When the Tool No Longer Works - ThinnerTimes

MiladyB · 03-23-2007, 08:31 PM

I read this the other day and it really spoke to me. So, I thought I would share.

When the Tool No Longer Works
(by Barbara Thompson)

Those of us who are post-op know that right after surgery, the weight tends to fall off at a rate that you have never known before. Your former foe, the scale, suddenly becomes your best friend – at least until that first plateau occurs! If you had Roux en-Y (RNY) gastric bypass surgery, your new pouch is very swollen right after surgery and there is little room for food, much less your water. After two bites, you are full. You get used to losing 15 to 20 pounds per month and you start to calculate that at that rate what you will weigh after 12 months or 16 months, believing that your weight loss will continue at that rate, month after month until you are positively svelte! You have little desire for food. It tastes somehow different, and despite any nausea you may feel, any falling hair, or the occasional dumping, life is grand!!!

But then your weight loss slows. You wonder if this is another plateau or is it the end of your weight loss? Along with this comes the return of the food demons. And you realize that your dreams of never feeling hungry again are not realistic. How you deal with these issues will determine your true success. Yes, you will know hunger for the rest of your life. However, this is when the tool can be used to your best advantage. You will not experience the truly ravenous hunger that may have plagued you in the past, however you will experience a hunger that is now much more quickly satisfied than prior to surgery. You are able to eat less and your appetite is able to be satisfied. The tool works, but you now know that you control that tool. It is no longer automatic. This can be a psychological barrier that some have to overcome.

Take advantage of those early months when the weight comes off the easiest by following the four “Rules of Success.” They are:

1. Eat protein first at every meal.
2. Do not graze.
3. Try to drink 64 ounces of water every day
4. Exercise regularly

Realize that the weight loss will come to an end and it may end before you want it to. Do not doubt how wonderful this surgery is, but it truly is a tool that you control.

mauldinmama · 03-23-2007, 08:35 PM

Beth I thank you for that....I am nervous and I know from time to time I will make mistakes but thank God I have a place to turn.

g

MiladyB · 03-23-2007, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mauldinmama

Beth I thank you for that....I am nervous and I know from time to time I will make mistakes but thank God I have a place to turn.

You're welcome, Leesa.

I'm sure you are nervous, sweetie. I was too. Really nervous!! Until I got to the hospital and they started settling me for surgery. I don't know, at that time I got such a peace about me. I knew I was doing the right thing no matter what.

Your nerves and emotions will have a hay-day over the next few weeks. Just understand that it is normal, that most of us went through it....and...we made it to the other side.

You're so prepared!! That is the best thing you could possibly do for yourself. When you know what to expect and what might come your way its easier to hold yourself together when the bumps come...and they will come!

mauldinmama · 03-23-2007, 08:52 PM

Your an angel...thank you!

MiladyB · 03-26-2007, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mauldinmama

Your an angel...thank you!

You're welcome, sweetie. I'm glad I could help.

ceekerr · 03-26-2007, 11:38 AM

Beth, thanks!

This puts things in perspective for me as well. I had never heard that about the pouch being swollen after surgery, but it makes sense. Thanks!

Carol

LisaBoston · 03-26-2007, 01:17 PM

Thanks Beth...you know many days now I feel like I don't have the tool anymore. I feel so "normal", but my habits of eating are just a way of life and unless I push the food limits, I feel like a normal person. That really does scare me for the long term and have to share with others that when you hit goal, its just as hard to get your mind around not loosing weight, still eating properly, finding balance....we go for so many months watching the scale, recording grams, pounds, measurements that when you get there...we have to ask ourselves...now what. The "what" for me is no different than it was in the loosing phase other than adding in a few extra calories to the day and finding the balance. Does this make sense?

mauldinmama · 03-26-2007, 01:23 PM

Lisa thanks for writing that...it did make alot of sense...You are such a great example of why this surgery works!

MiladyB · 03-26-2007, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LisaBoston

Thanks Beth...you know many days now I feel like I don't have the tool anymore. I feel so "normal", but my habits of eating are just a way of life and unless I push the food limits, I feel like a normal person. That really does scare me for the long term and have to share with others that when you hit goal, its just as hard to get your mind around not loosing weight, still eating properly, finding balance....we go for so many months watching the scale, recording grams, pounds, measurements that when you get there...we have to ask ourselves...now what. The "what" for me is no different than it was in the loosing phase other than adding in a few extra calories to the day and finding the balance. Does this make sense?

That makes perfect sense, Lisa. Though I'm not to my goal yet I think about the way I will need to eat when I get there. What will be my balance? I so appreciate you posting your thoughts because it helps me to know what to expect.

DebK · 03-26-2007, 06:53 PM

I really needed this today. I have been struggling with the slow weight loss. I am curious to those of you who started around 300 lbs, did you still experience loss after 10 months out? I am hoping to get down to the 150's, any words of wisdom?