Weight regain with VSG?

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

I am past the one year mark and I am having no trouble what so ever maintaining. I have made exericse a part of my daily life, but I had that habit for 3 years before band/sleeve surgery. The difference is back then, I exericsed my brains out and never lost any weight.

Yes, I do gain when I have days where I eat wrong. In fact, I gained 8 lbs in 10 days when I went on a cruise. I had no trouble at all losing it though, when I went back to my regular eating and exercise.

If you think the surgery is a free pass to eat whatever you want, of course you're going to gain. We always say they operated on our stomach, not our brains.

Use the time when you are first sleeved to learn and make new habits. If you stay on that plan, no matter if you're one year 3 years or whatever, you CAN maintain your weightloss.

Look for MacMadame's profile on OH. She is past 2 years, and has a blog that is very informative.

[ouroborous 519]

Thanks for the reality check, Daisy!

I think that the people who will struggle are the folks who thought that the VSG was a magic cure -- they just get the surgery and then they don't ever have to think about it again, they'll be skinny! It just doesn't work that way. What I expected all along was that VSG would be my ally -- it would make it much, much easier to lose the weight and keep it off, but the responsibility would still be mine to "meet it half way."

[MINI-Me 196]

Thanks for your responses everyone. I think my moment of panicking has passed. You guys are great!

[Lori21769 14]

My surgeon told me to expect a weight gain of 10-20% once I hit my lowest weight. He said the body will adjust up to where it feels healthy/normal.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

I just lost another couple of lbs without even trying. If my body is adjusting to where it wants to be, it's still going down. I haven't lost for months so I am surprised when I lose again without doing anything differently.

[ryansgirl 1]

i have a aunt who has lost 100 pounds 10 years ago on her own. i was in high school ( i was a skinny minnie then so i never cared or asked much about her weight) any way that was 10 years ago and she has kept 97 pounds off as of today. she tells me that she has and still does keep an eye on the scale she exercise 4 x a week and is in great shape and she 52 years old as well. she keep to her eating habits but does fall off every now and then and may gain five pounds but she tells me she makes a point to know that this is something that is just part of her life and her weight is a big part that will stay forever and she works with it not against it. and i plan to do the same it the card i'm delt and i will play it the best way and that will always be though my habits and choices. if i was to gain weight i would not blame the sleeve after all it just a tool and you can use anything right or the wrong way. and decide one of my class mate lost weight three years back and i she has gain every bit of her 70 pounds back but it wasn't because her body did it she just fell back into old eating habits. it can happen either way.

xoxo,

nikki

Edited June 17, 2010 by ryansgirl

[motherof4 0]

I agree with everyone above it it a lifestyle change that there is a big difference between hunger itself and head hunger. It is very hard but so far so good you just have to remember all you have gone through to get where you are at and when you have that need just because for that pizza what worked for me before was to chew it and spit it out believe it or not it worked just for the craving LMAO my husband thought I was nuts but it worked and I really don't ever crave it anymore but if I do since I have 4 kids I just chew and spit one piece and vuala all good :0)

[thinoneday 445]

interesting concept there motherof4. . never thought about doing that. . maybe i'll try it next time a craving hits and i'm not really hungry. . .retraining really sucks. . . i struggle with it every day. . before surgery i thought it wouldn't be all that hard, damn it's hard! tomorrow i start my 5 day pouch test to get back on track. . .no weight gain yet, but it could happen any time soon huh?????? that would be a tragedy!

[motherof4 0]

Whats the pouch test?

[Tiffykins 673]

Whats the pouch test?

It was set up for RNY patients that got off track, that possibly saw a regain, or needed to rid their bodies of the carb monster.

Here's the plan:

Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test

I have found that if I see any gain, all I have to do is cut my carbs by half. Which is still about 50-60 grams per day. I'm in maintenance so it's a little different than the losing stage, but I have not seen more than a 5lb regain. My body bounces between 121-124 on any given day. Right before my period, I crave junk food, and I retain Water like the Hoover dam, so I might hit 125 for a couple of days.

[Bornagainbabe 4]

Just reading through these posts and found it very interesting that I'm not the only one who is struggling a bit just now. I am nearly a year out and am finding it really hard to lose anymore weight without having to actually go on a proper diet which is something I never thought I would have to do. And the problem with that is the more I am thinking about what I should and shouldn't eat, the more of an issue it is all becoming and all I do all day is think about food.

From the very start I have never experienced any 'fullness' signals and would vomit (and still do) on a fairly regular basis. I easily maintained a weight of 184lbs for over 6 months by eating smaller portions of whatever I wanted and regularly snacking on biscuits and crisps etc. Now I know that's no good and I decided that I must address that a few weeks ago as I felt that over time I could be one of those unfortunate people to regain weight.

Now I'm not stupid and I'm not saying that anyone is, but I have a real issue withe food. We all do or we wouldn't be here. I cannot do moderation. I cannot resist cravings at all and low-fat alternatives are no use to me. I HAVE to eat and regardless of all the surgery I have undergone and how great I feel after losing weight and looking good in nice clothes, nothing at all will stop me reaching for chocolate, biscuits etc. Now the one good thing is that I cannot eat as much of it as I used to, BUT I will go back for more later on.

Anyway, (phew), on a not too pessimistic note, I believe that the best thing for me and people similar to me is to get rid of all the high fat Snacks and just indulge occasionally when out for a treat. I never eat much when I'm out as I daren't risk being sick.

I do envy those you who have reached goal and are maintaining now. I still have another 30lbs to go. And I do envy those of you who don't feel hungry. I do get very hungry sometimes and my stomach literally growls so I guess that I need to choose more slow releasing types of foods that are going to satisfy me for longer. Any help and advice will be appreciated. I have been keeping a food diary on My Fitness Pal but am struggling to lose anymore weight despite sticking to around 1000 calories most days. And as I said, it's all becoming a bit of an issue again and getting me down.

Saying all that, anyone pre-op reading this, I wouldn't let it put you off surgery at all. We are all different and as Tiffy said it's a tool we have been given to use wisely and empower us to make the necessary changes for ourselves. I have had a fairly easy ride until now and now I really need to get a grip.

Good luck everyone. You can do it!

[seaview 2]

I'm a binge eater..emotional eater...it's a lifelong habit and I am recognizing the need to deal with it...I have gotten a book about cognitive behavioral therapy for binge eaters...and I am reading it...I am trying to work on my food addiction issues... i have never really been treated for this and this is my issue with food...i 've gone to OA....therapy etc...but now i have this tool and an ability to loose weight but I have to work on my head too....so that's where i'm at...and I excercise like a madwoman which I hope will become my new addiction...even if i never gain weight again i will continue to live in torture if I don't find some peace with my food issues...Seaview

[sleeve 4 me 910]

I just keep telling myself this is going to be a tool, not a fix. I will still have to watch what I eat for the rest of my life.

[Papillon 7]

Great advice guys!! I also am stopping myself from making rash decisions about food. I used to think about food all the way home and drive by this restaurant and think OH I should go there.. or this one.. or or or... Now I have a plan for dinner before I leave work or even leave for work in the morning. If I know I have something I can change my behavior for the better. but Ouro is right you need to try to replace a bad habit with a good one. I am also trying to change how I FEEL about food and that is taking a lot of effort... it is worth it but, not having something on the way home should not have the power to upset me so much. I really have to focus and remember that food is nourishment. So I try to stop and ask myself.. "What do I need?" not "What do I want?" because I may want the extra piece of bread or pie but in the end do I need it?

[FabBy50 0]

I found out the hard way that you can't go back to your old eating habits. I got in the habit of eating pretzels and cheese sauce every night, well I gained 4lbs!! I cut them out completly and I lost the 4lbs very quickly. It just goes to show that the sleeve is a tool, and you need to keep working it!

Good luck everyone, I'm still 2lbs from goal! I will make it, I promise!