James Marusek

First off, congratulations on your weight loss. I think it is common for some individuals who undergo weight loss surgery to gain some of the weight back. And normally when a woman has a child, it is common to have a little weight gain. So a weight gain of 10 pounds does not seem excessive. To maintain your weight loss, it is back to basics of Protein intake, food volume, Vitamins and exercise. I have also heard that the stomach heals after about 1 1/2 years and begins to absorb 100% of the calories from food instead of 70%. I do not know this for a fact. I am 1 1/2 years from RNY surgery, so I should see this effect around now. If this is true, then it will mean that I may have to cut my caloric intake.

I agree, eggs are wonderful.

My project for this year was to build an underground storm shelter. There was some physical labor involved. I had to move 100,000 pounds of gravel by hand and 50,000 pounds of concrete blocks. I took my time and it didn't seem to be strenuous. I am 66 years old but thanks to the surgery, I have the stamina that I had when I was 35 years old.

Congratulations!

I am 18 months post-op on RNY surgery. I have been told that at about a year and a half, the stomach begins to heal. As a result, the stomach increases it's absorption of calories from 70% to 100%. I don't know this for a fact but several individuals more advanced in the surgery than I have indicated this. If this is the case, then it is relatively easy to begin to put the weight back on. One would have to reduce caloric intake to stabilize weight. At the moment my weight is stable and I believe my pouch has not grown. (If I try and eat more than a cup of food at a meal, my stomach shuts me down.) At the moment, I try and control any hunger urges by consuming fats. I have one cup of coffee with real home-made whipping cream each day. I also consume around 3 Adkin's treats each day. I avoid all processed sugar but I am not afraid of artificial sweeteners or natural ones like those found in fruits and milks or plants such as Stevia. I also weigh myself each morning and keep a record of my weights.

I am 18 months post op RNY. I use to love sweet corn. I have eaten corn a few times after surgery. The most I can eat is less than one ear of corn. It seems to cause me to gain weight so I generally stay away from corn now.

Ruth, your surgery was more extensive than mine. All I can say is that in my case I was surprised about how long it took the scars to heal. I think it took over 6 months. The incision sites may have been tender for a few weeks but that was over a year ago and my memory isn't so sharp on that point. What I hated the most was the self injections of Lovenox to prevent blood clots. That medicine caused me major bruise marks that were slow to heal. But after I finished the Lovenox injections, things improved. It took me 6 months to reach my happy state, when all the issues seemed to melt away. I wouldn't say getting back to normal because as a result of surgery, many of my medical conditions went into remission. I am 66 years old and my stamina (ability to do physical labor) is now more like when I was 35 years old. I might use the term new normal.

Ruth, your surgery was more extensive than mine. All I can say is that in my case I was surprised about how long it took the scars to heal. I think it took over 6 months. The incision sites may have been tender for a few weeks but that was over a year ago and my memory isn't so sharp on that point. What I hated the most was the self injections of Lovenox to prevent blood clots. That medicine caused me major bruise marks that were slow to heal. But after I finished the Lovenox injections, things improved. It took me 6 months to reach my happy state, when all the issues seemed to melt away. I wouldn't say getting back to normal because as a result of surgery, many of my medical conditions went into remission. I am 66 years old and my stamina (ability to do physical labor) is now more like when I was 35 years old. I might use the term new normal.

Congratulations!

I had RNY gastric bypass 18 months ago. Before surgery, I was diabetic and on two types of blood sugar medicine to control it. When I left the hospital 2 days after surgery, my diabetes went into remission and I was off all my diabetic medicine and haven't taken any since. My blood sugar levels are normal. I eat a balanced meal plan of carbs, fats and Protein, about 1 cup per meal. I avoid eating processed sugar, along with honey, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and cane juice. But that leaves artificial sweeteners, natural sugars found in fruit and milk, and other natural sweeteners, such as stevia to satisfy my sweet tooth. One of the important things that I learned in the process was the difference between the types of sweeteners - some affected my blood sugar levels while others didn't.

Your goal weight is an arbitrary number. I suspect your body will find its own level. Since your surgery was in June 2014, it seems like you are not at bottom. This is especially the case because sleevers lose weight slower than those that have RNY gastric bypass. So if you still are in the losing phase then remember it is important to meet the Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. (And not get overly concerned about meal intake.) In my case I lost 100 pounds (20 pre-op, 80 post-op) from RNY surgery at about the 7 month mark. Then my body leveled off at 160 pounds. (I naturally entered the maintenance phase.) I maintained that weight for almost a year, when I got the stomach flu. I lost a pound a day for 7 days and dropped to almost 150 pounds. I decided that was my new bottom mark and have held that weight for a three months now.

Hey, its a lot better than being called "fat" or "overweight".

It is common to experience problems with constipation after surgery. I experienced severe problems to the point that the only way to relieve it was to shove a glycerin suppository up my rear-end every 3 days. Most of the typical solutions (laxatives, dietary Fiber, prune juice) were of no help. I finally found a solution that has worked for me and I have been problem free for almost 12 months now. I eat an apple before I go to bed each night. It is important to eat the skin of the apple also. [note that apple juice and apple sauce does not correct the problem.] This worked so well for me that I have almost adapted the muse "An apple a day keeps the constipation away." There have been other threads on this bulletin board discussing the subject of constipation cures. Some recommend an herbal tea by Traditional Medicinals called Smooth Move. These come in several flavors and are available at Krogers. Others recommend eating prunes in the morning and evening or drinking warm prune juice. Others have even mentioned eating Haribo sugar free Gummi-Bears.

Some individuals that undergo gastric bypass surgery have experienced Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Generally diabetics who suffer from high blood sugar have diabetes go into remission after surgery. I do not know if a lack of Iron is related to the surgery. It may be a factor of aging or a factor that those that undergo the surgery have their blood work put under a magnifying glass and any deficiencies are quickly identified.

The length of time for approval will vary by insurance company. For me it was almost a year because the insurance required a 6 month medically supervised weight loss and exercise program. As for recovery time, I left the hospital after 2 days and I was up and about. I had some weight limitations for a few weeks. During this time you probably might have to avoid picking up and holding your daughter because of her weight.

I will pray for you.

Things will improve with time. I reached my happy state, when everything was working well at around the 6 month mark.

I have used Citrical beginning right after surgery. I am 18 months post-op RNY. There is a couple things of note here. 1) The dosage on the bottle is for two tablets, so to obtain the proper dosage, I had to consume 6 a day. These had to be spaced out 2 pills every 2 hours or so. 2) These are large horse pills. They were too big for me to swallow right after surgery. That meant I had to use a pill crusher. I put the powder (crushed pills) in a small glass of liquid (crystal light) and drank it. Then I had to add more liquid because there was still wet powder in the bottom of the glass and try again. This calcium powder tasted awful. After a few months life became significantly easier when I found that I could now swallow these horsepills.

I tend to agree. I don't think protein does much for curbing hunger. On the other hand, I believe fat does. I have included some amount of fat in my diet and I use it to curb any hunger that might pop up. It seems to work for me. (I use real butter, real milk and home-made (no sugar added) whip cream. I use some meats that are not lean. I even use Adkin's Treats.)

This is YOUR weight loss journey. She is there only to guide you along the way. If you are hearing her voice constantly yelling at you, then you are in a state of stress and stress can cause you problems. There is a lot of flexibility available in your approach. I think I am consuming around 1500 calories per day now but I am also meeting my Protein requirements. But I have lost my weight and am in a maintenance mode now. If you are still in the losing phase, you might need to be lower in caloric intake. In the losing phase, your body is consuming fat and converting it into energy and as a result your body can survive on less calories.

Didn't enjoy my hospital stay. While I made my laps around the hallways after surgery, there were before-and-after photos strung up on the bulletin boards. Six months later after surgery, I brought them my before-and-after photo to put up on their bulletin boards. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Operation.jpg They made me sign a release form before they could use it. When I was walking the halls after surgery, I went up to the nurses station and asked them what the weight of the largest person they treated with bariatric surgery. They said 600 pounds.

I believe you have some flexibility. It is important to consume the amount of Protein required but how you do this is somewhat up to you. I am 18 months post-op from RNY gastric bypass surgery and ever since my surgery my meal plan has been in flux. I relied on home-made high protein chili and Soups for my meals. Since I am up to a cup per meal now, I gain around 60 grams of protein just from my meals alone. Your protein requirement is the combination of protein from meals combined with protein from supplements. As time went on I was able to transition completely off Protein shakes as a supplement. I hate the taste of protein shakes. Now my protein supplements consists of a hot cup of cocoa (no sugar added) in the morning and a berry smoothie in the late afternoon. I also found that Protein Bars (QuestBar) is a good source of protein when I am on the go and unable to use my Ninja blender.

I experienced very little pain and after surgery took no pain medicine. I attribute some of this to exercise and the rest to a high level of pain tolerance. For several months prior to surgery, I walked for around 30 minutes per day religiously. Almost as soon as they brought me back to the room after surgery I was up and walking. I could not even tell when the anesthesia administered during surgery wore off. Some people experience pain from surgery. But I think a muscle relaxer may benefit them more than pain medicine.

In my humble opinion there are three measures of success. These are (1) the amount of weight lost, (2) remission of medical problems, and (3) reduction in clothes sizes. There are probably several more such as an increase in stamina. Find joy in the various forms of success that you have achieved.

I had a RNY gastric bypass 18 months ago. I lost a total of 110 pounds pre-op and post-op. I have maintained my weight loss for a year. One of the surprises about the surgery was that I completely lost my hunger. Not everyone experiences this, but I did. It wasn't hard to lose weight when hunger is not constantly gnawing at your bones. There were roadblocks along the way. Most were generated by my insurance company. But I persevered. A year after I decided I wanted the surgery, I was approved for it. Being 18 months post-op, I can say that hunger no longer rules my day.