Greensleevie

Yes!
These poor souls who have eaten their way up to 500, 600, and 700 pounds obviously have severe emotional issues. They need intensive therapy before and after the surgery. Really, I feel it should be a requirement for ANY of us who are thinking about or have already had surgery. I think the rates of regain would drop dramatically.
In another note, I used to think Dr Now was kind of an ass, but apparently according to people who have seen him speak at the WLSFA conventions, he was very kind and actually cares very much for the well being and success of his patients. That was nice to hear.

I have been going to the gym a couple of times a week. I'm 5 weeks post RNY. My surgeon gave the green light after 2 weeks (no weights or core exercises) so I've been doing elliptical, huge stair stepper thing, and walking or jogging.
I just watched Dr V.'s video on Why You Should Not go to a gym after WLS. He is taking about the period after surgery for about 6 months. it actually makes sense and he says surgeons and their teams who tell us to go to the gym and workout are wrong.
Dr. V. says it leads to hunger & weight loss stalls, among other things, since we cannot consume enough calories.
So- are you exercising? What are you doing and when did you start?
not sure if I should save money and forego the gym for a while and just go walking around my neighborhood. Thoughts??

"Yes! If I wanted to stay in the 120's I would have to eat 1000-1200 per day! If I'm happy with 135-140 I can eat more than 2000! Crazy!"
Ok this is a quote from you, Jess, from the other thread. It kinda shows what I mean. You lost to the 120's, but when you started eating, it went up to 135. Now, you seem to have made the right decision to stay put and be happy. But what if you continued striving after that 120? You'd be struggling and miserable.
So, yes, your example shows set point and the idea of the body needing to rebuild after hitting goal.
My concern is if people spend their entire weight loss phase living on, say, low carb and low fat.. Protein Shakes and artificial sugar, then exercise on top of it, then they will be so depleted that they may regain 50lbs while their body tries to heal the damage.
We should all attempt to eat for a strong, healthy body, not just weight loss, and if we consume enough of the right fuel, then exercise and muscle building can come easily, and the body can stay happy and nourished throughout.

I have had all my test done. Ready for the okay for surgery. My doctor is looking at beginning of October. I have to self pay because my insurance company denied me. I'm trying to stick to the plan my doctor gave me. I get so hungry and crave sweets and starches. So hard to believe one day I won't be able to eat as much as I do. What does it feel like not to be hungry? Is it a nausea feeling or is it a phentermine type of feeling? Just curious.... my hats off to all you that have gone through surgery. I will join you all soon, but until then...

I think a lot of these maintenance/regain issues are about this new set point. Could also explain why some people can eat a fairly high amount of calories and maintain while others have to subsist on a rather miserable amount of calories to maintain even though their BMI and other stats like gender, age, height and activity level might be more or less similar..

It's interesting that the surgeon's goals are usually not getting the patient down to a normal weight but out of the obese range. Patients are usually the ones who aren't satisfied when the BMI stops going down at 28.7 or 27.6 etc.
Surgeons seem to have more modest goals than their patients.

Two docs said it.

Science says otherwise.

Believe whom you chose.

That's much more helpful than ether the "50% regain" or the other weird and unclear statement above and yeah I clicked on the links and followed to the study and that's just what it says yes.

And yup but I think a big part of that is the set point thing. I lost to what I now call an artificial low... I was 17% body fat and my size 4's were loose. Like many (most?) I experienced what I term a "rebound" rather than a regain to my new set point. Lost 142 and keeping off 130-135 of it easily. It takes a LOT to go above or below that.

The science on all of this is still so new. It will be interesting to see what we learn over time.

If we get rid of our obesity, and the diseases that go with it, then it follows that we'll likely live longer. I'll look to see if there was a study..

I've already programmed in a 30 pound regain once I get to whatever my goal will be. So I know I have to go 30 pounds past whatever I'd like my eventual resting weight to be, to have a serious chance of being successful.

The key is not allowing the regain to go past that. Hopefully I'm building enough good habits during this "honeymoon" period, to help me to hold steady.

Even if I fail and gain some of the weight back past the 30 I will allow myself, I am still certain this surgery has extended my life.

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/bariatric-surgery-patients-see-weight-gain-after-honeymoon-period-080515#6

You will never be able to eat "normally" again if you want to keep the weight off.
Let me use ice cream as an example. Can you have a cup of ice cream once in a while? Absolutely, as long as it's not a trigger for cravings and it's ONLY a once in a while thing. I personally don't eat it because it's a trigger food for me. At 3.5 years out, I won't stop at a cup. I'll eat a half gallon. Sure, it may take me all day, but I'll do it. My solution? Halo Top, a low calorie high Protein ice cream like treat.
We aren't normal. We are people prone to morbid obesity. The surgery helps for a while during the honeymoon period by decreasing our appetite and food volume. As time goes by, the benefits are less effective. Sure, we still can't eat the volume like we could before, but it's easy to eat "around" our stomachs. Use the honeymoon period to cement good eating and exercise habits so when the inevitable does happen, you're that much more ahead.
If I don't eat nutritious, non processed food 90% of the time and move more, I gain weight. Our bodies fight to get back to where we were before, so it's our job to reset our metabolic clock to keep it from happening. The surgery also helps with that.
I've been as high as 15 pounds over my goal weight when I slacked off on my diet and exercise. It also took me months to lose it again, because for some reason our bodies want to hold on to it once we are in maintenance!
That being said, the short answer? Yes, you will need to be vigilant with your diet and exercise for the rest of your life if you want to keep the weight you lose off. Can you splurge once in a while? Absolutely! Just follow a 90/10 or 80/20 plan to where you're doing what you need to do 80 or 90% of the time. It's when it turns into 50/50 consistently is when we get into trouble

The irony of obese people who had to to resort to WLS judging other obese people who had to resort to WLS is staggering.
Obese is obese. Whether you're 250 pounds or 650 pounds, the struggles are basically the same.
Be humble and remember that.

You will never be able to eat "normally" again if you want to keep the weight off.
Let me use ice cream as an example. Can you have a cup of ice cream once in a while? Absolutely, as long as it's not a trigger for cravings and it's ONLY a once in a while thing. I personally don't eat it because it's a trigger food for me. At 3.5 years out, I won't stop at a cup. I'll eat a half gallon. Sure, it may take me all day, but I'll do it. My solution? Halo Top, a low calorie high Protein ice cream like treat.
We aren't normal. We are people prone to morbid obesity. The surgery helps for a while during the honeymoon period by decreasing our appetite and food volume. As time goes by, the benefits are less effective. Sure, we still can't eat the volume like we could before, but it's easy to eat "around" our stomachs. Use the honeymoon period to cement good eating and exercise habits so when the inevitable does happen, you're that much more ahead.
If I don't eat nutritious, non processed food 90% of the time and move more, I gain weight. Our bodies fight to get back to where we were before, so it's our job to reset our metabolic clock to keep it from happening. The surgery also helps with that.
I've been as high as 15 pounds over my goal weight when I slacked off on my diet and exercise. It also took me months to lose it again, because for some reason our bodies want to hold on to it once we are in maintenance!
That being said, the short answer? Yes, you will need to be vigilant with your diet and exercise for the rest of your life if you want to keep the weight you lose off. Can you splurge once in a while? Absolutely! Just follow a 90/10 or 80/20 plan to where you're doing what you need to do 80 or 90% of the time. It's when it turns into 50/50 consistently is when we get into trouble

The irony of obese people who had to to resort to WLS judging other obese people who had to resort to WLS is staggering.
Obese is obese. Whether you're 250 pounds or 650 pounds, the struggles are basically the same.
Be humble and remember that.

A little advice for someone who's several years out:
Learn to delay gratification now, or you'll never be able to do it. It only gets harder and harder the further out post surgery you are. Why do you think there's almost a 50% regain weight from these surgeries?
The "I want it now!" mentality is what got us all morbidly obese in the first place.

A little advice for someone who's several years out:
Learn to delay gratification now, or you'll never be able to do it. It only gets harder and harder the further out post surgery you are. Why do you think there's almost a 50% regain weight from these surgeries?
The "I want it now!" mentality is what got us all morbidly obese in the first place.

A little advice for someone who's several years out:
Learn to delay gratification now, or you'll never be able to do it. It only gets harder and harder the further out post surgery you are. Why do you think there's almost a 50% regain weight from these surgeries?
The "I want it now!" mentality is what got us all morbidly obese in the first place.

A little advice for someone who's several years out:
Learn to delay gratification now, or you'll never be able to do it. It only gets harder and harder the further out post surgery you are. Why do you think there's almost a 50% regain weight from these surgeries?
The "I want it now!" mentality is what got us all morbidly obese in the first place.

A little advice for someone who's several years out:
Learn to delay gratification now, or you'll never be able to do it. It only gets harder and harder the further out post surgery you are. Why do you think there's almost a 50% regain weight from these surgeries?
The "I want it now!" mentality is what got us all morbidly obese in the first place.

You're on purée and soft food. Is it a purée or a soft food? What does your plan say?

Question is, is it worth it? Just as someone said, you can eat whatever you want, for most of us, that's how we got to the point where the surgery was needed. The consequences, you have to live with. I'd much rather live with the successes of saying no to such things.

While I like Dr Now, the science doesn't support that. He's part of that old school guard that lays down rules and some scare tactics rather than sharing the research and what might be best choices.

That said, I'm four years out and accidentally had carbonation last night (my gin and Water was switched with hubbys gin and tonic) and OUCH. Still hurts.