Question:
Just really confused on the issue of long term weight gain

Is it all that easy to gain back a significant amount of weight even if you are watching your caloric intake. It scares me to think that it maybe so easy to regain. I know you will regain if you graze and eat over a certain amount calories. Is it that you become so hungry over the long term that it is really hard to stay with in your limit. Just want to ease my mind or either put me on contant watch. Thanks    — Tammy P. (posted on May 22, 2003)

May 22, 2003
Tammy, I had my GB two years ago this June. I find I can eat more, and could overeat and gain weight if I wanted to. I make a decision everytime I put food into my mouth. Should I eat this, is it good for me, will I gain weight.. I still eat much smaller meals than I used too, I think I eat less than my "normal" size sister does. But I also know that if I go back to my old habits of eating candy, ice cream, cookies, cakes, high fat foods..etc.. that the weigh will come back on. I've learned that I can have what I want, in moderation, like anyone should. But I also make sure I eat vegetables and fruits. I do get very hungry around my period, but I just eat more raw veggies, or some popcorn. I WILL not get fat again, I WILL do what I have to to keep this weight off. I think what you have to remember is that this surgery is done on your stomach, not your head, so you have to make the right choices. You will do fine, just remind yourself how far you've come, and where you came from, that usually puts me in my place. Good Luck.. Gail
   — Gail M.

May 22, 2003
I think the main problem occurs when we treat morbid obesity as a mental disease vs a physical disease. When we treat it as if it is a character flaw, we assume we have anormal body. In other words, given some character restratint, I can eat small pportions of normal foods and not become fat. I don't agree with that concept. I do NOT have anormal body, never did, never will. I have a fatal disease and it's in remission. Every time I have "forgotten" that my body is broken & tried to behave as normal people do, I've gained wt. When I remember my disease and put things back into perspective, I maintain my goal wt. I have certain freedoms others do not have, but also limitations that I can either accept, or, well, pay the price. I can have butter & mayo! I cannot have milk or sugar. Or graze. And it's not about "permission". It's about how my body is going to react to my treatment of my treatment. I was not successful in dealing with the disease itself, so the only thing I have left is to work with the only treatment provided. You often hear me refer to the 2 year wall. That's about the time people get tired of having to live with our disease, throw all that got them thinner into the trash & try to live like the people next door. "I'm grazing on HEALTHY things", "Mary next door has a tiny bit of ice cream every nite & SHE can still wear size 3"--that kind of thinking. I cannot do those things and maintain my wt. And I've got as distal a procedure as you can get. The good news is, by avoiding milk & sugar, drinking my protein shakes, water & taking vites, my disease still IS in remission. I just can't forget the character of the disease.
   — vitalady

May 22, 2003
Michelle, thanks for sharing. Great perspective...one many more people need to (should) hear. Obesity is disease, but most people have WLS thinking they have finally found a 'cure'...but you are right...remission is a far better word. They should make patients read and sign that disclaimer before having surgery! Diabetics don't go off of their insulin just because their blood sugar has been normal for a week. Cancer patients, don't refuse surgery, radiation, or chemo, as hard as it may be, just because they can't 'see' the cancer. There are many more examples, I'm sure, but the point is that WLS needs to be a PERMANANT lifestyle change not just a quick fix.
   — eaamc

May 22, 2003
WOW! Thanks for putting this into perspective. I was kind of thinking to myself that some day I'll be able to eat anything I want. But I'm realizing that if this is to truly be a sucessful tool for me, I've got to accept this as a life change. I can live with that! I don't need the junk to keep me happy. I'll have a nice, healthy body to keep me happy. So, I'll replace food with new clothes and its a win win situation! LOL! Thanks for the wonderful post, Michelle!
   — Renee B.

May 22, 2003
*That* is the question! What is it that causes weight re-gain, and what's different about WLS? I think the best advice I've seen on this issue came from Michelle Curran (no surprise there!), who says you have to ask yourself what you'll do DIFFERENTLY after this surgery. I think that, when it comes to failed diets and weight regain, repeating the same old patterns, expecting the different results, is indeed the definition of insanity, WLS notwithstanding!.<P>I'm only about a year out, but for what it's worth, so far, I've noticed the following things, or made the following changes, that I hope will help me keep my obesity "in remission" this time:<P>(1) I still need to pay attention to whether I'm eating out of physical hunger, or whether it's just head hunger, resulting from (A) Fatigue (trying to eat for energy?), (B) Thirst (which I still mistake for hunger), or (C) those same old boredom/stress/emotional reasons (blah, blah, blah ... but they're very real!). There are times I really cannot BELIEVE I still let a stupid pint of ice cream rock my world; "How freakin' ridiculous is *this?*," I have to remind myself.<P>(2) If I keep protein foods, protein snacks, &/or protein shakes prominent in my diet, it helps with hunger pangs. If I have too many carbs (crackers, or worse, sweets), I experience an accelerating urge to eat crummy foods with each passing hour or day. It can start subtly, but it grows every time; I can set my watch by those increasing cravings. I no longer get peeved that I can't eat whatever I want as far as carbs go, at least, not without consequence; for me, eating "normally" means avoiding too many carbs. I don't limit them to a super-low level, but for me, if my carb grams creep ahead of my protein grams, on a daily basis, I'm headed for trouble. If recent studies & press reports are to be believed, Dr. Atkins might've been onto something there after all.<P>(3) I absolutely still track what I eat, at least mentally, because it is ridiculously easy to graze your way into more calories than you thought possible, or to eat a heckuva lot more junk or carbs than you think you're eating.<P>(4) Link exercise to food: Slowly, I'm learning not to kick myself as much for making "bad" food choices (rather, I'd like to pay attention to how much, and why, they happen), so long as I'm also exercising to compensate. They're not "bad" if I learn to balance them into my day by running them off, or sweating 'em off on some machine at the gym. We always have to remember that while there may be malabsorption, there ain't no "free lunch." ;~)<P>(5) Gotta love those "Pouch Rules"! If I feel I'm going on the prowl for food I don't need, I drink something. This shuts me off of food for at least thirty minutes, under the Pouch Rules. Sometimes that's all I need to break my food obsession cycle.<P>I think as long as we recognize we need to change our lifestyle after surgery, we can make it work. I am always watching posts around here for new strategies, new protein snacks, etc. Worrying about weight re-gain is probably the smartest thing you can do to avoid it. Beats the heck out of that big pre-op worry, "How am I gonna lose all this weight?" Doesn't it?
   — Suzy C.

May 22, 2003
I am still pre-op but I must comment on that inspiring post written by Michelle! I was worrying about post-op weight gain in the long run, but a light-bulb went on in my head when I read that. My newest mantra is "I have a disease, and this is what I need to do to keep it in remission." That way, when I see "Sister Slimfast" next door, I will try and not resent her for her "struggle with 10 pounds". I will also think positively that I am *lucky* enough to have a disease which can be kept in remission. Mea :o)
   — Mea A.