Question:
Some people tell me this won't work if you can't & won't deal with why you over eat
— CuteDonna (posted on May 29, 2003)
May 28, 2003
Most of us NEVER feel full after eating because our stomachs are so big we
dont get saiety from eating. After surgery most feel full very fast. True
there are emotional components to this but the physical ones are very
important. You disbelieving friend? Have they ever met a post op?
— bob-haller
May 28, 2003
Most of us NEVER feel full after eating because our stomachs are so big we
dont get saiety from eating. After surgery most feel full very fast. True
there are emotional components to this but the physical ones are very
important. You disbelieving friend? Have they ever met a post op?
— bob-haller
May 28, 2003
This surgery is to be used as a "tool" to help you loose the
weight and keep it off. You will full after eating a small amount. But I
say it's like any other vice, you have to want to change the bad habits.
Good Luck.
— Terrie R.
May 28, 2003
I believe that the surgery forces you to deal with the issue of overeating.
You can try to overeat if you want to but you will suffer the consequences
(vomitting, dumping,etc.. You also run the risk of your 30cc pouch
strectching! YIKES! I'm a Christian, so my plan of action will include
getting Chrisitan counseling to help me develop godly ways of coping with
the issues that surface post op and also so I wont develop other unhealthy
coping mechaisms as a result of not having food to turn to. I wish you the
best! Erikka!
— [Deactivated Member]
May 28, 2003
Depends on why you overeat. IMO, there are different reasons why people
are MO. After the first 6 months, it is possible to eat around this
surgery. So if you eat for emotional reasons, or from a carb addiction,
then yes, you'll need to find ways around that. It's a tool that we have
to choose to use. If I didn't deal with my carb addiction, I would not
stay at goal. As soon as I stop paying attention to what I'm eating, and
start eating whatever I feel like, my weight starts to shoot up. It's not
a guarantee. You need to do your part, but the tool makes it possible.
— mom2jtx3
May 28, 2003
Hi Donna- I think your sources are partially right. But what are they
basing their information on? Are they obese and know what it's like? Do
they have medical knowledge? Most of us are here because our bodies don't
react the same way as most people's do to food, and we need a more powerful
tool than simply "diet and exercise". Hopefully your sources
understand that obesity is a biologically-based problem, compounded by
emotions and depression. Good Luck! :o) Mea
— Mea A.
May 28, 2003
It may also depend on which surgery you have. I had the DS and am now about
a year post-op. Since several months before surgery, I have been tracking
everything I eat and drink on Fitday.com. Amazingly, I am now eating about
500 calories a day MORE than I ate pre-op to maintain my MO weight, yet I
now have a normal BMI and am still losing about a pound a week. My diet is
very similar to the way I ate pre-op, too, with three differences: 1) I
drink a protein shake every morning now. I'm a vegetarian, so I need that
extra insurance that I'm getting the 85-100 grams per day that I need after
the DS. 2) I now eat 5 or 6 small meals during the day rather than 1 or 2
large meals. My smaller stomach fills ups quickly, but I find that I'm
usually hungry 2 or 3 hours later. 3)I eat a higher fat diet now, since fat
is barely absorbed after the DS. I never say "hold the guacamole"
anymore. :-) I don't know if this freedom will last forever, but it does
seem pretty great. I'm enjoying food more today than I ever have before.
I've actually been in therapy this entire year, in part so that I could
have some assistance confronting any emotional issues that popped up with
my post-op eating, but my therapist and I have both been surprised by how
easy this whole process has been (she specializes in eating disorders and
has worked with RNY patients in the past. I'm her first DSer). Therapy has
been great for lots of reasons, but I haven't needed it to help me deal
with food issues. I eat when I'm hungry, try to give my body good,
nutritious "fuel" all day, and I allow myself treats whenever I
want them. I go to the gym regularly and feel pretty terrific. Now, it's
possible that my intestines are going to adapt to the point that I'll have
to be more careful with my diet in the future, and I'm prepared to deal
with that if/when it happens (the "treats" my have to go!). But
for now, this has just been the most incredible experience. I almost feel
guilty that I haven't had to work harder at it. YMMV.
— Tally
May 29, 2003
The short answer is "some people" are correct...this surgery (I'm
speaking personally of RNY) won't work if you don't deal with why you
overeat. With the RNY your pouch will eventually be 6-8 ozs. (this is
normal), and it becomes very easy to fill that pouch many times a day if
say, you're a stress eater and are under a lot of stress, or if you eat out
of boredom, happiness, or whatever the reason. You can "out-eat"
the pouch VERY EASILY once it stretches (again, the stretching is normal).
You have to learn other ways of dealing with overeating, and I highly
recommend therapy in this regard. Switch addictions (hopefully!) to
something like exercise, or meditation to deal with whatever reason you
have for overeating. It's not easy, but so many on the board are showing
that it can be done. Gaining weight after surgery is a very REAL problem
for WLS patients...best to avoid that and learn about yourself as well,
before one gets to that point. Hugs, Joy
— [Deactivated Member]
May 29, 2003
Hi Donna, Are these people telling you these things obese or are they
normal body weight? I'll bet they aren't obese, therefore, they don't have
a clue "why". How can they? They have never walked in our
shoes.<p>First off, most people eat because they are HUNGRY! But if
your body doesn't function correctly and burn the calories you have
ingested, but stores it as fat, then we fall into the vicious cycle of
withholding food to lose weight. When you cut calories, you become even
hungrier. This more often than not produces obsessive thoughts about food.
The more you diet, the hungrier you are, the more obsessive-compulsive you
become about thoughts of food. Eventually, this leads to bingeing, which
can later turn into bingeing & purging (bulimia). There--now you have a
full-blown eating disorder--all because you cut calories because your body
won't do the job of burning them for fuel. And on top of that you have
feelings of guilt and failure to deal with because you've bought into the
lie that it's all your fault and you did it to yourself. <p>That is
why I chose to have the DS. I knew my body was sabotaging my efforts to
maintain a normal body weight. I eventually figured out it was a physical
problem, not a mental or spiritual problem or a lack of self-control
problem. I am now almost 2 years post-op. I eat normal amounts of food for
the first time in my life (2000 - 2500 calories per day) and I haven't
gained weight--not one pound. Before my surgery I was gaining weight on
1200 calories a day because of years of severe calorie restriction. The DS
has revived my metabolism through malabsorption and I don't obsess about
food anymore because there are no "bad foods". I will never do
that to myself again. Now when I get hungry, I eat. I avoid sugar and other
simple carbohydrates (except at holidays and parties), but I eat all the
protein, fruit, veggies and whole grains my heart desires. <p>Ignore
those uneducated folks who think your business is their business.
— artistmama
May 29, 2003
Weight loss surgery is not a magic pill and it does take work on the part
of the patient. But, by having a procedure that will limit your stomach
size so that you feel full, you are given a tremendous advantage in
controlling the demons that prompt overeating. And, you have plenty of
time in the weeks after surgery when you can barely eat at all to evaluate
how important food is to you. I was a stress eater, a happy eater, a
depressed eater-- hell, there was no mood that didn't prompt my desire to
overeat-- yet, after my rous-en-y I am able to control these feelings by
not being hungry. Good luck.
— SteveColarossi
May 30, 2003
Brenda,
I belong to a Low Carb group & these people are telling me there are so
many problems that come along with this surgery & these Doctors don't
tell you this. They say so many people gain the weight back and that they
will make you do a Low Carb diet anyway so why change now.
I'm going to do my research well and I'm even going to read up on it and
make that decision myself but I have pretty much made up my mind that I
want it and I'm going at this with a positive attitude, smile. Now I'm
hoping once I get in to see the Dr. as it will be around 7 months before I
can see him that my insurnace will not back out. Right now I'm 5'4"
and 268lbs. Having a lot of back problems, legs hurting all the time.
— CuteDonna
May 30, 2003
Donna, the others are right. This surgery is just a tool and like with all
tools, if not used properly, then it doesn't work. There are many post-ops
a year or two or three out that are regaining weight because they have gone
back to their old habits of eating high calorie food/drinks and grazing.
Although the small pouch allows you to limit the amounts you eat at meals
and get full faster, what you choose to put in there is another story. Its
still a game of calories in = calories out. Its amazing how quickly those
high calorie foods/drinks add up. And if you don't exercise, well, its
harder to keep it off. I was and can still be an emotional eater and a
nighttime eater, and can easily find myself mindlessly eating, and I am not
even hungry!! I suggest that if you do not have a handle on why you
overeat now, some therapy may help. Choosing to eat right, exercising
regularly and a life time committment to following pouch rules will ensure
long term success, but its not easy for everyone.
— Cindy R.
June 1, 2003
I took it upon myself to start therapy 6 months ago because I know that
this is going to be an issue for me....It has been helpful and I'm happy
that I've been able to take a good look at my eating behaviors now and to
come up with a plan to deal with those issues.What you don't
acknowledge...you can't fix and I would rather start now than when I am
caught up in it.
— jennifer A.
June 3, 2003
Donna, you will be changed forever. As mentioned here, you should prepare
NOW to get counseling or professional help and get a grip on those poor and
unhealthy eating habits. The surgery is not a "quick weight loss or
quick fix". This is for the rest of your life, although I know of at
least one WLS (the RNY) that can be reversed, but it is more trouble than
it's worth. Yes, you will have to zero in on the "whys" and
"when" you overeat. What you were told I thoroughly agree with.
Some may not. I'm still dealing with it and doing very well I might add. I
keep a personal jounal and write down EVERYTHING I eat~~whether I am
supposed to eat it or not. This, not only keeps me honest, but it also
helps me to target why I may have gained a pound or two, if I do...Then I
can refer back to my journal and go "ahah, so that's what did
it". I ate a wonderful bag of Lay's Potato chips a week or two ago. I
posted the incident. Felt real bad about it to. Go to the library and type
in the word(s) "potato chips", you'll see. I told my family here
(AMOS). So, it is important you deal with it or you can go right back into
those old "weighs" (ways) again. Hope this is an encouragement
and thought-provoking for you!!Best wishes on your journey!! LAP RNY
9/3/02 265/159/115-126 Hadiyah, a.k.a.~~
— yourdivaness
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