Babbs

That was a great article!

Something I've learned from having this surgery is to not expect our bodies to react the way we THINK they should. We've got to be proactive and figure out what will work, and sometimes it's the opposite of what we've been taught our whole lives about dieting. It's really not as simple as calories in/calories out. Our bodies are complex machines, and we've altered our physiology by the surgery, making things even more complicated. Don't over think things. Experiment and see what works for you. Sometimes there's no right or wrong answers, just what works for YOU.

This is how old I am. All I could think of when I saw the title of your post was this old anti war song from the 60's: "If You're Going to San Francisco, be sure to wear flowers in your hair"

It's so easy to feel that restriction is still going to be a factor with weight loss longer term (and maintenence) at under a year out. The restriction is still awesome and hunger is low. At 2 years out, I could EASILY eat 2000+ calories if I really put my mind to it. JamieLogical actually did it to prove you can eat around your stomach size a little further out. Just because you can't eat a lot in one sitting, doesn't mean you can't eat the wrong stuff and eat it frequently. Early out, lack of hunger helps. Once that's gone....well ask 43% of people who gain their weight back what happens. Dr Matthew Weiner says by year 5, most of the benefits of the surgery are almost null. So it's totally on us at that point, even with a post surgery size stomach.

I can say after 2 years I still don't have the hunger and cravings as I did before surgery, but definitely more noticeable than at a year out. I have to actually use good ol will power now (boo). I also know that as each year that goes by, the hunger and cravings increase, so I've got my work cut out for me to maintain this weight I've lost. It seems year 3 is usually when it really becomes difficult, and by year 5 it's REALLY difficult but doable. I just have to stay the course the best I can as life happens, and know that it's always going to be a struggle, but a total worthwhile one for sure!

I quit a couple months before surgery using a vape and tapering off the nicotine slowly until I was at 0. Then I quit the vape. I figured I was having major surgery to improve my health, and continuing to smoke didn't seem to correlate with being healthy.

Here's the thing though. What worked for me may not work for you. So you need to kind of be your own guinea pig and keep experimenting to see what works and what doesn't. What worked for me was slowly increasing calories until I was at 1100 by a year out, 80 grams of protein, less than 50 grams of carbs and moderate exercise. Once I got close to goal, I upped my carbs a bit to around 70 or 80 in preparation for maintenence. Play around and see what works! Sometimes the body needs a good shock to the system to get things moving again, so suddenly upping calories and protein may very well do it. It used to work for me to break stalls.

I think you need to up your calories a bit by adding a high Protein snack like cheese, Jerky or nuts. I was about at 700-800 calories at 4 months out I think. This surgery isn't like a normal diet. Our bodies go into starvation mode, and they way to keep your metabolism going is to keep slowly INCREASING calories and protein as time goes on. You should also be getting at least 80 grams of protein.

You're amazing! And congrats on keeping it off! A lot of people struggle with that, so when I see someone who is over a couple of years who has kept it off, it inspires me! Thanks for that

So I'm confused, it helped tremendously but was barely worth it? I'm considering starting it so I'm looking for info. The irritability and weird dreams are the common side effects of Chantix. And honestly I don't know why it would cause that person to become depressed for 2 years because of not weaning off it properly. There is no scientific evidence proving that is a side effect. My husband used it, and was able to quit successfully. The irritability is temporary (and who doesn't get irritable when they quit smoking?) and so what about the vivid dreams? My husband used to wake me up to tell me about them because they were so freaking funny.

@@mrstkgreene I'm giving you support by telling it like it is. Or do you want me to lie to you and tell you I don't have to actually go hungry sometimes when I would prefer to eat all day long because I'm 2 years out and my honeymoon period is over? Or I don't have to get my ass out of bed most days and exercise so the weight doesn't creep back on even when I don't want to? Or I don't have to still delay instant gratification and have chicken fingers and fries because I thought I was "starving to death"? YOU'RE the one with the absolutly obtuse statement "Things will be different after the surgery". I'm giving you support by telling you the only thing that will be different is your stomach will be smaller and you MAY be less hungry for at least a little while. I'm not going to blow smoke up your ass because you don't want to hear the truth. Or would you prefer that?

OP- you are not the only one who has cheated and so while not trying to beat you up- you rightfully should be concerned that you may not ready. This isn't to say that perfection is required but it is to say that there are countless people who have this surgery without being equipped with the tools to handle challenges. If a week or two pre-op diet can't be adhered to, what about a lifelong requirement to measure your food, eat Protein first, etc. You may or may not be ready but if you have doubts, then please resolve them before doing something irreversible. Well the thing is, now I am starving. After surgery it will be different. Also, after surgery I was told to have a "treat" every few weeks. For instance, Pasta, etc. things will be different after surgery than they are now. Right now I have a huge stomach and I am use to eating a lot. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Sigh. They just reduce the size of your stomach. It doesn't reduce your desire to eat crap still. It isn't magic. You still have to actually use a little will power to make it work. You have to exercise and change the way you eat forever. Not just eat, but change the way you even FEEL about eating in general. Yes, there will be times you're even hungry. If you use food comfort now and can't delay gratification, will you have the tools to deal with that post op? Please take all that into consideration and don't just assume surgery will magically change all your bad habits with food. People figure out ways to eat around these surgeries. Otherwise we wouldn't have a 42% rate of regain. As long as you completely understand that, you'll be fine.

Ha! Me too!

Completely normal. Here's why: However, when the body stays in a caloric deficit state the body starts to realize that this is not a short-term problem. Then the body starts mobilizing fat from adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But the body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. As it puts back the 2 lbs. of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs. of Water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though the patient might still be losing energy content to their body, the weight will not go down or it might even gain for a while as the retention of water dissolves the glycogen that is being reformed and stored

I love Dr Weiner!

Yeah, it gets old, but it's for the best. It's more of a prescription than a suggestion because you're healing. Your time for real food will come soon enough.

@ Where do you live in OR? I live in Boise now, but lived most of childhood and teens in Oregon.

I can't remember, but I sure love 'em now!

THIS ^^^^^

Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs. of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when a patient is not getting in enough food, the body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. Then when 2 lbs. of glycogen is used a patient will also lose 8 lbs. of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs. that most people lose in the first week of a diet. However, when the body stays in a caloric deficit state the body starts to realize that this is not a short-term problem. Then the body starts mobilizing fat from adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But the body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. As it puts back the 2 lbs. of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs. of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though the patient might still be losing energy content to their body, the weight will not go down or it might even gain for a while as the retention of water dissolves the glycogen that is being reformed and stored

@@leebick Yeah, this is no time for hemming and hawing. I would DEMAND answers NOW. No, "Oh, well this may be a glitch" and "We will have to do a barium test to determine". This is BS. Like someone said, I would demand the surgery report and any other notes along with your care to get to the bottom of it. This isn't some kind of ooops. This could potentially be life threatening if you don't have the accurate information. I would also throw the word "lawyer" around. It's outrageous, and I'm sorry this has happened to you. But girl, you need to be a b***h about this whole thing and get it straightened out!

Yes, believe it or not I have heard of this being an outpatient surgery. Kind of boggles the mind, really.

You had a terrible experience with a terrible surgeon (at least bedside manner) and terrible communication from the hospital. I would encourage your friend to either make it perfectly clear what kind of care and aftercare she is expecting from her surgeon and to clearly communicate those concerns, and if she still feels too uncomfortable after your experience to find another surgeon elsewhere. Yes, it may delay things a bit, but if she's wanting a more positive experience than what you had, it's worth the delay.

Stalls are a natural part of the weight loss process, especially the first months after surgery. You may even see a bit of a gain when it happens. It's all science and biology, not a conspiracy to drive you crazy In the early months, it's not anything you're doing wrong. It's not what you're eating. It's all just your body adjusting to the low calories and larger losses. We honestly have no control over it in the early months, as much as we like to think we do. As the months go by and our bodies finally get into a groove and adjust? I think THEN we can effect stalls and do things to cause them or even break them. But for now? Relax, keep getting your fluids and Protein so you can continue to heal and let it pass.