Question:
How do you know if there is a problem?

I know that these things have been posted in the past so please bear with me. I am at my year mark and I have not lost anything in the past ten weeks. I actually go up and down between three pounds. Now is this it for the surgery? I have lost 108. I admit I haven't been the best behavior wise. I still eat sweets... not in excess and I have been known to graze. I don't do it on a regular basis, but it happens. I don't supplement anymore, but my diet is rich in proteins and I try to lay off the carbs. I haven't been exercising like I should. So I have lost 85% of my excess weight at this point. I have 32# to my personal goal. I have stomach rumblings in my lower stomach area, but when I have indegestion is is always in the upper. How do you know if there is a leak? I can eat a home made hamburger (about 3oz) with a piece of toast and maybe five french fries and I am stuffed. Or I can eat a normal sized bowl of soup and a small salad and be full. Is this normal (all of it the loss and amount of food) for 1 year post?    — Virginia N. (posted on April 8, 2002)

April 8, 2002
You sound normal in every way for being 1 year post-op. I am at the same place right now, losing and gaining the same few lbs. I've lost about 80% of my excess weight. I can eat about the same amount as you -- small portions, but not teeny-tiny like when I was a new post-op. You are doing fine.
   — Terissa R.

April 8, 2002
Hi! Congratulations on your GREAT weight loss. It doesn't sound like you have a leak to me. Instead, it sounds like your body has found it's "sweet spot". I know that's not what you really want to hear but it's probably true. We set weight and size goals for ourselves and we want so badly to reach them. Then, our bodies step in and decide to do things their own way. Our bodies reach a point where they feel comfortable and content and we have great difficulty losing any more weight. Typically Roux En Y surgery allows us to lose 70% to 80% of our excess body weight. However, we all want to lose 100%! I know I sure do. I finally had to adjust my way of thinking and accept that I'd never lose every single pound. I'm like you - I eat pretty good but not perfectly. If I had to give up my "normal" way of life to lose these last 15 pounds I think it wouldn't be worth it. I heard someone say this is called reaching your sweet spot. So - here we are, not quite at goal but a thousand times better off than we were prior to surgery. I'm really proud of you!
   — ronascott

April 8, 2002
I had my consult with a surgeon last week, and this is what he explained to me: The surgery itself (and reasonable compliance with post-op diet, etc.) will typically result in sustained weight loss in the range of 50% to 75% of excess weight (at least for someone my size -- BMI 42). The surgery alone will almost never result in a sustained weight loss of 100%. However, it will make that kind of weight loss <b>achievable</b> for people who exercise consistently and follow a good diet. He said that right now, in order to lose weight and keep it off, I'd have to exercise long and hard every day, as well as live in a state of constant hunger. After WLS, it's supposed to be a whole lot easier to get to goal, but it's not automatic. Basically, the first 50% will be taken care of by the surgery, but the last 50% will largely be up to me. Is that what most long-term post-ops here have found to be true?
   — Tally