A Poll for Post Ops
 

thought this would be interesting - a look at what we really think about life after surgery

2011 update: please feel free to add comments about how you're coping. HOWEVER, some comments have been requests for help and advice, and several people have posted introductions, and these types of comments are getting lost. I move them into the main forum when I see them, but as we all know, I'm not perfect!

So, if you have questions, need some help, or want to introduce yourself, please post in the main forum so that you don't get lost!

Good poll Jif! Even a year and a half after surgery, my answer was "Managing eating and exercise is still a challenge, but I'm learning".

I always read posts from people who say their only regret about having WLS is that they didn't have it sooner. I'm not sure I would have been ready any sooner - even though you couldn't have told me that at the time. I think I had to hit rock bottom, weightwise. Love my band, but there's days it would be so much easier to just eat the old way and to not go to the gym. That being said, I'm so happy I had WLS. It's changed my life.

Chickadee

I can't answer the poll, the surgery is not the biggest mistake of my life but it is a lot harder than I expected and not just eating and exercise... for me the side effects are serious.

I still would have had it, and I wouldn't have been able to diet down to 180 (my lowest), and I do need to diet now, but it's a different ball game, I feel like I have a chance now!

neenoon.. i'd put you in the "managing - but learning" category [which is what i answered as well]. it IS hard, especially the head stuff.

Okeedokee. I did that. It is quite something this surgery (one kind or another really) and yes the head stuff is wooooo!

I had this surgery 11 years ago and at the time I felt I was making a good decision. While I did manage to lose 90 lbs it all came back...4 1/2 years after the inital surgery I had to go back in to have corrective surgery done. The staples used to resect my pouch became compromised and I developed some serious health issues. I also ended up with an abdominal hernia that had to be repair. Of course my story is the extreme side. Today I still suffer minor effects of the surgery. I never did get the desired outcome I was hoping for but I don't blame that on the surgery. I blame that on my thinking that surgery was going to fix it all. The truth of the matter is that losing weight, even with surgery as an aid, is hard work and requires commitement to a lifestyle change. The fact the my body could not hold massive quantities of food didn't change the emotional reasons why I was an over eater. Once I was able to recognize the behavior I was able to better control my triggers. Mind you I am still not where I'd like to be but I am better of physically than I was 11 years ago. The secret for me was my emotional health. JMO

I feel normal, but that doesn't mean that weight control is easy

Boy does that sum it up, it is a daily battle. It is all about making the correct choices, and sometimes I am not so good at doing that :o .

I am very pleased with the results of my surgery. I haven't had any side effects, just the regular dumping syndrome when I eat something I shouldn't (which I NEVER do on purpose). I have lost 75 pounds so far and I have a lot more energy. I don't recommend the surgery for everybody, but for me it was a good choice.

Wow, where do I begin. I am thrilled that I had the surgery. It has also been very hard for me and I have had a myriad of complications including 3 dilitations, an inability for find a good protein supplement, no interest in food and I need to force myself to eat. I have also been diagnosed with mal-nutrition twice and hospitalized for it. This weight loss is definitely NOT for Sissies. Thinking about sugars is out for me as I get dumping and that is not fun. I also have a touchy gag reflex so if I don't chew chew chew, what goes down comes back up.
One of the major positives for me is that I like to cook so I am putting together a cookbook for people to use as a guideline. I am able to use sugar substitutes and also sweeten with a little honey for a good sauce.
I also was so excited when I went to the store for the first time in November and bought a new pair of jeans(size 10). I don't ever remember being that small. At my 140 weight, people say I am "skinny". LOL That is a term I never thought I would hear anyone use when referring to me.
I believe we are some of the strongest people I know.
peace and love,
talora

Still a challenge...
 

I had the banding done 2 years ago, got pregnant 2 months later, and my son is now 6 months old. The surgery made my weight gain with my pregnancy very minimal, I actually lost weight after he was born. I can account 20 lbs lost to the surgery, the 2nd 20 lbs lost from having my son, and the last 5 lbs was all me. I started Jan 1st and have lost 5 lbs so far.

I really thought that I wouldn't be able to eat much at all, and I could drop weight very quickly. Before I had the surgery (years before) I thought it was an easy way out, and that it wasn't really an accomplishment to lose the weight if you had the surgery. That was VERY VERY wrong, it's still not easy...as I have found out post-op. I wouldn't change it though, the band helps me stop eating...though they should make something to re-wire your brain to change your eating habits instead-it would be so much easier. I will look at my plate and think I can keep eating even though my stomach is telling me no...there's no solution to that, just good old willpower!

Through better food choices (not dieting though), and exercising every day, the weight will come off little by little, hopefully.

Congrats on your success, what a dramatic weight loss, good for you.

Kelly:carrot:

I'm new here. I had GB surgery in September of 2003. I quickly lost 90 pounds, but it stopped there. I started at 270 pounds, and am only 5 feet tall. I have gained back 10 pounds, and I have been battling with it for months. My biggest fear is gaining it all back. I feel like I'd rather die. Last fall I tried LA Weight Loss, but that didn't work for me at all. Right now I am reading a book about The Three Hour Diet. Anyone out there tried it? I could use some help here!

I hear you mama annie. I had two failed WLS's for complicated reasons and still had to figure out how to deal with my weight. I truly believe that most of us get to some point where we realize the only way to stay on top is to keep looking at those food choices. The surgery is only one tool that can help. Also, the banding is often considered low success for reasons such as the experience you've had. You can still make this work for you I' sure. Do you still feel the same restrictions in terms of how much you can eat, or the textures for instance that you felt in the beginning? Has your pouch stretched? Have you changed how you eat since before the surgery, or since you lost the 90 pounds after?

I'd have to have a lot more information about your current way of eating to venture any opinion about what the problem areas may be.

Thanks for writing! I had a gastric bypass, not a band. At first I could only eat 2 ounces, but of course that increases with time. I can now eat a cup or more at one meal. I can eat just about anything now. It hasn't always been that way, but there are few things that make me sick. I still have some trouble with meat, I don't like to eat much meat at one time. I can't tolerate soy protein products or whey either. I don't drink soda pop at all. I still have a hard time drinking enough water. I snack too much.

I just had my surgery on 12/8/05-so I'm definitly in the I"m learning category. I have dropped 53 pounds-long way to go-but I'm doing it. I have not had any problems with the surgery. I excercise every day-and watch what I eat-no fat or sugar-but I'm still having to keep watch over how much I eat. I am glad I had the surgery, but it IS still hard, like someone said above-at least it's not impossible-like it was before.

Some think that WLS is the magic bullet, and is the easy way out. That could not be further from the truth. I am very glad I did it, but daily, I am faced with eatting dilemmas. Quantity, and quality of what I eat everyday is a quandry. I must think all the time. I don't eat much, but what I do eat is carefully monitored, it has to be, or I will dump, or feel miserable, or not lose. I had mine in November of 2005 and have a ways to go, but I am on my way and it feels wonderful.

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.

Hello
 

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. :(

http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/heartb...lb/0/63/0/.png

Great Poll
 

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.

I go back and forth on this subject on an almost daily basis... lol I am happy to have had RNY, but have definitely had to relearn bad habits. I LOVE working out now, where I dont think I ever would have before. The biggest concern in my life right now is the extra skin. I absolutely HATE it. I have a hard time seeing past any weight loss and just look at the stuff thats hanging... even though its tightened up some, its still there....

Some Info that helped me
 

Hi all, this seems to be a rather lonely site, not much posting. I had DS surgery in 2003, and same as others have reported, lost some, stopped too soon! I lost 65 to get to 220, I credit the surgery with 45 of that, a bit disappointing but can't say for sure I regret it. In 2006 I was sharing diet stories with a friend and found her method was really working for her! It was Metabolic Research Center. A pretty strict diet, with counselors, and I can say as someone who has also tried LA weight loss, Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, Metabolic Research Center is the only one that has really worked well for me. Perhaps it was the great counselor I had in mine, Lakewood Colorado. They have a lot of classes too, for support and inspiration, and free yoga classes at least at the one I go to. Believe me, I am not an advertising agent for them! Just a customer! I lost 60 lbs in about 6 months with it, and I will admit I really didn't cheat that time. I regained some, tried to re sign up and do it again but failed to defeat my habits that time. Now I have regained about 25 lbs, but it was slow. I now feel ready to do MRC again, sparked by the recent return of the habit of buying a couple of candy bars at a time! Not good! It actually feels good to be back on the diet, it's disciplined but in a way that's sort of comforting and comfortable. Can't quite explain why that is. Anyway, it's working well for me (5 lbs, less than 1 wk) and I have talked to quite a few others who also say it is the only diet that really worked for them. Perhaps it's the combo of relatively normal eating, but little enough that wt loss is rapid, and great counseling. There is a lot of science behind this diet, and I like that. So, that's my share, for what it's worth.
Kathleen

Extra skin
 

Forgot to mention, there is a counselor at Metabolic Research Center who was running the yoga class who had remarkable skin even though she had lost 140 lbs! I'd never seen anything like it, you could see some wrinkling and stretch marks, especially on her middle, but her arms had almost no sag at all! I was really impressed and asked her what her secret was and she claimed it was using MSN. Of course I have started wolfing it! 2 big tablets 3 times a day she recommends. Love to hear from others who have had success with this.
Kathleen

I had the WLS (the gastric bypass, not the lap band) in 5/2001. I weighed 321 lbs when they weighed me in pre-op. Today I weigh 240. I had lost down to 188 and lots of my hair had fallen out. I was unable to eat meat of any kind for approx. 3 years. I had a struggle with dumping syndrome sometimes even if I wanted for an hour before and after eating. I ended up in the ER on more than 1 occasion. I am now dieting again, but as I've read others say, it is different. Are there any diet plans that have worked for anyone? I do better if I follow a plan.

Hmm. I kind of straddle 2 answers:
Managing eating and exercising, but
it's just as I expected, so no surprises.

I knew that even with the lap band, my eating was still going to be the battle. For me it's always going to be a 'head' battle. I still eat without thinking, and sometimes take much bigger bites than I can handle, and then because I'm eating mindlessly, I don't chew as well as I need to. But Agnetha (yes, I named my band....:rolleyes:) lets me know pretty much straight away that Í've screwed up, and by then, it's out of my hands, I have no choice but to pay attention and let it come up--no point in delaying the inevitable.

Which is what I wanted--I wanted to be physically unable to just gorge myself without thinking.

I weighed exactly 128 kgs (or 281.6 lbs) the day I rocked up to have the lap band put in. That was 19th May 2008

Today is 29 July 2008, and I'm down to 119.8 (or 263.56 lbs). That's a loss of 8.2kgs (or 18.04 lbs), within about 70 days, which in turn is an average of .82kgs (or 1.8lbs) of weight loss per week. That's pretty darn good, I think. :woohoo: (Unless I've done the math wrong!)

I haven't been feeling too swift about my weight loss--I've been thinking that I should be weighing so much less than I do, and really guilty that I haven't been making as much effort to eat appropriately and drink water--and not getting any exercise (have been so darn slack!), but after looking at from a different view point I don't feel so bad. :goodscale I feel like if I can just put in a little more effort, I will pick up the pace and just maybe I could reach my goal of being down to 100kgs by 1 Jan 2009--although I'm loathe to put a time frame on weight loss goals. It looks good on paper but doesn't everything?

I even went for a walk tonight. And,I've got plans to do it again in the morning before work, so I'd better get off here and get to bed. that alarm tends to be a bit annoying when you're short on sleep!

Cheers!

I had gastric bypass 7 years ago. I lost 110 lbs, met the man of my dreams got married, had 2 kids in 2 years and BAM...gained 70lbs back. I did great until my second pregnancy/post partum and I gained 40lbs. Surgery only works if you are metally and physically ready to make a life changing decision. I do not regret having it done for one minute but like has been said, I never realized the "mental" aspect of obesity until post op.

Stomach stappling
 

I had my stomach stappled 18 yrs ago today. I was one that was obviously not mentally ready as I gained all my weight back on and more. I am 5 ft tall. When I had my surgery the doc told me I was the smallest he had done as I was 180lbs. I got down to 112lbs met my husband had a child 5yrs later and today weigh more then I did before I had the surgery at close to 200lbs. I find it very difficult no matter what I do to lose weight as I feel this surgery has messed up my metabolism. I still have to make my self eat and have gone to the dietician here whom told me Iam not eating enough so when I do eat my body stores it as fat. I try to calorie count to make sure i get enough calories but do this for a couple days then fall off and gain again. I find it a never ending battle. If I could go back I would have never had this surgery and would never recomend it either as I know quite a few people whom have had Wls and gained it all back so you really have to be mentally ready to lose and if you are then one should be able to do it without wls.

life 6 years after
 

starting weight 308
wls weight 285
current weight 105

i had roux-en-y gasrtic by-pass surgery 6 years ago and have maintained my current weight since acheiving it about two years ago. it is very important to go to a post op support groups (most hospitals have them). it helps to keep you on track.

just remember that this is an on going learning procewss, not a magic bullet. the smaller stomach is a TOOL and you have to learn how to work with it. i know of a couple of people who gained the weight back, but it is because they just figured they could go back to their old ways and still lose weight.

is it easy? NO!!!! but after three strictures and another operation to remove scar tissue i still think it was absolutely the best thing i ever could have done for myself.

stay strong....the quality of life is well worth it.

: kim

After GBS
 

I am like MaryLou7878. Some of the people that had the surgery around the time I did (July 10, 2005 weighed 220 lbs am 5'2" a real rolly polley)think "now I can eat what I want and never gain" no not true. My surgeon told me months before my surgery to start sipping drinks slowly and to cut my bites up really small and chew for a long time like 30 chews before swallowing. I took everything he told me to heart and went on a almost protein only diet before the surgery. I lost weight steadily after the surgery and my surgeon wanted me to weigh the same time every week and I still do and not to let my weight get over 135 pounds if in a week I see it is at 133 I watch my carb intake. The first 4 years after surgery I have to go see him every 6 months so I knew I would have to account for weight gain if I didn't follow his suggestions. A lot of the people that had it when I did didn't take advantage of the every 6 months check up but I figure if I am going to go thru that discomfort I am checking in and it was covered by insurance so I thought why not take advantage of that benefit. I had such high blood pressure and conventional dieting wasn't gettting the weight off so surgery was the best answer for me and now my blood pressure is normal so don't have to worry about a stroke because of my weight. Exercise is very hard for me I don't like it and if I could lose weight from knitting I would be 125 and svelte! We have a history of diabetes in my family and my sister died from a weight influenced diabetic coma and I knew the possibility was there for me too. I have seen people I know get off of diabetic meds because of surgery and turn around and gain the weight back and go back on meds.

Surgery for me is just another lifestyle change doesn't mean you never have food or exercise issues. I have had my hair thin some but not as bad as I thought try to get protein in with eggs and meat. Chicken was hard for me to eat the first 3 years and pasta is very rare don't know what's in it but I will get sick everytime I try to eat pasta. I can tolerate 8 M & M's with peanuts now and then (Christmas and Easter).

My best advise is slow down your eating and chew it and weigh every week same time, same clothes (nude is good)and if weight is up back off the carbs.