Stories of people with BMI of 36-38

Can I hear from those of you out there who are at a BMI of 36-38 who had the r&y. I have looked for stories but have had a hard time finding them. I am still undecided if this is for me or not. I really want to be totally reasured that this is the right decision for where I am.

Thanks for the help everyone

Brooke

Brooke, welcome to the lightweight board.

I didn't have the RNY (not for me cause I knew I would need NSAIDS). I had the DS which suited me much better.

My starting BMI when I saw the surgeon for the first time was a whopping 35.2.

As to which surgery is for you...look at all four of them. Gina (majormom) has a post on her blog about how your type of eating may make picking your surgery easier.

And chose your surgery THEN your surgeon. Don't be afraid to travel if needed.

Liz

Welcome!

Here's the run down my surgeon uses to help patients decide which surgery might help them address their eating demons the best. He describes our eating demons by categorizing eaters in 3 ways: 1) the bloater--eats one or two big meals a day, doesn't snack and is pretty active (busy) throughout the day. 2) the sweeter--is addicted to sweets/carbs/sugar and may need some help with volume eating. 3) the grazer--eats or nibbles pretty much constantly and may eat a meal for longer than a half hour.

The bloater may do well with a restrictive only surgery such as the band or the VSG. With the band patients can expect 50-60% weight loss. It's a failure for sweeters and grazers. With the VSG expect 70% weight loss. This surgery can be converted to DS easily. (Note: we have seen lightweights be 100% successful with both the band and VSG here on this board) My surgeon sees about 55% weight loss maintained after 5 years with the VSG but he makes his sleeve larger than most.

The sweeter may do well with the RNY using negative reinforcement of dumping on sugar and fat. There is a 20-25% chance of late regain after 2-3 years--a regain of 20-30% of the initial pounds lost. When successful, expect 60-65% weight loss. (I think these numbers are also more for heavy weights because we see much better success in the lightweights who stay hooked in here on the board)

The grazer may do well the DS and has a 80-90% success rate long term. Patients can expect 90% weight loss. It is also puts type II diabetes in remission for approximately 90% of patients long term. The DS works well for sweeters, grazers and bloaters but can be beat with excessive sweets, fats and grazing. (My surgeon calls the DS the bazooka of weight loss surgeries. Some surgeons won't do the DS on lightweights but some will reduce the amount of malabsorption and give lightweights the DS using a longer common channel. For more info on the DS, see www.dsfacts.com.  There aren't that many surgeons skilled enough to do the DS. Don't jump into this one without doing a lot of research on your surgeon. Surgeons who don't do the DS will use scare tactics and lies to dissuade patients from pursuing the DS. We call them bait and don't switch surgeons, or outright greedy lying *******s.)

I had a BMI right around 40 at start of the process and was right
at a BMI of 35 the day of surgery. I had co-morbidities of hypertension,
lipedema, and PCOS. I would NEVER be where I am healthwise and
weight wise without this surgery. I have been a relatively slow loser since
surgery (unlike most lightweights) but am VERY aware that I would be
gaining weight right now without surgery and would not have had a chance
in hell of getting to a normal BMI.

Good luck!!

~~Jennifer

My BMI was way over that, but I just wanted to welcome you to the LW Board.  Study and read everything you can get, go to support groups meetings if there are any close to you.  Don't be afraid to go to different surgeon's for consultations.  I went to two different surgeons and felt much better with the second one.  Both recommended the RNY for me(neither did the DS).  One did tell me if that was what I chose he could recommend a great surgeon to me. 

If you have RNY or the DS, just be sure that you can afford the supplements, vitamins and follow up care for the rest of your life.  It is very important for you to stay healthy.

Good luck.

Linda

My starting BMI was 37.5, and I had an RNY in Aug 2011.  I have been very happy with my decision for an RNY.

It was a decision that was made jointly with my surgeon.  He had much the same approach as Gina said.  In addition, we talked extensively about my co-morbidities.  Two of those co-morbidities would have a greater potential for being resolved with a RNY vs a VSG.  In addition, I had lost a lot of weight pre-op, so DS was not recommended -  with the larger amount of malabsorption and the same issues as the VSG for one of  my co-morbidities (uncontrolable reflux)  

My surgeon originally indicated that I would lose about 70% of my excess weight, or 70lbs.  As of today, I've lost over 110 lbs, and I'm a little below my fantasy goal. 

So that was the easy part - I have also had some issues with tolerance for food -including lactose intolerance and hypoglycemia which you are less likely to get with a VSG.  Many folks dump when they eat sweets after an RNY - but I do not (so I need to use will power for resisting sweets).

Regardless of what surgery you have, you need to take advantage of the first year of weight loss to develop the good habits that you will need to follow for the rest of your life.  Weight loss surgery is a tool, and you need to follow the rules for the tool to work the best.

Good luck on your journey, and keep coming to the lightweight board.  We love newbies!

 Awe. Thank u for the story!! :). This is really encouraging. It really helps to knows what others feel worked well for them and what didn't.  Thank u for responding to me. I will keep u posted as to what I decide. :)

Thanks
Brooke

My BMI was 35 and I had RNY almost 6 months ago.  I am not quite at goal but close- already in the healthy BMI range.  I know I'm only 6 months out but so far I have no regrets.  I am healthier than I have ever been in my adult life.  This is the first summer  that I am excited to wear sundresses, bathing suits, etc. I feel so good about myself and am participating in so many new activities.
Initially because of my lower BMI I went for a lapband consult but based on the factors mentioned above, my surgeon thought the RNY was a better choice for me.  I love that it keeps me focused on eating more protein and fewer carbs; it's very hard to cheat, which I probably would have done with the band.  It took me over a year to even schedule a consult because I had a hard time facing that surgery was my best option.  Good luck with your decision.

 Thank you so much for your reply. Your situation is very similar to mine. My BMW is 36 and I have been on this journey for almost a year now trying to make sure surgery is the best choice for me. I am 99% sure I want to set a date. I was gonna do the RNY but so many have talked about the sleeve that I am now considering that. I don't like the malabsorbsion issue either. I can't wait to finally have the surgery and be on my way to a healthier life! :). Thank u for your story

Brooke

 Mine was 44 when I started looking into surgery. Then I started measuring 5'1" and that put me at 41. Then I lost 30 pounds and so was around 37 the day of surgery.

I had VSG though. I didn't want to deal with possible malnutrition issues and I didn't need malabsorption to lose weight (I have always been able to lose weight just fine, keeping it off was my problem). VSG also gets rid of the part of the stomach that makes ghrelin, the hormone that makes us hungry, and I was always hungry. So it seems like a match made in heaven.