Gained most of my weight back

[woo woo 872]

@@FloraBama Girl congrats on going back to work soon!

I bet when you get back in the groove you will be able to get the weight back off.

[Strangefruit 179]

I'm 3 years out, I've gained about 35lbs back from my lowest of 172, and really wish I did have. supportive surgeon... My guy is so much if a dick, I actually call him Dr. House (from the Hugh Laurie character)... He's rude and abrasive - I would never have selected him, but with Kaiser Permanente, I didn't have a choice of surgeon ... He's thin as a reed, which really makes my wonder why he went into Bariatric surgery, but he's such a dick, he made me cry in the hospital when I was dehydrated and couldn't even eat ice chips.

I bought a Bowflex Treadclimber hoping to help with my exercise - I absolutely hate it, but continue to use it because I don't want my family to say, "I told you so"... I've stopped using the elevator at work, I walk around the building at lunch time, I log everything I eat in My Fitness Pal and still cannot get the scale to move. Reading about others opinion that this surgery messes up our metabolism is comforting while at the same time depressing. *sigh*

[WL WARRIOR 692]

I never had a chance to speak to my surgeon, but that doesn't mean you can't seek out other medical professionals to help you. Even though I thought I was quite informed with the ins and outs of bariatric surgery, I was Enlightened by watching Dr. Weiner's videos on YouTube this weekend. There are two videos about how to be successful with weight loss many years after surgery and I suggest you check them out. I posted a question to Dr. Weiner as a comment on one of his video YouTube pages. He responded in 10 hours. This surprised me because I wasn't even counting on getting a response. My own surgeon has a page at my bariatric clinics website, but it does not list contact information. My clinic said that you don't need to ever contact your surgeon after surgery because that is what your bariatrician is for.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I hate reading how badly served some of you guys are. If you're not getting good service from your old surgeons, please find other healthcare providers who will meet your needs. Don't nurse your hurts -- find new help!

My surgeon says that our relationship will last for as long as he's practicing and I'm alive. He expects to see me annually at the very least. That works for me, since I figure this weight loss journey will never end for me until I'm dead.

He's also got a SUPER bariatric PA whom I adore and who's very knowledgeable and helpful. He's allied with a hospital that has nutritionists, exercise consultants, counselors, research librarians, a WLS support group, and more.

My WLS surgeon is also a general surgeon and performed my husband's cancer biopsy surgery last fall (hubby is now in remission, thank you!). He also performed my gall bladder surgery a month after my WLS. So he's now our "family surgeon."

I was recently invited to become a "patient lecturer" at my surgeon's / hospital's day-long educational program to describe my own personal experience with WLS. I'm thrilled to be able to give back in this way. I declined to provide a Web site video testimonial (I don't want to be THAT public about my own WLS), but I feel great about encouraging my tribe of people who are obese and want to kick obesity's butt.

[WL WARRIOR 692]

VSGAnn2014,

You would be an awesome patient lecturer. In fact, why don't you go on tour and come to my area? Our bariatric support group meetings are led by a nurse that doesn't believe in stalls. Actually, the bariatric team (nutritionist, nurses, bariatrician) at my clinic are made up of people that have not had surgery and are naturally thin. It's hard for them to be empathetic when they never experienced the struggle themselves.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Yeah, @@WL WARRIOR ... it must be hard for those people in your program to grok the challenges of obesity.

I'm not one of those who thinks you have to have been fat in order to counsel the obese and formerly obese. However, every once in a while I run into folks like the people you're describing. One of the NUTs in my hospital's bariatric program is naturally slim. And I'm pretty sure I can see her regarding her bariatric patients as "not like me." I don't get that vibe from anyone else I have met with or worked with. But her ... she's just not that into us.

Frankly, I think she'd be happier selling cosmetics.

[AR40 88]

Can you give us some names of good surgeons that have been helpful after WLS? I would appreciate any help. I'm in California and would luv to find a more supportive surgeon who is helpful and not just in it for the money...

[jess9395 5,449]

Can you give us some names of good surgeons that have been helpful after WLS? I would appreciate any help. I'm in California and would luv to find a more supportive surgeon who is helpful and not just in it for the money...

What part if CA?

[AR40 88]

I'm in the San Fernando Valley

[tomi71 581]

I gained most of my weight back ! I am starting the 5 day pouch test and trying to get back to losing and getting to where I wanted to be 3 years ago! Anyone else have a similar case ??? I'd like to know if you have ever recovered from the feeling like a failure and if you have ever made goal?

It's ok. You are human. Look at it this way---you've lost the weight before so you know you can do it. Don't spend time beating yourself up. Instead, spend that time evaluating whats caused you to go back down that road, then begin on a new road by building yourself up and taking time to get healthy again. Maybe talking to someone who is neutral can help. It definitely helps me.

Also you should be proud that you are putting your health and well-being first. It took me a long time to see that taking care of oneself is priority #1 if you want to be happy and healthy. I've felt like a failure most of my life but that's because I was too busy trying to live up to the expectations of some very toxic folk. As a result I became toxic. I had the sleeve and doing so has helped further my process of "detoxing", lol. You are not a failure. Failure occurs when you simply give up. It doesn't sound like you're waving a white flag.

Edited July 21, 2015 by tomi71

[Globetrotter 1,340]

I'm sorry but that kind of post is part of the frustration for me.

"you've lost the weight before so you know you can do it. Don't spend time beating yourself up. Instead, spend that time evaluating whats caused you to go back down that road, then begin on a new road by building yourself up and taking time to get healthy again."

It's like people don't want to know, don't want to hear, don't want to understand. Even though it says don't beat yourself up, that's just what the next portion of the sentence does - it shames the individual. "spend that time evaluating whats caused you TO GO BACK DOWN THAT ROAD" Because, obviously, it must be "something they did" that made them gain lots of weight back or be at a never ending stall.

That is classic blaming and shaming.

Only few of us are being vocal about it, but the numbers are far larger. We did everything we were supposed to do, and never achieved goal. We had stalls and regain and addressed them in the way we were told to, and nothing happened. I have eaten and exercised like a post op, flawlessly, for the past 53 days and I have lost only 9 pounds. When one is severely overweight (do not pay attention to my numbers in my profile, they are sadly incorrect) 650 calories a day and less than 30g carbs should not result in barely 9 pounds in almost 3 months. Not when the person is 5'3" and 65 lbs over goal.

[Babbs 14,681]

@@globetrotter

So what gives? Is there something physically wrong with you causing you to not be able to lose weight or lose it so slowly? Has it been addressed with your doctor?

[Bndtoslv 292]

Babbs, you are the first person to be willing to call out these truths with me, thank you. For the past 21 days I have logged every single morsel of food, every single liquid. I average 700 cals a day, less than 45g carbs, more than 60g Protein. I have lost only 6 pounds and of those 6, 3 have come back; just this morning I got on the scale and it said a pound heavier than two days ago and yesterday I ate only 500 cals.

Having lost 100% of my weight with the lap band and then gaining it ALL back very quickly with my pregnancies and lap band failure I know that it is true that we will be on a diet and battling obesity forever. We just cannot relate to food like other people. It is a huge bummer but everyone has something that they have to battle in life and this is it for us. good luck.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I'm sorry but that kind of post is part of the frustration for me.

"you've lost the weight before so you know you can do it. Don't spend time beating yourself up. Instead, spend that time evaluating whats caused you to go back down that road, then begin on a new road by building yourself up and taking time to get healthy again."

It's like people don't want to know, don't want to hear, don't want to understand. Even though it says don't beat yourself up, that's just what the next portion of the sentence does - it shames the individual. "spend that time evaluating whats caused you TO GO BACK DOWN THAT ROAD" Because, obviously, it must be "something they did" that made them gain lots of weight back or be at a never ending stall.

That is classic blaming and shaming.

Only few of us are being vocal about it, but the numbers are far larger. We did everything we were supposed to do, and never achieved goal. We had stalls and regain and addressed them in the way we were told to, and nothing happened. I have eaten and exercised like a post op, flawlessly, for the past 53 days and I have lost only 9 pounds. When one is severely overweight (do not pay attention to my numbers in my profile, they are sadly incorrect) 650 calories a day and less than 30g carbs should not result in barely 9 pounds in almost 3 months. Not when the person is 5'3" and 65 lbs over goal.

As I understand from your post above, you've lost 9 pounds in 53 days. (That's not 3 months, by the way -- it's 7.5 weeks or less than 2 months ... just sayin'.)

Anyway, if we assume that each pound you lost equates to a 3,500 calorie deficit (that you didn't eat), that means those 9 pounds equate to 31,500 calories you didn't eat. Further, that means you had a daily calorie deficit over those 53 days of nearly 600 calories.

So given that you averaged 700 calories/day during those 53 days, that means your current metabolic rate is around 1,300 calories.

And yes, I agree. Your metabolism is running VERY slow / low. And that sucks.

But at least you lost the 9 pounds in less than 2 months, not 3 months.

[Babbs 14,681]

I'm sorry but that kind of post is part of the frustration for me.

"you've lost the weight before so you know you can do it. Don't spend time beating yourself up. Instead, spend that time evaluating whats caused you to go back down that road, then begin on a new road by building yourself up and taking time to get healthy again."

It's like people don't want to know, don't want to hear, don't want to understand. Even though it says don't beat yourself up, that's just what the next portion of the sentence does - it shames the individual. "spend that time evaluating whats caused you TO GO BACK DOWN THAT ROAD" Because, obviously, it must be "something they did" that made them gain lots of weight back or be at a never ending stall.

That is classic blaming and shaming.

Only few of us are being vocal about it, but the numbers are far larger. We did everything we were supposed to do, and never achieved goal. We had stalls and regain and addressed them in the way we were told to, and nothing happened. I have eaten and exercised like a post op, flawlessly, for the past 53 days and I have lost only 9 pounds. When one is severely overweight (do not pay attention to my numbers in my profile, they are sadly incorrect) 650 calories a day and less than 30g carbs should not result in barely 9 pounds in almost 3 months. Not when the person is 5'3" and 65 lbs over goal.

As I understand from your post above, you've lost 9 pounds in 53 days. (That's not 3 months, by the way -- it's 7.5 weeks or less than 2 months ... just sayin'.)

Anyway, if we assume that each pound you lost equates to a 3,500 calorie deficit (that you didn't eat), that means those 9 pounds equate to 31,500 calories you didn't eat. Further, that means you had a daily calorie deficit over those 53 days of nearly 600 calories.

So given that you averaged 700 calories/day during those 53 days, that means your current metabolic rate is around 1,300 calories.

And yes, I agree. Your metabolism is running VERY slow / low. And that sucks.

But at least you lost the 9 pounds in less than 2 months, not 3 months.

Oh well shoot. I've lost less than that in 2 months! I've got the metabolism of a koala.