Weight Gained Since Having Gastric Sleeve Surgery

[Strangefruit 179]

Sorry, ReallyRosy - I didn't notice you had already posted that article ... my frustration is that - no, I didn't think after losing weight after surgery I would be able to eat anything I wanted ... but I did think I would be able to eat a normal amount of calories for someone of my height and activity ... I was not prepared to have my calories restricted almost as much as my pre- surgery Liquid Protein fast! The only reason I could do that was I knew it was temporary ... but I cannot go the rest of my life existing on 800 calories or less per day AND working out 6-7 days a week. I walk, I exercise, I do yoga... but I also work full time and have kids... for my lifestyle (and yes - some people manage to do it) working out 7 days a week and eating less than 800 calories per day is not why I had the surgery ... and honestly - had I been told that THAT is what was required for maintenance (I was told to adopt a "healthy eating (normal) lifestyle and exercise ... had I known this was required for maintenance I would not have had the surgery.

[Jorge A 13]

I saw the surgeon last Wednesday. He said he would do either the gastric bypass or sleeve on me but said that in both operations after three years the stomach stretches and weight gain is almost certain. Know two people who had the bypass who weighed over 350 lbs have both regained all their weight,even after one had loose skin removed.

I'm not paying £10K for this and have decided to pursue other weight loss options.

I'm pleased to hear that others with the sleeve are doing well and can only say-long may it last and best wishes.

It's not magic. You'll still have to follow a sensible diet and an exercise plan. If you do that, you will not gain a lot of weight again. The ones that gain all the weight again are the ones that do not follow the doctors instructions. That's how I gained all of the 35 lbs so far. I'm getting back to running and yoga, and it feels so great.

Good luck in your journey.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Jorge A

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Sorry, ReallyRosy - I didn't notice you had already posted that article ... my frustration is that - no, I didn't think after losing weight after surgery I would be able to eat anything I wanted ... but I did think I would be able to eat a normal amount of calories for someone of my height and activity ... I was not prepared to have my calories restricted almost as much as my pre- surgery liquid Protein fast! The only reason I could do that was I knew it was temporary ... but I cannot go the rest of my life existing on 800 calories or less per day AND working out 6-7 days a week. I walk, I exercise, I do yoga... but I also work full time and have kids... for my lifestyle (and yes - some people manage to do it) working out 7 days a week and eating less than 800 calories per day is not why I had the surgery ... and honestly - had I been told that THAT is what was required for maintenance (I was told to adopt a "healthy eating (normal) lifestyle and exercise ... had I known this was required for maintenance I would not have had the surgery.

@@Strangefruit ... whoa! Whoa!

You have somehow gotten completely the wrong idea. So wrong! If you think @@reallyrosy 's story about her WLS experience is typical, you are so mistaken. It is not.

Mine is much more typical. I have lost 100 pounds, now weigh 135 pounds and am easily maintaining at that weight. BTW, I'm a healthy 70 years old. And I eat 1800 calories a day to maintain at this weight. I eat any damn thing I want -- but I also mostly eat healthy food.

Today for Breakfast I had a chocolate Protein shake (hey, I like 'em!) and a skinny latte.

For lunch I had a chicken caesar salad and a glass of chardonnay.

This afternoon, I had a coffee with a tablespoon of half and half and a limone biscotti.

Tonight for dinner I had scrambled eggs and cheese, applewood bacon, a biscuit, a little butter, some sugarfree strawberry jam.

After dinner I had a couple of squares of dark chocolate.

And all that added up to 102 grams of Protein and 111 carbs (lower than usual -- usually I eat more veggies, fruits and whole grains than I did today).

I hope you can gain a broader perspective on what successful WLS life is like. Because you sure have gotten the wrong idea somehow.

[Christinamo7 4,041]

You raise some interesting questions, @@reallyrosy :

1. What limits (if any) are there to how we can control our eating / drinking / exercise behaviors post-op?

2. Does our ability to control our eating / drinking / exercise behaviors vary person to person, environment to environment, day to day, and in other ways?

3. How can we increase or improve our healthy (not obsessive) controls over our eating / drinking / exercise behaviors?

4. How great a role does self-discipline play in our eating / drinking / exercise?

Let me be clear that I think dual classification systems (either/or categories like right/wrong, healthy/unhealthy, etc.) are inappropriate ways to describe all WLS patients and their behavior. WLS patients and their situations are much too varied for that.

But there's no escaping the fact that, ultimately, our actual behaviors will determine our WLS success. (I'm defining "WLS success" as losing our excess weight, maintaining a lower, healthier weight, and becoming healthier than we once were.)

Or course, over-eating is just one behavior in what could be a long chain of preceding behaviors and immutable factors that lead to over-eating. It's up to each of us to tease out what those preceding behaviors and factors are and to improve our responses so we can remain healthy. That's what I see a lot of vets doing -- continuously uncovering and overcoming barriers to their success, whether those are surgical complications, psychological or mental or emotional challenges, or responding in healthy ways to life's constant stresses.

Sadly, I believe that some WLS patients don't have the resources to do this. I also believe that other WLS patients make explicit choices not to utilize the resources they have that might make them successful. That's another way of saying some WLS patients choose to remain addicted to food and unhealthy old habits.

Fighting for our recovery from obesity probably never ends.

P.S. I am only 19 months post-op. I imagine I'll understand this all a lot better several years down the road.

you are fabulous. That is all.

[Strangefruit 179]

VSGAnn2014 - if I ate over 1500 calories a day, I'd be over my starting weight... I'm glad it worked for you - it worked for me intially - but I never got to my goal weight and every pound I loss was a struggle... and now, the only way I can lose is to eat 800 calories a day or less... my goal now is to just maintain and feel better...

[KristenLe 5,979]

@Strangefruit. Have you had blood work and an exam to determine if there's a medical reason you aren't losing? That doesn't seem right that you can only eat 800 calories.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

I've had a resting metobolic test taken twice. They were done years apart. they came out the same both times.

They show in order to maintain my weight, I can eat 1200 calories per day.

If I want to lose weight, I must eat less

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

@@Strangefruit ... My bad. I thought you were newly sleeved. My apologies.

[wondering1 103]

So it's been about 4 1/2 weeks since I posted that I had gained 43 pounds. I have been going back to the post op way of eating and trying to exercise more and more. So far I have lost about 8 pounds of the regain. I know if's not a lot but I know I can keep going since I have stopped the "REGAIN TRAIN". April 3rd I weighed 217, today I weighed 209. I find that my sweet spot as far as calories go is 1200-1300 per day. Some people who have had surgery think that's a lot but I have to make the changes that work for me. Please help me Celebrate feeling better and working harder.

Every day is a struggle but I can make it. To everyone else who has regained: I swear that if I can make it, YOU can too. Get up and move just a little bit more than you did yesterday and cut out one thing at a time that you shouldn't be eating. We still have our tool, we just have to use it. I'm feeling pumped up and beautiful again.

[KristenLe 5,979]

That's great! Congrats!

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

@@wondering1 ... I think 1200 cals/day sounds great. I averaged 1200 cals/day during months 7-9 post-op. And I averaged a monthly 5 pound weight lost during that time.

Sounds like you have found a great sweet spot.

[reallyrosy 161]

Im jealous, wondering1. Keep it going!

[Jammil0411 17]

My e-mail box is so full. I've had 7,000 e-mails and I'd don't even know 7,000 people. It makes me want to change my e-mail account, but my husband told me sit down one day and block e-mails that are just spam. Maybe, I won't be kicking back e-mails. Sorry. Dot kick me out. I'm trying to fix it.

[2Anne 10]

Strange fruit I am just the same as you in that I cannot eat more than 1000-1200 C a day without putting weight on and need to be on 800C or less to lose.

For this reason I do not think the surgery would work for me long term as once the stomach stretched I would be back to square one.

It's fine for people who have huge food addictions and control quantities with surgery but my own obesity pattern is like Strangefruits.

[LondonHawk 39]

Sorry, ReallyRosy - I didn't notice you had already posted that article ... my frustration is that - no, I didn't think after losing weight after surgery I would be able to eat anything I wanted ... but I did think I would be able to eat a normal amount of calories for someone of my height and activity ... I was not prepared to have my calories restricted almost as much as my pre- surgery liquid Protein fast! The only reason I could do that was I knew it was temporary ... but I cannot go the rest of my life existing on 800 calories or less per day AND working out 6-7 days a week. I walk, I exercise, I do yoga... but I also work full time and have kids... for my lifestyle (and yes - some people manage to do it) working out 7 days a week and eating less than 800 calories per day is not why I had the surgery ... and honestly - had I been told that THAT is what was required for maintenance (I was told to adopt a "healthy eating (normal) lifestyle and exercise ... had I known this was required for maintenance I would not have had the surgery.

Strangefruit

I feel for you.

If you are really that unhappy about eating 800 calories and losing weight then don't eat what ever you need to maintain what you have lost and be happy.

Everyone experience with surgery is different. For me it isn't just about weight loss it is about reversing the Diabetes and so far the results on that front have been astonishing.

I was a total emotional eater prone to binge and grazing so for me the changes forced on me by my sleeve have been a godsend I feel like I have control for the first time in my life.

I hope you figure it out.