I must say I'm a little taken aback by the number of posts I've read on this forum recently by people who seem genuinely surprised that you can gain weight after having surgery. Whether it be Water retention during that first month (3 week stall) or simply 9 months down the line and someone is eating crappy foods and not following their plan anymore....it is most certainly possible. In fact, no matter what type of WLS you have, a person who is determined can eat around it. This is why most of us are forced to have a psych eval and see a NUT several times before surgery...so we understand this is not fool proof.

This is not meant to be a criticism of anyone here. My real concern is why aren't your doctors and NUTs driving these points home with you before surgery? My surgeon made me sign a document stating I understood I had to eat right and exercise for the rest of my life or the surgery wasn't going to help me.

If I could say one thing to everyone it would simply be that the surgery will not do everything for you. You have to eat the right things, and you need to exercise. The sleeve helps initially. But as time goes by the sleeve does less and less, and you have to do more. The people I've seen here who have been successful are those that embraced those changes and learned better eating habits while they were still in the honeymoon phase, so when their capacity to eat increased they made better, healthier choices and maintained their goal weight.

I just ordered some sprouted brown rice protein. There is also hemp protein. So many new ones coming out all the time.

Thank you!

You are always so nice and so helpful. I appreciate it!

This is an excellent post' date=' BTB. I just want to a comment, which will probably be controversial.....

But this is why I think (my opinion, no need for anyone to flame me) is why people with low BMI's shouldn't get this surgery as a 'preventive measure.' It just doesn't work long enough to be used as a preventive measure. It' s a tool to temp restrict intake so you can learn how to eat while losing weight. The losing weight is the reinforcement needed to keep people on track. If you don't get that reinforcement because you don't have much weight to lose, then why have the operation in the first place? It's not going to keep you from overeating 5 years from now.[/quote']

You know I agree that Low BMI folks should avoid this surgery because of the risks, but I will throw out that they also tend to lose slower so they do have time to develop new habits just as someone who has 100 plus to lose. I know for myself carbs were a huge issue pre surgery and now I've developed a love for whole wheat and whole grain, which I never would have expected. I don't even like many things I used to since I put myself on the white carb wagon. So there is good reinforcement from the sleeve that is lasting for me.

I'd also agree with the wonderful doc who says the first year does not count. It really is about the long term isn't it?

You know I agree that Low BMI folks should avoid this surgery because of the risks' date=' but I will throw out that they also tend to lose slower so they do have time to develop new habits just as someone who has 100 plus to lose. I know for myself carbs were a huge issue pre surgery and now I've developed a love for whole wheat and whole grain, which I never would have expected. I don't even like many things I used to since I put myself on the white carb wagon. So there is good reinforcement from the sleeve that is lasting for me.

I'd also agree with the wonderful doc who says the first year does not count. It really is about the long term isn't it?[/quote']

Everytime I look at food now I'm like oh dear CARBS, CARBS, CARBS lol

Of course I'm going to say what I always say: the sleeve is NOT A DIET.

All too often people approach this surgery like an accompaniment to Atkins and feel that it's the magic trick that will take them from big to small, if they can just avoid "X" food group for the time it takes to get to goal.

That is exactly the issue - thinking of getting to a specific weight as the final goal and forgetting that there are all those years after goal where you have to know how to eat like a normal, healthy adult. If you can't manage to fix your relationship with food before goal, life is infinitely harder in maintenance - and maintenance lasts forever.

The goal is to learn how to maintain. The sleeve is a tool and if you use it properly you can overcome whatever obstacles made you obese in the first place. If you treat it like a diet, it's going to let you down the way every diet you tried before surgery let you down. This is exactly the time to learn how to eat in moderation, how to incorporate exercise (or in my case, more activity) into your life, and how to break bad habits you've established over years. This is not the time to panic over eating more than 20 grams of carbs in a day or to lose your mind because the thought of eating more than 700 calories a day scares you.

I was self pay and did nearly a year of research prior to my surgery. There is no excuse for choosing not to educate yourself about the risks and challenges of a major operation that removes most of an organ. If you can afford to finance your surgery, you can afford to make reading and researching or even paying a nutritionist part of that program, too.

I know, I'm being snippy. Butterthebean and gmanbat are two very appreciated voices of reason on these boards. And I wholeheartedly agree with the surgeon in tuturunner's post. If you're preop and your biggest concern is how quickly you can eat the way you're eating as a morbidly obese person considering major surgery, you're probably not ready for this yet. I can eat (part of) a cheeseburger and (a few) fries at two years out. It's a very infrequent indulgence and one I'm happy I can make if I feel like it. But if food is still the center of your universe, the sleeve isn't going to be your magic wand.

~Cheri

"I think I'm going to have the surgery you had. It will make me quit eating all the junk food so I can lose weight too." Said the social worker at work to 2 of us (both RNs) who had VSG done.

We both corrected her and she acted SHOCKED that the surgery wasn't the "magic pill" that would make you quit eating junk.

I've heard that same thing from my doc's front office assitant! I have to go in there once a month, so i've heard the same thing once a month for 4 months :' omg! I'm so jealous! I want this surgery so I can stop eating too!!' ??? I've given up correcting her. I just nod and smile.

As far as I know indefinitely...my urologist is giving my kidneys a month to "rest" and then I go in for more studies.

I agree, I need to consult with my bariatric surgeon and get his suggestions.

I'm going to research the vegetarian approach. I asked my kidney doctor about soy Protein and he frowned on that as well.

It's troublesome that's for sure.

Read this article:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/protein-kidneys/#axzz2H37BTzSm

The gist is this:

according to the exhaustive analysis of Martin et al, there exists no evidence that protein intake negatively influences renal health in otherwise healthy, active individuals. There is some evidence that already impaired renal function might worsen with increased protein, but the experts, as is their wont, can’t resist applying the same recommendations to everyone, regardless of renal health. The result is a nutrition teacher sowing misinformation across the student body in an introductory course, i.e. one that is intended to establish foundational knowledge that the students will carry on through life as a cornerstone of their thinking.

Simply put, healthy kidneys can handle plenty of protein; heck, they are meant to handle protein. One of their primary functions is to process the metabolic waste that results from protein metabolism. Yeah, protein “works” the kidneys, but that’s what they’re there for!

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/protein-kidneys/#ixzz2H38HrLJc

I would get a second opinion. Like the article says, damaged kidneys might not be able to handle all the protein, but I would get more than one view, especially if it messes with what sleevers should be eating.

Thank you so much for that information.

I stress everyday with what I "should" eat now.

I want to stay healthy hence this dramatic surgery but now I surely need my kidneys and the pain from that stent yikes so that scares me too.

I know I am not the "norm" so finding information is hard.

What's so frustrating is most drs I've seen lately have no clue about gastric sleeve guidelines.

I have had chronic kidney problems all my adult life but nothing to this degree.

I just want to do whatever keeps me healthy.

Thank you so much for the info!!

Read the first article...I have had uncontrolled high blood pressure since my 20's

Since my weight loss my blood pressure is great.

I was also pre diabetic and walking around with high blood sugar levels way way too long.

That too is now "normal range"

So this surgery has been a blessing for me. It is fair to say it has saved my life.

Now if I could just figure out this kidney ordeal and what I should eat

Wooo I relate to this topic so much its kind of embarrassing

I was one of those kids who had a lapband placed at 18 years old a few years back when it was considered the hippest, newest, best thing EVAH. lol..... No one could talk me out of it. I knew everything, I was SOLD. I was so silly and I really bought into the type that it was going to pretty straightforward, simple, and everything was going to so fantastic. I think I "knew" I could gain weight - but I was just convinced that it was going to happen to ME, because I was so smart, right? lol.....

Yeah, Got the band, my follow up care with that surgeon (NOT my current surgeon) was terrible, no matter how tight or loose they made that thing I just could not get it to work for me and I just could not understand. I would go days without being able to eat, so when I could finally eat, LORD did I pig out. Then I couldn't understand why I was gaining....

Thats been several years ago now, but all this to say, I know the mindset, and I'm a lot wiser for it now, I suppose I'm just happy I didn't start with a more serious operation at that age because I could have really hurt myself.

My eyes are wide open now to the realities of weight loss surgery, and its not as exciting or awesome as a lot of new people think its going to be.

I can also spot people like "past me" from a mile away. I'm scared for people, genuinely.

I am glad you wrote this topic because I have had a niggling question recently: do WLS patients, specifically VSG patients, find that they have a *harder* time with keeping weight off than non WLS "ideal bmi" folks after they reach their goal? Now I am not talking about psychological issues or whatnot that lead to overeating or bad choices. Rather, both sample sets theoretically are eating the same foods and exercising the same amount. Will the WLS sample set find it harder to keep the weight off due to physiological differences (eg smaller stomach size might lead to different abilities to process food at the same efficiency). Thanks for any insight on this. It is primary a question targeted at my near term future, but I am sure others would benefit from an answer as well.

I am glad you wrote this topic because I have had a niggling question recently: do WLS patients' date=' specifically VSG patients, find that they have a *harder* time with keeping weight off than non WLS "ideal bmi" folks after they reach their goal? Now I am not talking about psychological issues or whatnot that lead to overeating or bad choices. Rather, both sample sets theoretically are eating the same foods and exercising the same amount. Will the WLS sample set find it harder to keep the weight off due to physiological differences (eg smaller stomach size might lead to different abilities to process food at the same efficiency). Thanks for any insight on this. It is primary a question targeted at my near term future, but I am sure others would benefit from an answer as well.[/quote']

Great question. You might post this over on the Veterans board. Not speaking specifically about WLS patients, I have read that anybody who was once heavy and lost a substantial amount of weight will have to eat fewer calories than someone at the same weight who was never heavy. I believe it's rooted in the metabolisms attempt to stymie weight loss by slowing down as you eat so few calories for such a long period of time. There was also a 4 part special on HBO or Showtime last year called Obesity in America (I think) that talked about this a great deal.

Heck, as a whole our society is uneducated about nutrition. Documentaries and reality shows have brought WLS to the masses and we are practically conditioned to think this is magic. Don't like something about yourself, have surgery.

I fell for all the advertising on the band over five years ago and had minor success. Very minor. I'd remind myself it is a tool. However for me the tool was nearly nonexistent. But I remember sitting in the NUT classes and being appalled at the questions being asked by post surgery patients.

And who can forget the documentaries of extreme bypass patients eating fried chicken and pizza post surgery and being disappointed.

I must say I'm a little taken aback by the number of posts I've read on this forum recently by people who seem genuinely surprised that you can gain weight after having surgery. Whether it be Water retention during that first month (3 week stall) or simply 9 months down the line and someone is eating crappy foods and not following their plan anymore....it is most certainly possible. In fact, no matter what type of WLS you have, a person who is determined can eat around it. This is why most of us are forced to have a psych eval and see a NUT several times before surgery...so we understand this is not fool proof.

This is not meant to be a criticism of anyone here. My real concern is why aren't your doctors and NUTs driving these points home with you before surgery? My surgeon made me sign a document stating I understood I had to eat right and exercise for the rest of my life or the surgery wasn't going to help me.

If I could say one thing to everyone it would simply be that the surgery will not do everything for you. You have to eat the right things, and you need to exercise. The sleeve helps initially. But as time goes by the sleeve does less and less, and you have to do more. The people I've seen here who have been successful are those that embraced those changes and learned better eating habits while they were still in the honeymoon phase, so when their capacity to eat increased they made better, healthier choices and maintained their goal weight.

I need to frame this, thank you!