Question:
after open RNY Do you really only lose about 70% of excess weight?
Hi, I'm 50 yrs old, 286lb 5'3", I have been told that I will probably not be able to lose to goal, that I will likely only lose down to 177lbs ?? Is this true? I would like to see at least 145-150 I can live with that, I dont have to be a SKINNEY MINNIE, but I do want to be at least 145-150, It is depressing to think that I wont be able to get below this 70% thing, also after years out I also hear changes are very good that you will gain about 40% back? This is so scarey, I want this so bad, But I don't want to think that I would go through all of this only to know that I will eventually end up in the same boat again. Has anyone else been told this and actually lost all the weight they wanted to lose, if so, how far out are you and are you having problems with gaining it back?? Thanks in advance — LS F. (posted on August 6, 2003)
August 6, 2003
It's impossible to predict how much weight you lose and nobody can give you
guarantees but if you are faithful to follow your surgeon's instructions
(i.e. a healthy diet, vitamins, water and exercise), you could succeed in
reaching that goal. My surgeon considers the surgery a success if his
patients lose 100 pounds the first year, which is not terribly difficult to
do. Most continue to lose after that year too. Just try not to gain any
more weight between now and your surgery, and if you can even lose a few
pounds before surgery that would really help you get to goal. Good luck!
Jody :)
— MomBear2Cubs
August 6, 2003
Largely it depends on YOU! Exercise, eating right, using your tool will
increase that number. Now lay around eating high carb foods espically early
on you can short circuit the surgery. I lost 100% in 6 months, but I worked
hard and was very diet compliant early on. <P> Now how dedicated are
YOU?
— bob-haller
August 6, 2003
I was told 50%-70% of excess weight...if I only lose 70% I would be at 220
and still qualify for surgery!!! But that is still a number I haven't seen
for probably 15 years so I'd be estactic.
— Sarahlicious
August 6, 2003
Thank God I didn't know about this "statistic" until AFTER I had
lost over 70% of my "excess" weight.....I am 11 months out and
have lost over 85% so far. I plan on losing the rest over the next
6months.... PLUS don't forget that "our" bones are MUCH more
dense that those of the "average bear"... how much more DO our
bones weigh anyway?
— Debby M.
August 6, 2003
The tendency to regain much and even all lost weight (!!) was what finally
decided me against RNY, although I didn't like the pouch idea either. I was
a completely out of control high volume binge eather and just knew I would
not be able to "work the tool" for the rest of my life. I needed
something as close to foolproof as possible, and that is why I chose DS.
With a normally functioning stomach, I never have to deal with stomal
strictures, stretching or ulcers, vomiting, dumping, etc. I can eat all
sorts of foods, and the intestinal component lets me eat fats. This is very
satisfying both physically and psychologically, and and I eat like a normal
person. After getting to or close to goal weight, many DSers regain 10 or
20 lbs, but that's it. You would have to eat nothing but carbs for a very
long time to regain any significant amount, and I've never heard of anyone
doing that, although perhaps they are out there. You will sometimes hear
scare stories about DS. I would not be writing this if I did not think it
was THE best surgery available today. There are many people on AMOS who've
had great success with RNY, and I'm happy for them; but you don't hear much
from the long-term miserable ones because they tend to disappear after
awhile. Some of them are at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ossg-hungry/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OSSG-3PlusYearsPostOP/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OSSG-Revision/ and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/secondtimewls/ You can go to
http://duodenalswitch.com/ for information, join
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/duodenalswitch/ to meet other DS people, and
join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DS_PostOp_Problems/ to see the negative
side of the surgery. Chris, age 55, 5'8", DS 6/11/02, 378-224, BMI
57-34, sz 38-16/18, so far!
— Chris T.
August 6, 2003
well lets see. im a yr post-op and have lost 75% so far, and im 37 lbs from
goal. so no, its not written in stone. and i ca nassure u, this gals
weight aint coming back. i will see to that. so its up to u. its not a
magical cure, but a tool to help u live better. ive lost 110 lbs so far
and 60 inches. best of luck to ya
— amanda W.
August 6, 2003
Okay, here's why I chose a VERY Proximal RNY over both the Distal RNY and
the DS. I was a lightweight to begin with - 5'2 1/2 and 235 lbs. I do not
consider getting to goal weight my sole objective. I also want to get
healthy. Living a healthy lifestyle, for me, does NOT include being able to
eat anything and everything I want whenever I want. For me, to achieve a
healthy heart and body I will need both proper diet and exercise. I have
always tended to feel like crap when I was eating a lot of junk. I also did
not want to have the bowel problems associated other WLS, nor did I want to
have to be on any type major vitamin and mineral supplements for the rest
of my life. So far my blood work as been great and the only supplements I
take are a daily vitamin and calcium. RNY is a tool. You have to make the
most of it and take some responsibility for what you put into your body. I
will be four months out tomorrow and am down 68 lbs and 4-5 clothes sizes
(started at 22 and now my 14's are baggy, 12's are snug). I fully expect
to loose 100% of my excess weight within the next 6-9 months, maybe even
sooner.
— Barbara C.
August 6, 2003
CHRIS....where are you getting your info?? what medical info are you
reading? i even went to some of the sites you suggested about people
regaining over time. well i read them and there were 3 very common things
in each and EVERY single person who wrote they were regaining. the first
was that they were never told on how to eat after surgery and didn't have
after care what so ever. the second is they had a loss or mental trama in
their life(death, divorce ect..). and the third most common reason was that
they got to their goal and wanted to eat whatever they wanted because they
were no longer MO and regained. ANY type of weightloss surgery is only a
tool. YOU have to have control over what you do to your body and be
RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS!!! the fact is if you over eat you gain
weight, if you do what you are supposed to do you won't gain weight. you
make it sound like the fat is gonna jump like magic onto someone's body.
you can't go into having weightloss surgery thinking that you won't have to
make changes in your life forever. the surgery was a way to reach a normal
healthy weight....but it is up to that person to own up to their
responsiblity in maintaining that loss. lets be honest here....we got fat
because we over ate and made very bad choices. why would you NOT make a
change in your life after having to live so unhealthy? making bad choices
wasn't working for them when they were overweight and it won't work for
them when they reach goal either.
— franbvan
August 6, 2003
I was merely told that a loss of 70% excess was considered a
"success" but that there was no limit on what I
<i>could</i> loose. That's up to the individual and how hard
they work at it. You have a lot of food for thought from the previous
posters so I won't add to that, but only wish you good luck!
— [Deactivated Member]
August 6, 2003
The 70% statistic for the RNY is just an average. By definition, some
patients will lose more and some will lose less. (Most studies show that
the long-term weight loss maintained with the proximal RNY is actually
somewhat less than 70%.) However, there is no way to know how much YOU
personally will lose. Part of that will depend on your own physiology and
the specifics of your surgery, and part will depend on your commitment. If
you are determined to lose all of your excess weight, and if you work very
hard after surgery to get there (careful food choices, lots of exercise),
there is no reason to think you can't lose 100% of your excess weight.
Many, many people do. Also, most people do not regain a lot. With the
proximal RNY, about a 25-30% of patients do experience significant regain
around the third year or so, but that still leaves the great majority who
don't. Still, even that 25% risk was a scary statistic for me, and that is
one reason that I chose a more distal procedure (Duodenal Switch) in order
to maximize my chances of maintaining my weight loss over time. BTW, I
feel wonderful, have no bowel issues, no food intolerances, and great blood
work. I eat healthfully and track everything on fitday.com, and I actually
find that I'm consuming a lot MORE calories now than I did before surgery
(I exercise more now too, so that might be part of the reason). Like Chris,
I love my DS, and I do feel it was the very best choice for me. On the
other hand, many people do wonderfully with the RNY and it's a very
effective procedure too. Good luck!
— Tally
August 6, 2003
I believe that this is entirely up to you (with a few exceptions where the
surgery itself is not intact). This is an average. If you follow the
rules, you can lose to goal. It is hard to get those last pounds off, but
with the surgery it's possible. Lots of exercise, water, protein first, no
refined carbs, and you'll get there. Personally, I fight to stay w/in a
normal BMI due to my carb addiction, but if I followed the rules all the
time, I wouldn't have a problem! The moment I stop paying attention, and
relax about the carbs, up go those five pounds, and I have to work to get
them back off AGAIN... but that's entirely my fault. I know what to do,
it's just doing it that's a problem sometimes :)
— mom2jtx3
August 6, 2003
I'm still pre-op BUT when I went for my first consult I weighed 292. They
told me I would get to 180 with no problem. After that it would really
require my hard work to get the rest of the weight off. So if you stick to
the program, exercise & eat right you should be able to get your weight
off and keep it off.
— [Deactivated Member]
August 6, 2003
Well everyone covered the "it's all up to you", but in reality,
that's it. If you chew, chew, chew, take your time, listen to your body,
when it's satisfied, stop. Stick to protein first, if you have carbs, make
them veggies and learn to enjoy your food. My new thing is that if I don't
enjoy the food, I will not waste the calories and chew time eating it. I
went through a life-time of eating to eat, now I WANT to enjoy it. Not
have guilt associated with it. I am 5'4" and I started at 283.5 lbs.
and I now weigh 145-150 lbs (depending on the time of day) and am currently
in a size 8. You can't go by what the scale says. Personally I think that
if I did get down to my IDEAL weight of 134, that it would not be me. I
feel very confident and happy where I am. As you lose, it takes time, but
you will figure out YOUR set point. After being MO for so long, our bodies
change and a weight that would not have been ideal before, may now be where
you want to be. Take it all one day at a time, and then you can be
successful. I think the rush to get to perfection makes us get sloppy and
not focus on lifetime changes, take your time and do it your way. You need
to find the plan that works for you, we can all attest to the fact that
there are 9 million diets out there and how many worked for us??? You need
to find what your body needs and will tolerate. With the aid of this tool,
that is possible. Be good to yourself and it will all fall into place.
— Dana B.
August 7, 2003
I truly believe that we choose the outcome after our surgery. I am
5'7" and started out at 277. I am almost 7 months post op and have
already lost 81% of my excess weight (I am 271 now) and am totally still
losing. I lost 3.5 pounds this week alone. I have very consistantly kept my
protein up to 100 grams a day with Real Meals shakes once a day and the
rest with quality protein rich foods. I also keep my carbs under 40g per
day and have from the beginning. AND water seems to be the one thing that
helps more than anything, the more I drink the more I lose. My goal is 147
and I too was told that the last 30 pounds would be very hard to lose. I
have found that while it has slowed down to 1-2 pounds per week on average
I can still have those great 3-4 pound weeks if I am eatng as I should very
consistantly. As far as gaining the weight back goes, I have worked very
hard with a therapist and a nutritionist to change my thinking about food.
I feel that if this is not done in the first 6 months post op that it just
gets harder to do as you get further out. My surgeon claims that if you
have not changed your ways by 6 months your likelyhood for long term
success is not as great and you will not keep it all off. I agree with him
because I do still get the old urges but have much more strength to battle
them now. One of the nost beautiful things about this surgery to me is the
fact that "falling off the wagon" is a VERY yemporary thing. I am
also fortunately a big dumper so my tool IS the food police. Good Luck! You
are powerful and can do whatever you set your mind to doing. I never would
have believed that about myself but I truly do now!
— Carol S.
August 7, 2003
HI!! I agree with the previous poster... it is TOTALLY up to you, how you
use the surgery and how much control you CONTINUE to have over your eating
disorder. I started at 378 and was told not to expect to go under 220.
Well, before I got pregnant, I was at 158.... 13 lbs from the LOWEST amount
I should weigh for my height!! It is totally up to YOU, and how YOU USE
this tool/gift you are given! :~) Good Luck! Oh... I am 19 months out, 39
years old, and having problems eating enough to gain weight for pregnancy!
LOL! The baby is fine though... I'm working on it! :~)
— Sharon m. B.
August 7, 2003
I think that is the average minimum. For me I'd prefer to lose 70 percent
of my weight than none of my weight. I'm at 7 months and at about 70
percent now and if I never lose another ounce, I'll be happy. I'm wearing
a size 12 (down from an 18-20) and feel very comfortable with how I look so
I don't HAVE to lose more weight to be satisfied. However, I know I will
lose more.
— susanje
August 7, 2003
Yes you are all right--it WOULD be all up to me, and I KNEW I coudln't do
it for (hopefully) 20 or more years! I was never able to control my eating
before so I needed the surgery that would do as much of it for me as
possible. I suppose I'm weak, but at least I'm realistic about what I am
and am not capable of. Obviously everyone here has had great success, and
like I said I'm very, most sincerely happy for you and frankly quite in awe
of you. I write for those who've not yet had surgery, who are scared, who
get sucked in by the rah-rah hype of many surgeons, who read the Pouch
Rules and cringe, who may not even know that there IS another choice out
there. To those people I say, PLEASE go to http://duodenalswitch.com and
research your options!
— Chris T.
August 7, 2003
The DS and the truly distal RNY both have the best long term statistics for
both higher loss of EBW & less regain. The studies & stats I've
read all support that. Of course with both of those you have more
malabsorption & have to follow your labs closely and religiously take
your supplements. So its a matter of what your priorities are and weighing
the pros & cons of each surgery. I'd research all your options before
deciding, find out what your insurance will cover, what you're willing to
pay for yourself if you feel strongly for any one particular surgery, and
go from there. You are the ONLY one who can decide what is right for you.
— Shelly S.
August 7, 2003
Hi, I am 2 years out. I am 5'4" and my ideal weight is 134. I am
currently at 138, my lowest weight was 127 after a TT. I have maintained
this weight for over a year. I eat whatever I want. I don't pay attn. to
calories and I get my protien from real food. I occassionally drink a
protien drink if I'm feeling undernourished. Today I ate an egg with
cheese, 3/4 of a piece of toast w/ butter, 1/2 a piece of bacon, 2 pieces
of string cheese, a granola bar, two handfuls of trail mix (my equivalent
of a snack), and a piece of bread with pork gravy. Oh, and two diet cokes.
Not necessarily the best diet, but a typical one for me. The best thing
about this surgery is that I don't think about food anymore. I eat when I'm
hungry and I don't think about it except when I'm making food for others.
Then I like to see them EAT! During the last year I have gained about 12
lbs. I don't obsess about it, (OK I do) but from what I've read this is
normal. I expect to regain 10% of my weight lost. I lost 160 lbs. So, I
expect to end up at a healty weight of 143. Which, in my case, is still a
size 8. WhoWouldaThunkIt? If I had all my redundant skin removed, I'm sure
I would be under 120. But alas, redundant skin is one of the things we
gloss over. It makes you feel "still" fat, and depresses you. I
am constantly pulling at my skin to see what I would look like if I was
"normal." Redundant skin is one of those dirty little secrets no
one tells you about when researching this surgery. Don't get me wrong--I
can put up with this skin because of the massive weight loss I've
experienced...it's just that people like us need to lobby our legislatures
so we can get the redundant skin covered by insurance. Good luck to you!
— sandieguy
August 7, 2003
I guess I'm the only one around here that cares about this.. but I do see
many people quoting a lot of stats... could you reference them? The
studies you all seem to know about.. and the numbers you all write about so
confidently... I'd love to know where those all come from. Thanks.
— Lisa C.
August 8, 2003
Seems that may be about the average. My surgeon also said that, and I was
at a 84% average. He said to QUIT losing???? Don'nt know why. I want to
lose 100% but my body seems to want me at around 81% of excess weight off.
I'm 5'3 1/2 and started out at 319. I got down to 158.75 but my weight
stabalized from 162-164. I'm very disappointed as I wanted to be in the
middle of the NORMAL BMI range for my height... around 129/130. Seems from
what I've seen here, that "most of us heavy weights" don't make
it to goal, where as people around 225 or less starting weight seem to more
often. I'm not trying to make anyone mad, it just seems to be what I have
noticed looking at other peoples posts. Dan -Open RNY 5-8-01 (Lost 160 of
the 190 I wanted to lose).
— Danmark
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