Question:
14 months post op - gaining weight
At goal. Gained 7 lbs this month. Always hungry - daily bowel movements are now 2x/wk. Feel pre-op again. Haven't changed anything, and I know there's no staple line disruption. Scared to death. What are the statistics of long term weight regain??? — jengrz (posted on January 24, 2004)
January 24, 2004
Have you tried changing things a bit, as in adding more water, alternate
exercise program, variate the diet a bit? I know usually when I add more
water, and up the exercise I get going again-but this time I've been
stuck-I too am worried what to do etc... I am interested to see if anyone
post stats... I'd like to see them. I had a baby in November and have been
stuck here up and down with the same 5 pounds. I am sort of at a loss. I
wish I could be more help.
— MF
January 24, 2004
I am 16mo post-op open rny and have hit goal and now gained back 13lbs. I
am in the same boat as you. I have went back to more protien, less sugar
and fat, but im just so hungry and a cup of food, uh, ya right! I will
drink a 20oz pop and eat 2 pieces of pizza, then 1hr later im eating
popcorn or something. I'm scared too, I cry alot now, I don't want to go
back and I have been dieting and doing exercise all week and finally
dropped 3lbs. I never knew the statistics either, but sure would like to
know. I am getting a tt monday and I cant wait just to lose a few pounds
from skin lol. Good luck!
— Sandy M.
January 24, 2004
From my research most long-term posties will gain back about 10 pounds
after reaching goal and settle at about that point - if you put forth no
real effort to keep it off. At about 1 to 2 years out we are very much like
normal people and have the same dieting issues that most normies have.
Diet and exercise will take off weight, self-control is required and if you
have trouble with carbs you need to be diligent about how many and the kind
you consume to maintain your weight. I don't know what you're eating, but
empty carbs (white flours, sugars, etc) can make you feel hungry and that
affect can last a couple of days after you last eat them. I'd suggest
going back to basics. More protein, less junk carbs and lots of good
fluids. Statistically about 5% of postops will gain back a lot of their
lost weight. We can never be lax at beating this disease. Consider
yourself like an alcoholic. You're in life-long recovery! Good luck!
— [Deactivated Member]
January 24, 2004
Hi, don't be scared just tell yourself what a GREAT job you did to get this
far and take a deep breath and then tell yourself that you've got this far
you can get the rest of the way. Sometimes just a small change in your
routine can make the difference. One of the things I did when I was in the
same boat as you was to not eat after 7p.m. that way all I aloud myself to
do was drink and drink and it also gave tummy a chance to rest , also that
way if I did eat something during the day that I know I should stay away
from it was not that bad because my body would have all that time from
7p.m. until 8a.m. to recover from it. Now you will just have to find
something that is right for you and fits your schedual , I know you can do
it , just try!!!! Take-care Rho :)
— Rho
January 24, 2004
Hi Jennifer. I too am 14 months post op- It hit me months ago that from
that point on- its ALL up to me- I can now eat like a "normal"
person- I don't dump, so I could start my day with coca puffs, and have a
big mac and frech fries for lunch, maybe some fried rice and egg rolls for
dinner BUT I am choosing NOT to- I have been fat my entire life- and I
DON'T want to go back to where I was- so I'm going to be
"dieting" for the rest of my life- I'm going to have to watch my
carbs, limit my sugar, eat low fat high protein foods- (ugh) I so wish
this surgery was a Miracle, that would just let me eat a few bits of food
and feel nice and full...But its not- Sadly our honeymoon is over- and we
have to resort to good ol' diet and exercise- Keep some pre-op pics of
yourself handy- and look at them often- weigh yourself often (will help
keep you honest during the day when you see it go up) Keep junk out of the
house- I've tried buying something naughty, and think- I'll just eat a tiny
piece every once in a while- but that doesn't work (haha) As far as sugar
goes, there are SO many wonderful things you can buy or even make yourself,
with splenda- I make things like cheescake, cakes, fudge (I have a great
recipe for fudge) I think the greatest thing I've learned during my
honeymoon period is the word MODERATION- if someone has dessert at the
dinner table, darn betcha I'm gonna reach over and have a bite- even two-
If I want a few french fries- I'm going to HAVE THEM- MODERATION MODERATION
MODERATION- Very best wishes to you- don't get discouraged "you've
come a long way baby" Kim -169lbs
— WABBIT F.
January 24, 2004
I don't know the failure stats, but you can bet that, barring surgical
failure, those who fail with WLS aren't using the tool (pouch) properly,
eating right post-WLS style, or exercising enough. It's danged hard to do
in the long run, and we all slip. It's a lifetime chore, keeping obesity
in remission. And really terrifying to face regain.<P>Your profile's
a blank, so there's no way to know how you got to goal or what you eat or
how you exercise. Forgive me if this is repetitive, but ... I'd start by
tracking what you're eating every day on fitday.com. Find out what your
calorie intake really is (no guesstimating anymore), as well as what your
protein/carb/fat ratios are. Then, shake it up -- either cut the calories
if they're higher than you realized, and/or jack the protein up and the
carbs (and perhaps fats) down.<P>Also, if you haven't found a protein
shake you like, now is a good time to look again. Many long-term post-ops
swear by them. I usually use two daily, but when I totally lose control
over my sugar demons, a protein-shake fast for a day or two really gets me
back on track.<P>Finally, what's up with exercise? Evaluate what
you're doing and see if shaking up your routine helps.<P>I think
accepting "bounce-back" weight as normal can be dangerous. I
often see stories of regain that are a great deal more than 10 pounds.
Sometimes it's 30 or more. Sure, some of us could stand to gain a few
pounds and be okay, but the bottom line is, if you're gaining weight, and
you don't want to, and you're "hungry all the time," or binging
on crappy foods (relatively speaking), you have a problem and you wanna
jump all over it NOW, before the weight starts to soar up again.
— Suzy C.
January 25, 2004
Thanks to everyone who posted! FYI - I've been eating chicken and fish up
to my ears, but I still haven't found a protein drink I can tolerate - any
ideas? Will protein drinks help keep me full and/or help me stablize my
weight?
Thanks so much! ps - I liked the comment about the alcoholic - it's so
true! I know it's all up to me now...
— jengrz
January 25, 2004
I saw my surgeon in the on January 7th and was asking him about losing more
weight (I am 5'7" and down to 134-137) and he said they don't worry
about a person losing too much weight until they get below a BMI of 19
(which means I could keep losing until I get down to 120ish if I
could/wanted to). Anyway, then, he goes on to say that I might also want
to keep in mind that MOST people that they see gain back up to 10% of their
total weight lost as what they call bounce back weight. Yikes! What
scared me was the words MOST and 10%! For me that would mean gaining up to
14 pounds back...which is NOT at all what I had in mind here! In all
reality though, we all knew (or should have been told) that this surgery is
a just tool and that in order to be successful long term that we would
indeed have to work at this. Unfortunately, most of us have the surgery,
the weight falls off, and then we are frustrated or disappointed when we
discover that we need to start doing the real 'work'. I know it's hard
but, you've come a long way...don't give up now.
— eaamc
January 26, 2004
The stat I have heard is that most post-ops gain back 10 percent of what
they have lost. this is understandable since on the way down we eat less
and take in less calories. After a period of time, we start eating more
(not a bad thing, within reason) and so taking in more calories results in
a weight gain. For many post-ops, frankly they have lost too much weight
on the way down-not everyone is destined to be a size 4-6-8-10. And so the
weight gain is not a bad thing..within reason. As Suzy C said, gaining 30
pounds or more is not a bounce back, thats out of control. And often
times, we can point to the culprits-those carbs and sugars and grazing,
perhaps slacking off the exercise, back to fast food, drinking with
meals-as the reason why. Your profile gives us no indication of what you
weigh-what is goal for you, or what you are eating or if you are
exercising..then again you didn't ask for help, just asked for stats of
long term weight gain! But just in case you are looking for some advice...
If you went too low and you haven't changed your diet/exercise routine and
have gained, I think its your bodys way of telling you that its more
comfortable at a higher weight. So, instead of getting scared, accept it
and embrace it. If its the later (junk food, no exercise etc..), then 7
pounds is not alot and with this wonderful tool, by changing a few things
in your diet and exercise routine, you can easily beat the pounds back.
— Cindy R.
January 26, 2004
Hi Jennifer, I have really hated every protein drink I've tried until just
recently my dietitian suggested ON protein powder which is available at
GNC. I can't say it's really GOOD, but I've been able to tolerate it, which
is a huge step in the right direction. I do a scoop and half a day and mix
it with as little water as possible (so I can get it overwith quickly) and
put in ice to keep it cold. Give it a try. I'm also 14 months postop and
it sure does get harder. I've also vowed to increase my exercise, maybe you
will find that will get things moving in the right direction. Good luck to
us all!
— Donna S.
January 26, 2004
I'm 16 months post-op and have been at goal since October 2003. I'm
5'7", 130 pounds and wear a size 4. I find I can maintain my weight
(and eat 1800-2000 calories a day) if I walk at least 2 miles everyday,
drink lots of water, and do not eat a lot of fat. I never eat the foods
that trigger me to binge. I have always followed my surgeon's eating
recommendations which means no carbonated drinks, no popcorn, no gum. Hope
this helps.
— Ann H.
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