MaybeMeow2

Hi Gang. Meow here. 5.5 months post op bypass. I've had slow but steady losses. (SW:217 CW:178. GW: 150) And I just felt the need to make a post about my sweet addiction. Before my surgery I found myself very concerned about dumping. Often asking in the forum whether Bypass meant I could never have treats again and being assured I could "eventually" or "a bite or two" or "in moderation" etc. This brought me great relief. I knew then I wasn't in the ideal frame of mind but I was doing the best I could. I found at about 4 weeks post op I could tolerate about 5 of my favorite chocolate covered almonds and ate them every night as a reward for hitting my protein and water goals. Eventually I increased that to 10 choco almonds. Then it moved to other desserts or candy. What I've found is my entire eating plan is focused on getting my "healthys" in so I can have a treat at the end of the day. I become obsessed. I realize I've always been that way. Eat healthy so you can indulge. I find I get nauseous if I eat a full portion of dessert. But I can usually get away with eating half. So I do. Every day. Or I eat the full portion and get nauseous. I get thru it. Usually lasts about 30 minutes. I feel miserable. I don't throw up. When I'm in the middle of the nausea I swear I'll never have sugar again. But then it passes and I'm the addict again. The last couple months I've somehow justified 2 treats a day. And this Thanksgiving was the first time I really realized how deeply I don't have control over my treat addiction. I was surrounded by baked goods. I'd eat a small one. Feel sick. Then a couple hours do it again. Over the 2 days of celebration I made myself feel sick about 5 times. The nausea is miserable. Sweats, light headed, toe-curling nausea. Then it passes. And I'm fine. And like a drug addict I indulge again. It's shocking. It's like I'm binging. Except I never throw up and it's only one treat at a time. I guess my point is... bypass didn't cure me. I do feel sick when I eat too much sugar. But it doesn't stop me from doing it. From constantly seeing how much I can have before I feel sick. I have a lot of work to do before I am no longer "unhealthy" regardless of my weight. Wanted to share in case others are sweet addicts and wondering how the surgery will affect that.

ABSOLUTELY! I've bee prematurely menopausal for 5 years. My Bypass was 10 months ago on the 9th. I've lost 51 pounds. I'm slower than anyone I know on this site. The same was true with my diet attempts before surgery. I just keep trucking along.

Hm... Well, my two cents... I am very happily married to a GEM of a man who has put his foot in his mouth far worse than that without a CLUE that what he said was hurtful. So, you might cut hubs some slack in that regard. HOWEVER... I can't get past the info you've shared... marriage "rough" after one year? Plus your significant life-changing weight loss... plus afraid to discuss a comment that hurt your feelings with your husband for fear of an argument? Me-thinks this is about something bigger than the comment (that while perhaps was insensitive just sounds like he was trying to come up with a spontaneous, clever response). Maybe it's time to start visualizing what life looks like without him. Sending you strength.

Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I always sign on to Bariatric Pal in the evening when I'm most tempted to snack. Usually between 9pm-11pm. It helps to distract and busy my mind.

I was 217 on day of surgery. I've lost 51 pounds. Specifically 17 pounds from my weight goal. 37 from the goal the surgeon's assistant said I should aim for. I just can't reconcile eating 800 calories a day as healthy. Regardless of surgery. So once I was able to eat 1000 that' what I aimed for. But again, I've been losing and gaining the same pound for 6 weeks now. 9.5 months post op. Hope this helps!

9 months post and I average 1000-1100 a day. I've been doing that since about 4 months post. At my 6 month surgeon visit I was told I should lower it to about 8-900. I didn't think that sounded healthy. But I admit my losses are very slow.

Hi. I'm 7.5 months post Bypass and all the sudden I'm miserable. When I eat my stomach instantly bubbles and eventually my bowel starts cramping and I'm stuck on the toilet. If I'm constipated, I'm there until I'm cleared out and liquid diarrhea happens. If I'm not constipated it's just the liquid diarrhea. The catch is I've changed nothing! I'm eating the same foods I've always eaten since 8 weeks post. Low carb high protein. But this happens regardless of intake. It doesn't sound like the symptoms of developing an ulcer which I know can happen around this time. At first I thought maybe I just had a bug. But I'm moving onto the 2nd week of it and have no other symptoms. I eat. My bowels go into hyper drive and I after excruciating cramps I have liquid diarrhea. No new foods. Just new symptoms at almost 8 months post op. Anyone have any ideas what might be going on? I'm at the point now I can't leave the house confidently and I don't want to eat.

I can recall a friend years ago describing this very similar story after regaining their weight years after bypass. IF I recall she lost 110 pounds. Then gained back nearly 100 after having her 2 children about 7 years later. And she felt full and had chest pain and easily winded. I wish I recalled more but I do know she went on Weight watchers and lost about 70 pounds and the feeling resolved. I know this is not an answer but I share so it might give you some hope. Perhaps if you lose the regained weight the symptoms will go away. Best of luck. So sorry to hear about the regains after all that hard work.

6 months post Bypass here and I remember asking this question before surgery. I had what my surgeon calls a "short" bypass. Around 100 cm bypassed when 150 is the norm and I'm told 200 is typical on larger men. Anyway, my surgeon said "less bowel bypassed less chance of dumping and mal nutrition but also slower weight loss." I was ok with that. I didn't want to dump. Some people appreciate it because it helps them cure their sugar/carb addiction. But I wanted to be able to still have those things. Which really isn't the best frame of mind before WLS. I can have a few bites of a sugary dessert. Anything more and I feel nauseated. It's intense. But I've never thrown up. Nausea lasts about 30 miserable minutes. Then passes. Problem with this is it doesn't help you overcome your addiction. And the nausea is a reminder that you don't seem to have control over your desire for carbs even tho it makes you feel sick. Anyway... you might ask your surgeon about their thoughts on Bypass length. I think it's interesting it isn't addressed more on this site and many people have no idea now much of their bowel had been bypassed.

Peel-n-eat shrimp! They are my number one go-to. My whole foods store sells ready to eat containers of 9 "jumbo" (not that big) chilled shrimp with cocktails sauce and 3 pieces are 2 oz. 2 oz have TWELVE GRAMS OF PROTEIN in them. If I can eat all 9 that's 36 grams of pro. Now... I've not been able to but I can eat 4 and then a few hours later eat 4 more (6 months post bypass). Also... I tried unjury and didn't like it. Genpro is SO much better. Tasteless. And finally as I believe others have already mentioned when you burn fat you release estrogen trapped in the fat and many people have re-started their periods after surgery due to that. I believe it's temporary. I went thru menopause at age 43 and was kind of hoping I'd start again after surgery... Nope.

This makes sense to me. I have always wondered how we aren't killing our metabolisms with these months-years of under 1000 calories. I've been eating 1000 a day since month 4 post bypass and my weight loss has been SLOW. My surgeon's assistant suggested I go down to 800. I just thought... that goes against EVERYTHING we're told about a healthy body. I just keep eating 1000 and hoping my body will do what it's suppose to.

Hi Lily66! Good to hear from you. I suppose this makes sense. I am a little bummed by it though. I'll definitely speak to my nut and nurse practitioner about it.

I am not diabetic and did not have high blood sugar before Bypass. Oddly, my A1C has risen consistently at each post op lab visit. It's now 5.6 which I'm told is "close" to pre-diabetic. I am, without a doubt, eating less sugar and carb than I did pre Bypass and as I mentioned did not have issues (that I'm aware of) before. Anyone else note their A1C raise when studying their bloodwork?

How can your metabolism not slow to a crawl at 600-800 calories? I feel like that low number long-term is just setting yourself up for gain in the future. I think your numbers are fantastic. 130 at 5' 1" is absolutely amazing. Work on building muscle, give credit where credit is due and enjoy those 1500 calories.

Just popping in to say my A1C has been higher at every post op lab. 1 month 3 month and just now 6month at 5.6 (which my internal med doc husband says is close to pre-diabetic) I did not have issues before Bypass. I find it concerning which is why I did a search and found this post. I believe I've read this has happened to others which does seem to contradict the fact that diabetics are cured by Bypass. Hm...

Nearly 6 months post op. I've lost exactly 20% of my weight which was my goal for 6 months. My daily "goals" are 70 protein 70 (or less) carbs and under 1000 calories. I know most people eat less but I've been hungry since month 2 and these goals are manageable for me. I hit them pretty much every day. Here's my honest to goodness a typical day. Sometimes I eat healthier: Morning Smoothie: 0% Fage Greek yogurt, PB2 powder, Almond Banana Milk, fresh spinach, and chocolate stevia drops. (23 protein, 13 carbs, 180 calories. Lunch: 1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese with a teaspoon of Ranch dressing and a small chopped tomato. (12 protein, 10 carb, 100 calories) and 1/4 cup dry roasted sunflower seeds (6 protein, 5 carb, 160 calories) I used to do a meat like chicken or fish instead of the seeds but I found these help me stay regular. Struggling to poop has made me miserable since surgery so I eat these seeds every day. Afternoon Snack: IF I'VE HAD 48 oz of water then I treat myself with this every day: 1 cup fairlife chocolate milk (14 protein, 13 Carb, 140 calories) 2 shots espresso (25 calories), Squirt of whipped cream (25 calories) DInner: 2-3 oz chicken, or steak, or shrimp, or turkey. Small serving of cooked or raw veggie, 1 oz starchy carb like potato, rice, corn (it's literally 3 small bites worth but it helps me digest my protein). Dessert/Treat: Chocolate almonds, cocomel caramels, or the like. Usually about 160 calories of candy. This is the part I should not have and usually makes me nausous. On occasion I skip it but not often. Average about 56oz of water a day.

Hi Gang! Long time no check-in. I got locked out for some odd reason and had to open a new account. I'm celebrating today since I just broke thru a 5 week stall! Oh man was it frustrating. I went up and down on the same 1.5 pound. It started after indulging on Halloween. But today I woke down nearly TWO POUNDS. WIth my slow weight loss this is a BIG deal. I'm now at 176. I'm almost afraid to celebrate for fear tomorrow I'll be back up again. I have my 6 month follow up appt on Tuesday. Very excited to see what my bloodwork tells me. I admit I haven't been perfectly diligent with my vitamins. I've been taking individuals like D, C and B12 in spray form and skipping the multi and the calcium most of the time. I decided if any of my results are low I'll suck it up and get back on the regimine I was on the first couple months. I stopped taking them because they made me feel ill. I've tried several. Always the same story. So... there's that. Not a lot to share otherwise. Still losing hair but it's maybe a little slower than before. Thanksgiving was a challenge for sure. Unlike some I am very hungry and my sugar addiction rages despite feeling nauseated when I take more than one bite of a treat. Still lots of hurdles to jump. But today feeling really good about 176. Only 26 more pound to hit my goal! Oh... one thing that might be helpful to others. Not sure if I shared it last time. I've added a 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds to my daily intake and it's reallY helped me stay regular. If others are struggling like I do and like those little seeds you might try them. Hope you're all doing well. ONWARD BYPASSERS!!

Appreciate all these responses! I hope my post will be helpful to those in similar situations who are researching the surgery. And yes, for clarity, I kneW Bypass wasn't going to be the cure. But I still... hoped. Or thought it would make it easier to take control of that part of the eating issue. It really doesn't. What it haS done is shone a bright light on my addiction... because I immediately feel ill and swear it's not worth it in the throes of nausea... and then seem to lose that resolve a few hours later when I magically feel fine again. Before surgery I never had that kind of instant, black and white feedback. I've never spoken with a therapist about my food issues. But the encouragement in these responses makes that option sound promising. Thank you!

Honestly, I'd say it was a success for you. Because it sounds like you didn't get sick. I think we can all agree indulging on the holidays when you work hard the rest of the year is not something to be ashamed of. What was hard for me was I wanted to eat more than my 2-3 oz protein and small veg and one bite of cake. So I did. And then I felt sick. And then a couple hours later I felt fine again but repeated the whole thing. I did this about 5 times over the 2 days of celebrating. It was upsetting. Because I was quite literally making myself feel sick. But as soon as it passed I did it again. I don't call that a win. I call your indulging on the special day and then acknowledging it but feeling fine a win.

Oh honey. You just described anxiety. You have anxiety. It's not uncommon. And most likely exacerbated by your lack of nutrition. Do what your nutritionist says. See a therapist. Try some anti-anxiety meds. It will take some time but you're going to be ok. And when you get better you're going to be ok and TRIM! Hang in there.

MaybeMeow waves hand. I can't vomit and I'm worried about it. I'm 5.5 months post RNY and had one serious scare where I was so extremely nauseous I nearly lost consciousness on my shower floor. I was doing the full bodied dry heaving that usually results in the stomach emptying, bile and all. But nothing came. It was clear I could not vomit. It was incredibly scary. Since then I've been nauseous many times ie; after sugar intake or during a migraine but it usually passes without dry heaving or the gagging out fluid others describe. But I worry about the stomach flu. What happens then? I've only had the stomach flu maybe 3-4 times in my life. But you know what I'm talking about, right? The kind where you'd push the "death-button" if there was one? It's 24-48 hours of living on the bathroom floor and vomiting frequently. It's misery until you have the relief of spilling your guts. And then it repeats. What happens when you can't actually spill your guts? I live in GREAT fear of that. So... has anyone has the stomach flu since Bypass?