)

I am often the one that tell people I am allergic to cake, cookies or thing like that.

But for stupid people who need to now what type of allergies is it - I tell me "I swell with fat"

For normal people, who mean well, I can tell them that have allergies to grains, dairy- and sugar. All of them true. Unfortunately.