Question:
I don't want to be negative I'm just trying to figure out if this operation is for me

Everyone I talk to has something to say about WLS. I am getting so tired of hearing all the bad things. When I hear that so and so had the operation and they gained all their weight back I usually just answer quickly that it must have been the old operation. Because I have found that when questioned most people say "Oh! Its been about 10-15 years since they have had it." But today I went to my GP and asked him to write me a letter. The nurse and I were discussing WLS and she says she had a friend who had it about 3-4 years ago, but she has gained all of her wieght back. I told her she must graze. And she agreed - said she eats all the time. My question is Just how easy is it to gain your wieght back. Do you pretty much have to eat constantly? It is very easy for me to gain wieght now. Will it be as easy after my 18 months are up?    — K T. (posted on February 19, 2001)

February 19, 2001
Hi K: Depends on which surgery we are talking about, of course. They have different rates of success. Also, say, with RNY, some surgeons totally transect the stomachs and some still leave them connected with staples. In the latter case, staple line disruption can still occur and weight can then easily be regained. I think with RNy, you can lose 75% of your excess weight strictly from the surgery, the remaining extra weight is lost due to your own efforts (exercise, choosing healthy foods, not overeating or grazing, and so on).You are right to ask questions and find the cause of the problems. People don't always remember the good, they do remember the bad -- and friends and family only want to warn us about the bad. After RNY surgery, I've found I have what is probably considered "normal" eating habits and abilities to choose good foods. I actually crave good foods and am only occasionally tempted by bad choices. The 'dumping' feature helped me in the beginning to avoid bad choices but after 10 months, it is not there usually when it comes to sweets, but it is still functioning when it comes to fats. So, occasionally I might eat a couple of bites of chocolate or something -- but never like before. I exercise everyday -- for 20 minutes -- nothing profound, but it works. I'm in size 14 jeans, was in size 28, I'm 5'7". I've never vomited or had any bad effects from the surgery. My stomachs are transected and my surgeon did a vagotomy which is supposed to keep me from getting an ulcer -- without a vagotomy, the ulcer rate is 20% after RNY surgery. Hope this helps.
   — Cindy H.

February 19, 2001
Oh yea, we all hear that. However, even a few years ago, many people were gatiting the VBG procedure. Many of them are now getting it VBG reversed and the RNY. I'm not qualified to say that RNY is better but it seems to have a higher success rate. Don't let the uninformed get you down. This website has a whole lot of people who can tell you the facts. It annoys me that nurses and doctors who have no knowledge of obesity think they're experts. On the up side, after it works for you, you can give the nurse something else to talk about. :)
   — kcanges

February 19, 2001
I hear it all the time. Everybody knows somebody who has had the surgery, either died, or had it reverse or who had complications. I never glorify this surgery, it is a very drastic measure to take. I tell people that you have got to want it because it is a change in life style for the rest of your life. I knew this is was my last resort and no matter what i was going to have this surgery. I tell people to ask their doctors questions, know the risk research, research and research. I was told that you can out eat the surgery. So I am very mindful of this. I watch pretty much what goes in my mouth.
   — Sharon T.

February 19, 2001
I have actually gained weight twice since WLS. Once during Thanksgiving and once just this past month. How do I know I actually gained and didn't fluctuate or plateau? Well, first, I maintained a 'low' weight for a few days and it shot up a couple of pounds. Then it took a week to 10 days of staying on the program to get back to the low. I do not dump on anything, can eat about 1 cup at a time, and have been prone to stress grazing. I am currently working in an office that might as well be a candy store and an upscale bakery rather than a Tier One automotive supplier (today there was 'bumpy' birthday cake, but I had even less than sliver...and NO candy-YAY!). I gained the weight exactly as you said - I grazed and ate the wrong things for about a week. Now for the good news. That's how I used to eat before WLS - it's not the norm now. It is as if my eating habits have turned completely around. Instead of binging all the time and eating properly once in a while, I binge once in a while and eat properly most of the time. As a result, when I pushed the protien and the water, the weight came back off, and my loss continued steadily. So, all in all, yes, I could fail the surgery and I'm well aware of it. However, it is so, SO easy for me to get back to my new eating habits that I consider my success assured, albeit slower than those more disciplined than myself.
   — Allie B.

February 19, 2001
I think if you are really dedicated and focused - you can outeat any procedure currently offered. Even with my DS (which has a distal bypass), I could probably suck down high sugar content milkshakes all day and manage to gain weight (of course, I would suffer such horrendous nutritional problems long before I regained significant weight). BUT - I could probably do it if I tried really hard. I think that is true with any procedure. Now, would *I* eat that way? Nope. Sometimes I have a few sips of a milkshake, but that's it. At this point (8 months), I can't think of any other way I could outeat the procedure (it would have to be high sugar, it would have to be liquid in order to take in enough calories). And even pre-op, I couldn't live on just one thing. Kate
   — kateseidel

February 19, 2001
I, too, am pretty sure I could eat enough to gain all the weigh back if I gave up & allowed it. This surgery has given me the control over food I didn't have before, so I am able to stick with the program. It's much easier now, but I know I could blow it if I tried. Although I had a pretty distal rny, I don't dump & can eat almost anything. The main exceptions are bread, rice, & pasta in anything other than very small amounts. I also can eat larger amounts than I actually DO eat most of the time. After 10 months, I am still losing pretty well, but it does require effort on my part to not sit & snack on nuts all day. One other thing, losing so much weight has allowed me to become much more active. So now, even when I do eat more than I should, I am able to exercise & am active enough that I can burn off many more calories than I could when I was still obese. DO believe all who say this is a "tool." It's a GOOD tool & it can get you where you need to go, but it's not an effortless easy way to success. It has been, however, the ONE thing that has worked for me & it has changed my life.
   — Kathy W.

February 19, 2001
Yes, you CAN outeat any of these surgeries, even as extremely distal as I am. If you do not stay well nourished, the cravings will drive you to eating constantly and all the wrong things. Compromising and eating little bits of sugar and such just create more hungers for the same things. However, the older surgeries often failed because of mechanical defects or because the people were not taught how to stay feeling satisfied by eating stuff that was good tasting and good for them. Again, the victims of uncontrollable cravings. If a person is determined to push the envelope, yes, you can outeat the best surgeries out there. But there are lots of successful people out here, too. The medicals just don't see us, because we only go in annually for our man thing or woman thing. My husband and I often have people stare at us because we are healthy specimens of "one of those awful things", as if they are waiting for us to regain or die right there in the waiting room! When we're heavy, everything is the fault of our weight. When we're post op, everything is the fault of our surgery! Haha! Even when my husband cut his thumb on something in the garage and we had to refuse the first antibiotic they offered. Isn't that hysterical? He cut his thumb because of our surgery?
   — vitalady