Question

Hello I just have some questions I would like to find the answer to and I thought that this board would know the answers I am in the middle of my 6 month pre-op Dr. supervised program. On the main board I hear so much conflict and people who don't suceed with the WLS. My question is, in your opinion and exeperence, the people who use this sugery as a tool and not as a means of "magic weight loss" and the people who are very active and follow the rules are the ones most  likely to do better and not gain the weight back?  This is my fear, I know that I will be using this as only a tool to help me gain control of my weight, I am currently very active and plan to stay that way, I just need something to help with my eating and my disere to feel full.  I just have this fear that even if i do follow the rules and continue to remain active somehow I will gain the weight back ( at least thats what people seem to imply on their posts about there failed WLS) Thanks!

Hi! I don't know what to tell you. I am at a point where the weight is slowly but steadily creeping back on and it seems no matter what I do it won't stop. I am very active too, and have reduced my calorie intake to mostly nothing, like it was when I first got the surgery. But, i am paying attention to it and I think maybe that's the trick. Being aware of what you're doing because you're right, this isn't a magic bullet. It's a great way to help shed the bulk of your weight but once you get down to close to your goal you really have to work at it, as I am now. I ballooned back up 30 pounds when I was within 30 pounds of my goal!! So that's 60 pounds I need to lose now. NOT EASY! I guess the trick is to hang in there and keep your goals in full sight. -=db=-

Hi Danielle I am speaking for myself only.   I went from a tight 22-24 to my present 10 and I am 4 years out in Nov. Your cant eat much at a time IF you eat the right things but if you eat crackers , chips etc which or a no no then you can eat alot as it chews up small. I found when i had the surgery that my ENTIRE way of eating the food I like changed.  I no longer wanted all the sweets and chips etc that  I used to eat. Sweets make me sick now to be honest. I eat one occasionally but not to often. The KEY TO SUCCESS is eating what your supposed to , cheat little and exercise EVERY DAY of some kind. Your appetite will be so small in the beginning you wont believe it .  It grows after awhile but never what it was. Example of todays lunch .. I small slice of meatloaf about 1/2 wide and 4 inches long, 6 steamed baby carrots and that is it ..  WAY Full as I type. NOW, if I drink with this I wont stay full long. If I wait for 30 -60 min it last me until 3:00 at which I will have a small snack that lasts till dinner. I have about 5 mini meals a day .. WORKS for me :)  Skinny wished and hugs and hope this helps some  Shirl

9/17/03 I weighed 360 pounds & wore a very tight size 32 jeans, the biggest size I could buy at any fat ladies store.  Today almost 4 years later I weigh 196 and wear a size 12. I have always been a sugar/flour addict and unfortuantly still am. I did not get the dumping effect I so longed for, I go get a little belly ache but not enough to stop me from eating my cakes & cookies. However at the most I can eat 3 or 4. I could do that every hour or so but dont. This surgery has been a wonderful tool for me, it stops me from being able to eat an entire bag or oreo's at a singel sitting. It even stops me from having an entire package of twinkies cause I can only eat the one before I am stuffed and then USUALLY i remember that I love being a size 12 and that stops me from eating the second cupcake an hour later. YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR NEW TUMMY BUT WHEN YOU DO I BELIEVE IT WORKS!!! Good luck on whatever you decide. I think it is good that you are asking questions and you know already that nothing is magic wehn it comes to losing weight.!! Diana RNY 9/17/03 360/196/still aiming at 180

In the beginning it really is magic weight loss, for the first year or so I could do no wrong and it was AWESOME!  Then life returns to "normal".  If you stay active and pay attention to what you are eating (protein, cal intake) you will, most likely be fine.  I am 2 years out and I can tell you my pouch works perfectly, I don't always work my pouch perfectly though.  I still have 15 pounds to loose, I have been at the same weight for a year.  I am fine with that, I didn't get the bounce back that people talk about, but I never got to "goal", I am still working on it.  You have to make good choices, which sometimes, we don't always do.  I ate 3/4 cup of low fat cottage cheese and a quarter of a peach for breakfast and I was stuffed.  I could have had the same volume in food and had a doughnut or a bagel with cream cheese (i don't dump), but I had made a good choice.   I guess what I am trying to say is don't eat crap and you will be fine.  My two year old pouch is somewhere between 1 and 1.5 cups, I decide what if put in there.   Also, make sure you are in touch with your emotional eating issues.  I never thought I had emotional eating issues.  When Oprah would say, "It's not just about the food", I was like, "yeah it is".  Now, I realize I eat out of bordom and frustration.  I have had a wonderful life with little to no emotional drama that some go through, I realized I eat my "every day normal" stress and frustration.  I am learning on better ways to cope.   You won't fail! 

HI! Everyone has already made some really good points that I completely agree with. I was given a tool and 2yr8mt post op the tool still works if/when I work the tool. Can I eat crap? Yes! Will I gain weight if I eat junk food? You betcha! The key is staying on top of things and not letting 5lbs turn into 50lbs. I allow myself to bounce around in the 150's, but work very hard not to see 160 again. I know when the scale will show a gain before I even hop up on it, but if I've had too much food fun, then I know its time to cut back and get down to business again.  My best advice is to take full advantage of your "window of opportunity". This is the time to work on changing the old habits and replacing them with new healthy ones. It breaks my heart when I read of people 3 or 6mths out that have already started eating sugar and carbs b/c they're setting themselves up for such a hard road. Follow dr's orders to a "T" and you'll do great!  I also agree that facing your demons so to speak is very important. I think the missing link for most wls patients is therapy w/ someone that specializes in eating disorders. I didn't realize until my 2yr anniversary that I needed some help b/c I am an emotional eater and I lost my emotional outlet. I am currently in therapy and trying my best to figure this all out.  That's wonderful that you are so active~even at 328lbs I was always active too and I think that helped alot in the long run. Continue with that as soon as possible after surgery. Push yourself to do more, try  new things and have fun with it! This will truly be your new way of life and things will get easier and more fun with time!  So, you're right~there is no magic to it. It takes work and is not the easy way out, but you WILL be given a very special gift~a tool that will help you. I am in no way saying that someone that hasn't reached goal or maintained goal hasn't worked their butt off~to me I see success in everyone that's living a healthy lifestyle, eating right, exercising~its really our overall health that matters so much more than a number on the scale! For me, when I'm eating healthy I feel better mentally and physically. I've often said "when I eat crap I feel like crap!" Now that's not to say that I never eat crap, but I wonder why I do that to myself?!?!?!?! I wish you so much luck and it sounds to me like you're are off to a great start!!!!! Take Care and I can't wait to see you again as a "grad" someday!!!!!!

I'm 13 months post-op and not as experienced as a lot of these ladies. I know a lot of people who have had WLS before me, and the results vary a lot. I have lost 40 pounds more than my doctor estimated (the statistical averages put me at 185 pounds, and I'm at 145 pounds and still losing about a pound a week). I have a friend that has maintained a 150-pound loss for several years now. I have another that never came close to her goal weight and has struggled a lot with regain for about 5 years. Another friend had RNY a few months after me, and she's already regaining. i don't know why it happens in every case, but my two friends that have regained, they never followed orders after WLS, and if they ever exercise it's purely by accident. My successful friend that has kept off 150 pounds - she weighs every day or two, watches what she eats, and exercises nearly every day. I know there are a lot of factors like medications that cause weight gain, slowing metabolism, aging, etc., but from my observations, good eating habits and exercise will do the most to ensure your success. It's too early for me to say how I'll be doing 5 or 6 years down the road, but I feel like my chances of maintaining a reasonable weight are pretty good. I've learned a lot over the past year, and this little pouch lets me know when I've done something wrong, and I definitely get full a lot faster than I used to. (In fact, before my surgery I don't recall ever being full.)

Danielle welcome. I have to say.. these women know what they are talking about. And don't discount emotional eating.. I'm in the middle of dealing with my emotional eating issues..and you know what..even with this battle, I'd do this surgery all over again. I have 1 regret, and 1 only.. that I waited so long to have it.  When I do what I'm supposed to do..I maintain and feel great...and have no issues...When I screw around and drink, or overeat..or eat crap..then I feel like crap... do I miss teh ability to eat boundlessly??? NO.. I love being a size 4, I love saying I'm a size 4..and If I only made it to a size 12..I'd be stoked there... So, I think that everyone is unique in their successes or failures after WLS..but it seems to be a trend..if you eat correctly, and exercise, you have more changes for continued success... I hope I offend no one with that.. just my opinion. :)  I hope you have an uneventful surgery like I did. :)  jess

Hello Danielle, I had wls 7 years ago but started re-gaining the weight back about 3 years after surgery.  I don't blame the surgery.  The "tool" works when used correctly but I  failed to use my "tool" the way it should be used.   After you have your surgery, PLEASE take that time, when it is physically impossible to overeat and make bad food choices, to really listen to and follow your surgeon's advice and directions.  My mistake was worrying about when I would be able to eat cookies and french fries and fast foods and snack crackers and chips again.  I should have spent that time trying to make the lifestyle changes necessary to stay successful. When I was finally able to eat that junk again, I really went for it and grazed my way back up to 181 pounds. A 42 pound weight gain by March 2005!!  Since January, I got back on track for the last time, lost 28 of the 42# I gained and I am on the losing side again!  I have learned from my mistake.  In spite of my problem with weight gain, I realized that it was all my fault and I would definitely have wls again in a heartbeat. Just follow the rules and you will succeed.  Continue to follow them even when you reach your goal weight and you will stay successful.  Good luck to you in your journey whatever you decide. Many blessings,

Char

Hmmm. I'll be 13 yrs in a few weeks. I'd love to say that I am pure as the driven snow in all I eat, but that's a lie. LOL

I think, for me, I have a very radically distal RNY. That means that if I add effort to that, I'm so far able to keep the wt off UNLESS I get involved with sugar. And then the radicalness of my surgery means NOTHING. I have had 3 regains, all around sugar, one being fruits.

I also was launched on a much more comprehensive nutrition program i***** than most programs have today! And it was "wanting" in a few areas. Scary, huh?

So, between the surgery type and the lotsa nutrition, I had a better than even break to start, I think. I also had a good teacher. She didn't mince words. Neither did my doc. He's been doing these since 1963, so those who went before me were more of an experiment than I was, but then, I was the experiment for you, right? A little late, but NOW you know that however much calcium citrate they tell you take, it is not enough!

But I see that many ppl are launched on much higher empty calories (sugar) than I take in even today. As I look at the accountability things ppl post and watch the post-op programs ppl are on, they are taking in way more sugar, much larger volume earlier than I was.

Yes, this is a tool, but you need a lot of tools in your toolbox. A good nutrition program, an intelligent eating program based on the disease of morbid obesity (not some textbook concept of eating) and a plan to cover the stumbles and bumbles of real life when it runs over you.

While many of us can correct the slight reain by steering the ship back on course, many ppl cannot corrrect a bad surgery or a bad start 5 yrs later and it's not their fault.

All you can do is ask to LAY EYEBALLS ON ppl who are 5+ yrs out with YOUR doc on HIS plan and those of other docs and maybe other programs. I know that here, when ppl come to support groups, they often choose their doc based on how the ppl look at 3, 5 10 yrs out.