drmeow

I am about 5 years post-op and definitely regret it as well for mostly the same reasons as SleevedK above. Yes, I lost quite easily at first but that only lasted the first year. After that I could not lose anymore no matter what I tried. The worst thing? I am ALWAYS hungry. Before I had VSG, I had done low carb/keto for quite awhile and lost well and had a lot of energy. Part of that is eating plenty of fat which keeps you full. Unfortunately, after VSG I could not eat much fat. Protein first of course, but if I had too much fat I'd get sick. I also LOVE vegetables and can no longer eat much of them. I fill up quickly at a meal but am starving an hour later.
I was told that at least in the first 6 months or so, hunger would never be a problem b/c the part of your stomach they remove is where the hunger hormones are secreted and that eventually that would come back. I was hungry from day one and it never changed.
The biggest disappointment to me was that I did want the bypass. I went in for surgery and woke up to find I had nothing done. Doctor tried but could not pull my intestine far enough forward to attach it without stressing the incision. I went on a liquid diet for a month and lost 22 more lbs, tried again with the agreement that if it still wouldn't fit, he could go ahead and do VSG and that's what I woke up with. My surgeon has a very good reputation and I trust him. My body has always done weird things. Not sure if it's just all the fat in the omentum around the intestines that was the cause or adhesions from my previous gallbladder surgery, although he did say he broke down some of those.
By 3 yrs post-op I'd not only not lost anymore but started regaining. The regain is totally MY fault, not the surgery, but I was so tired of fighting to lose with no results that I began eating junk food again and it crept up. All told, I lost 85 lbs and regained 28, and have been sort of stuck there. I'm now revisiting trying to do low carb since it works for me once I get past the initial cravings, etc.
I had some GERD prior to surgery but it went away with the weight loss, only to return with a vengeance after i began to regain. It is MUCH worse than it ever was prior to surgery. I have not had an endoscopy to see if there is a hiatal hernia or anything yet; it's on my list to get checked out soon.

Hello Friends!
I had a lap band done years ago and have a ticker here showing that and my status as lap band patient.
I now have had the revision from lap band to bypass and would like to add a new ticker and change my patient status.
Can anyone give me the directions on how to change all this? I can't find it anywhere and don't remember how I did it 14 years ago!
If anyone from Bariatric Pal sees this, please include an instructional section to the website. Thanks!

Omg me too! The not being able to wipe literally sent me on a tailspin! My husband had to do it for me and I lost it. Every time I want to give up I remember how helpless and ashamed I felt!

You bet! At 7 years post op, it’s definitely harder. I’m up 35 pounds from my goal weight I maintained for quite a few years. But life happened, and I went back to old habits. As time goes on after surgery, the easier it is to overeat.

I’m happy to say I’m back on track again! And let me tell you, eating less and eating Protein and lots of Fiber has really brought my sleeve restriction back! I’m down 5 pounds and am already feeling physically better.

Guys, don’t ignore weight gain after maintenance. You’ll have some “bounce” weight where your body wants to be, and that’s completely normal. But any gain after that take seriously. I was doing the “It’s only 10 pounds” It’s only 15 pounds” until 35 pounds, and then was like “What the hell happened??”

I don’t want to get tiny again like the pic on the left at my lowest. I was comfortable at 160, and that’s realistically what I’m shooting for. I can do this! And YOU can, too!

Oh, pic on the right is me currently.

Actually if you are completely keto-adapted you have no need of carbs. Reference the Inuits who eat nothing but Protein and fat year-round (in their native environment before McDonalds marched in probably) - there was even a doctor who lived with them 11 years eating what they ate and was completely normal.
You mention protein to repair the muscles - yes, protein is needed, and fat is needed for fuel. There is no need for glucose if you consume adequate fat.
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Performance/dp/0983490716/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434031729&sr=8-2&keywords=phinney+and+volek
The authors of the above book say "low carb" rather than "no carb" b/c in our world, realistically we aren't going to avoid every single carb.
If you avoid ALL processed foods, and potatoes, corn and peas, you can probably eat most of the other fruit and vegetable carbs on a limited basis.
However, I suspect the OP is actually just having the typical 3 week post-op stall. She doesn't say when her surgery was, but the amount of weight loss makes me suspect that.
Also if she is fairly early post-op and eating even small amounts of crackers and bread, she's probably not getting all her protein in.

Ditch the margarine and use real butter. It's a very healthy fat as long as your stomach tolerates it, and margarine is nothing but vegetable oils and chemicals, neither of which are healthy (with the exception of olive oil, but usually there are still lots of chemicals added) Even the ones which claim zero transfats - they are allowed to claim that if it's less than a certain percentage but it's not really 0.
also, lowfat cheese often has added stuff to improve taste which often add carbs. Try a full fat strong-flavored cheese and you can use less.

Haven't read all the replies yet so pardon me if this is repetitive, but I think you need to add FAT, not more Protein or carbs to your diet. When you add more Protein your body treats it just like carbs - it stimulates insulin to store it as fat in your liver, whereas fat is burned directly. Yes, they need to be healthy fats, but that includes saturated fat as well. Research is now confirming what our grandparents knew instinctively, that fat from healthy meat (grass-fed, not grain-fed) and saturated fatty oils are much better than the polyunsaturated garbage that has been the mainstay of our diet for the last 30 years. Coconut oil, MCT oil, butter from grass-fed cows, duck fat, the skin off truly free-range chickens.
Of course as WLS patients we have to modify things a bit from typical keto/LCHF simply b/c we can't eat nearly the volumes others can. But I would go back to your previous level of protein, increase your Water, and just add 100 calories of pure fat - try Bulletproof coffee for a yummy way, or make coconut fat bombs as a treat. (Google, there are tons of recipes for both)

Just a caution about this problem - artificial sweeteners can cause it in some people too. you wouldn't expect artificial sweeteners to raise your blood sugar but they can in some people, and then it drops very fast. This happens to me when I use some of the artificially sweetened coffee additives.
In addition to Protein at meals and Snacks, try to include a bit of good fat (real butter, coconut oil, olive oil, etc) which keeps your blood sugar stable longer.

So every once in a while, my therapist says something that really hits home with me and she said something yesterday that has been rumbling around in my head since then and thought I would share.
I have a food addiction. Specifically to crunchy salty treats - Cheezits, Cheetos, Ruffles Potato chips, etc. I still on occasion binge on these items (and yes it is possible because these things crunch up in to tiny pieces). I lie to myself and say I will portion them out and eat them in reasonable portions and I always start that way, but in the end, I always grab the bag/box and finish them off. Sometimes I feel sick from it. Sometimes I don't. I don't want to do this, but yet probably once every 2 or 3 weeks, I do this. (I am 11 months post-op for those curious.) (Please don't post and lecture me about this. I know it is an issue and I am working on it. That is not the purpose of this post.)
Anyway, as my therapist and I were talking about this, she asked me to describe how I felt when I am approaching the snack aisle at the grocery store or the snack aisle at the gas station (when I am on a road trip for example) and after thinking about it, I answered "anxiety". What I mean is, I start feeling how much I want those Snacks and yet how much I don't need them and how I am going to be strong enough to avoid them.
She said "Think of the addiction as an outside force. This is something coming from outside of you and you need a strategy to overcome that voice. Some people come to me who have worked for months and months on just sheer willpower and come in completely exhausted. They just cannot fight with sheer willpower anymore." The exhaustion part of that statement is something I keep thinking about. How many of us did Weight Watchers or Atkins or South Beach or whatever diet and we did SO well but one day, we were just so exhausted with counting our points or our carbs and just gave in to the exhaustion and grabbed what we wanted, and then the next day and the next day and the next thing we knew we couldn't get back on track?
All along in this journey, I have feared maintenance. I mean I have lost weight before only to gain it back and then some. But she said to me I needed a mind shift. Don't live in this sheer willpower stage. It won't work. Understand that I have an addiction which comes from outside of me and figure out how to defeat it. My specific plan we came up with - when I am approaching that aisle and hear (or feel) that desire for the food, OUTLOUD say NO! (Ok, not so loud that others stare at me, but you see what I am saying) And then replace the thoughts with music - something to drown out the voice until the urge passes. She said to turn around and leave if I had to. I said "leave the grocery store if I am not through shopping?" and she said "absolutely - if you just cannot deal with it at that time, then leave. Leave your cart there or just checkout with what you have. You can come back later."
I haven't had to put this in to practice yet, but I have been thinking about music to put on my phone to get me through that (or that I can sing in my head). A theme song if you will to get me past it. Eventually this will all become a little easier - a little farther between the cravings. It already has - otherwise I wouldn't be down 141 pounds. I hope I defeat him completely someday. I am not sure if I will. For now the addict monster is still there and I am learning how to defeat him and wear him down a little at a time....

Ditch the margarine and use real butter. It's a very healthy fat as long as your stomach tolerates it, and margarine is nothing but vegetable oils and chemicals, neither of which are healthy (with the exception of olive oil, but usually there are still lots of chemicals added) Even the ones which claim zero transfats - they are allowed to claim that if it's less than a certain percentage but it's not really 0.
also, lowfat cheese often has added stuff to improve taste which often add carbs. Try a full fat strong-flavored cheese and you can use less.

I did Atkins about 4 years ago, pretty successfully, and know that I personally feel much better and lose better when I keep my carbs very low. I have tried to do this now, 5 mos post- sleeve surgery, but have not been able to stick to it. The difference I can see is that previously, I would load up on large salads and high fats which kept me very full and I didn't tend to snack. Now, due to the small pouch, once I eat my Protein, there is not much room for many vegetables, and I will feel stuffed right after eating but relatively hungry again in 1.5 to 2 hours. I have never NOT felt hungry since I had surgery. Unfortunately, I've found that I can tolerate virtually all types of carbs, esp sweets, crackers, etc, all the things I definitely do not need to be eating, but find myself grabbing b/c of hunger (and admittedly sometimes boredom or other emotional reasons) I'm working on the emotional stuff, getting it out of my house, etc.
I just wondered if others are actively doing a ketogenic diet, and if so, how. I think one issue may be getting more fat in, and wondering how to do that with the sleeve.

Alex you bring up a great topic. I will enter my two cents. Currently in science there is something of a revolution going on regarding diets. Science has figured out that essentially DNA driven diets, and in the next couple of years this will be rather mainstream. I theorized on this about a decade ago when I was living the Atkins lifestyle (that I am trying to get back too today). I wondered why some people can eat sugar and just remain thin. My best friend used to say those folks 'won the genetic lottery', but I thought it was something in their ancestors past that allowed them to eat carbs and not gain weight. I though about the rather limited time man has had to deal with sugar in particular. Corn Syrup especially. Corn, 200 years ago was a grass. We have not had time to evolve to properly deal with it. Now science has figured out how to tailor a diet based on your DNA. So the answer is that for ME, I avoid carbs like herpes. I strive to get 60-70% of my daily calorie intake from Protein and keep carbs as low as I can. That works for ME, others will respond differently. I look forward to the day when my DNA can be tested and a diet recommended based on sound science that will tell me what foods I should be eating to lose weight. Until that day, carbs = bad.

Some people have other things in life that are more important than food and calories. Especially to the point of having them memorized.
I haven't been a fan of carbs for about 15 years. I find that my body and my mind run better on very few carbs. I get my carbs in from veggies and the occasional sugar alternative and that is about it. I have never liked crackers, cold Cereal, Pasta or rice. I did love French fries and that is something I just have to remove from my diet and mind entirely, including sweet potatoes.
I used to do Atkins. I found Keto a few years ago and I like running on healthy fats and grass fed/organic meat.

For me, Mister Carb is the driver on the bus to hell.
I have zero control when I start eating carbs. Garlic bread is the devil's work. Buttery white rice with salt and pepper - I become a fiend. pizza, I will CUT YOU if you try to take my pizza.< /p>
See? See how I get? I can't go there. I can't do moderation at this point, five months out. Since I can't eat any more than 1/3 cup at a time, I eat Protein and a couple of bites of green vegetable. The carbs I get are in greek yogurt and cheese. Maybe once a week I have a couple of grapes.

I keep a couple of the Atkins frozen meals in our freezer at work to use for lunches if I forget to make one at home, but rarely eat them.
Each weekend I bake about 5-6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (my store has them on sale all the time for 1.99/lb when you buy the large package) - these are the super large breasts. I put them in a pyrex dish with salt, lemon pepper, garlic and onion powder, cover with foil and bake until done (45 min usually), then portion those out for the following week. One gets made into chicken salad - mayo, celery and dill pickle relish. At least 2 get sliced or cubed to use on a salad or with another vegetable for lunch. The others get shredded and used in tacos for my kids, or I'll eat them with the salsa but no tortilla.
Every other week I make a huge crockpot of homemade spaghetti meat sauce (low carb) and freeze in small portions. I eat it either plain or on spaghetti squash "noodles" or zucchini spirals; the kids use regular noodles. The other week I do the same with a large pot of home made chili. I use a Foodsaver to make portion sizes that i can take for my lunches, or pull out to eat when the kids' meal is too carby for me.
I usually steam some vegetables on the weekend too and have in the refrigerator to reheat quickly.

I had surgery on Wed, home on Thurs and went back the following Monday for a half day, then regular from Tues on. I'm on my feet a lot in my job but can sit down in between patients.
I never had any complications from surgery and didn't need pain meds after I left the hospital, have never vomited on any foods and only had foamies once in 6 months now. So I had an easy time of it overall.

I have had Hashimoto's hypothyroidism for 14 years. I had sleeve surgery back in Oct and I've lost 58 lbs so far. I think I could probably have lost even more already except I have not made time for exercise yet and I unfortunately have found that I can eat anything I want, including all the bad junk that got me there in the first place. I don't think my thyroid disease is affecting my weight loss in any way, but I am due to have it checked again soon anyway.

I had surgery on Wed, home on Thurs and went back the following Monday for a half day, then regular from Tues on. I'm on my feet a lot in my job but can sit down in between patients.
I never had any complications from surgery and didn't need pain meds after I left the hospital, have never vomited on any foods and only had foamies once in 6 months now. So I had an easy time of it overall.

I keep a couple of the Atkins frozen meals in our freezer at work to use for lunches if I forget to make one at home, but rarely eat them.
Each weekend I bake about 5-6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (my store has them on sale all the time for 1.99/lb when you buy the large package) - these are the super large breasts. I put them in a pyrex dish with salt, lemon pepper, garlic and onion powder, cover with foil and bake until done (45 min usually), then portion those out for the following week. One gets made into chicken salad - mayo, celery and dill pickle relish. At least 2 get sliced or cubed to use on a salad or with another vegetable for lunch. The others get shredded and used in tacos for my kids, or I'll eat them with the salsa but no tortilla.
Every other week I make a huge crockpot of homemade spaghetti meat sauce (low carb) and freeze in small portions. I eat it either plain or on spaghetti squash "noodles" or zucchini spirals; the kids use regular noodles. The other week I do the same with a large pot of home made chili. I use a Foodsaver to make portion sizes that i can take for my lunches, or pull out to eat when the kids' meal is too carby for me.
I usually steam some vegetables on the weekend too and have in the refrigerator to reheat quickly.

I couldn't agree more.
The only time I think people are lying is when they are doing things like selling weight loss products and claiming those products helped them, when they lost weight from surgery. I know of one person that did this.
Just because a ton of people in the current "society" we have are cool with oversharing, doesn't mean that everyone does.
Plus a lot of people that post here forever that people are from different age groups, cultures, and socioeconomic levels.
I was raised not to talk about money, I am for sure not going to talk about a surgery.

to snack, or not to snack?

--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To diet, to sleep....
Enough Shakespeare. If you really need a snack and it isn't due to head hunger, stomach acid etc. and a drink doesn't subside it; try to pick a healthier, lower calorie and if possible a higher Protein choice. Just be careful of mindless eating and grazing.

What is your weightloss as a % of the weight you want to lose. I think sometimes we can see posts that say "lost 100lb in 6 months" and we nowhere near that number we feel disappointed with ourselves. But if the original poster has 300lb to lose they will have lost 33% of what they want to lose. Your smaller number expressed as a % may be in the same ball park.
Whatever, do not feel disappointed in what you have lost, every lb down is a lb nearer to your goal.

I would love to hear from some people who are 5+ years out from surgery and how they have done, good or bad. I realize that there are probably fewer longterm people on this forum just by the nature of it - ie support in the early days. Does anyone know what the statistics are for bypass patients after 5 yrs? I have my first appt in a few weeks, and once I start to tell family and friends I know I'm going to hear all the negatives (I do not plan on telling many early on, even among my closest family/friends) and I'd like to be able to give some positive info back. I am doing this for my health and to be active again, not for vanity (although I sure won't mind looking better) and am 52 yrs old.
Thanks!

Thanks, I had not found the Veterans Forum before you posted that, and now I've looked through it - found a few helpful posts but despite the label of being only for 1+ years out from surgery, it's still filled with lots of posts from people a few days or weeks after surgery, so it's taking me a long time to weed through and find anything really helpful. I did, however, find a link to bariatric girl's website through one of the WLS magazine articles, and she has quite a few people posting in her comments, etc. who have had long term results.

+1
I thought this on reading the very first post in this thread. You (OP) just slid right by the part about him probably having an affair! I was in an emotionally abusive, controlling marriage for over 22 years, and although I was never happy, I didn't realize how miserable I really was until we stopped having sex completely. All that time I had allowed sex to be the barometer of our marriage, and accepted that intimacy as if it were enough. I ignored the lack of affection and concern from STBX (soon to be ex) for 20 years and ate to fill the loneliness and anger. Luckily I got my own counseling (when STBX refused to participate with me) and found the strength to leave him, *before* deciding to have surgery.
You've made it clear to your husband that you love him, want to do counseling to save your marriage. You've done all you can - it's up to him to at least make an effort. You might want to read http://www.amazon.com/Why-Does-He-That-Controlling/dp/0425191656  /ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1450031393&sr=8-3&keywords=lundy+bancroft
This has nothing to do with your WLS, except that before it, you probably did not have enough confidence to treat yourself well, and now you do.
Good luck.