Question:
I should have asked my surgeon but didnt think of this..What exactly happens at 18

months to change anything? My stomach was made smaller, my intestines were rerouted. Can anyone explain why everyone says..the first 18 months are the window of opportunity? By the way I am 17 months post and at my personal goal.    — Kathy S. (posted on February 10, 2005)

February 9, 2005
JMO - I believe this is when our bodys start to get back to "normal" and the weight loss starts to tapper off. However, I dont believe that our window completely closes till we close it. I am 3+ yrs out, I had a baby 9 months ago prior to having him i was still losing but at a slow rate, now i am still losing again at a slow rate, but im still losing and thats all that matters. its my choice weather i want to close that window or keep it open..so in my opinion we control our window of opportunity...
   — Deanna Wise

February 9, 2005
this is only my theory, no medical stuff to back it up. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories with each pound. After a year or so your ability to consume more food increases. Your metabolism gets set on a certain intake. they balance out depending on calories in and calories out. I also think People (me for sure) get braver about trying/ testing different foods. The first year I would no more have eaten a cookie than I would have eaten a box of rat posion, this year over Christmas I aquired a cookie habit that was like a heroin addiction. (Man was the detox hard) However, After I gained about 5 pounds I got back to serious on my intake and dropped it in about a week. I don't particularly believe that the window ever closes, but It would be easy to slip into old habits again if not very careful. I got morbidly obese one pound at a time and could do so again. I know I can eat a lot more than in the first year and so now it comes down to my absent discipline of eat right and exercise and don't eat bigger portions. I also beleive that exercise is KEY to maintaining, and from what I have seen posted not everybody is incorporating exercise into their daily lifestyle.
   — **willow**

February 10, 2005
I agree with much of what Willow said and would add that, somewhere around the 18-month mark . . . give or take a few months on either side . . . many people find old eatings habits really struggling to return with a vengeance, while at the same time, the fear of the surgery making you sick, and the novelty of exercise and weight loss, all begin to wane.<P>For me, at least, the 18-month mark ushered in an era that really required me to use the surgery offensively, like a tool, in order to succeed. Passive and/or defensive reliance on it just didn't cut it anymore.<P>If I stay away from sugar and keep up with the exercise, I do fine. If I drop the ball on either (or both), I gain. I don't think it's a malabsorption issue, because I wasn't eating much sugar at all in the first 8 months or so and besides, I don't believe sugar is ever malabsorbed with the RNY (some may dump on it . . . but that doesn't mean it isn't absorbed by those who don't dump and therefore can eat enough to gain on it). I think careful examination of most people's diets will often identify sugar and/or under-exercising as culprits in the 18-month (or more) "wall." There may be more . . . but I think these are the most common. They're definitely my bugaboos, anyway. :-(
   — Suzy C.

February 10, 2005
I am 18 months post-op, and was so glad you asked this question. I worry everyday that I am going back to my old habits. I feel the key (for me) is keeping track every single day of my calories, fat, carbs, and protein. I am on fitday.com everyday. Yes, I do eat alittle more than before, yes, I do eat a cookie or ice cream once in awhile, but I always keep track of my eating. I always get 80 to 100 grams of protein daily, but I also can have more sugar than before, but have not pushed my limit. I also keep track of my excercise daily, even though I have started the reconstructive procedures and have not been able to excercise for months at a time. I have been though so much, I believe you just have to be pro-active for the rest of your life. I do believe with the one poster that our bodies will slow down or stop losing weight when it is ready, but, we have to maintain ourselfs and not get lazy with our eating habits. I go to see my WLS surgeon next month, and this is the topic that I will be discussing with him. I actually reached goal several months ago, and lost more lbs, I actually would like to stop losing weight, I hope my body will listen...lol..
   — cindy

February 10, 2005
Thank you for your answers, I read for the first time *pouch rules for dummies* and that had alot of answers too..I do struggle every day with my appetite lately. I weigh daily and if I gain so much as a pound I am so careful that day..Hope that this works ..It is a battle..Funny but it seemed much easier to lose than to maintain..THanks again brothers and sisters from this site
   — Kathy S.