Gastric bypass patients 5+ years

[E.S 62]

Hey everybody,

I was hoping to ask the people that had the surgery over 5 years now and how they deal with weight regain.

Today I was reading some articles about it and it really worried me. I’m 16 days post op and I’m still in the beginning of my journey, but the fact that we’re likely are going to regain weight makes me so sad and really depressed.

I took a huge step in having this surgery and so far I’m just doing everything I can , but it’s such a defeating feeling knowing that I’m just in “honeymoon” period as they call and that in the future I’ll be heavier once I hit my goal weight.

So my question is how are you dealing with this knowledge ??? And does it worry you or not?? And for the people that have the bypass 5+ years now, did you experience regain and how did you fight it??

[KimTriesRNY 1,853]

This is something I would not worry about it right now. It’s self defeating so close out from surgery.

There is a tendency to regain 10-15% for the average person from their lowest weight. So say for instance you lost weighed 275 pounds before surgery. Then after surgery, you lost weight to 150 pounds, for a loss of 125 pounds. Then you gained weight of ten percent...12-13 pounds. Now you weigh 162-163 pounds. In the grand scheme of things you are so much healthier having lost so much weight, those few pounds are inconsequential.

Most of the people you see that have huge amounts of regain, say 40, 50, 100 pounds, are those that have gone back to unhealthy eating habits. They are snacking on junk, drinking soda, eating fast food. They perhaps did not address issues they had with food before surgery or during their main weight loss phase, so were unable to maintain their weight loss or maybe even make goal.

Why you would worry about this now and allow it to give you a “defeating” feeling eludes me. Large amounts of regain do not have to be a self fulfilling prophecy. People that eat healthy, exercise, and stick to their programs are maintaining the majority of their weight lost.