No restriction

[jachau95 17]

Hello all!

I had gastric sleeve back in 2013. The weight slowly started to creep back on. Then, due to a number of circumstances, it ALL came back. For years I was having terrible heartburn/reflux, so my insurance paid for me to have revision surgery to gastric bypass.

I had the surgery 6 weeks ago (Jan 11th). I have never felt any restriction at all! At first I though it was because it was all liquids or mushy food. But for the last 2 weeks I've been eating chicken, crab meat, hamburgers (no bun), etc., and have not had anything that didn't agree with me. I can eat way more than what my list calls for, too. I only stop because I'm not hungry, or I'm tired of chewing.

I'm so sad about this. I'm worried that I'm going to fail again. I know I have to be accountable to myself, but if I was good at that I wouldn't have needed surgery... I just had such high hopes that with this tool I would get it right this time.

[catwoman7 6,347]

I hate to say it, but you WILL fail if you don't follow the program.

[jachau95 17]

1 hour ago, catwoman7 said:

I hate to say it, but you WILL fail if you don't follow the program.

I haven't had anything that's not on my list, so I am following my program. But thanks for the support. After reading your insensitive comment and having a good cry I've decided I'm done here. I was looking for support, not admonishment.

[Katiebal_Lecter 26]

6 minutes ago, jachau95 said:

I haven't had anything that's not on my list, so I am following my program. But thanks for the support. After reading your insensitive comment and having a good cry I've decided I'm done here. I was looking for support, not admonishment.

I hope you don’t leave this forum forever. I’m right there with you. I was revised to RNY from a lap band and my idea of “restriction” left with my band. I don’t feel “restriction” now. And many people who haven’t had a revision don’t understand what a shock the change can be. My cue now is more like “uff, I don’t want to eat anymore”. Not a “full” feeling, not a restriction as I knew it. I’m afraid of eating too much too. I follow my program, like you do, and feel like I could keep eating no problem. The only thing that I think has helped me is using a food scale and measuring the food, then eating only that. Even after measuring I don’t feel full, but I’m also not hungry because of the surgery, so I know eating more would be to satiate head hunger. Please don’t be discouraged. Keep reaching out for help and resources.

[jachau95 17]

1 minute ago, Katiebal_Lecter said:

I hope you don’t leave this forum forever. I’m right there with you. I was revised to RNY from a lap band and my idea of “restriction” left with my band. I don’t feel “restriction” now. And many people who haven’t had a revision don’t understand what a shock the change can be. My cue now is more like “uff, I don’t want to eat anymore”. Not a “full” feeling, not a restriction as I knew it. I’m afraid of eating too much too. I follow my program, like you do, and feel like I could keep eating no problem. The only thing that I think has helped me is using a food scale and measuring the food, then eating only that. Even after measuring I don’t feel full, but I’m also not hungry because of the surgery, so I know eating more would be to satiate head hunger. Please don’t be discouraged. Keep reaching out for help and resources.

Thank you! You're the only person that I've heard from that gets it! I have 3 friends that have had gastric bypass and don't understand how I could possibly not have a bit of restriction.

Have you been losing the weight this time around without the restriction? I'm losing, but only because I haven't had a carb in 7 weeks! I'm worried about long term...

[catwoman7 6,347]

26 minutes ago, jachau95 said:

I haven't had anything that's not on my list, so I am following my program. But thanks for the support. After reading your insensitive comment and having a good cry I've decided I'm done here. I was looking for support, not admonishment.

I'm sorry - I didn't mean at all to hurt your feelings. Just agreeing that you have to stick to the program even if you're not feeling restriction, or you'll fail it. I'm glad to hear that you've been following it regardless - from your post, it sounded like you were getting ready to throw in the towel. Sorry if I misinterpreted it.

Edited February 25 by catwoman7

[jachau95 17]

2 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

I'm sorry - I didn't mean at all to hurt your feelings. Just that you have to stick to the program even if you're not feeling restriction, or you'll fail it.

I would guess that a whole lot of people on this forum have tried Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, etc. I have. If I could just stick to the program I never would have needed surgery. This was supposed to be the tool that was going to make me stick to it. Now I feel like I don't have that. I'm so sad that I went through this invasive surgery for what seems like no good reason. I mean literally crying, sad. I'm losing weight now, but I'm worried about 5 years from now, or 10 years from now...

[jachau95 17]

4 minutes ago, OAGBPal said:

Well, I think I'm about to make your day a lot better You know what science says?

>Small-Volume, Fast-Emptying Gastric Pouch Leads to Better Long-Term Weight Loss and food Tolerance After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28913642/

Now we obviously can't know the size of your pouch, but don't worry about it emptying fast. It seems like a faster-emptying pouch is a good thing.

How can that be? Well, as a mini-bypasser / one-anastomosis bypasser, we get told restriction isn't really the point of our surgery. Our pouch is a wider, but shorter, sleeve that is open on the end (so no valve, everything just goes right through).

Sure, it helps a bit, especially at first, but what really does the work is the metabolic shift that happens when food hits the small intestine fast. And for us, it very much does. I've felt almost zero restriction at any point, but I can very much feel the effects of food getting to my intestine so fast: I am satiated so easily. So I stop eating.

Embrace your pouch, it may be one of the good ones Just keep track of your cals and macros along the way, and you'll see - it'll all work out

Thank you!!! It really does help! And thanks for the link. I'm going to read every article!

[catwoman7 6,347]

4 minutes ago, jachau95 said:

I would guess that a whole lot of people on this forum have tried Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, etc. I have. If I could just stick to the program I never would have needed surgery. This was supposed to be the tool that was going to make me stick to it. Now I feel like I don't have that. I'm so sad that I went through this invasive surgery for what seems like no good reason. I mean literally crying, sad. I'm losing weight now, but I'm worried about 5 years from now, or 10 years from now...

I see the surgery more as a strong tail wind that helped me to get to where wanted to go - but I had to do a lot of the work. I don't really eat until I feel restriction, because at that point, I've overeaten and there's a risk of it coming back up. "Full" cues are often different after RNY than they were before, and it takes awhile to figure out what they are. I usually just eat as much as I know I'm supposed to eat (which I pretty much know having been at it for almost six years), but when I do overdo it and get to the point where I'm feeling some pressure in my chest - or a bit uncomfortable - I know I need to stop RIGHT THEN or I'm going to be sorry.

Granted, I had a virgin surgery - not a revision - so it may be different for revisionists.

[Katiebal_Lecter 26]

12 hours ago, jachau95 said:

Thank you! You're the only person that I've heard from that gets it! I have 3 friends that have had gastric bypass and don't understand how I could possibly not have a bit of restriction.

Have you been losing the weight this time around without the restriction? I'm losing, but only because I haven't had a carb in 7 weeks! I'm worried about long term...

I lost 16 pounds my first two weeks then nothing for a month. My surgery was just on 12/17/2020 I was 247 day of surgery, 231 January 1 until about February 5th. I’m currently at 223. So, I’m going down again, slowly, but it’s going...I’m also not following any sort of structured diet other than the recommended foods from my dietician.

all of us worry about the long term. We just have to remember why we started. We both know this is just a tool, and not the tool we got used to before.

[Tracyringo 425]

On 2/24/2021 at 9:07 PM, jachau95 said:

Hello all!

I had gastric sleeve back in 2013. The weight slowly started to creep back on. Then, due to a number of circumstances, it ALL came back. For years I was having terrible heartburn/reflux, so my insurance paid for me to have revision surgery to gastric bypass.

I had the surgery 6 weeks ago (Jan 11th). I have never felt any restriction at all! At first I though it was because it was all liquids or mushy food. But for the last 2 weeks I've been eating chicken, crab meat, hamburgers (no bun), etc., and have not had anything that didn't agree with me. I can eat way more than what my list calls for, too. I only stop because I'm not hungry, or I'm tired of chewing.

I'm so sad about this. I'm worried that I'm going to fail again. I know I have to be accountable to myself, but if I was good at that I wouldn't have needed surgery... I just had such high hopes that with this tool I would get it right this time.

Hi !! So sorry you are going through this and I know EXACTLY how you feel !!! I had so much anxiety and fear for months after this revision wondering how I was going to not gain without my restriction. I was pretty flipped out but here I am 9 months later and the smallest I have ever been. Its crazy not to feel anything and very stressful but there is this thing called dumping that will keep you in line and believe me you dont want to mess with it ! Also the malabsorption of calories is a real thing ! I lost 12lbs the first month and I was at my original goal weight of 180 day of revision. I only lost 14lbs after my original surgery and I weighed 296 that day !! I could and can eat more with this surgery then my VSG but if I over eat I get violently ill ! It really sucked after having the revision but I must say it is better then the sleeve and if someone told me 9 months ago or 6 months ago I would be saying this I would have said NEVER and NO WAY !! Here I sit with no problem staying under 160 where I struggled just to stay at 170s with VSG. Love to hear what you think later down the road. Good luck

[Tracyringo 425]

22 hours ago, jachau95 said:

Thank you! You're the only person that I've heard from that gets it! I have 3 friends that have had gastric bypass and don't understand how I could possibly not have a bit of restriction.

Have you been losing the weight this time around without the restriction? I'm losing, but only because I haven't had a carb in 7 weeks! I'm worried about long term...

Eat the carbs in your potato, rice, and fruit. Unless your Dr. has told you otherwise. All plans are different and my plan didnt want me going full Keto.

[jachau95 17]

12 hours ago, Tracyringo said:

Hi !! So sorry you are going through this and I know EXACTLY how you feel !!! I had so much anxiety and fear for months after this revision wondering how I was going to not gain without my restriction. I was pretty flipped out but here I am 9 months later and the smallest I have ever been. Its crazy not to feel anything and very stressful but there is this thing called dumping that will keep you in line and believe me you dont want to mess with it ! Also the malabsorption of calories is a real thing ! I lost 12lbs the first month and I was at my original goal weight of 180 day of revision. I only lost 14lbs after my original surgery and I weighed 296 that day !! I could and can eat more with this surgery then my VSG but if I over eat I get violently ill ! It really sucked after having the revision but I must say it is better then the sleeve and if someone told me 9 months ago or 6 months ago I would be saying this I would have said NEVER and NO WAY !! Here I sit with no problem staying under 160 where I struggled just to stay at 170s with VSG. Love to hear what you think later down the road. Good luck

Thank you! It gives me hope that it will work. I've been reading the articles that OAGBPal sent a link to that is also very interesting. Definitely feeling better about it than I was just a few days ago.

[Coexister 81]

I totally get you! I am 4 months out from a revision from sleeve to roux-Y-gastric bypass to address GERD /Heartburn/Reflux and ever since I have had the surgery I have had no restrictions once so ever. I can eat foods that I was not able to with the sleeve, I have no dumping issues, no problems once so ever with foods and I don't get the sensations of fullness that I got with the sleeve and it scares the crud out of me! I lost most of my weight with the sleeve and then more when I did the pre-op diet and then lost another 10 after surgery. I am currently stalled for the past 3 months but am only 9 lbs from goal weight. I fluctuate 9 lbs up and down depending on whether I have moved bowels or not, LOL - you guys get that. I track my foods and keep thinking I need to go back to the beginning and back to only eating around 800 or 600 calories if I want to lose that additional 9 lbs but I am having a tough time doing that. Probably if I go back to basics and do the pre op for two more weeks, I could achieve this but not sure I could maintain. It is just so frustrating to not have the restrictions. I am pleased that I am 16 lbs smaller on average then I was on the sleeve but I worry for how long will this last? And when I do eat instead of getting a warning that I am about full, I get a very sharp painful feel when I eat too much and I never know when that will be. But I definitely can eat more not that I am trying to overeat. I do try and control my amounts but at times find that I have eaten more than I planned and then I get mad at myself. I get jealous of the ones that talk about dumping and how their bodies reject things and wish mine did this as it seems like a great control and that their tool works better than mine? It amazes me when they talk about only being able to eat a couple of bites and being full as this seems so foreign to my body? So you are definitely not alone in this!

[jachau95 17]

1 hour ago, Coexister said:

I totally get you! I am 4 months out from a revision from sleeve to roux-Y-gastric bypass to address GERD /Heartburn/Reflux and ever since I have had the surgery I have had no restrictions once so ever. I can eat foods that I was not able to with the sleeve, I have no dumping issues, no problems once so ever with foods and I don't get the sensations of fullness that I got with the sleeve and it scares the crud out of me! I lost most of my weight with the sleeve and then more when I did the pre-op diet and then lost another 10 after surgery. I am currently stalled for the past 3 months but am only 9 lbs from goal weight. I fluctuate 9 lbs up and down depending on whether I have moved bowels or not, LOL - you guys get that. I track my foods and keep thinking I need to go back to the beginning and back to only eating around 800 or 600 calories if I want to lose that additional 9 lbs but I am having a tough time doing that. Probably if I go back to basics and do the pre op for two more weeks, I could achieve this but not sure I could maintain. It is just so frustrating to not have the restrictions. I am pleased that I am 16 lbs smaller on average then I was on the sleeve but I worry for how long will this last? And when I do eat instead of getting a warning that I am about full, I get a very sharp painful feel when I eat too much and I never know when that will be. But I definitely can eat more not that I am trying to overeat. I do try and control my amounts but at times find that I have eaten more than I planned and then I get mad at myself. I get jealous of the ones that talk about dumping and how their bodies reject things and wish mine did this as it seems like a great control and that their tool works better than mine? It amazes me when they talk about only being able to eat a couple of bites and being full as this seems so foreign to my body? So you are definitely not alone in this!

That does sound exactly like what I'm going through! Except that I have a lot more to lose. I gained a lot back after my sleeve. I know what you mean about being scared. I don't have another appt with the surgeon until the end of April. They were going to switch it to a video appt because I'm in another state, but I think I'm going to ask them to keep it as a regular appt and make the drive up there for it. Of course, that would be 20+ hours round trip to have him more than likely tell me the same things I've heard on this site, so not sure yet.

I hope you break your stall and get those last 9 pounds off! I'll be watching for your posts and cheering you on:)

P.S. Isn't it at least a whole lot better to not have the reflux, etc.? I feel like a new person in that respect!