I'm 48 and in the beginning phases (dietician visits and tests) of bariatric surgery. I am probably getting the RNY. A lot of posts that I see are from younger women (which is great!), but I'm concerned that the weight will come off slower now that I'm older. Especially since menopause is probably around the corner. Could you share your stories (successes or challenges), so I could get an idea of what things look like for women close to their 50's. Thanks!

On 08/15/2021 at 10:04, DemiW said:

LOL, I’m 60 in Houston! Your as young as you feel.

Me too!! What part?
I’m in between Houston snd Galveston

On 8/15/2021 at 7:15 AM, Lisa LoVuolo said:

I am 45 and had the gastric bypass to help me. Has anyone almost passed out from the heat

Yes! It’s called Vasovagal Syncope https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vasovagal-syncope/symptoms-causes/syc-20350527

I had one a month ago & passed out from extreme pain & broke my ankle! After reading about it I realized I have had them before I just didn’t pass out but my ears were ringing & I was getting tunnel vision. (My daughter has been having them too, she had a RNY when she was 23 - she passed out in a convenient store last week!)
I have noticed that I get over heated easer & my blood sugar seems to drop more.
I am over 3 yrs out from RNY.

I’m 51, had Bypass 2/12/21 down 84 lbs. HW 315 lbs, SW 278 lbs, CW 194. 5 lbs. Next GW 180 lbs. Off all of my BP and BS now making sure I regulate both. Mindful of eating my protein and fluids.

On 8/15/2021 at 3:41 AM, Laurie C. said:

Hi. My name is Laurie. I had the rny bipass surgery 11 months ago. My one year date is 9/14/20. I am 57. I have lost 132# to date. I have 38# to go to hit my goal weight. Everyone says how great that is, but having low stuff esteem, I think of it as a bad thing because I had that much to lose in the first place! That is more than some people weigh all together! I can't believe I let this happen, but I was in a bad marriage. I don't really have an appetite any more, but the hardest problem for me is the not being able to eat and drink at the same time. I get so dehydrated! It's so hard to wait 30 minutes after eating to drink. Sometimes I have a couple sips anyway because I am so thirsty and can't wait. I end up throwing up. Not good for your health, but on the good side, it's only a tiny amount, so it's worth it to me. I used to drink a huge tumbler glass with all my meals, at least. I am tired of Water. I am lactose intolerant, but suffer through it because I'm tired of water and end up not losing as much as I should because I'm drinking my calories. I am starting the process of a double knee replacement surgery and the skin removal surgery. It's not as bad as I thought, but I want the skin gone. With my living arrangements and health, I have not exercised at all. But I would do the surgery all over again in a heart beat. I can't believe I'm not craving food! I thought that would have been the hardest part. In fact, there's probably under 15-20 things I can eat that agree with me. I had only one problem five days out. I had to go back in for another surgery for aspiration pneumonia. Was throwing up blood big time. Other than that, I'm working on me and finally getting a life because I've been a hermit for probably 20 years because of my weight! If your doctor recommended the rny, do it. I'm so glad I did! Sorry so long a post. My first one. Just joined. Really need a support group.

Did anyone else lose their cravings? I'm in shock that I now struggle to figure out what I want to eat now!

Well I just found out about this forum so I saw this post and wanted to reply as I am older than a lot of people who have this surgery. Let me tell you that age is just a number. You can be young, have this surgery and be less successful then someone older. I think it depends on the individual. I was not overweight as a kid, and I weighed about 100lbs in high school. I started putting on the weight with each pregnancy and it got harder and harder to loose it as the years went by. Bad eating habits of course played a role, as well as genetics. My body killed my thyroid when I was pregnant with my son, and it just got harder after that to get the weight off. When menopause hit, I really started to gain.
I had RNY surgery in Oct/2020 at age 61. I had high blood pressure, severe sleep apnea, sore hips, knees ankles, and feeling short of breath from just vacuuming so you get the picture. Could not walk 5 feet without having to sit down. Crazy awful.
(I have asthma too) I have hypothyroidism, IBS, and was also border line diabetic. Yep...time to smarten up and take control of my health.
I am 62 years old now and at 10 months post op. Best decision I have ever made and I wish I had done it years ago. I talked myself out of it every time, telling myself I can loose this on my own. Who was I kidding. LOL
It was hard at first and I was not prepared for the mental side of it. I sat and cried the second day home from hospital as my brain was screaming at me, scolding me for what I had done. It wanted food, and I felt a lot of depression and remorse. I was not expecting that. It got better as time went on and as the weight started to drop, I felt much more in control, and very happy to see it go. Time to take care of me.
I have hit a stall and have not lost any weight in 2 months, but I know this is normal and I am trying not to panic. I expected it would be more challenging to loose this weight because of my age. I do not exercise, but plan to start in the fall, I still have about 60lbs or more to go to reach my goal weight. No going back to my old habits, and If I do, I have this tool in place to help me. Any questions? just ask me. I am happy to share my experiences and happy to hear everyone's stories as well.
BTW, You should check out Dr. Weiner's YouTube videos. He is a bariatric surgeon and has good sold advice on this whole process.

Edited August 25, 20214 yr by WendyO

I'm 54 and had gastric bypass on June 18, 2021. I'm down 45 pounds so far, not too bad for just over 2 months! My biggest challenge so far has been developing aversions to things I used to like (scrambled eggs, tuna, chicken) but I seem to be getting over that now. Good luck on your journey!

WOW, 45lbs in 2 months is awesome! Congratulations. Food is very challenging for sure. Some foods I used to eat I can no longer tolerate, and some foods I never ate before I am now eating. I still crave carbs more than sweet things, but I guess it will be a life long battle and all part of the journey.
What a crazy journey it has been. Best of luck to you as well.

Edited August 25, 20214 yr by WendyO

I was 63 when I had bypass surgery. 3 years down 120 pounds and stalled.

On 8/17/2021 at 2:57 PM, Laurie C. said:

Did anyone else lose their cravings? I'm in shock that I now struggle to figure out what I want to eat now!

Yes, I was lucky enough to experience this. My cravings are less frequent and less intense. I can say no to them now. Or to be more precise, I say "Not today". Because nothing is off-limits forever, some things are just rare treats.

I crave carbs now mostly, instead of sugar. Food in general taste "off" to me so I am struggling with what to eat. I find my cravings in general are less frequent as well. I can say no a lot easier than I could before this surgery.

I’m 55+, RNY 10/2020. Down 130 lbs and celebrating all the things that I can do again… walk for 30 minutes, go up 70 stairs, sit in a seat at the baseball stadium, pick up things I’ve dropped… celebrate every day!

I can't do much yet. Need a double knee replacement and they won't do together because of having this surgery. I'm down 135. Surgery was 9/14/20.

135lbs is really good especially since you had surgery less than a year ago. WTG!

1 hour ago, Laurie C. said:

.

Edited August 27, 20214 yr by WendyO

On 8/17/2021 at 3:57 PM, Laurie C. said:

Did anyone else lose their cravings? I'm in shock that I now struggle to figure out what I want to eat now!

I got VSG ..and ya, no real cravings, at least compared to before surgery. It’s weird. I’m 48, and down just over 40 lbs in 3 months. It has been steady, no real stalls (at least when you compare week to week)....and going into this I thought for sure my age was going to work against me and I wasn't going to lose. I have not hit menopause yet.