was my surgery a failure?

I am now almost 11 months post op and have only lost 50 lbs with a considerable amount of effort on my part. I go to the gym 5 days a week but I find that even right after surgery I could eat more than anyone else. I never dumped and even after the first couple of weeks I started to experience hunger. At 3 months out I had only lost 23 lbs and at 7 months out I had lost another 17 lbs. Since then I have struggled and find that I feel hungry all the time. I am considering going to a hypnotist. I feel like such a failure and I am ashamed of myself. I would like to lose another 60 lbs to be where I think I should be. I didn't go back to my surgeon for my 9 month appointment because he was such a jerk to me the last two times I saw him that it made me just want to go eat. I talked to my gynecologist and am going to see another surgeon for follow up because the thought of going to see my surgeon gives me hives (plus he is an hour drive and spends all of 5 minutes with me). I have been having a lot of abdominal pain on my right side and swelling as well. They have tested my gallbladder and found nothing. You have no idea how hard this is for me to write this! Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.

I too feel like a failure so I really feel for you. I also cannot go back to my Surgeon. I have lost 58 lbs and had my surgery in September. However I haven't lost anything for the past 7 weeks. During that time I haven't been able to eat like I did pre-op. So I have the disadvantages of not being able to eat properly and also have not continued to loose the weight. When it was my birthday my Husband took me out for a meal and I couldn't eat it. What a waste of money. My Surgeon is in Belgium and his Assistant wasn't happy that I commented on a UK forum that the Nurses in the HDU were witches who gave me a really hard time after my surgery and because of that I cannot even go back to my Surgeon for after care. I know this sounds daft but the swelling and pain on your right side couldn't be your appendix could it? (not sure which side it is on anyway). I know I am in no position to give advice seeing as how I haven't lost anything for so long now but are you leaving enough time in between eating and drinking? Also I read that if you drink a lot of water in one go, you can fill the pouch up like that and it may help with the hunger for a while. All the best to you and I hope that both of us start shifting the weight again soon.

depends upon what type of foods you are eating. Have you gone back to carbs? ( bread, rice, chips, potatoes, crackers, deserts to name a few) These can actually get your body to crave them again. Are you getting your vitamins every day? You need quick dissolving vitamins that can be absorbed by you smaller stomach. Regular vitamins like Centrum or One a Day will pass through your system before they have a chance to be absorbed. Remember when eating, get protein first and then fruits and veggies. Jer

I understand what you are going through because my weight loss has stalled too and we share the same rebirth day but never by no means feel that your surgery was a failure! I have read information that says the size of the pouch is not the issue so much as the caloric intake when it comes to weight gain or slow loss of weight post op. Please try to find support meetings in your area because this will help you. Your doctor may have performed your surgery but he can only relate to the medical side of the procedure if he has not had the surgery. Meeting with fellow post ops can help you a great deal because these people have some of the same problems that you are dealing with. I still need to lose about 50 pounds to reach my surgeons goal for me and I will not lose hope now. We have been through the worst dealing with obesity and the issues surrounding it. Take it one day at a time a try to get in your fliuds, protein and some cardio exercise because this will help. Also take the advice given about carbs. I noticed my carb intake has increased so I will need to monitor that to see if that will make a difference. E-mail me anytime if you want someone to talk to. Prycey Lady RNY 2/2/05 373/236/??

You should find out if you are insulin resistant. If you are, your doctor may prescribe glucophage to get your sugar stable and therefore get your metabolism working. Also you should consider following an insulin resistance diet such as the low GI diet and spreading your meals over 6 meals in a day (eat a very small amount every 2 to 3 hours, water in between).

Kim, I feel like I know what you're going through because I am in the same spot. I would like to loose another 60 lbs but I did have more to loose in the first place. I get disapointed that 3 years out I've never hit my goal, but I know I am so much better off now than I was so I still consider this a success for me. I started having the same issues about six months out. I started eating things that weren't good for me. It started with just one, then two and from there I had a hard time stopping it. The worst part is I was still loosing and not dumping so I kind of got the thought in my head that I could eat whatever I wanted and still loose. Bad thinking I know. About two months ago I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to make some changes in my life if I was ever going to get the last 60 pounds off me. So I started hitting the gym and it's starting to pay off now. The pounds are coming off, but very slowly. I also made some changes in my house. I started using small plates and put away the big dishes. It's amazing how you can play tricks on your mind. Put the same amount of food on a small dish and a big plate and see which one looks like more. I stopped keeping any junk food in the house and got back to the rules of the pouch. Water, protein, and exercise. When I started this journey at 626 lbs I said I only wanted to be like everyone else and I know that I am now. Like everyone else that wants to loose weight I must diet and exercise. I am okay with that. Keep trying and we'll get there together. Maybe someday we can both be posting that we made our goal. 52 lbs left for me. Calvin 626/332/280

Oh my Gosh, you have done so well, Calvin and the original poster too! I know it is frustrating, hang in there, I am proud of you for losing every pound you have!