Question:
stopped losing weight

i had a vbg in august. i`ve lost 50 lbs, but have stopped. i still vomit quite a bit and have alot of pain. i`m unable to eat many many foods and the ones i can eat are fattening. i live on soup, mashed pot.. etc.. anyone experiencing the same?    — kathy H. (posted on January 27, 2002)

January 27, 2002
Have you seen your surgeon for a follow up? This is why I picked the RNY, with a VBG I would of made bad food choices of easy to eat food, and not had the malabsorbtion of the RNY. You might have a mechanical problem or need revision to another surgery. My surgeon does very few VBGs because of problems like your having. Good luck.
   — bob-haller

January 27, 2002
I urge you to see your surgeon also. This happened to a friend. She was so afraid of the malabsorption issue with rny's that she opted for vbg, much to her regret. She only lost 50-60lbs. and learned to "ear around" her surgery. She had a revision to rny and went on to lose over 100lbs. after the rny and never was bothered my the nausea and vomiting she had with the vbg. That's why rny is the surgery of choice for many insurers.
   — [Anonymous]

January 28, 2002
Your question indicates that you've lost 50 pounds, but your profile says 80 pounds as of December.. have you regained weight? Your profile also mentioned that you had an incident with "stuck" food that was pretty painful and you said that you needed to chew more. Are you avoiding the foods that need to be chewed because of fear of getting stuck again? It happens to lots of people... be aware that the "easy" foods are generally the worst for weight loss. Are you taking tiny bites? A piece of meat for instance.. no bigger than the size of a pencil top eraser. Chew to baby food consistancy. Have tried protein supplements to get nutrition in and stave off cravings? I'd highly recommend joining the yahoogroups list VBG. You'll find hundreds of supporting members there who have had the same procedure and can help. Just because you are having a rough go right now it's not time to think "should have had a different procedure." You can be successful with your VBG. Good luck and look into the VBG group.
   — BethVBG

January 28, 2002
I admire your honesty and bravery to speak up on the website and ask for help! I have "heard" that VBG usually loose slower than RNY so that is one possible point. Regardless of if it is 50 or 80 pounds lost since August... that is still nothing to be ashamed of. Congratulations! You should got to the library on the website and read about plateaus and VBG weight loss. What does your doc say about your loss? Is it in line with what he projected? I had my RNY in June 2001 and I still throw up at times...rarely, but I do have some minimal problems. Uncertain if it is due to eating too much, MSG, milk products, too fatty, sugar or just my bod not handling it. I also think mashed potatoes in small portions are a sure bet and so is soup. Do you use protein supplements? I do and I definitely believe in them. Please feel free to email me and ask any questions! Good Luck!
   — Molly S.