Deb9386

So sorry to hear you're having these problems. If you haven't seen it already I'd suggest watching Dr Weiner's Youtube video about alcohol use after gastric bypass - the video and the comments are very interesting. Judging by what he says it seems that gastric surgery can trigger alcohol abuse, and that the same amount of alcohol will affect more strongly after surgery. He suggests that zero alcohol after gastric bypass is the best way - maybe keeping no alcohol at home at all? You're definitely not alone. I've been teetotal for nearly 35 years - I just wasn't interested in drinking alcohol at all - and I found his video a few months ago because I was trying to work out why all of a sudden after surgery I was craving an alcoholic drink - it's bizarre! The last thing I expected. But you've already overcome the food addiction and lost loads of weight - you can definitely overcome these cravings. Stay strong - life has been so rubbish with covid, but hopefully we're coming out the other side now.

Hi Orchidlover - hope things are going better for you now. It's hard fitting everything in with full time work and I really sympathise. Try to think of your original goal and how well you've done already to lose 100lbs! That's a huge achievement. I think that all of us who have gastric surgery are going to have to treat the eating/exercise as a lifelong thing, and inevitably we'll slip at times. We just have to get back on track by prioritising our health over everything else. I know it's easy to say, but not always easy to do. My diet has definitely slipped and while I'm not putting on weight I'm definitely not eating right. As for exercise - I did well at first but now that's almost non-existent. You're definitely not alone in struggling but you can get back on track and do it!!

Hi! I can empathise with that. People say - oh, you've lost so much weight, you look great - and then I think - so you;re saying how rubbish I looked before? Even people I don't really know like my dentist's receptionist! It's particularly irritating/upsetting when people make the same comment every time they see me. I also catch myself thinking about how much time/how many years I spent very overweight and unhealthy, which meant I felt self-conscious and insecure - and then I obsess a bit about how awful I looked for all of that time. I suppose we just have to try to put all that behind us and just look forward.

I also find it hard to stay on track. I see this as a lifelong battle and my motivation is that I NEVER want to go back to the overweight and unhealthy person I was. My absolute "set in stone" rules are that I weigh myself every day (for me this is absolutely crucial to maintaining my weight); I count my protein carefully to make sure I get enough, and always take my vitamins (I really want to minimise other medical issues and hair loss). Other than that I have good food days and not so good food days but I just can't be "perfect" with what I eat everyday and I've accepted that.

I've been taking specialist bariatric vitamins, but I agree the cost is huge. I've been working to the specification of vitamins from the website recommendations of the ASMBS, and if I could find those specifications in over the counter vitamins I'd take them. I couldn't find any here in the UK though so still paying out...

My surgeon explained it to me that the issue is that if the liver is still too fatty after the pre-op diet it's just impossible to lift up the liver to do the bypass. My bloods b4 the pre-op diet showed that my liver was very fatty and so I had to do the pre-op diet for 18 days beforehand rather than 14. The nutritionist's diet sheet included carbs, so I didn't go into ketosis as some people do. So, I'll be honest, I was hungry most of the time, but I did what all the other posters here did and drank plenty & filled up on veggies. I managed to stick to it simply because it was so time limited. I knew it was only for 18 days and the surgeon had told me of one patient who he'd opened up but whose liver was still too fatty to move, so he'd had to sew him back up again without doing it and I was determined not to let that happen if I could help it. Just focus on the fact that it's only for a very short period of time. The hunger is good - you're losing weight and visceral fat. You can do it!

Very interesting topic! I was 231 lbs pre surgery and set my goal at 160 as that was a weight I'd maintained for much of my adult life before piling on the pounds. I got to that about a month ago, and despite now trying to up my calories and maintain at that weight I'm still losing. So maybe your final weight does choose you?

I also had exactly this - and my doctor showed me the pictures of my liver from during the surgery (horrifying...). I'd followed the liver shrinking diet to the letter as well. When I attended my 3 month check-up my blood tests showed that my fatty liver had improved radically and levels were now in a "normal range". [I'd had non-alcoholic fatty liver for years (it'd showed up in blood tests). My doctor said that the reduction was entirely down to the loss of weight. So this should be exactly the same for you as you continue to lose weight (hopefully).

Could you post the foods that you can eat - others on the board may be able to make suggestions for recipes or meal plans? My personal experience after RNY bypass is that the underlying issues (whatever they are) that caused the disordered eating in the first place don't go away magically, and it's going to be a constant battle to keep on track. [well for me anyway]. I see you're in the UK too - I had my bypass privately here and had a UK dietitian who was very helpful. If you're interested in her contact information I can dm details?

So I tried your recipe today using apple sauce as the wet ingredient. It took a bit of experimenting with the microwave times but wow! It actually had the taste and texture of a brownie - a sort of chocolatey apple brownie! Thank you very much for the recipe - this will become a staple.......

Yes, I've found this too! Semi retired and at home a lot during lockdown I've managed largely with very casual clothes and it doesn't really matter if things are a bit big on me. Some of the clothes I had from before I put on weight were not very flattering when I tried them again, so I bought some new things a couple of months ago - they're now getting loose. It's a nice problem to have but as I'm only a couple of pounds from my goal weight, I really can't wait to stabilise my weight and get into a maintenance mode. I've also been buying and selling some clothes on ebay which has worked well so far.

Thank you! I think I'm going to have to look at everything I take/eat again.

I did change the dose of an existing medication - I hadn't thought of that. Thanks!

Thank you - that's very helpful. Have to think what it might be.

I've tried to stick to my diet plan and have considered myself fortunate to have had just 1 or 2 minor dumping episodes since surgery - the worst being when I was sick after eating some restaurant food which must have been (but shouldn't have been) very oily. Then last Saturday I gave in to temptation and ate a small chocolate bar..... (it was very small - about 85 calories worth). And I paid for it with upset bowels that evening and during the night. So I thought - right, never again, and that'd be the end of it. Except it hasn't been. Every day since I've had the same problem - usually in the evening, but always waking up at about 4am. I haven't eaten any sugary or fatty foods since Saturday - the foods I've been eating are the same ones I've used throughout the whole period since surgery without a problem. And I don't think it's a stomach bug, because it's weirdly consistent in the times of day I have the problem. I can go all day just fine and then the evening and night - oh dear me....... Has anybody had a dumping episode which has upset their whole system like this for days on end? Or should I be thinking what I would normally do with d&v, i.e. nothing but clear water for a day or two? Any advice welcome! Thanks