5 Things You Don't Know About Being a WLS Graduate
5 Things You Don't Know About Being a WLS Graduate
1. We don't think of ourselves as "WLS Grads." Admittedly I can't speak for the whole universe of WLS-Grad-dom, but I'd say a significant portion of those several years out from bariatric surgery don't walk around in their daily lives like they are still bariatric patients. I get many emails from people who say things like, "You're the only long-term post-op that ever replied to emails!" Relax. This isn't because they don't care about your questions/concerns. It's because they've achieved the success you're trying to reach. They no longer have to think about being "bariatric," and they get to just be "normal." :)
2. We gain weight back. (Again, I'm speaking in generalities here.) Most of us gain weight back. It's true. We do. Before you burst into tears, hear me out. People gain weight. It's life. It's not just you or me or any of us OH'ers. It's just the way it is. We go up, we go down. That doesn't necessarily mean we've fallen off the wagon for good. I have, count em, TWICE re-gained 20 pounds of my 200 pound loss. Each time, I just do what any other non-bariatric person does, I eat less, I exercise harder, and I lose it. No magic here. Just hard work. :)
3. Some of us become "normal." Before you get all excited about the idea of being normal, listen up to what that entails. After about 18 months of living the bariatric lifestyle, I plateaued (sp?!?). After 2.5 years, I pretty much stopped losing weight the way I'd been losing it all along (which was following "the rules" blindly and watching the weight fall off). My body became about as close to normal as it will ever be. I can eat ANYthing I want and as much as any non-bariatric person. I eat from regular spoons, drink from regular water bottles, and could go through any fast food drive-thru I wanted to. The super-secret-only-for-your-eyes-reason I lost 200 pounds and kept if off is because I actively CHOOSE to be smart with my body. I choose not to go through those drive-thru's, to eat whole grains, to incorporate tons of fruits and veggies into my diet, to exercise daily. I am active with my choices. This is absolutely key.
4. We have loose skin. It's a fact. When you loose oodles and gobs of weight, the skin has to go somewhere. So what? You can still walk up a flight of stairs and wear smaller clothes and fit in an airline seat. If the loose skin really bothers you, there are many companies willing to finance reconstructive surgery. I had my reconstructive surgery in January of 2007. I'm STILL paying off that operation, and I don't regret it a bit, even when I write that gigantic check each month that I can barely afford. Okay, I'll admit, I miss the money, but still. It was worth it, honest.
5. We love food more now. Post-operatively, many of us discovered a passion for all things food and fitness. Now, I love to cook, visit new restaurants, and try new foods more than I ever did back when I weighed 343 pounds. Why? Because obesity doesn't mean you love food. Obesity often doesn't have a thing to do with food. It has to do with your head and your relationship with eating. Now, I can appreciate food, it's flavors, the way it can sustain and fuel my body for walking up those stairs, for running, for making love, for someday carrying a child. Today, I'm a foodie. Before, I was just an eater.
What are your expectations for being a WLS grad? Do you have any points you would add to this list? If you're a post-op, how does being a graduate differ from your expectations?
--Jasmine
Read more by me on my blog, Eat Move Write.
Follow me on Twitter.
1. We don't think of ourselves as "WLS Grads." Admittedly I can't speak for the whole universe of WLS-Grad-dom, but I'd say a significant portion of those several years out from bariatric surgery don't walk around in their daily lives like they are still bariatric patients. I get many emails from people who say things like, "You're the only long-term post-op that ever replied to emails!" Relax. This isn't because they don't care about your questions/concerns. It's because they've achieved the success you're trying to reach. They no longer have to think about being "bariatric," and they get to just be "normal." :)
2. We gain weight back. (Again, I'm speaking in generalities here.) Most of us gain weight back. It's true. We do. Before you burst into tears, hear me out. People gain weight. It's life. It's not just you or me or any of us OH'ers. It's just the way it is. We go up, we go down. That doesn't necessarily mean we've fallen off the wagon for good. I have, count em, TWICE re-gained 20 pounds of my 200 pound loss. Each time, I just do what any other non-bariatric person does, I eat less, I exercise harder, and I lose it. No magic here. Just hard work. :)
3. Some of us become "normal." Before you get all excited about the idea of being normal, listen up to what that entails. After about 18 months of living the bariatric lifestyle, I plateaued (sp?!?). After 2.5 years, I pretty much stopped losing weight the way I'd been losing it all along (which was following "the rules" blindly and watching the weight fall off). My body became about as close to normal as it will ever be. I can eat ANYthing I want and as much as any non-bariatric person. I eat from regular spoons, drink from regular water bottles, and could go through any fast food drive-thru I wanted to. The super-secret-only-for-your-eyes-reason I lost 200 pounds and kept if off is because I actively CHOOSE to be smart with my body. I choose not to go through those drive-thru's, to eat whole grains, to incorporate tons of fruits and veggies into my diet, to exercise daily. I am active with my choices. This is absolutely key.
4. We have loose skin. It's a fact. When you loose oodles and gobs of weight, the skin has to go somewhere. So what? You can still walk up a flight of stairs and wear smaller clothes and fit in an airline seat. If the loose skin really bothers you, there are many companies willing to finance reconstructive surgery. I had my reconstructive surgery in January of 2007. I'm STILL paying off that operation, and I don't regret it a bit, even when I write that gigantic check each month that I can barely afford. Okay, I'll admit, I miss the money, but still. It was worth it, honest.
5. We love food more now. Post-operatively, many of us discovered a passion for all things food and fitness. Now, I love to cook, visit new restaurants, and try new foods more than I ever did back when I weighed 343 pounds. Why? Because obesity doesn't mean you love food. Obesity often doesn't have a thing to do with food. It has to do with your head and your relationship with eating. Now, I can appreciate food, it's flavors, the way it can sustain and fuel my body for walking up those stairs, for running, for making love, for someday carrying a child. Today, I'm a foodie. Before, I was just an eater.
What are your expectations for being a WLS grad? Do you have any points you would add to this list? If you're a post-op, how does being a graduate differ from your expectations?
--Jasmine
Read more by me on my blog, Eat Move Write.
Follow me on Twitter.
thank you for this post -- as a new post op, i appreciate the thoughts on this. good reminders.
Height: 5'6". Top Weight/Surgery Weight: 274. (August 2010)
8 weeks out: 219.6. 12 weeks out: 198.
NORMAL WEIGHT REACHED MARCH 2011 (153 lbs.).
Goal BMI: In the normal range, please -- somewhere between 22-24
Clothing size 26/28 (triple X) before surgery in August of 2010.
March 2011 clothing size: 10/12 (large)
Lap. RNY and Gallbladder Removal, Dr. Choi @ Danbury Hospital, Aug. 2010
8 weeks out: 219.6. 12 weeks out: 198.
NORMAL WEIGHT REACHED MARCH 2011 (153 lbs.).
Goal BMI: In the normal range, please -- somewhere between 22-24
Clothing size 26/28 (triple X) before surgery in August of 2010.
March 2011 clothing size: 10/12 (large)
Lap. RNY and Gallbladder Removal, Dr. Choi @ Danbury Hospital, Aug. 2010
Thank you so much for posting this. I am 22 months post op and consider myself a grad. I have lost 120 lbs and I achieved my personal goal weight. I was recently diagnosed with Melanoma and underwent surgery to remove it...I was placed on Xanex (for good reason!) 
and it made me eat like a horse. I am now better and back on my feet and I gained 10 pounds of that back! I was devasted today when I got on the scale for the first time since my diagnosis. I needed a boost and you gave it to me. I needed to be reminded of what to do to get this 10 lbs back off. I need to go on a "real" diet like "normal" people do. My story is much like yours in that I followed all rules and the weight fell off then at 18 months it stopped completly. I was fine with that, b.c I had reached my personal goal. I was NOT fine when I stepped on that scale tonight! I have not been on this site in a VERY long time and I feel that is also my problem b/c I am not keeping up with everyone and being held accountable. Thanks for the help tonight.
Shelle
and it made me eat like a horse. I am now better and back on my feet and I gained 10 pounds of that back! I was devasted today when I got on the scale for the first time since my diagnosis. I needed a boost and you gave it to me. I needed to be reminded of what to do to get this 10 lbs back off. I need to go on a "real" diet like "normal" people do. My story is much like yours in that I followed all rules and the weight fell off then at 18 months it stopped completly. I was fine with that, b.c I had reached my personal goal. I was NOT fine when I stepped on that scale tonight! I have not been on this site in a VERY long time and I feel that is also my problem b/c I am not keeping up with everyone and being held accountable. Thanks for the help tonight.Shelle
autumn_nocturne
on 8/19/10 11:42 pm
on 8/19/10 11:42 pm
jasmine, that is so perfectly said. i had my RNY GP in july 05, so it was just a two months after you. i've lost and kept off 105-110lbs and am in the 'normal' weight range. i don't consider myself this poster child for WLS- i barely remember what life was like before. old pictures are shocking. many of my friends didn't know "fat" me. now, i'm just me. god knows i have a lot of issues- the least of which being body issues. but who doesn't? that's actually what's brought me to this site. i can eat almost anything, and like you, i love food more than ever before. i can't relate to people who hold on to the 'bariatric patient' badge forever... that's just my personal feeling. yes, we still have to be conscious of nutrition issues when malabsorption exists, but other than that- i'm what i set out to be- "normal."
Jasmin, good message. I've lost about 70 lbs. and need to lose at least another 20 and would like to lose 30. Haven't lost anything since my one year anniversary in 2009. I'm so much better off healthwise than before WLS. I don't have loose skin but my tummy is a little flabby and my arms have bat wings, but I have no desire to go under the knife plus my insurance won't pay.
It's so nice to shop in the petite department, fit in a booth, and many other things. I did go into this new life thinking dieting wouldn't be an issue after WLS. I had been a WW member off and on for 35 years and been on other programs but never got close to goal. Before surgery I would see message asking about different weight loss programs and I wondered why they would be looking for a diet program when already had WLS. Didn't that "cure" them?? I found out that to be healthy, I need to eat healthy and exercise forever and that's okay.
My life is so much better since WLS!!
Bariatric surgery isn't a "get out of fat free card" - far from it. What it does is give me one, and only one, "do-over" so I can make the right choices and learn to eat the right foods to stay healthy and slim.
It's so nice to shop in the petite department, fit in a booth, and many other things. I did go into this new life thinking dieting wouldn't be an issue after WLS. I had been a WW member off and on for 35 years and been on other programs but never got close to goal. Before surgery I would see message asking about different weight loss programs and I wondered why they would be looking for a diet program when already had WLS. Didn't that "cure" them?? I found out that to be healthy, I need to eat healthy and exercise forever and that's okay.
My life is so much better since WLS!!
Bariatric surgery isn't a "get out of fat free card" - far from it. What it does is give me one, and only one, "do-over" so I can make the right choices and learn to eat the right foods to stay healthy and slim.
~Jo~
RNY: July 8, 2008
Dr. John Price
Kansas City, MO
Shelli61
on 8/21/10 5:09 am - Evans, GA
on 8/21/10 5:09 am - Evans, GA
the first thing you need to do is go see your surgeon and dietitian. Did you gain weight because of a mechanical problem or did you gain because of poor habits? Once that is determined you will know what avenue to go - revision or improve habits. 90+ percent of the time it is because we went back to poor habits.
1. Do not drink with your meals. Period. Don't do it.
2. Eat adequate amounts of protein, then low-carb vegtables, then small amount of fruit.
3. No refined carbs or sugars.
4. Portion control. Are you eating too many slider foods and drinking with meals that will allow you to eat more?
5. Drink enough zero calories fluids between meals
6. 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. No GRAZING!!!
7. You must exercise to lose and keep the weight off. Walk, cycle, run, whatever it takes to get your heart rate up. Also, resistance training to build muscle.
8. Work your tool. Find a support group.
9. JOURNAL EVERY BITE OF FOOD YOU EAT. No what your are eating!
10. Take your vitamins.
Hope this helps!
1. Do not drink with your meals. Period. Don't do it.
2. Eat adequate amounts of protein, then low-carb vegtables, then small amount of fruit.
3. No refined carbs or sugars.
4. Portion control. Are you eating too many slider foods and drinking with meals that will allow you to eat more?
5. Drink enough zero calories fluids between meals
6. 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. No GRAZING!!!
7. You must exercise to lose and keep the weight off. Walk, cycle, run, whatever it takes to get your heart rate up. Also, resistance training to build muscle.
8. Work your tool. Find a support group.
9. JOURNAL EVERY BITE OF FOOD YOU EAT. No what your are eating!
10. Take your vitamins.
Hope this helps!
I agree with all of this. I am over 6 years out. I was just over 300 when I had my surgery. I got down to 120 but that was to thin for me I mean counting ribs thin. I stabalized at 135 and that was great. I was a size 4 and looked good. I had a baby and it was a text book pregnancy (my only 1 my obese pregnanies were preemies) and but on 20 pounds then lost it. My husband went to Iraq and I put on 20 pounds then lost it. I quit smoking and put on 20 pounds and I'm fighting that right now. Make sure you draw a line in the sand. For me that line is 20 pounds. Cross that line means you kick yourself in the butt. Other tips NEVER EVER EVER EVER go ack to soda or carbonated drinks. Stick with jus****er. You get used to it and soon everything else taste too sweet. Its a good way to save yourself empty calories. Whole grain is good. Personally I LOVE popcorn. Its how I snack. I pop it myself and spray with the I can't believe its not butter spray. just remember why you did this and that your surgery isn't a magic cure. You can regain if your not careful. Surgery just gives you a do over. I can eat like a norma person now. I just try not to. At times I almost miss dumping. I admit I'm thankful the Mdonalds frappee will still make me dump. Those are too good and would do me in if they didn't make me dump lol. Good luck newbies I hope to see you as long term grads down the road
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