Question:
I would like to here from long term post op's?
Hi I am now a year post op and down 147# and very happy so far, but wonderign form the long term post ops out there, how they are doign in maintiang there weight and how much now are they able to eat since I can eat alot more now, I am just so worried that I'll gain back down the road! thanks so much for your responses! — Melodee S. (posted on March 1, 2004)
February 29, 2004
I will be 3 years out in july, and am doing pretty good. Last summer I got
addicted to oreo cookie bars and started gaining weight. Its all in my
profile. I went back to basics and lost the weight I had gained pretty fast
too. I am now resigned that I CANT eat anything I want and not gain:( I
recommend that you monitor your weight weekly and catch minor issues before
they are BIG ones. Fortunatey my medium shirts just fit. Any gain and I
know whats up. <P> I recently got a part time job stocking shelves,
not for the $6 a hour but for exercise. Yesterday I worked non stop from 8
am to nearly 4 pm with only one break. I realized I had to stop I had
become a klutz:( Someone asked how long I had owned my feet:( With nothing
to eat since breakfast my blood sugar number must of been really low I felt
bad. That was about 1pm some 5 hours into non stop running. I moved
mountainsd of sale foods nearly all the kind that put on weight for those
who eat them:( Me I ate some meat balls for lunch good protein and felt
fine. Its impoortant to be aware of whats up. BTW if I doint eat I still
get hungry but not the ravenous hunger of pre op.
— bob-haller
February 29, 2004
Hi, you can go on over to the Yahoo Grad group. They are long term posties
and discuss many different things, one being weight gain/loss after so many
years. Rules for posting are at least a year post-op, but anyone can lurk
to get a sneak peak of what life is like down the road.
<p>
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG/
— Ali M
February 29, 2004
I am 2 yrs and 4 months post op. I lost 140 pounds in my first 9 months
down to 150 lbs. I stayed around 160 over the first 1 1/2 years and then
began to gain in March of last year after I was forced to quit work and
stay home due to medical problems. I realized that I had never really
followed the program in regards to meals or exercise. Of course I did not
admit this to myself in January of this year when I realized I had gotten
up to 170 pounds.
When I tell people about the worst part of my surgery, and someone always
asks, I now tell them "the worst part is that I was able to eat
anything I wanted, so I never really had to learn to eat properly". I
wasn't forced to no longer eat the foods from my past, because I rarely
ever got sick or dumped. I could eat almost a whole Happy Meal hamburger
with some fries and was eating candy and drinking sodas. So, in January I
decided to take control of my life. I am walking every day and watching
what I eat much more closely and have lost 8 pounds and feel much better.
Now I find I can eat less than I could 2 months ago and some of the things
I could eat before, I can no longer eat now. I am so happy about that,
because it helps to keep me away from the things I shouldn't be eating.
Now, I still might have a sip of soda or a few M&M's, but I realize I
can't have all of either and maintain my weight loss.
Don't know if this is any help, just wanted you to know that I feel the
most important lesson you can learn from the surgery is how to feed your
new body properly and get the exercise or old habits will creep up upon you
quickly and you shoul stay aware of what you are putting in your mouth.
— colers
February 29, 2004
I was 2 years post-op on the 27th. of February, I can't eat anything with
high fats or high sugars or I end up in the bathroom within 10 minutes,
believe me it isn't worth it, I have maintained my weight loss of 168
pounds for over 18 months now, I weighed 105 pounds this morning, I am
5'4" tall and very small framed so this weight is great for me, I
love the lean look, I can't eat anymore then maybe 1 to 1 1 1/2 cps of food
at a meal and that depends on the consistency of the foods, meats would be
much much less, I normally eat about 4 times a day and exercise 5 days a
week,, any way I am babbling,, sounds like your doing great with your
weight loss, keep up the good work!! valita/ dizzy one
— bikerchic
March 1, 2004
I'm 3 1/2 years post op and maintaining after a small gain (started taking
hormones and gained 15 pounds before I left the doctors office!!). Like
everyone else has said - it now takes effort. Not like before WLS but it
does require paying attention to what we eat. Unfortunately as recently as
3 1/2 years ago when I had surgery there was very little nutritional
education and we were sort of patted on the head and told to go home and
lose weight. Now patients are educated much more preoperatively and better
prepared to make lifelong changes. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!
Just wish I'd been better prepared. Best wishes to you!
— ronascott
March 1, 2004
I was 2yrs post on 2/4 of this year. Initially, I lost 110 lbs and have
maintained the loss for the past couple of years. I watch my weight
closely...I weigh every morning! I know I'm probably not supposed to do
that, but I do. If I've gained anything...it's gone by the following
morning. It's always in the back of my mind that, like my yo-yo dieting
days in the past, I'll gain every bit plus more of the weight back. Not
going to happen this time...I won't let it. I'm fairly careful of what I
eat...I make better choices. As the prior person said, we didn't have much
education when we had our surgery...not like today. People need to listen
to what is being taught to them about nutrition and they shouldn't have a
problem. I'm doing great...my life is awesome without all those horrible
pounds...and I've started running/walking marathons for the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society to keep in shape! It doesn't get much better than this!
Good luck to all!
— Cindy T.
March 1, 2004
I'm 9.5 yrs out from very distal RNY. I've had 2 wt gains, one from Peeps,
one from fruit. As long as I keep focused on who the enemy is (sugar), I
seem to be holding steady at the same weight. I concur with Ali that the
Grad group is where you need to be for long term maintenance.
— vitalady
March 1, 2004
I will 2 years the 22nd of this month. My original goal was 160, when I
got to 160 i changed it to 150. I got down as far as 153 (however I was
going through marital problems) after those problems settled I have no
krept my way up to 165. Whenever I feel myself picking weight up I go back
to the basics. High protein low carbs and exercise. Now that is beginning
to get nicer out exercising wont be difficult. I am determined to get back
to 155 and maintain there. I will not let the battle of the buldge win.
Follow doctor's advice to the letter and you are guaranteed results that
you will be happy with. God Bless. LETS WIN THE BATTLE OF THE BULDGE.
Dont forget to drink your water.
— Chris9672
March 1, 2004
Maintenance is work, at least for me it is. I am a little over 2 years
post-op and maintaining within 5 pounds of goal. I love to eat and I love
sweets and do eat them ( so much easier if you just say "no"!).
But to do so, I have to eat "healthy" the rest of the day and
work out consistently. If I do so, I can have my cake and eat it too, but
slack off the exercise or make some not so healthy choices during the day
and it shows. In other words, I can't have my candy, bagel and pasta in
the same day. The key for me is weighing every day. I know this can drive
some people nuts but its my barometer on whether I need to cut back or can
have that dessert. Its a balancing act and if you stay on top of it you
can do it. I do eat more than i did a year ago, but not significantly more.
I still eat the 1/2 of a sandwich or 3/4 of the Lean Cusine. Another key
for me was selecting a goal weight (size actually) that I could live with.
Some post-ops go too low, because they can or because they want to
experience being model thin for the first time. But the lower weight/size
you go the less you can take in calorie wise to maintain it and being such
a low weight leaves very little room for deviating. Keeping an eye on your
weight and having a plan for what to do if you start to gain is key.
Taking care of the gained weight while just a few pounds is also much
easier than having to tackle 10 or 20 or more.
— Cindy R.
March 1, 2004
I had open RNY surgery on 8/28/2000 and lost 101 pounds by June 2001. I
have pretty much maintained my weight loss until last year when I started
to graze on a lot of candy, cookies and crackers. I found myself eating
like this because I this stuff goes down easier than food. Because of that,
I have gained about 25 pounds. I know that if I eat sensibly, I will lose
the weight again. I am trying to get back on track by eating more protein
and fewer carbs, drink more water and exercise more. If you are able to
maintain a healthy eating style you will pretty much maintain your
loss...easier said than done. Good luck and God Bless!!
— Char S.
March 1, 2004
I had my Lap RNY on 12/11/2000, and overall I am satisfied. I was 253 lbs
when I had my surgery, and at 4'11", that was an incredible amount of
weight. I weigh about 170 now (my weight fluctuates by as much as 7 pounds
in a week), and while that is about 20 pounds over my lowest weight, I'm
pretty sure that with some hard work, I will be able to lose it again. I
know that people often have a "bounce" when they finish losing,
so I think that's what happened to me. I get used to being able to lose
weight and keep it off so easily, I forgot that I really have to pay
attention to what I eat, and move my behind if I want to keep from gaining
weight. Whether you are normal weight or overweight or obese, the answer is
always the same: watch what you eat and move, and with your WLS TOOL you'll
be fine!
— Maria H.
March 1, 2004
I had my lap RNY on 11/5/01. I've lost about 125 pounds. I do eat a LOT
more then I used to. However, it's still not anywhere near what I used to
eat before surgery. I find that I gain and lose the same 3 or 4 pounds.
But that's ok. I'm still maintaining the same size and have since month 10
post-op. I think you MUST weigh yourself at least every 2 weeks just to
keep yourself in check. You also need to exercise. I try to do it 3 times
a week. This DEFINATELY helps me maintain my weight.
— Patty H.
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