Question:
Is your postop body different from your previously thin body

Having been a person that has been thin before only to regain all and more I am finding that my postop body seems alot different from my body at this weight before surgery. I have lost a lot of muscle mass I think, my bottom is getting flat my legs seem to be getting thinner and thinner but my stomach is reducing slower. I have just begun protien supplements and intend to do some weights at the gym but I was wondering if other longer term postops have found that their bodies are very different from previous attempts at being thin or before they had weight problems. I am 3 months post op open rny and have lost 50#s with 50 to go.    — Debra H. (posted on January 27, 2001)

January 27, 2001
Yes, I agree with you. I am 10 months post op and down 99# and I used to be much thinner too. I was "hippier" then, and now my butt is flatter and I'm pleased with the change! I think stomach fat is more stubborn, thankfully I was more pearshaped than apple, so had little stomach fat anyway. And, I agree, I think we are burning off muscle.
   — Cindy H.

January 27, 2001
I think the difference in your body has a lot to do with your age now, each year we get older our bodies lose muscle tone. Protein is especially important in the early stages of weight loss as it is what muscle is made of. That is why protein supplements are stressed so much immediately postop. Exercise is just as important to build up what muscle there is. I didn't do either for many reasons and boy can I tell it! No butt, no leg muscles, walking very hard to do but what I need most. I am working at it now but wish with all my heart I had done it at the beginning like I was supposed to. Weight is still coming off, but I'm afraid I have missed most of the "window of opportunity" by not supplementing the protein and doing the exercise when I should have.
   — Connie G.

January 28, 2001
I too have lost almost 50 pounds with about 50 to go and I'm in the same predicament you are. My butt is very flat (and I didn't really have much to spare in the "butt" area) and also my legs, arms and breasts (boo hoo - not much to spare there either) are smaller. The tummy fat is definitely an issue. I think it has to do with age, invasive surgery, protein, exercise and maybe more. I am fixing to really bump up the protein and start walking more. I remember myself as a "cutie" at 16 and 110 pounds. Now I just realize that at 40 - I can be smaller but I'll never have that 16 year old body........but, I'm still thrilled with just being healthier and smaller. Good Luck!!
   — ronascott

January 28, 2001
Yes, I have noticed this too. Partly I think I just ruined my skin from being so overweight, and now it doesn't want to bounce back. So, I know I will never have that youthful body again. Plus, with WLS, we lose so fast. You may lose more muscle tissue than with a regular (slow) diet, and your fat loss may be more concentrated in some areas than others. But, over time, it does re-distribute itself. Some of it happens during plateaus in your loss, and some of it happens later in the years after you stop losing. I have heard that this bony butt of mine will gradually re-shape and get some padding on the bones. I hope this is true because it hurts to sit too long now! Good Luck!
   — Lynn K.