Were you an Overweight/Obese Child?

I was an obese child, teenager and adult. I have lost over 100 lbs 3 times and have always gained it back.  i am now in my forties and researching WLS. Question 1:  Does anyone know of any research studies on the success of WLS patients that have been obese since childhood. Question 2:: For people who have been obese since childhood, what is your experience keeping the weight off long term?  Is the struggle the same as when you lost weight by other methods?  Thanks for all your help.

I would think that most if not all WLS patients have been obese since childhood, at least I was. I did have periods where my weight was normal but those were few and far between. I was put on my first "diet" by my grandmother at age 10. She encouraged me to eat sandwiches opened face, because I didn't need all that bread.  The hardest thing for me is relaxing some on the dieting. I'm obsessed with not gaining an ounce. If I lose a pound I'm fine but if I gain half a pound, I'm depressed and down. Some girls at work were talking about drinking water (which, I'm a pro) and I gave a recommendation for a water additive that curbs your appetite. Someone said "Why in the world would YOU need to curb your appetite?" Why indeed? I am and always will be addicted to food. I come here and center myself each day (several times a day) and keep a journal of my food and activities. At least for now. I'm scared to death to let my guard down for a minute and maybe gain it back. I think that thought is normal.  So I'm here with the people that struggled and gained and those that struggle at maintaining to keep tabs on myself.

Cyndee, You are so wise to have found this site and ask questions.  Certainly you have seen from the posts that this is NOT a magic bullet.  People still struggle with weight loss after surgery.  I did not know before surgery that there was actually this much of a problem that is really is.  And actually the 2 people that I knew that had RYN did gain it all back.  How sad!  They were actually much more public with their choice, maybe that is why I have decided to remain private with my decision.  That being said, I am almost 2 years out and would NOT change a thing.  I am so glad that I did.  I would not be where I am if I did not have RYN.  I did lose large amounts of weight, only to regain.  I was not especially heavy until after I had my children.  I was 264 before surgery.  146 for about a minute last summer and now 156.  I also have to say that when I was heavy, 10 lbs was no big deal.  You would not notice a difference between 250 or 260.  But, there is a difference now with 10 extra or less pounds!  Life is so different!  I love to travel.  Seatbelts always fit, nobody looks at me strange when I sit next to them in an airplane.  When we visited London I never tired of running around the city from early in the morning til late at night.  I did not feel uncomfortable at the beach in the Cayman Islands, I had fun!  I now know that I will still have to work at it, but I have had a great 2 years!

If you want to know about people's experiences keeping the weight off long term, just trot on over to the OH Revision Board.  Now that should give you a big dose of reality about the long term.  Many, many people are struggling with regain (myself included), and are seeking whatever type of revision they can get, whether through a clinical trial (like myself) or paid by insurance, and even self-pay.  I can't emphasize it enough - it is a real problem!  Most are regaining because of an enlarged pouch or stoma - those can be fixed.  But most of us also lapsed in our eating habits, allowing back in carb/snack/slider foods, instead of sticking to dense protein, veggies and some fruit.  Many people are carb-addicted (myself included), and once you allow those foods back in, the addiction returns.  For me, it took having a revision (RESTORe clinical trial procedure), and now, 9 days later, back on full liquid diet, detoxed of the carbs, to get back on track.  Others have gotten back on track by following, and occasionally repeating, the 5 Day Pouch Test Plan, which takes you back to basics and helps with detoxing from carbs.  Getting back to your original question, I was overweight but not obese as a child/teenager.  Most of my adult life was spent as overweight, eventually leading to obesity.  But I can definitely say most of my eating issues stem from childhood, coming from a very imbalanced family life. I learned to eat for comfort (emotional eating), and I learned to eat in private (binge-eating).  Those coping mechanisms are the ones I repeatedly went back to in my life, which is why I just kept gaining weight.  I was successful several times (like many) on various programs - Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, etc., but always put it all back on plus some (like many of us).  So yes, the struggle is much the same as when I lost weight by other methods.  The difference this time is we have been given this wonderful tool.  But it doesn't work by itself - it must be worked.  That's where I failed post-WLS - I didn't work the tool.  So I'm back to working the tool, and hope to post progress reports as I lose back down to my original goal weight. Boy that was cathartic! Thanks, Betsy

I don't know of any studies differentiating WLS success based on childhood obesity, but perhaps someone else will. I've been fighting obesity since I was about seven years old (i'll be 50 this year).  Was able to see-saw between overweight and "normal" weights for many years until my late twenties, when I teetered between overweight and obese, then between obese and morbidly obese, then just morbidly obese from late 30's on.  Had WLS at age 43.  Did well with it, am fighting regain now at age 50 because I developed a chocolate addiction as a long-term post-op and failed to address it.  Thus far, I find it's not difficult to lose the extra weight when I use the pouch as intended.  I still can't volume-eat at almost six years post-op (volume eating was the reason I became morbidly obese).   When I load up on dense protein foods first (and rely on protein shakes to help with appetite control too), I do just fine with the RNY.  For me, it truly is just a "tool" that helps me battle obesity.  But it is not a cure and personally I do not believe any WLS is a "cure" in the sense of killing off habits (bad eating/no exercise) that lead to obesity.  Long-term, you will likely still have food issues as a post-op.  After all, obesity *is* a disease.  But at least you will have something powerful to take into the battle with WLS.  Sadly, though, there are folks who cannot make those changes, or who will not, or whose metabolisms are so stubborn that the battle is just too exhausting to keep on fighting.  Hence the wide variety of responses and experiences with WLS.

Nope never was obese until I was rehabing from a stroke. Weight gain came in 30 lbs at a time within 15 months for me and it was not diet. I was not sure I would loose weight from an RNY but I did slowly 2 lbs a week. As a child my parents tooke me to dr's to gain weight. At 17 along with my B12 shots due to blood platelet disorder, I would bring a tally of all extra things I took in like ensure drinks, candy bars so to see where we could add calories...I ate pasta every night come from a big Italian family and none of my siblings are overweight either... I read a study saying if our children in US ate a proper breakfast everyday there would not be obesity...that is pure bull. I never ate in the morning and  had to force lunch because I did not get hungry until 2:30 or 3PM and I am still the same. On the other hand I have a sister who eats a hefty breakfast and that makes her cortisol levels high wanting more food and she literally eats all day still. I still to this day follow the same protcol...it's 2:40 and I am just having my first protein drink. Any earlier I have nausea for hours.

I'm almost 19 months out from RNY. I never was an obese child, but I was always one of the heavier kids. I also lost and regained over 100 pounds three times during my life before RNY, so I know how easy it is to see the weight pile back on. My philosophy was always "Well, I've gained a pound, I'm a failure, might as well gain 100." I was probably in my early 30's when I hit 300 pounds the first time. I could never get below about 240 on my own, and couldn't maintain it. People ask me all the time if I would recommend RNY, and I tell them I would do it again, but I would try everything else first. So far, the maintenance has been fairly easy, although I expect it to get harder. The fact is, I'm 47 years old, I had developed diabetes, sleep apnea, joint pain, all the stuff that comes with obesity, and RNY was my last chance to be healthy. It's very, very important to me to keep the weight off. I understand it's normal to regain a few pounds at about 2 years post-op, which would be fine, because I lost a little more weight than I intended. I spent the morning taking up size 2 skirts because they were too big. I can't say that I'm 100% sure I won't regain a lot of weight, but the RNY has given me hope where I never had it before, and I really think I can do it this time. You are very wise to understand that RNY is not a lifetime miracle and that it will take a lot of effort on your part to be successful long-term. So many people worry about losing the weight and don't think about 3, 5, 10 years down the road.

No, I was not an obese child or teenager~although in my teens I thought at 170lbs and 5'9" I was obese, but now I know better. I gained my weight in my 20's after a miscarriage that sent me into a depression~from age 25-30 I gained about 140lbs (had 2 pregnancies in there too that contributed to the weight gain).

I was bigger than other children my age. But as I look back, I wasn't obese, I was taller and weighed more.  Years of bad habits and eating huge amounts go hand in hand with obesity. I'm sure the old habits don't die too easily. You just have to watch the scale, and takes steps if you have even a small gain. That's what normal size people do who gain 2-3 pounds, they eat less, move more until they lose the pounds.

Great questions, interesting answers.  Good for you doing thorough research before going ahead with surgery.  I don't know any studies regarding childhood obesity either.    But I have been obese since childhood with a brief 6 yr. period of normal weight as a young adult followed by regain from emotional overeating/comforting.   The struggle IS the same for me.  It will be a struggle my WHOLE life.  I am a food addict 'in recovery' and will never be cured.  This was a revision surgery for me...the first wls (stapling w/banding called VBG)  was completely undamaged and intact: it was the wrong surgery type for my addiction.  RNY is working for me because I am working IT and staying with my support group (studies DO show that is critical to long-term success but I couldn't cite the names of them for you, sorry), weighing myself daily, measuring and journalling my food daily and daily exercising.   Either commit to lifelong compliance to your surgeon's rules or try a different method of weight loss. Simple as that.   Your health is in your own hands, bless you for being so brave to face this challenge now while you are still young enough to make a real difference in the quality of the rest of your life. Molly