Question:
Reading about alot of people with excessive weight gain in post op ? whats up ?

My friend just told me that a good friend of his , the mother and daughter both had bypass surgery 4-5yrs ago and now their both bigger than a house.. I know this is a tool and obviously they did'nt follow instructions, but Im also reading here on these posts that quite a few are having problems, My question is are we more prone to weight gain because our stomach's have such a small pouch that it will be easier to gain weight and it come back 10fold if it does ?    — barry l. (posted on January 30, 2010)

January 30, 2010
The weight loss surgery is a tool. It assists you to lose weight. You can override the surgery easily if you do not deal with the psychological reasons that you over eat. The sugery uses restriction and malabsorbtion of food. If you eat too fast you have pain and vomit, If you eat sugery or fatty foods, you have dumping. Dumping is sweating, discomfort possible diarrhea. It should be less easy to gain weight with a pouch, not more. Therw is a physiological need to eat more after losing weight. Their body thinks it has been starving. We tend to gain more weight back after having lost weight. Our body has a 'set point' it wants to go to that is a higher weight than the weight we started at. That is why the yo-yo dieting we have done for years set us up for failure. The majority of the people who have weight loss surgery maintain at least some lasting weight loss even if it is not their ideal weight. The surger only clams to help you lose a percentage of you excess weight. Hopefully, your health will have improved at that point.
   — MargaretHM

January 31, 2010
Good question. I actually posed this same question to the PA (not surgeon) when I went in for my 7 month checkup. I wanted to clarify that I got this information from my PA instead of surgeon, because I don't want people attacking "him" for his opinions (which have happened before) ... imagine that ? lol ... ! That clarified, he assured me that nothing in the "change" of our anatomy make us more prone to "gain" weight after the honeymoon is over. It actually is our tool to utilize forever in eating smaller potions, and using behavorial modification with our eating disorder. He said that from their experiences, that the majority of people who regain (usually after 3 years) are the ones who go back to their old eating habits, start eating sugar and fat and testing their pouches and eventually getting their pouch to once again "accept" those type of foods, and "stop" or don't exercise as much as they did in the first 3 years. His views from most of their surgeries, are that the pouch "rarely" stretches and that they use the most durable part of the stomach to make the pouch. When they have done endoscopies on people who are regaining, they normally find that the pouch is the same size as it was at surgery. Normally is the key word. I'm sure there are those "rare" incidents. Now this may not be true with "all" WLS or RMY surgeries performed by others, just the views and experiences with my particular doctor's office. I have had great results along my journey and really "toot" his horn every chance I get. He knows his stuff. With that said, I came away with a "renewed" spirit about my tool and regardless of what I hear from others, I now realize that the SUCCESS of my surgery is ultimately up to me. I am trying very hard to change my eating habits, don't graze all day ... eat nutritious foods vs. crap food, and poirtion control .... portion control. Exercise is also important because ultimately what this is ALL ABOUT is calories in ..... calories out ..... total calories per day!!
   — happypeach

January 31, 2010
I agree with what the other posters have said. I am 17 months out now, and although I haven't gained any weight back, I have slowed down quite a bit. And while that is to be expected eventually, I know a lot of it is because I have started grazing more. While the pouch can only hold so much (and it is difficult, but not impossible, to stretch out), it only holds the food for so long. And if the food is a "slider" food (yogurt, possibly cottage cheese, etc.) that has a high volume of liquid in it, it doesn't stay there very long, meaning you are hungrier sooner. Also, you can always drink your calories (shakes, fruit juices, etc.), which go right through as well. As you get further out from your surgery, you become more complacent, and start getting away from those "rules" you were given, thinking "this one time won't matter". However, that one time turns into two, and then three, and then you are back to your old habits! It is important to remember those "rules", revisit your old journals or doctor's instructions, check in on the message boards, share your difficulties - it is difficult to change a lifetime of bad habits. Just remember, don't drink 30 minutes before or after a meal (and never with a meal), eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly, no grazing or unplanned eating, protein first! (and at least 60 grams a day - I personally get in 100 grams a day so I don't lose muscle mass), and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. If you stick to the rules, you shouldn't have a problem! Now to practice what I preach : )
   — Wendy M.

February 1, 2010
Teh samll pouch makes eating large amounts of food hard. It makes losing weight quickly easy. Then the hunger and cravings return and you need to have a plan in place to deal with these feelings. People find they want to be NORMAL and fit in. so the find ways to eat more than they should. the pouch will strech over time if abused. Some people have a need for a revision. It is all about Overcoming emotional eating patterns. A therapist is recommended to help with this.
   — trible

February 3, 2010
I am six years post-op. I started out at 325, got down to 162, but really feel that 170 was my natural weight. Over the past three years I have gained 60 pounds, but I have to honestly say it was due to my poor eating habits. I began to eat the exact same things that put me at 325 to begin with. After hitting 230 pounds at Christmas, I went back to basics (75 grams of protein, small portions) and have lost 18 of those pounds within a month. I also recently had an ulcer that needed to be treated, so during the procedure I asked the gastroenterologist to tell me how big my pouch was. He said that it was about 1/5 the size of a regular stomach, and that typically the pouches do not stretch significantly over time because of the area of stomach that is used to make the pouch. (And believe me, I have been totally STUFFED MANY times - I cannot believe that it hasn't stretched more.) Now that I am keeping my protein up and eating small portions, I find that I am totally satisfied with the small portions and feel full. The protein is the key though - if I don't get it in, I get the hungries. I recently started a Jazzercise class, so hopefully the other 42 pounds will come off fairly quickly as well.
   — raye