Question:
What is an average amt for us WLS patients to lose per week if I'm trying to lose?

Hi..I'm about 2& 1/2 years post-op RNY. Unfortunately, I've gained about 45 lbs. back. I'm am trying obviously to get it back off. I've decided to try Jenny Craig to lose the extra weight. They say an average is to expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week. I would think that WLS patients would lose a little more because of the sheer mechanics of our system. What is a reasonable amount for me to expect to lose per week post-op RNY? I just want to get an idea what to expect. Also has anyone tried Jenny Craig pre or post-op? Did it work for you? Any tips? Thanks!!!!    — Allison T. (posted on October 12, 2004)

October 12, 2004
aT 2 AND 1/2 YEARS POST OP YOU KNOW THAT you are asking too much to ask what is the average. It widely varies from person to person based on many things. But, I applaud you for making the effort to get your weight back off. It can be done by getting back to basics because your "tool" still works. There is a lady on here and I'm sorry, I don't recall her name that gained something ,like 150 lbs and went back to basics and is well on her way to losing it all. The other thing, yes, I tried Jenny Craig pre-op and found it to be very expensive and hard to follow. I would recommend the South Beach Diet over it. But, I think if you will get back to the basics of when we first started out, you will be pleasantly surprised. Good luck to you and keep us updated.
   — Delores S.

October 13, 2004
Hi Allison, My surgeon said our intestines adapt over time to absorb more, so at 2 1/2 years post-op, I wouldn't think you're malabsorbing any significant number of calories. I would guess that by this time, our rate of loss would be similar to anyone elses... according to our age, metabolism, etc.
   — mom2jtx3

October 13, 2004
I wouldn't use a program like that because I tried a whole string of such programs in my pre-op diet past, and they never worked for me so why repeat the insanity. But that's me -- if you don't have that history, that's not an issue for you (and move on to the next paragraph). However, if you do have that history, then ask yourself why this time will be different, and whether jumping back into the old "yo-yo diet" game will serve you any better now than it did before. In your shoes, I wouldn't consider forking over money to Jenny Craig or any other behemoth diet company (whose long-term success rates are so much lower than WLS) until I had a solid answer to that question.<P>Many find that the RNY's restrictive (pouch) and malabsorptive (bypass) "tools" work best when combined with a lifestyle plan that includes most, if not all, of the following elements: (1) eating small, frequent meals (5-6 day), with no grazing in between; (2) starting each meal with a dense protein food that fills up the pouch much better than other types of foods, especially junky carb and high-calorie, low-density sugary foods that flow through the "mature" post-op pouch with relative ease; (3) not drinking with meals (and waiting at least 30 minutes after a meal to drink so as to stay fuller longer); (4) getting in plenty of water and noncaffeinated beverages (but again -- not with food); (5) avoiding junky carb and high-calorie, low-density sugary foods like cookies, cakes, and candy, especially foods with lots of refined sugars; (6) tracking food intake in a daily food diary to keep close tabs on calories and on protein:carb:fat gram ratios, to see what works best for you to lose (and later, to maintain) -- fitday.com is a good free site for doing that; (7) making regular use of good-quality protein shakes to help keep yourself on the program, make up for malabsorption of protein, and help curb or slow the appetite; and (8) engaging in regular, vigorous exercise, including heart-pumping cardio and weight-lifting to build muscle (*if* you're physically cleared for and able to it safely).<P>Even if you've got no failed history with commercial diet plans, I don't think any of them are a good idea UNLESS they're modified to make the best use of the tools that the surgery gave you. Otherwise, the surgery's kinda wasted (or at least, not optimized). With a history of morbid obesity, we need every break we can get to fight that disease and are in a different category from those who've never had *that* much to lose (or keep off) before.
   — Suzy C.