Question:
Weight loss????
I am going to meet with my surgeon for the first time on Thursday and I have done allot of research and one of my biggest questions is about weight regain? it looks like after a few years everyone starts to regain their weight back? Is weight regain really common??? what do you guys think is the main cause to the weight regain so I can hope to avoid it. I am 30 and I really don't wont to go on this journey and in 5 years be overweight again, I think that would be heartbreaking :( Please write any thoughts on this subject, I am really struggling with this. — Elizabeth H. (posted on July 21, 2008)
July 21, 2008
Have you researched all the types of WLS available? If not, please look at
the DS forum. Statistics are reporting a higher success rate with this
surgery, both in weight loss and in keeping the weight off long term. Fewer
surgeons perform this procedure and yours may not be able to tell you about
it. Again, check out the DS board, and best of luck in whatever you do.
— [Deactivated Member]
July 21, 2008
I looked at your profile but you do not say what kind of surgery you are
looking at. Weight regain is more common in Lap Band because it requires
fills and it allows you to go back to a normal diet. RNY will not allow
you to go back to overeating, except in people that had it many years ago.
RNY does restrict your eating habits, like no soft drinks, very little
sugar or fats without making you sick for a few hours. I had it because I
could nover maintain my weight on a diet of any kind and needed to keep it
off for the rest of my life. I also wanted once in my life to be a normal
weight and I am almost there. I have learned to eat healthy and while I
use to live to eat, I now eat to live. Write down all your questions and
discuss them with your sergeon. Tell him your concerns and see what he
recomends. I of course favor RNY. Anyone here is going to favor what they
selected for their surgery. We all think we are right. What's new!
— William (Bill) wmil
July 21, 2008
I am about 120 LBS overweight and my mother is also doing the surgery ( we
have the same surgeon) and she is about 135 LBS overweight and she has
already seen the surgeon and he told her the DS would make her loose to
much weight and he will only do the DS on people who are more overweight so
I am thinking he will tell me the same. We(my mom and I) are both looking
into RNYsurgery. The surgeon told my mom he thinks that RNY has the best
results in more categories. Mom didn't ask allot of questions when she went
and she regrets it so I have a list of her questions she didn't ask and my
own :) I think I might drive the surgeon crazy with all my questions. LOL
Thank you for your advise :)
— Elizabeth H.
July 21, 2008
If you do what your Dr tells you to do and you change your eating
patterns.......most people gain weight by staying on high fat....high
carbs.....and over eating a little at a time untill thier pouch stretches
and you can eat more and more......so it's all choice and those are made by
you and you alone.
Pam / Ft Worth ....Bandster Bites [email protected]
— pphillips4720aol.com
July 21, 2008
I am 4 1/2 years post-op. I have gained a total of 20lbs. and recently
lost 2. I am on a new journey to lose 8 more. I hit my lowest @ 160, but
I'm comfortable @ 170 and I'm comfortable there. Just know that you will
not end your journey when you get to your goal. This is where the real
battle begins. If you use your time during pre and post to pick up all the
tools the right way, you will definately win the battle no matter how much
you gain or lose. I wish you the best of luck in your journey!
— bariatricdivalatina
July 21, 2008
I learned that many surgeons only know the surgery part of the WLS and not
so much the long term or exactly how the surgery itself works on the
patient. I'm sorry but it's true. There are some really good surgeons who
care about their patients...and then their are the majority that leaves all
the technical diet and nutrition part to his staff off nurses and office
aids. That's fine as long as the surgeon has SOMEONE looking out for his
patients...but Iam finding that they all don't and you and mom need to be
your own health care advocates! You will learn sooooooooooo much more from
the people who live with their surgery day in and day out...Long termers
have been thru it all...Newbies remind us us the honeymoon period when all
is easy and great...Then you stop losing and maintenance is a bit more
tricky...You don't lose oodles of fat anymore and suddenly your body
becomes more efficient in absorbing fat and calories...So oftenwe find an
adjustment period...where we actaully have to cut back and eat even leaner
to avoid a weight gain. There is a normal 10% gain....I lost 158 lbs and
weighed 158 lbs at my lowest...100% of my weight...I immediately gained
back 7 and have maintained 165ish pounds now for 4 1/2 years...Easy? HECK
NO! I focus more on food now than I ever did in my entire life...I have to
watch everything I eat...The honeyoon period prepared me for that...The
problemis that after the year is over, we get more complacent and rather
than getting stricter, we get more lax and begin enjoying too many of the
old bad habits...THAT is why people gain more than their 10% back...Now
after saying that...I totally understand it and I have gained an extra 10
pounds from taking bad food and eating them more frequently than in
moderation...So I saw first hand how amazingly easy it is to gain back and
how hard it is to lose after the honeymoon period...But it's not
impossible. After weight loss stops or slows...It is helpful to begin
weighing your food so you know your limits...Never EAT MORE THAN
THAT...Once you find the spot that you maintain, you cannot over eat...many
do...That is when the pouch slowly stretches out to accomodate more and
more food...Exercise is so important...Muscles help you metabolize more
efficiently because it burns fat even when you are done exercising. So your
calories can be higher...(reason men can eat so much more than us ladies)
Protein feed muscles...Sugar/simple carbs stores as fat cells...Don't begin
eating breads, rice, pasta and sugars...ONLY in moderation...That is the
basics to success...Everything else is trial and error...It's easy to give
into the wrong foods...and you have to make a consious decision daily to
battle those tempatations...That inself is not easy all the time for so
many, including myself...and I have worked sooooo hard to watch my
weight...I let my tool control my brain...Not the otherway around...Even
with all those good intentions....It doesn't always work out that way! I
think knowing this, you have to decide how strong you are...It is
work...Never ever believe it is forever easy...It's not. But it's doable
and I would do it over again...I never felt so wonderful and confident and
healthy and happy...It's worth the effort...and the vitamins forever and
the watching what I eat...and sweating...UGH! But you CAN do it
thinner...and it's wonderful to be alive...Ask your questions here
too...Trust in your WLS people to give youthe BEST advice...(most of the
time!) We make mistakes too...but you can pretty much tell by the
answers...majority rules usually....
Good luck to you and mom...and sorry this was so long! I was giving an
answer for two people! LOL
— .Anita R.
July 21, 2008
I have done a lot of follow-up for RNY issues- first because I am 4 1/2 yrs
post op with a total wt loss of 230 lbs, and want to keep it that way, and
2nd, because i am a retired MD, and realized early on, the surgery is only
the means to an end, it is the constant daily hard work and the due
diligence to maintaining your personal success that will keep you on the
straight and narrow. I read something last nite on one of the Q & A's,
something about a nutritionist who told the patient to eat until they are
full. I literally screamed at the computer I was so angry. No wonder
pouches stretch, no wonder there is weight gain. Would love to know who
that Nut is!!!!! The premise our surgery is predicated on is to never eat
until full- just what you are allowed, and satisfied, and no further. If
you are allowed only half a cup of total food per meal, that is all you
eat. That isn't 1/2 cup of main course, with a salad, veges etc- that
means 1/2 cup total, including the vege-salad. If you are to intake no
more than 3 grams sugar per portion, that doesnt 5 grams is ok. You pouch
will naturally expand the further post op you become- why eat more because
the tolerance level has changed. Lets face it, we went through the easy
part- the surgery- now is the hard part- following the rules forever. I
decided early on, with reading about all the wt gain of post ops, that i
refused to become a statistic. 2 years ago i made the decision and so far
its a success. one week a month, without fail, i go back to my rules from
immediately post op. I go on a week of nothing but liquids. I do my
protein drinks 5 times a day. I need 110-125 grams a day anyway, and have
been blessed with not being hungry, so this is a no brainer for me. I
always lose 3-5 more lbs, if not i would rather maintain. Something you
may not think about-is when you are cooking and you taste the food while
you season it, you need to subtract that amount from what you are allowed.
I hope I have given you some "food for thought:- no carbs or sugars
in this food :) Good luck everyone- maintaining is harder than the
surgery- anyday. God Bless all ** Cindi -230# 3.24.04 and keeping it off
— DollyDoodles
July 21, 2008
I agree with all of the posts so far, so I won't leave a lengthy note. God
knows I am pro WLS, no matter which one in order to save your life and
could talk about it all day.
The one thing I like to stress is that the actual surgery itself is just
the beginning. The long term changes in attitudes, beliefs, actions,
exercise and eating that you commit to will determine your success in the
long run. Some people do re-gain weight, this is an addiction, they don't
do surgery on our brains, just our bellies. We have to do the daily work
and face the daily struggles to do the right things and make the best
decisions to be successful.
Reaching goal weight is a wonderful thing, maintanining it is yet another.
I am not there, but 2 of my closest friends are and say losing the weight
was the easy part, maintaining it is the hard part. They have committed to
never going back and are committed to do whatever they have to keep it off
and live a long, healthy life.
Good luck to you,
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
July 21, 2008
It is like anything else...it is a lifestyle change. People forget it
comes off fast and they are so happy they let loose a little. The point is
to always stay connected. Even after you have lost your weight continue to
go to support group. We have disease and we have to be around it all the
time. It is easy to slip down the slippery slope again.
— Nikkim1001
July 22, 2008
Elizabeth, the harsh reality about weight loss is that it takes work. If
you are not ready for the head games and the challenge of the lust for food
than surgery might not be for you. If you won't diet and exercise, if you
get more concerned after surgery about what you can eat or cheat then your
goal to lose weight (again, head games), then you will regain. People get
ready for surgery and make all sorts of promises to themselves and others
and then eat their way out of weight loss, or lose weight and then don't
take care of themselves after that. There are those who work hard and it
just happens, but honestly, it is mostly our laziness and lust that drive
us back up. I fight the battle every day, but have maintained my weight
loss and size 6 (I refuse to weigh, I just go by my size) for 4 years. I
walked 2 miles a day beginning at 2 weeks and worked up to 5 miles a day
for one year, lost all my weight, and even though I don't exercise nearly
that much now, my body's matabolism changed by that year of hard work. It
is a tough choice, surgery, but if you choose it, it is only the beginning.
It won't fix your lust for food, both secret and open, it will not fix
your desire to sabotage your success, you have to face truths about
yourself that you don't want to, but if you do, then you have a real chance
of not only succeeding in weight loss, but keeping it off. Take care. My
profile and story is on this site if you want to know my story. Take care.
Patricia P.
— Patricia P
July 22, 2008
I"m going to have to respectfully disagree with Bill. I have a
lapband and chose that route for a number of reasons. It's not really true
that we can eat whatever we want. I have to stay away from anything made
with flour or I get stuck really bad. Sure I can still eat Hershey's -
about two bites at a time. And that's only if I choose to. Whatever
surgery you choose is only part of the equation. You have to use common
sense and restraint, especially after you get to goal. Any of the WLS
methods can be sabotaged if you try hard enough. You'll find that many RNY
patients say they opted against the band because they couldn't imagine
going thru life with a "foreign object" in their bodies. Well
for me personally, that was much easier to imagine than having my anatomy
permanently altered. If, God forbid, I have a problem, I can have my band
removed and my body is back to being just like God made it. And I know one
person personally, and have heard of many more who have had RNY who have
stretched their pouch and are as big or bigger than when they started. If
I ever get out of control with my eating all I have to do is go in for a
fill and I'm back on track. So there are many things to consider. If you
are a sugar lover, remember that not all RNY patients dump on sugar. Some
have no problem at all with it. Good luck. You'll make the right choice
for you. Carla.
— Carla_B
July 22, 2008
Food addiction is like any other addiction; it will not work for 100% of
the population. There is just a percentage of folks who just can not break
the addiction; that is the reality. From personal experience, I tend to do
what "Doodles" does with the liquids. I usually do it for a
couple of days at a time several times in a month though and not a whole
week since I don't want to loose any more weight. What a "full liquid
fast" does is gives you limits for a day or so. A day to just stop
and not worry about stretching your pouch and to REALLY see how you are
FEELING. If you are post RNY you will notice that you really are not
feeling HUNGER; you are just feeling the desire to munch. I find I feel a
lot better physically after a couple of liquid days and I can also help
ensure I've not stretched out my little tummy. The WLS is a tool but it
has been a really wonderful tool and gift for me. I never could have gone
with just full liquids before! WLS is a tool to help you get control of
you. :0D We wish you the best!
— MAG
July 22, 2008
I had my RNY on Aug 27, 2001. I lost 190 pounds, developed an active
lifestyle and have been doing great. However, after about 4 years and at
five years, I started struggling a bit. It becomes possible to eat too
many calories again. I had to have surgery (unrelated with a knee
replacement and again with a kidney donation)and for awhile my exercise
program went down the tubes. I gained about 40 pounds before I caught
myself. Unlike before surgery, though, getting the weight off was
relatively easy. I went back to my exercise, eliminated sugar, and went
back to writing down what I eat. I lost most of the weight (35) and am on
track. The surgery is a tool, but it doesnt do it all. Once you recover
from the weightloss surgery (2-4 years), your life style must be consistent
with a healthy weight. I will always have a tendency to gain, but I now
have the tools I need.
— lanad
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