Question:
What are the chances I'll gain this weight back???
I am 13.5 months post-op and down 177 lbs. When I went to a new OB/GYN last week and told her about my RNY, she said, "Now you've got to be careful not to gain your weight back!!! I've had so many patients over the years who have had bariatric surgery and gain back every pound and then some!" This is extremely frightening to me. I thought the weight lost from a RNY was "gone forever" as long as you continued with a healthy lifestyle in the long run. What are the chances I'm going to gain some or all of this lost weight back? — Terissa R. (posted on May 11, 2002)
May 11, 2002
Terissa, Don't listen to this doctor. She may be referring to people who
had the old 'stomach stapling' of 20 years ago and is ignorant of the way
things are done now. If you continue to do what you've been doing, you
will be fine. You have obviously been following a healthy eating and
exercise plan or you wouldn't be where you are. You'll be able to educate
her when you go back every year and have not gained the weight back.
— garw
May 11, 2002
I cringe (and try to bite my lip- lol) everytime someone on the site posts
"XXX amount of pounds gone forever!". Yeah right. I've talked
with MANY people PERSONALLY who had surgery and gained ether all or most of
their weight back! Honest. And I did alot of soul searching before deciding
I'd have WLS because of it! My hope is to find someplace to learn Irish
Step Dancing with the hopes that the enjoyment of that may help keep
whatever weight I do lose off. Because I am not very encouraged by the
people I've known who have had past surgeries. Yes, they were a few years
back. However in 10 years "we will be the ones" who had the
surgery a few years back. ;) I KNOW WE CAN ALWAYS FIND WAYS TO EAT OR
DRINK OURSELF OUT OF THIS SURGERY. The fear of that helps keep
"me" in line most of the time. Please, just try to do whatever
your doctor tells you. He or she WANTS you to be a success. And so do I.
Best of luck to you, and never let your guard down.
We can gain it back if we are not careful!
— Danmark
May 12, 2002
Daniel, I can't argue with the 'XXX pounds gone forever', except that the
poster added 'as long as you continued with a healthy lifestyle in the long
run'. That is the key difference for her. If she continues with her
healthy lifestyle, she is not likely to gain back any significant amount of
weight.
— garw
May 12, 2002
YES..WE CAN GAIN THIS WEIGHT BACK !!!!!
be very AFRAID.......
I read somewhere Please do not quote me on these numbers
that We have a chance of regaining 50% of the weight back in 5 years unless
we are careful...
I believe that because I am 18 months out and have gained 10 pounds ...it
has scared me to death...I am watching what I eat very carefully..sugar and
carbs are killers
I cringe when I see posts that say...
Don't worry you will never regain this weight...
I have a sister who weighed 182 at time of surgery
Lost 40 pounds and has regained 10 that was 12 months ago
she started out eating sugars..she self paid because of having a fatty
liver and family history Our Doctor did this surgery on her...very possible
to stop this loss
— Kathleen M.
May 12, 2002
Yes, we can gain it all back. And more. The model of surgery doesn't matter
if you are determined to gain your wt back. It is possible to keep it off,
too. When you say "healthy lifestyle", what does it mean? Does
it mean going back to the same "sensible eating + exercise" that
never worked for us before? Or does it mean staying on our odd little way
of consuming? Lots of protein drinks, steady water, several small meals, no
milk, no sugar? Or is it back to no supps, haphazard water, caffeine, 3
larger meals, some snacks, eating at night? There's a vast difference
between what "they" can get away with and what "we" can
get away with. If we try to live as if we do not have this disease, our
treatment WILL fail. It just takes awhile. We have to always remember
that a little cheat here, a little cheat there, daily--and we've
neutralized our treatment. I did it to myself with just a few g of sugar a
day, not many, but daily and it cost me 6# in 2 weeks. And I'm as radically
distal as you can be! Let me tell you, it made me feel VERY vulnerable
again to what other people refer to as "normal eating". Although
I eat normal foods again (minus milk & sugar), I STILL have to keep up
with my basic "condition maintenance" or my condition will
deteriorate back to the pre-treatment zone. If I truly want to return to
my former self, it's just a few grams of sugar away.
— vitalady
May 12, 2002
Yes you can gain back the weight. Believe me, I am afraid that it will
happen to me too!! I had stapling 10 years ago...I lost about 80 pounds
without a whole lot of struggling. I was eating good, terrified about
screwing things up....but eventually I was back to eating junk again....I
gained all my weight back and an extra 70 pounds!! I was embarassed and
felt like such a failure. I never in a million years thought that I would
or could have another surgery to "help me" lose the weight. But,
4/10/02, I had an open RNY. These past 4 1/2 weeks have not been the
easiest. I forgot that I had to do most of the work. I think the thing that
most influences me to work hard is what my nutrionist said.....that we can
eat around this surgery. Things that don't make us sick and that we love to
eat, we can nibble all day and therefore not make this successful for us.
The surgery is a "tool", its not the complete answer. We still
have to work at this. Congratulations on your WLS, I only hope and pray
that I am as successful. Keep up the good work!!!
— bevewy
May 12, 2002
My doctor quoted some statistics to my husband about weight re gain. Per
something he read, 10% of patients will regain 50% or more of the weight
they lost after wls, in 10 years from the date of surgery. The other 80%
did not regain their weight. I have no idea where he read about this. I
know several people who had gbs, but not the old stomach stapling
procedures of the past, who have kept their lost weight off without much
difficulty.
— NicoleG
May 14, 2002
For every pound of fat you want to lose, you have to burn 3500 more
calories than you take in. If you accumulate persistent caloric deficits
day after day, you will lose fat. This is not a theory. It's a law of
physics. If you reverse this, you will gain.
— Karen R.
May 15, 2002
When I went to the seminar at Centennial Medical Center here in Tennessee I
was told that their was only a 4% chance you could gain back your weight.
— Crystal R.
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