Question:
How is it that people gain weight after surgery?
I am 3 weeks post-op and I have already lost 28 pounds. And I don't ever want to come back to this weight again, so I just want to know how this happens. Now granted I am still eating soft foods, but later does it get to a point that we can eat everything like we used too? Please give me insight so I can prepare myself. — Denise D. (posted on July 23, 2003)
July 23, 2003
I have read that several months after surgery that the pouch softens and
you are able to eat more. Your appetite may also return. I have also read
that if you stick to your ORIGINAL weight loss plan that you will NOT
re-gain weight. I pray to God this is true! 13 days away from surgery.
God Bless you and congratulations on being on the losing side.
— Eleanore Davis
July 23, 2003
I think that old habits die hard and it becomes easier the further out you
get to eat things that you "shouldn't" Once things are going
smoothly and you've "settled in" to your new way of eating you
try this and that here and there and suddenly you've jumped your calories
way up and not realized it. At least this was my experience around 8 is
months out. I started to snack on crunchy things that grind down to
nothing and add tons of calories but don't fill or add any nutrition to
your diet. I had alot of problems eating at the beginning so I was so
happy to be able to have foods I missed that I have to be super vigilant
about what and how much I eat. I am an unconscious eater and that will
never go away. If I'm busy I don't eat if I'm bored and there is food
around I will fill up my time and my belly. Bad idea. I bought software
for my palm pilot and strarted tracking calories and it really worked I
started to lose again. Look at my profile if you need any more info or
drop me a note. Good Luck to you. Your on your way! Be sure to make the
most of the 1st year, you will still lose after that, but get as much out
of this period as you can. I could certainly have excercised more and now
that I do excercise I really think it would have gotten me to goal if I'd
started earlier. Hind sights 20 20 though so I'll get there it'll just
take a bit longer. No biggie. Just a hint from my experience. Penny
7/31/02 (-100) 10 lbs to personal goal weight. :-)
— pcollin4
July 23, 2003
I'm 17 months post op and I can tell you that I am battling a very bad food
addiction. Much, much worse than I ever had before this surgery. I have
not dropped any weight since 8 months post op. I go up and down the scale
a range of about 8 lbs. I am still 60 lbs over goal. I can not resist
carbs. In the evenings I eat a nice plate of food for dinner and within an
hour I am snacking on everything in sight. Cookies are the worst because
of their crunch consistency I can eat them non stop. I can also tell you
that because of my addiction, I honestly feel sick all the time. I do not
dump, but I constantly feel crampy, sluggish, I have bouts of diareah.
None of this is enough to get me to stop eating what I should not eat.
Recently I got the idea to detox myself with a 3 day protein shake fast.
I am hoping that by riding myself of carbs I will be able to get a handle
on things. I have also recently started counseling. I do not plan on
giving up on myself.
— SARose61
July 23, 2003
I'm pre-op, but from what I have read on many of the message boards and
heard at our support group meetings .. yes, you can gain weight back after
surgery. Many people re-introduce sugars and high carb foods back into
their diet because they have discovered they can eat them. I have a friend
who can drink coke and eat chocolate with no problem at all but many
regular foods upset his stomach. He has gained some weight back, but is
working hard to break the sugar habit again. Many suggest not testing the
waters post op for sugar to see whether you dump or not. I am praying and
working hard to be one of the people who post op can avoid the sugar and
high carb foods. One of the nutritionists said many of her clients drink
too much fruit juice. It goes down easy for many and is loaded with
calories.
— [Deactivated Member]
July 23, 2003
Yes, yes, yes you can gain weight back. I can eat whatever I want, and
what I want is carbs in the form of cereal, bread, crackers, etc.
Everytime I see that "xx pounds lost forever" comment I cringe.
I could easily regain a good bit of my weight. I had a high stress month
recently where I felt like eating whatever I wanted, so I did, and gained 8
pounds in a couple of weeks. If you don't change your old eating habits,
if you don't eat protein first, if you continue to eat sugar or lots of
white flour products, if you don't stay active, you could certainly gain it
back. It's just a tool, it's not a effortless cure (for most people for
the long term). The carb addiction that got me to over 300 pounds has not
magically disappeared. The key is though, that with this tool, it's
finally POSSIBLE to get it off and keep it off if you put the effort into
it.
— mom2jtx3
July 23, 2003
Yes you can gain the weight back. Thats why I hate to see people say
"X pounds gone forever". Forever is not guaranteed unless you
use your TOOL forever. I have a friend who is 8 years out and is MO again
after getting below her goal weight her first year out. She found that she
can eat sugar and carbs with no problems. She eats anything she wants.
She also "grazes" eats a little bit of stuff all day long, and
worse of all, little to no protein. That is why I'm workinig hard to get
my eating habits in check now. I know I have a problem with carbs (I love
bread and crackers) so I try to stay away from them all together. I also
dont test myself to see what I can "get away with" I just dont
want to know for my own well being. Going to my support group every month
keeps me in line too. ~Sidney~ Open RNY 10-23-02 down 100+ and counting
— Siddy I.
July 23, 2003
Two of the biggest ways people can sabotage the surgery are by grazing
(slowly eating all day long) or by drinking caloric liquids (fruit juice,
milk, milkshakes [God forbid ;)], etc.). Eating a lot of carbs tends to
work its way into grazing because for most folks, carbs stimulate hunger
and additional carb cravings. I always say "carbs beget carbs:"
the more you eat the more you want.<p>It helps to establish simple,
manageable rules that you can literally live by. A few of mine: Protein
first, then fruits & veggies, then other stuff if you have room; Eat
small, frequent, protein-rich meals every few hours; and Eat protein ONLY
for breakfast. That helps me keep on track. That is not to say that I
always follow "the program" but I figure everything in
moderation. As long as I GENERALLY do the right thing and jump on any
weight gain immediately (not letting 2 pounds extra become 20!), I think I
have a pretty good chance of maintaining my weight.<p>I have had to
go thru "carb detox" multiple times and will continue to do it
every time my eating gets out of control. The thing you have to do is make
sure that you realize that your pouch is a tool and you have to use it to
its full advantage. That doesn't mean that you have to be so strict that
you drive yourself and everyone around you nuts or that one lapse means
complete failure. It means that you are human after all and now you have a
tool to help you regain control when you lose it.
— ctyst
July 23, 2003
The previous posters have given great answers. With my patients I find
that two things cause serious weight regain. 1.) Grazing. Just feeding in
those pretzels or cheetohs or cereal all day long. They crunch down to
almost nothing and you never really get full. 2.) Sugary beverages. Just
yesterday I had a lady call me who said she couldn't figure out why she
never lost more than 70 pounds. I was upfront with her and said
"Well, you know the answer to that better than I do - COKES!"
She's been drinking regular coca-cola since almost immediately post op.
Even when the sugar in them made her feel bad she'd just dilute them and
keep on drinking. WLS patients do not have to be on an eternal diet.
However, we will FOREVER had to be cognizant of what we're putting in our
mouths. Really, everyone is this way both WLS and normal people. We just
have to be more diligent about it. When we screw up (and we do!) we have
to be serious about dusting ourselves off and getting back on track. In
our program we put everyone on a D.I.E.T. This stands for DEVELOPING
INTELLIGENT EATING TECHNIQUES. The smartest thing a WLS patient can do for
themselves is spend their honeymoon period learning how to work WITH the
surgery instead of figuring out how to work AROUND the surgery. You've
been given a miraculous tool. Take full advantage of it! You can do it!
— ronascott
July 23, 2003
I am not posting to make others feel bad or to brag, but to let you know
that not everyone struggles to lose or maintain. I had open RNY 1/8/01.
However, I have been maintaining my weight effortlessly for 2 years (see my
profile). I do not exercise and have never dieted. I have never counted
calories, or fat grams. I eat whatever I want. I was afraid that I would be
on an eternal diet, but this is just not the case. Now, I have learned that
I avoid certain foods (milk, ice cream) and I can honestly say that I don't
want them. However, the amount of food that I eat is soooooo much less than
before but I do not feel deprived because I allow myself to eat whatever I
want (including pizza, pasta, Hershey's dark chocolate...) It is so
liberating and I am especially thrilled that my surgeon shares the "no
diet" viewpoint. My life is very normal. It is so neat to get on the
scale about once a week or so and see the exact same weight. I feel like I
am always eating, not grazing but always looking for a meal. I weigh about
120-123 and wear a size 4/6. The neat thing is going into a new clothing
season and wearing the same size as last year!!!I wish you the same easy
success!! Shelley
— Shelley.
July 23, 2003
I am not posting to make others feel bad or to brag, but to let you know
that not everyone struggles to lose or maintain. I had open RNY 1/8/01.
However, I have been maintaining my weight effortlessly for 2 years (see my
profile). I do not exercise and have never dieted. I have never counted
calories, or fat grams. I eat whatever I want. I was afraid that I would be
on an eternal diet, but this is just not the case. Now, I have learned that
I avoid certain foods (milk, ice cream) and I can honestly say that I don't
want them. However, the amount of food that I eat is soooooo much less than
before but I do not feel deprived because I allow myself to eat whatever I
want (including pizza, pasta, Hershey's dark chocolate...) It is so
liberating and I am especially thrilled that my surgeon shares the "no
diet" viewpoint. My life is very normal. It is so neat to get on the
scale about once a week or so and see the exact same weight. I feel like I
am always eating, not grazing but always looking for a meal. I weigh about
120-123 and wear a size 4/6. The neat thing is going into a new clothing
season and wearing the same size as last year!!!I wish you the same easy
success!! Shelley
— Shelley.
July 23, 2003
Lots of great answers here.. and I'm glad that there was at least one
really good positive answer -- I think its really important to remember
that we didn't get where we were when we started by having difficulty
eating or gaining weight. Most of us will need to be vigilant most of our
lives. THIS IS NOT MAGIC. I know that I read that all the time pre op,
its not magic and its a tool only not a cure. But then you have surgery
and WOW -- it sure feels like magic early on. When you get past 9 months
(or so) and it starts to be a little bit of work.. then you pass a year and
it requires a lot of work .. you realize -- this is a lifetime of
vigilance. For me, that's not bad -- its taking some getting used to but
I'm working it. For others, its not so good. Its really good to realize
that we can tell you many things, but how you react to every stage of your
life post op is about you -- what you do or don't do. Develop the best
habits early on (food and exercise) and keep working them. I think that
helps. Good luck.
— Lisa C.
July 24, 2003
I think you got excellent answers here. I have the lapband, but I have the
same food-demons that everyone else has. I think our surgeries are not a
cure-all. We have to look to them as a tool. But in order to be successful
over time, we have to change our habits and our relationship with food. I
have lost over 100 pounds 3 times on other diets, just to gain it back
again. This time, I know that I have to totally change. My band is
helping me do that. But I have to make wise chooses. One benefit of the
band is that you can get a tighter restriction if you are finding yourself
eat too much, but I still have to make those wise decisions. Good luck to
you!!!
— Sheryl W.
July 24, 2003
This message is for pre-ops who are investigating different types of WLS.
The tendency to regain was what finally decided me against RNY, although I
didn't like the pouch idea either. I was a completely out of control high
volume binge eather and just knew I would not be able to "work the
tool" for the rest of my life. I needed something as close to
foolproof as possible, and that is why I chose DS. The malabsortive
component allows me to eat fat, which is very satisfying both physically
and emotionally. And with a normally functioning stomach, I can eat all
sorts of foods and not have to rely on protein drinks to keep my levels up.
This is also more satisfying. Having said all this, let me also assure you
that my addiciton to carbs did not magically disappear! I can and have gone
on mini-binges, BUT the difference is I did not gain any weight! I didn't
lose either, which is a drag, but simply maintaining was at least tolerable
and let me get back on my feet without feeling like a failure. Replacing
protein with carbs made me feel so crummy that I couldn't do it for long,
and the intestinal effects of carb loading were...well, unpleasant to say
the least. All of this combined, plus talking to others about it, got me
back on track and I'm losing again. After reaching goal weight, many DSers
regain 10 or 20 lbs, but that's it. You would have to eat nothing but carbs
for a very long time to regain any significant amount, and I've never heard
of anyone doing that, although perhaps they're out there. You will
sometimes hear scare stories about DS from people who know little about it.
I would not be writing this if I did not think it was THE best surgery
available today. Go to http://duodenalswitch.com/ for information, and join
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/duodenalswitch/ to meet other DS people.
Chris, DS 6/11/02, 378-230, BMI 57-35, sz 38-18, so far!
— Chris T.
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