Question for those who are 18 months post op

[wishinghoping 0]

I've watched a couple of YouTube's showing this surgery. (Some parts with my eyes closed. I'm squeemish. ) As I've read here I've seen some posts where folks who are long past the initial surgery say to the newbies "it won't always be that way." So that's my question. What is it like for those of you who are 18 months or further away from your surgery. One of the YouTube's stated that there is a loss of appetite and cravings for the first 12 months. Does that mean they come back after that first 12 months? And what is your approximately daily intake of food now? And do you still have issues with food causing you significant problems if you'd accidently not chew a bite very, very well.

I have a friend who had gastric bypass about 6 years ago. She is considered a big success because she lost 150 pounds. But they stopped the follow up at 4 years. And in the past 18 months she has really started gaining weight back....I'd guess as much as 50 pounds. She said it's a combo problem. She still cannot eat but about 1/2 of what I can but believes that after years of eating only about 1000 calories a day if you averaged the years, her metabolism is shot. So now, with 1400-1500, she's gaining. That concerns me because each of the YouTube's I watched pointed out that since this proceedure hasn't been done commonly that long, they can't say what the longer term success level will be.

So for those who have had this for a while, give me an idea of what it's like. Do you even think about it on a daily basis anymore? Thanks.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I've watched a couple of YouTube's showing this surgery. (Some parts with my eyes closed. I'm squeemish. ) As I've read here I've seen some posts where folks who are long past the initial surgery say to the newbies "it won't always be that way." So that's my question. What is it like for those of you who are 18 months or further away from your surgery. One of the YouTube's stated that there is a loss of appetite and cravings for the first 12 months. Does that mean they come back after that first 12 months? And what is your approximately daily intake of food now? And do you still have issues with food causing you significant problems if you'd accidently not chew a bite very, very well.

I have a friend who had gastric bypass about 6 years ago. She is considered a big success because she lost 150 pounds. But they stopped the follow up at 4 years. And in the past 18 months she has really started gaining weight back....I'd guess as much as 50 pounds. She said it's a combo problem. She still cannot eat but about 1/2 of what I can but believes that after years of eating only about 1000 calories a day if you averaged the years, her metabolism is shot. So now, with 1400-1500, she's gaining. That concerns me because each of the YouTube's I watched pointed out that since this proceedure hasn't been done commonly that long, they can't say what the longer term success level will be.

So for those who have had this for a while, give me an idea of what it's like. Do you even think about it on a daily basis anymore? Thanks.

I'm not at 18 months but I just passed my 1 year mark.

Hunger does come back but not in the same way as pre op. I don't experience it much but I do experience it.

This procedure has been done for a very long time it just wasn't studied as a primary surgery type for a long time.

I don't think about it on a daily basis... well, maybe I kinda do. I think about it when I am preparing food. If I make any type of solid Protein I have to be realistic of what I can eat. Two ounces, 2.5 tops and I can't stuff another bite in.

The regain is from falling back into old ways of doing things. If you eat chocolate instead of a vegetable you are probably going to regain. There is no surgery type that fixes white carbs. You absorb them, period. You really do have to do your part and change your food habits. All this surgery does is limit what you eat, you decide what you eat.

It's a great procedure IF you can do it with restriction alone. Bypass... I don't like it and would NEVER get it. If I did was a malabsorptive procedure it would be anything but bypass, too many fail. I would get DS.

[wishinghoping 0]

I'm not at 18 months but I just passed my 1 year mark.

Hunger does come back but not in the same way as pre op. I don't experience it much but I do experience it.

This procedure has been done for a very long time it just wasn't studied as a primary surgery type for a long time.

I don't think about it on a daily basis... well, maybe I kinda do. I think about it when I am preparing food. If I make any type of solid Protein I have to be realistic of what I can eat. Two ounces, 2.5 tops and I can't stuff another bite in.

The regain is from falling back into old ways of doing things. If you eat chocolate instead of a vegetable you are probably going to regain. There is no surgery type that fixes white carbs. You absorb them, period. You really do have to do your part and change your food habits. All this surgery does is limit what you eat, you decide what you eat.

It's a great procedure IF you can do it with restriction alone. Bypass... I don't like it and would NEVER get it. If I did was a malabsorptive procedure it would be anything but bypass, too many fail. I would get DS.

What are white carbs? I know she cannot eat white sugar in any form so I don't think that's caused her gain. She gets horrible "lower gastric response" very quickly. We were in a coffee shop one day and they put sugar in her coffee instead of sweetner. She knew within about 5 minutes. It's actually the type of thing that's making me really think this whole process through. All the talk about foaming and sliming with the band pretty much ended that consideration.

It sounds like the way you experience hunger now is a healthy way. Enough to trigger the desire to eat, but not enough to be driven by it.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

What are white carbs? I know she cannot eat white sugar in any form so I don't think that's caused her gain. She gets horrible "lower gastric response" very quickly. We were in a coffee shop one day and they put sugar in her coffee instead of sweetner. She knew within about 5 minutes. It's actually the type of thing that's making me really think this whole process through. All the talk about foaming and sliming with the band pretty much ended that consideration.

It sounds like the way you experience hunger now is a healthy way. Enough to trigger the desire to eat, but not enough to be driven by it.

White carbs... flour, sugar, Pasta, potatoes, rice. EVIL! ;o)

She is dumping when she eats sugar, happens to about half of bypassed people.

[Jaffa 5]

Metabolism rates do decline as you age. Also, if your not getting some form of excercise your metabolism will slow down. But, probably not quite as much as they may want you to believe.

They quit watching gastric bypass people at 4 years, because they know they are most likely going to start regaining and not be happy.

My guess, is most bypass patients regain, because they slowly stretch out the pouch. Why? Because too much ghrelin is driving them to overeat, and they are left with too much stretchy part of the stomach that is then stretched back out. Also, poor food habits or choices do creep back in.

[Jaffa 5]

Go here and plug in the same information with different ages....you will see how age does affect things.

BMR Calculator

[Jaffa 5]

On a related note, I have figured out, that I lose the most amount of weight by staying at just above 60% of my BMR. Anything more, and I slow down, and anything less I slow down.

I'm sure it is different for different people.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Metabolism rates do decline as you age. Also, if your not getting some form of excercise your metabolism will slow down. But, probably not quite as much as they may want you to believe.

I completely agree!

People claim (and believe) their metabolism is dead. The only people with a dead metabolism are dead people. You can increase your metabolism with exercise, very true.

They quit watching gastric bypass people at 4 years, because they know they are most likely going to start regaining and not be happy.

Totally agree. Regain usually starts at about 3-5 years.

My guess, is most bypass patients regain, because they slowly stretch out the pouch. Why? Because too much ghrelin is driving them to overeat, and they are left with too much stretchy part of the stomach that is then stretched back out. Also, poor food habits or choices do creep back in.

They also do not malabsorb to the same degree as immediately post op.

[Malaika 50]

I completely agree!

People claim (and believe) their metabolism is dead. The only people with a dead metabolism are dead people. You can increase your metabolism with exercise, very true.

I've never said mine was dead just way f**ked up from all the yo-yo dieting and I also know that the only way I could lose weight before WLS was to exercise at least 6 days a week .. which right after my divorce I did and it definitely made a difference, then over time and getting involved in another relationship, work, etc., I got away from the exercising and the weight slipped back on and the fat took up permanent residence again.

I'm down 13.6 one week out and have already set up with a trainer to start working out 4 weeks from now - until then, am starting a walking routine.

I am going to take full advantage of this WLS and the initial weight loss and keep the ball rolling in a forward motion.

[MacMadame 81]

It sounds like the way you experience hunger now is a healthy way. Enough to trigger the desire to eat, but not enough to be driven by it.

Yes!

I have some links here to threads on another board from people one, two and three years out.

People claim (and believe) their metabolism is dead.

People talk about their metabolism like it's a thing, another organ. That makes my anal, engineering-oriented head hurt. :001_tongue: Your metabolism is a measure of how many calories you burn over a period of time; it's just a rate. Your rate can be average, below average, above average, excellent, poor, etc. But it can't be broken, messed up or dead.

Yeah, I know... no one cares. :lol0:

I do think that a lifetime of yo-yo dieting can slow down your metabolism. But it's not fixed in stone. We can influence our metabolisms for the better or the worse. I have definitely seen that I can't eat as many calories as the formulas say I can. But that's always been true. It just seems more true now that I'm older.

Is my metabolism that much worse? Well, in my 30s, I lost weight eating 1200 calories a day and doing aerobics 2x a week. I lost about a pound a week until the last 10-20 lb. Now, in my 50s, I was eating 800 calories a day and training for a triathlon. And losing 2-3 lb. a week until my calories went up.

I'd have to do math to figure out if I'm losing slower or faster or the same as when I was in my 30s. It feels slower, but I suspect it's about the same.

Edited June 21, 2009 by MacMadame

[Elisabethsew 50]

Yes!

I have some links here to threads on another board from people one, two and three years out.

People talk about their metabolism like it's a thing, another organ. That makes my anal, engineering-oriented head hurt. :001_tongue: Your metabolism is a measure of how many calories you burn over a period of time; it's just a rate. Your rate can be average, below average, above average, excellent, poor, etc. But it can't be broken, messed up or dead.

Yeah, I know... no one cares. :lol0:

I do think that a lifetime of yo-yo dieting can slow down your metabolism. But it's not fixed in stone. We can influence our metabolisms for the better or the worse. I have definitely seen that I can't eat as many calories as the formulas say I can. But that's always been true. It just seems more true now that I'm older.

Is my metabolism that much worse? Well, in my 30s, I lost weight eating 1200 calories a day and doing aerobics 2x a week. I lost about a pound a week until the last 10-20 lb. Now, in my 50s, I was eating 800 calories a day and training for a triathlon. And losing 2-3 lb. a week until my calories went up.

I'd have to do math to figure out if I'm losing slower or faster or the same as when I was in my 30s. It feels slower, but I suspect it's about the same.

Thank you for posting the link to the VSG successful veterans. I love to see that people with large amounts of weight to lose (like me) HAVE reached goal and stayed there.

[Malaika 50]

Thank you for posting the link to the VSG successful veterans. I love to see that people with large amounts of weight to lose (like me) HAVE reached goal and stayed there.

You will do it Elisabeth - I have no doubt - you've already done GREAT and you're in the right frame-of-mind with a fantastic goal to shoot for.

[Elisabethsew 50]

You will do it Elisabeth - I have no doubt - you've already done GREAT and you're in the right frame-of-mind with a fantastic goal to shoot for.

Thank you! I am determined to get to goal and am enjoying having the band gone and enjoying healthy eating. We'll ALL make it!