catwoman7

You need to look at the statistics from large research studies and not base it on what you see on the boards. Long time vets who are still hanging out here after several years post-op are likely to be patients who were very successful. And it could be that for many if us, staying active in the bariatric community might be one factor in our success. The statistics show that the average RNY patient loses about 70% of their excess weight, and the average VSG patient loses about 65%. Most patients end up somewhere around that peecentage. Of course you will always find people who end up above or below the average, and some WAY above or below that. The percentages get smaller the further you get away from the average. A 100% loss is a couple standard deviations from the mean, so you're not going to find a ton of people who end up there. My surgeon discouraged me from my goal of 100% loss, saying that only about 10% of his patients make it the far. But, i did it. And so did a few others from my clinic. But we're not the norm. I've checked the research. Studies show that about 10-15% make it to a normal BMI. Most end up overweight or class I obese (both of which are infinitely better than weighing 300+ lbs). But some of us do make it. But it takes some serious commitment and hard work. You can do it.. but it'll take a lot of dedication and effort.

yes - DS patients can definitely eat more than the rest of us, due to all the malabsorption

we don't have enough intrinsic factor to metabolize B12 that comes in a regular tablet, so if your level ends up getting too low, you'll most likely have to take it sublingually (a tablet that dissolves under your tongue) or via injection.

I think a lot of people base their expectations on shows like "My 600 lb Life", because we get a lot people who post about being disappointed when they "only" lost 15 or 20 or 25 lbs the first month, when that's actually pretty normal. You have to keep in mind that the people on those shows start out MUCH heavier than the average bariatric patient - and generally speaking, the higher your starting BMI, the faster you'll lose - at least for the first few months, anyway. You're doing just fine!

I run into people on this and other forums every day who've lost 100% of their excess weight. Granted it is NOT easy to do, with either surgery - you really have to be committed and work really hard at it. Statistically, about 10-15% of people make it to a normal BMI - so it's not common - but it's certainly do-able. the first 18 months is what's referred to as the "honeymoon period" when it's relatively easy to lose weight (and really push yourself to lose it then since it'll be the only time in your life when it's not that hard to do!!), but you can continue to lose weight after that. The farther out you get from surgery, the more of a challenge it is to continue losing, but it's definitely possible.

if you're eating 500 calories or even 800 calories, I can guarantee those gains aren't true weight. You're either retaining water or your intestines are full on the days your weight is up. Weight fluctuation is very normal. As long as the overall trend is down, you're good.

I've almost always had it no matter how big or small I am. When I saw pictures of myself when I weighed 350+ lbs, I was shocked. Now in the 150s, I'm often surprised, too. I'll see a photo of myself taken a year or two ago and think "wow - I looked great then - I wish I could lose 10 or 15 lbs and be back there" - but then I'll check my weekly weight log and discover I weighed exactly the same as I do now....or sometimes 3 or 4 lbs less (so....essentially the same). I think the only time my mental image and my brain were aligned was when I was in the 200-250 lb range.

I can do high fat sauces and dressings. When I replied to one of your earlier threads about not being able to tolerate super fatty meals, I was referring to meals like fish fries (which I used to go to at least once a month pre-surgery). Those usually included 2-3 deep-fried breaded fish filets, tartar sauce, a pile of French fries, cole slaw (made with mayo, of course), and usually a roll with butter. I couldn't eat that anymore - all that fat would make me feel nauseated. I could have maybe a half a fish filet (or maybe a whole one if they were small) - everything else I had with that would have to be a lot lower in fat. Another meal that would be tough for me to eat - a reuben sandwich with a side of fries. I could probably do half a reuben and maybe 4 or 5 fries now. but as far as something like a high-fat sauce or dressing on something - yes, I can eat that.

It seems like a lot to me, but check the food/eating plan your surgeon or dietitian should have given you. I know I did not eat bread at 3 months out (although I do occasionally now, at almost six years out), and those sub buns are HUGE, even the 6" ones. If I'd have ordered a sub, I would have just eaten the meat and cheese and ditched the bun.

just as an aside, you've lost about 24 lbs in four weeks? That's actually very good. Most people seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb the first month, so you're at the top of that range. Not sure what you were expecting, but that's actually an excellent loss!

most of the ghrelin is produced in the lower part of the stomach. The area where most of it is located is removed during sleeve surgery. None of the stomach is removed during RNY, but since the lower stomach isn't really used anymore (or at least not for processing food), the ghrelin isn't really accessible. However, I'm honestly not sure if it the ghrelin that lives in your lower stomach gets into your system regardless (and thus causes hunger) or not for those who've had RNY. Although some ghrelin is produced in the upper part of the stomach, too, so with either surgery, there will be SOME ghrelin in the stomach. I'm just not sure what continuing effects it has if it's still physically there, but mostly in the part of the stomach that's not being used to process the food anymore. Maybe one of the medical people on here will know the answer to that. BUT....RNY people do lose their sense of hunger for awhile, too. Most of us, anyway. It's typical to lose it for anywhere from a few months to a year out.

I lost my hunger for five months. Some people don't get it back until they're a year out.

I gained the all-too-common 20 lbs during year 3, which is OK because I'd gotten too thin (plus I was expecting the "bounce back", since most people do experience that) but....it's a struggle to keep my weight where it is, even though I had RNY. I have to monitor my weight and what I'm eating like a hawk, because it's so easy to put on weight. So I can totally see how people could start gaining weight if they're not paying attention. I just double down when I get to my "oh crap" level, because it's way easier to lose five or ten lbs than it is 50 lbs. Not going there...

those percentages are averages. And as with all averages, there are people who fall on either side of that range. You'll find people on here who've lost 90% or 100% (with either surgery) and you'll find people who've lost 20% or 30% (with either surgery). It all comes down to how closely you stick to your program. If you stick to it and don't let bad habits creep back in, you'll do fine and will likely lose more than average. as for missing hunger control when revised to bypass - I definitely had hunger control with my bypass. I don't think you can compare a revision to a "virgin" surgery.

mine was a little over an hour

everyone leaves the hospital weighing more than they did when they went in because of all the IV fluids (which I believe contain sodium, which makes retention even worse!). I've heard of people "gaining" 10 or more lbs, in fact. It can take up to a week for them to work their way out of your system. You're probably fine. Even in phase 2, you're not taking in *nearly* enough calories to maintain your current weight - I'm sure it's water.

I had it for the first time when I was about a year out. I eat it occasionally, but not much (maybe a half cup at the very most - but usually less than that) because it sits in my stomach like a ton of bricks. Plus it's not all that nutritious (esp white rice), so I don't really want something like that taking up a lot of space in my stomach.

^^^^ yes - this.

you can always keep the lights off so he won't see anything.

yes you do need to get back into it, or you're going to fail the surgery. You're in the stage where it's fairly easy to lose a ton of weight, so you need to take full advantage of that. It's never going to be easier in your life to take off a bunch of weight than it is right now, so don't blow it. The further out from surgery you go, the harder it is. If you really want to lose the weight and be successful, then you know what you have to do...

yes it was an open surgery in the 90s (and thus more risks), but a lot of people in my generation remember the intestinal bypasses they did back in the 60s and 70s. Those were the ones where they didn't bypass the stomach at all, like they do now - they bypassed most of the small intestine. Those surgeries were very risky - but those aren't done anymore. But I think when some people say "bypass", those are the ones us old farts remember - so that's why a lot of people - esp older people - think weight loss surgery is really dangerous (for the record, it's not anymore - they do them completely differently now)

part of the reason you may not see that is that the sleeve wasn't widely done until 6 or 7 years ago. It's been phase 1 of the duodenal switch for longer than that, but as a standalone surgery, it's still pretty new. It came into vogue when the lapband started to fade. It's more-or-less replaced the lapband as the non-RNY option.

most people lose their hunger for a few months up to a year, regardless of the surgery (and a few lucky souls lose theirs forever, but that's not common). I know they talk about the reduced ghrelin with the sleeve, but RNY people lose their hunger, too - so I don't know why they make a big deal about the ghrelin reduction with the sleeve since it happens to both. Or perhaps the hunger reduction you get from RNY is due to something else - I don't know. But most people lose their hunger for quite awhile, regardless of surgery. I lost mine for five months. once hunger comes back, for most people it's not as intense as it was pre-surgery.

I know you didn't ask me this, but I've been hanging out on BP for several years. A lot of people (although I obviously can't speak for alissajs specifically) choose the sleeve because they feel it's less invasive than the bypass. Although I think they both could be considered pretty invasive - cutting out 80% of your stomach and throwing it in the trash seems pretty radical, too - at least to me... I think a lot of people also know about horror stories from 30+ years ago, when they used to do severe intestinal bypasses. The RNY is actually a gastric (stomach) bypass, so it's not the same "bypass" surgery they did years ago. They DO bypass part of your small intestine in an RNY - but we're talking about maybe a foot (to do the "Y"). Years ago, with those old intestinal bypass surgeries, they used to bypass many feet of small intestine (and the stomach wasn't bypassed at all - so very different surgery). No one does those anymore....haven't in a really long time. Anyway, a lot of people who had those ancient surgeries got very sick from malnutrition - and some died - and I think some people are remembering those and think that's what they're doing now with the RNY. But they're not..

most often, it's revised to bypass due to GERD. Most sleevers don't get GERD, but there's a significant minority who do. Often it can be controlled by meds, but sometimes a revision is the only option for dealing with it. I chose bypass from the start because I had GERD even before I had surgery - didn't want to risk it getting any worse.