Hi, everyone,

I wanted to ask those who have had gastric bypass what the greatest challenge(s) have been for you, whether they are physical, social, emotional, mental, etc.

I am at a point in my life when I know that I truly need a tool to help me to lose weight, hence the reason that I am contemplating WLS so seriously, but I am wary of the long-term changes that must take place to be successful. Yes, I've been reading up on side effects and specific, permanent changes that I would have to make (whether it's never being able to chew gum again, needing to say goodbye to high-fat/sugar foods forever, and so on).

However, there's a difference between reading stats and facts from a book versus hearing it straight from the horse's mouth. I would very much like to hear directly from those who have undergone WLS (especially those who are no longer in the "honeymoon phase") what has been the greatest challenge for you? Perhaps being able to commit to working out "x" number of times a week to maintain? Social events? Dealing with less-than-supportive family/friends?

Thank you all very much in advance! <3

Not sure what you are asking for. I am 35 months post-op RNY. One of the things that I wanted to do (a challenge) that I probably would not have been able to do without the surgery was build an underground shelter. There was a lot of physical labor involved, so in 2014, I moved 100,000 pounds of gravel and 60,000 pounds of concrete blocks by hand. And in 2015, I moved about the same amount of weight. I am 67 years old.

This article talks about my experience in the Maintenance phase.

http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

I am 5 1/2 years out and the only down side for me was that i have to take omeprazole every day to prevent ulcers. I

was hoping that my sleep apnea would go away after loosing all the weight, but I still have it. Also, I was pre diabeticc and had to use a CPAP nightly. My surgeon did a little something that most surgeons don't do. He put in a pig valve in between the new stomach and the

intestines to help prevent the opening from stretching over time. that is why a lot of people regain their weight. i have not and have no problem maintaining. food is no longer a big concern for me. you do have to stop drinking alcohol and drinking carbonated beverages. i can't eat real spicy hot foods but I never cared for them anyway. I have lots of energy and look and feel better than I ever have. Also, my bloodwork is perfect. Before I had had high cholesterol and was pre diabetic. I was taking all kinds of meds and supliments to no avail. Not anymore . It was the best thing that I could have done for myself and I am sure that I added at least 10 years to my life. I struggled all my life with weight issues and wish I had been able to have this done about 40 years ago.

Going out to dinner can be a challenge. Almost every place has a variety of things that are fine to eat but my head wants so many things I shouldn't have! So, my discipline still needs some work. I still need to work on my head hunger. Getting enough exercise in is also a problem but I am taking that one day at a time and trying to get in my exercise. I always have good intentions but I let things get in the way! lol.

There are times that I miss a really bad-for-you meal but I also don't want to be as large as I was so I just keep telling myself that it is worth it. And it is, but somedays, the thoughts of some old favorite foods just stick in my head.

But, I'm still learning, even 2 years out, what to do "instead" of other things. I would say that family and friends "think" they are being supportive but really, not so much. I recently went out with some friends to an event at the museum. One kept saying how she was craving dumplings at the Dumpling house and how we had to go there. We finally did and I discovered that there really wasn't anything I could eat. I got the egg drop Soup but was really angry about this. I didn't say anything but certainly wasn't happy. Also, in my group of friends, one is a vegetarian, one doesn't eat seafood, and when we try to find a place to go eat, I've been told that I'm the problem one. ?? So, not as supportive as they think they are.

But, in the end, it's all good!!

Constipation has been a big problem for me. I'm 10 wks out tomorrow so I know it's early days.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using the BariatricPal App

I FOUND THAT TAKING A DOSE OF MIRALAX EVERY MORNING HAS TAKEN CARE OF THE CONSTIPATION. I STILL TAKE IT ONCE DAILY AND AM HAVING NO FURTHER ISSUES WITH THE CONSTIPATION. I HAVE BEEN GOOD FOR OVR FIVE YEARS

YOU NEED TO TAKE SOMETHING BECAUSE ALL OF THE Iron, Calcium PAIN MEDS CAUSE CONSTIPATION.

Hi There - one thing to keep in mind, is not everything you read is a problem for every person. I would of course follow your doctor's recommendations, but the two specific issues you listed "(whether it's never being able to chew gum again, needing to say goodbye to high-fat/sugar foods forever, and so on)" are not a problem for me. I chew gum on a daily basis, I actually think it prevents me from eating at times. I feel like if I have gum in my mouth, I will not put food in my mouth, however, I am VERY cautious about not swallowing it. As for high-fat/sugar foods, I still eat both but a reasonable portion. If I want some cake, I may have 2-3 bites, if I want some ice cream, I'll have 1/4 cup. I try not to deny myself of much because I find the consequences of the cravings can be much worse in the long run.

What has been a challenge for me is exercise. I just recently reached my goal, so I have asked myself a couple times, why I should keep killing myself at the gym, well of course the answer is because I want to continue being healthy and maintain my weight, but it's an easy task to skip out on.

You want to start making changes long before you have surgery as the surgery is only another tool for you to reach your weight loss goal. For me, it is the last tool as I have done everything else and could not lose the weight or keep it off. What I did was I started an exercise program 2 years prior to the surgery and it paid off as I was able to move about easily pre and post operatively. I didn't lose much weight, but I really got strong. And that was important to me. Three months before surgery I began practicing the chewing each mouthful 20-30 times, also eating 6 small meals a day, drinking 48-64oz fluids a day, recording what I ate on Myfitnesspal.com. And be ready for "head hunger". When you really aren't hungry but you still want to eat that cheeseburger and fries you see on TV. I am two months post op and have some intense head hunger going on. I remind myself that it's those food commercials, over the years, that got me to 380lbs and today I'm 299 because I followed the post op plan and continue to exercise. So you see, you need to do some soul searching and determine what you want the rest of your life to be like, and are you willing to give up a few things. As they will be replaced with other good things like feeling great! And moving around without pain, or wearing jeans again! Or fitting into an airline seat!! Figure out what's important to YOU and you will know what to do. Good luck!!