catwoman7

my surgeon said although pouches can stretch, it's not all that common. People usually gain weight because they don't follow the plan, like the above posters said. They start eating simple carbs again (which make you hungrier faster), they graze all day, and/or they don't wait long enough after eating to start drinking (which washes the food out of your pouch too soon). You will probably never be able to eat half a pizza again (or an entire pizza) in one sitting. Your stomach is much too small for that. But you can have a piece one hour. And another piece an hour later. And another piece an hour later. And so on until you've pretty much devoured an entire pizza over the course of a day. *That's* the kind of thing that makes people gain weight.

I suppose most of us had those thoughts when we were pre-op. i can tell you from the other side that it was worth everything. I would do it again every year if I had to - and I should have done it 10 years ago!

almost eight months out and haven't had a true stall since the infamous three-week one, but my weight loss has been pathetic this month (like - 2 lbs since Jan 1). My surgeon once said that if you hit a stall, sometimes going back to a liquid diet (like the pre-op) for 2 or 3 days might get things moving again. I may try it....

I remember mine being pretty bad the first week. I'm not sure if it went totally away after that, but it really didn't bother me after the first week.

like the above poster, i'm also eating about 1000 kcal a day at eight months out.

kcbrook13 - not sure if this is true, but I've heard that hunger goes away because your nerves were cut during surgery. When they grow back, it comes back. you probably haven't lost weight yet because you were pumped full of fluids during surgery. It takes a few days to lose it, but it'll come off - and then some! as for pains and gas - does your surgeon have you taking a PPI like omeprazole (Prilosec) or Nexium? A lot of patients take it for a few months after surgery.

not everyone dumps. I don't. I've read about 30% of post-op patients do. But it's easy to avoid it by following the program. Also, Vitamin deficiencies are rare in people who keep on top of their Vitamins. The people who have trouble with them are *usually* people who aren't diligent about taking their vitamins. If you can take off 150 lbs and keep it off, then do it. I couldn't. Tried again and again and again. I'd lose about 50 lbs, hit a brick wall, and then gradually gain it back. I finally came to the realization that surgery was the only way I was going to be able to do it. that being said, you need to be in the right frame of mind to do this. It takes a lot of work and dedication. If you're not ready yet, then you're not ready. I thought about it for around five years before I was mentally ready. also, if you have GERD, then yes, bypass is probably a better option. I also had GERD pre-surgery and haven't had any trouble with it all since my surgery.

I had to do the six-month supervised diet, but I already had it out of the way before I started the program. I had my initial appt the second week of Jan (2015). I was told I could probably schedule my surgery in March, but I waited until June because I work in education (i.e., waited until school was out)

my hunger came back at about five months out, which I guess is common. A lucky few never get it back *at all*. It's so much easier to stick to the program when you're never hungry!!

calorie malabsorption goes away eventually, Vitamin and mineral malabsorption does not. That's why it's important to really keep on top of your supplements. From what I've heard, deficiencies are kind of rare in people who keep up with their supplements. *Most* of the people who have trouble with it aren't keeping up with their Vitamins.

I started taking most pills right away. The only one I had to wait 2 or 3 weeks to take whole was my ursodiol capsule, because it was pretty big. I've always done chewable calcium and Multivitamins, so those were never an issue.

I asked my dentist about this, and he said he's never seen that - but for all I know he may only have 3 or 4 WLS patients, so he may not have that much to base it on. But he did tell me to keep on top of my calcium supplementation, and he also gave me some prescription toothpaste that's really high in fluoride (he said that should help if the problem comes from excessive acid). to add to what djmohr said, I don't have as much tartar buildup anymore. I was thinking it might be due to eating fewer carbs?? Not sure.

for most people, grazing, drinking too soon after eating, and/or not sticking to the plan are the biggest contributors

my hunger returned after about five months. There are a few people (I consider them lucky, actually), who never get it back. It's much easier to stick to the plan when you're never hungry!!

there are so many pros to this that i would do it again every year if I had to. cons - other than the first few weeks were a bit rough, there are no cons that I can think of

when I was pre-op, I used to occasionally put it in smoothies instead of a banana - it makes them really creamy (but watch how much you're drinking - it's really high in calories!!).

I avoid simple carbs. I do eat a lot of vegetables and some complex carbs (fruit, Beans, some grains) in moderation. I avoid Pasta, rice, and bread. I don't count or limit my carbs, but I think I've only gone over 100 g once since my surgery over seven months ago. The vast majority of days I'm under 80. I'm not sure I could stick to an ultra-low-carb diet for very long and am glad my surgeon's office recommends a more balanced approach, even though I haven't lost as fast as some of the ultra-low-carb folks. The balanced approach seems like something I could keep up with indefinitely. Plus carbs don't unleash the "carb monster" in me like they do a lot of people.

no - I've never had any problems with it

my surgeon said going back to the pre-op diet (Protein shakes plus clear liquids) for a couple of days will sometimes get things going again. Haven't tried it since my only stall thus far has been the "three week stall". Since I'm over seven months out, he probably figured I was long overdue for one...

at 5 weeks out I was eating around 600 kcal per day

I've been logging everything I eat since probably the 80's (the first several years on paper - now electronically). I don't trust myself *at all*. I wish I could - it'd be great to be able to be able to eat like a normal person for once!

I use it in chocolate Protein shakes and in Thai curries (which I make with unsweetened drinkable coconut milk rather than the high-fat stuff that come in a can). Anyway, PB2 is great. I buy it in volume online - it's usually cheaper that way.

the above posters are right - no one can really give an opinion from personal experience unless they've had both surgeries. From what I've read, the DS has better stats (i.e., in general, people tend to lose more weight with it and have an easier time keeping it off), but then, it's a more complicated surgery, has more risks associated with it, fewer surgeons do it, and a lot of insurance policies don't cover it. Although I think either would be a good choice - many people have good success with RNY, too. A surgeon may be able to tell you which would be a better option for you.

I would think if it increased one's risk for cancer, it'd be somewhere in the GI tract as opposed to say, skin cancer. But then what do I know. And again, I've never seen any studies on this.

Never heard that. I would think since gastric bypass has been around for a long time, they'd know that.....