I feel normal..And great most of the time..But that does not mean the weight control is easy...Man I struggle with the old eating habits....

I'm still in the honeymoon phase. I had my surgery May 11, 2006, a lap rny. I feel fantastic. I've eaten too much a time or two and it certainly let me know it!

This is so much better than what I had feared. I'm not looking for a cure, or a miracle, just something to even the playing field a bit.

I had my open RNY July 2002. I have sinced gained about 40lbs. I am miserable. I never did really get to my goal. I don't know how to start losing again.

This is a great idea. I did a lot of research prior to surgery but never really found anything about life afterwards. NOW I didn't have the normal bypass cause I had SEVERAL complications but I would still do it again in a heart beat. I only wish that I would have had more knowledge about how life is almost two years post op. No one told me about the hair loss, that weight loss might be very slow due to other health issues, about the cravings that you still get even though you know that sugar will make you very sick or even about getting stuck at your current weight and how hard it is to keep going.

[B]I don't want anyone to think that my surgeon didn't discuss things with me but at the time they really talk about the first stages of being post-op.

I am still thankful everyday that I can now walk down the street or even up a flight of staris. I hate the loose skin but I will work on getting that taken care of. As for me I'm lossing slowly but that is better then still being trapped in that sickly woman's body that I use to have !!!

I had the Roux en Y gastric bypass in January, 2003. The first 145# loss was easy---I wasn't eating! However, with time, poor eating habits crept back in, and the weight loss slowed down and even reverses. I had managed to get down to 200#, but regained 47# (Errrrggggh!) Now, I'm having to revamp my eating habits, to include nutritious foods, and LOTS of exercise!

I had gastric bypass 4/24/06 and I am so glad that I did it. I have lost 80 pounds so far! I worry about how it will be when my pouch gets bigger because I currently worry a lot about how much I eat. I worry about gaining it all back, so I work out at least 5 days a week. I haven't lost any muscle since the surgery, I have actually gained half a pound. I try to focus on making sure that I exercise enough so that I can increase my metabolism. I was also an emotional eater and I try to work on those emotional issues so that I can control how much I eat. I agree that this is not a fix all. It is just a tool and you have to work at it everyday. I weigh myself everyday. Is that strange? Some of my friends worry that it will lead to an eating disorder, but I do it to stay motivated. When the number goes up, I work a little harder at the gym or measure my food a little more accurately.

I'm new to this site and this thread and was just wondering if anyone in this thread still posts? Not really noticing a lot that's really recent. I'm in desperate need of someone to chat with. Had gastric bypass 3 1/2 years ago and lost 200 pounds. Now have gained back 30 and don't feel any of the restrictions that I did in the beginning. Never feel full, etc. Any and all advice would be SO helpful. Just some support is much needed as well.

I think it would be interesting to know how a person's answer would change as the time after their surgery increases. I would have answered differently 6 months after surgery as I answered just now...4.5 yrs after surgery. I have gained 40lbs back. I didn't expect that.

Personally, I had the surgery Nov. of 2005. I did a lot of research ahead of time nearly a years worth online. I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to find a good clinic, not just a surgeon and a surgeon with not less than 600 surgeries of this kind under their belts. The clinic was invaluable. A nurse was always available to my surgeons patients and we were well instructed ahead of time what to expect and the pit falls to avoid.
My surgeon had had this surgery himself years ago most of his staff had also had the gastric bypass so it was a good environment. Dr. Freeman has done 1600 of these procedures before I walked in and believe me I checked that out first. Also he had never lost a patient. I never had a problem thankfully. Like Atkins dieting the water you drink is vastly important. I lost 180lbs the first year. As I am in my 50's the loose skin is abundant yet I have to say it was when I lost 100lbs on Atkins. Being bedfast and very ill for a year brought all my efforts to and end. I had regained all 100lbs and some back. At 374lbs. I finally checked on Gastric bypass and am free today to live a great life because of it. BUT let me say this while I can eat most anything I want. I was warned to moniter my weight at least once a week and when I gained 3-5 lbs I took immediate action that is the key. As a result my body thermostat is pretty stable at 189. As I stopped losing weight on pupose and just maintained for some months to allow my body to adjust and skin to have a chance to catch up I have 30 lbs left to lose and have restarted my weight loss. I have now 190lbs and counting. I know I have to always be aware of my weight and never let it get back out of my control. I can eat far more now but choose to drink a lot of flavored waters which allows me to eat four or five small meals a day so that I do not overly enlarge my stomach. I could eat every half hour but I was prepared for that. I get busy for 20 minutes and the desire passes. Being prepared ahead of time is really important mentally, emotionally and most all to not sabotage myself.
Pam

PAM!!!! so nice to see you! and i'm soooo proud of you - and impressed! i remember how much you suffered with your weight, and NOW LOOK AT YOU!!!

congratulations - you're a true success story!!!

I had stomach stapling done on August 16, 1986. I weighed 305 pounds.

This morning, my scale read 110 pounds.

It took me more than 10 years to get to a healthy weight -- most of that time I was stalled around 245. I had a successful pregnancy right after my WLS, but my weight loss came to a screeching halt.

I've been at a healthy weight for almost 11 years now.

I've had one major medical complication, and a few minor ones. However, I have learned to eat moderate amounts of food that I want, and I exercise every day. Working out is a joy for me!

I love living at a healthy weight and I love being and fabulous 57 year-old. Losing weight didn't remove me from having to fight the battles of life, but I must say it's far easier to fight those battles in a healthy body! And yes, I'd do it all over again.

I am 3.5 months post-op and I'm still learning but yes, I'd do it over again in a heartbeat! My loss has stalled a little but I re-adjust my thinking and my posting so it's on again. I love my lifestyle now.

For me, WLS was not an easy way out. It takes work to look at food labels and prepare healthy foods.

But, I can honestly say that two and a half years post-op, I still have not touched a piece of chocolate cake or a candy bar, or anything else like that. People are amazed that I can keep that up...but I didn't come this far to cheat and gain my weight back. I still haven't gained back an ounce.

Please don't misunderstand me....I'm not bragging. A lot of people really struggle with the issue of sweets and stuff, and I'm somebody who was TOTALLY addicted to carbs pre-op. But for me, life after WLS has been even better than I could have imagined, and I am not willing to do anything to jeopardize my weight loss.

Hello. My name is luvteachingk. I hope to have my bypass surgery in March during my spring break. Quietdreamz mentioned receipes to share in her post. I would love to have someone send me some of those if you could. I am trying to get everything ready beforehand. Any help or suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks again.

Luv

Hello, I had gastric bypass surgery almost three years ago (4/15/05). The first six months, the weight pretty much fell off. The next six months I had to work for it. In the two years since then, I've been gaining and losing the same 15 pounds. The surgery reworked my digestive system but it didn't cure my head. I'm a cookie/carb addict. I eat when I'm bored or upset or mad. I need to learn self discipline and I need to exercise. I bought another dvd last month but haven't even taken it out of the packaging yet. I need to figure out how to transfer my sugar addiction to sweat addiction.