Questions for the Post-op 18+ Months - ThinnerTimes

Peckkale · 08-09-2004, 10:00 AM

I attended a support group meeting last Tuesday in Palm Springs and came away with a number of questions.

There were two post-op patients that spurred these question.

The first lady had had WLS nine years ago and was back for another WLS attempt. Over the nine years she had gained back all the weight.

The second lady was 2+ years post-op and is gaining back the weight.

These two woman set me to thinking and I now have a number of questions haunting me.

This surgery is said to change you ability to eat sugary and fatty foods.

1 - Is this true or is it true only for a few months following surgery? Does the effects of the surgery "wear off" over time?

2 - At what point does one's appetite return to a pre-op conditions and you end up back where you started from...Fighting your food cravings and weight?

****Please no newbie post/pre-ops with stories of 'friend's success/failures'....I am looking to hear from those who have already walked the path and experienced the effects the surgery had on their life.

Christina · 08-09-2004, 10:09 AM

Renee,

I am only about 5 months out so I can't answer the hunger questions, as I don't have any now. However, this is what I know at this point. You CAN eat your way back to your weight if you allow yourself to do so. The thing is, the poucn does work, if you make it work for you. Anyone can gain their weight back by snacking and/or eating things that they shouldn't. The pouch or surgery is just a "tool" to help encourage better food choices for yourself. While on your honeymoon period, you should develop good eating habits and make lifestyle changes such as exercising and not snacking. I am not an expert, however I do pay attention and do listen when the post ops tell me this stuff. Therefore I have made it a point to change my lifestyle now so I don't struggle so much after the "honeymoon" period. I also know that the sugar thing does not work for everyone.. not everyone is sugar intollerant.. thankfully I am.

I'm sorry I can't answer better then this but this is what I do know and if you keep up the support and stay honest with yourself you will succeed in this process. Those people are probaby snacking and not exercising... they are also probably eating things they should not eat.

Woody · 08-09-2004, 11:52 AM

I had my surgery in April of 2002. I guess I would qualify for what you are looking for. I reached my goal at roughly 1 year out of 235 lbs. I'm 6'3" and weighed 350. I have maintained the same weight for 1 1/2 years now, almost.

I can eat just about anything I choose to eat. That includes sweets and other sugary foods. I occasionally eat a pice of candy..... but I can no longer sit and go through an entire bag of candy at one sitting without dumping. It comes down to a matter of choice. I choose not to eat those sugary foods. I know what they will do to me both from a dumping standpoint and a weight standpoint.

As for appetite, I definately have one. I still follow the rules when it comes to eating. I take small bites and chew them well. I take my time eating and I am able to recognize when to stop. I can no longer eat like I did pre-op. My biggest battle that I fight daily is snacking. I still do it, but I do it carefully. A lot of time my snacking is counted as a meal. I try to snack on healthy high protein foods like beef jerkey or (my favorite) peanut butter filled pretzels.

I still dump once in a while. It's usually mild and I just get uncomfortable. I still can't eat dry chicken. It sticks in my pouch and I have to wait it out. I think that't the only thing I can't tolerate.

I hope this helps.

sandi · 08-09-2004, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peckkale

I attended a support group meeting last Tuesday in Palm Springs and came away with a number of questions.

There were two post-op patients that spurred these question.

The first lady had had WLS nine years ago and was back for another WLS attempt. Over the nine years she had gained back all the weight.

The second lady was 2+ years post-op and is gaining back the weight.

These two woman set me to thinking and I now have a number of questions haunting me.

This surgery is said to change you ability to eat sugary and fatty foods.

1 - Is this true or is it true only for a few months following surgery? Does the effects of the surgery "wear off" over time?

2 - At what point does one's appetite return to a pre-op conditions and you end up back where you started from...Fighting your food cravings and weight?

Renee,
I can't answer any of your questions myself, since I'm just 3 weeks and 6 days out, BUT, my sister in law had one of the other stomach stapling surgeries 15 years ago. She lost about 200 pounds and in the last 4 1/2 years since I've known her, she's probably gained back at LEAST 50 pounds, but, I also see what she eats when she's out or here at our home. She eats a LOT more than what I know WE can or are supposed to eat, and she eats M&M's everyday!!! Handfuls!!!! She then complains to me that she "needs to get busy and get the rest of this weight off"..... I offered her the piece that Suzanne submitted to the old thinnertimes group called something like "Pouch rules for dummies", she refused it, that was months ago, while I was still in the waiting process. She still eats the chocolate, she says she NEEDS it, well, she "needed" the chocolate enough to put 50+ pounds back after going through this long process of receiving a tool to keep that weight off of her!!!! I'm only sharing this with you to show that if we DON'T do what we're supposed to with this TOOL that we've been blessed to have, we CAN put weight back, not everyone is free of dumping from sugar, my sister in law is one, she has no dumping from all that candy, amongst other things she ate a whole chicken sandwich with gobs of mayonnaise on it, in front of me when I was 10 days out..... I sat there and sipped my cream soup and water, and I knew by watching her, that if I had anything to say about it, I'd do my very level best to never let myself get that point of not being aware, and of never forgetting this past year that I had to be ready for this surgery, and KNOW that this is a life changing experience and I never want to go back to the old way of eating....

I'm down 36 pounds in 27 days, I've had three mini-plateaus in the past week and a half, three days at one weight, lose a pound, then three more days at the same, down one pound, I've stayed the same for 5 days now, but, I feel better today after Christina, Karen and Tracie talked me through this frustrating time, I know if I just keep doing what I'm doing, it'll start melting away again.
I'd do it all over again, just knowing what is ahead of me, thinner days and healthier years!!!!!

I wish you the very best Renee, in your decision making.....
Good luck!!!!
God speed~

Mamabear · 08-09-2004, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peckkale

At what point does one's appetite return to a pre-op conditions and you end up back where you started from...Fighting your food cravings and weight?

I am a newbie like Sandi, but I have to say that I didn't go into surgery thinking it would fix me forever, because one's hunger does return. However, if I follow the instructions about quantity of food, and types of food, I won't regain. I don't ever plan to try to see if I dump when I eat sugar. I don't plan to eat junk food anymore. If you keep the addictive stuff out of your system, you may have head hunger from time to time, but you don't have to fight "your food cravings and weight."

We have to use the tool *and* do the emotional/psychological work to maintain our new lifestyle.

The main things that contribute to success (I learned this at my support group tonight from a psychologist who had WLS) are: 1. continuing to eat low-fat foods, 2. don't graze or have unplanned snacks, 3. exercise, 4. after you're through the earliest phases, have 5 to 6 meals a day, eating less than 1 cup of food at each meal.

Of course I wouldn't follow recommendation #4 without checking with my nutritionist.

Good luck! Most people do succeed!!!!!!!

patypal · 08-23-2004, 08:26 PM

Hi Im almost 2 years post op and have not hit goal yet. My food cravings were back 2 days home from surgery! I have my ups and downs daily. I can eat chocolate but like Woody I cannot sit down and eat an entire bag or I will feel like crap for a little while. The "dumping" I had at the beginning of surgery was severe now its like feelings under the weather (crap) for anywhere from 10-30 mins. The difference for me is this, I now have control! I could not find the control over my eating beofre surgery i have it now This is what this surgery has given me. I choose daily to drink water, not soda I choose to eat protein first then carbs. I choose to exercise because I can easily and I like the way I feel afterwards. I love the way I look in chlothes now. These things I can control now and I can continue to cntrol them with the tool given to me by Dr. Callery. Do I push my limits? Yes alot more than I should, but I am still in control and I make the decisions and I dont want to be that heavy ever again.

Patti
332/160/132

lealphachienne · 08-23-2004, 10:27 PM

There's plenty of pyschological and behavioral changes that you need to go through to be a "success". Some people, for whatever reason, will sabotage their own success and regain the weight. Also, the procedure done now is so much more advanced than what was offered years ago. No matter the procedure, it still takes effort and good, healthy eating habits. You still need to stay active. Everyone is different and will have varying success and experiences with the food they eat.

educ8dwmn1970 · 09-03-2004, 03:17 PM

Sandi,

Are you weighing every day? If so, don't weigh but once a week and take your measurements. You will see at the times you are at a plateau that the measurements will show inches lost.

melanie hirschorn · 09-04-2004, 09:41 AM

renee,
i had my surgery in april 2003. i lost 120 pounds and am having no problem maintaining, but i absolutely agree with woody 100 percent. i can easily eat the wrong foods and get into bad habits again. i plan everything every day and any snack is a nutritious snack. the other key to this whole thing that never existed for me before, but does now, 7 days a week, is the word called exercise. 4 days a week i walk and 3 days a week i go to the gym. i now feel i live the life of a normal, thin person and to be that normal and thin person i need to exercise and watch what i eat on a daily basis. can i eat the amount that i used to eat before surgery, absolutely not, but i am able to eat. i probably eat the equivalent of a child's size meal. recently i had house guests and what they noticed about my eating was they said i eat extremely healthy. well, any thin person i know that's the way they eat. i did go out a couple weeks ago to a party and have about 3 bites of the desert. before i would had had the whole desert. now it's too rich and if i were to eat more i would get sick. the whole key is to remember they are giving us a tool only. you need to control what you put in your mouth.
melanie

sandi · 09-04-2004, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by educ8dwmn1970

Sandi,

Are you weighing every day? If so, don't weigh but once a week and take your measurements. You will see at the times you are at a plateau that the measurements will show inches lost.

Yes, I DO weigh every day! I'm fine with it, there are lots of people on here who weigh every day, there are lots who don't. I also take my measurements once a month, and I watch that very closely. I don't stress over the plateau's anymore either, I know that it's just part of the process, but, a month ago I was just a few weeks out from surgery and didn't know any better. I keep a graph of my weights, as my friend Tracie does, she told me about the graph that Microsoft Excel has, so I set it up, I LOVE watching that graph make the slow fall in a downward direction. Since my post of a month ago, that you replied to yesterday, I'm now down 13 more pounds, 53 in all in 7 weeks, I'm VERY pleased with that, and in the 40 years of going to every weight club on earth and weighing once a week, and not seeing very good results, if any at all, I LIKE being able to weigh every day and SEEING that the TOOL that I worked darn hard for is working!!!
Thanks for your post though!

sorry, sometimes my red hair flares!