Long term weight loss

Marianne W.
on 2/21/21 12:13 pm

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.

PattyL
on 2/21/21 1:13 pm

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.

Janet P.
on 2/23/21 3:51 am

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?

Janet in Leesburg
DS 2/25/03
Hazem Elariny
-175

SGurvich
on 2/6/22 2:19 pm

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

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