I am 6 years post op and life is very good.

[tbott 15]

Hi everyone. New to the forum. I had gastric bypass in 2010. It has been six and half years. I weighed 232 pounds prior to sx. Within 9 months I weighed 145 pounds and that is pretty much where I have stayed for the past six years. I wear a size 8. I weigh every day and when I hit 150 I cut back until I am at 145 again. I still "dump" almost weekly but not as severely or as easily as in the beginning. By "dump" I mean if I eat too much sugar I feel nauseous and need to lie down for awhile. No sweating, no beating heart, just want to throw up but can't. miserable. One year after sx at my check up my labs were normal except for K was low. I did not do any more follow ups until this summer. I called my bariatric surgeons office and explained I wanted to touch base. I just left my appointment. Oh...I have a confession. Four years ago I quit taking my mult-Vitamin and Calcium. I have been religious with my B12 and VitD however. My labs were all completely normal. I did confess my lapse of the multi and calcium to the doc; to my relief he told me since my labs were normal that essentially I am absorbing what I need from my food. He told me to keep doing what I am doing and I told him he probably would not see me again unless I encountered a problem. In addition to still dumping (which I am glad I do; but he said is patients usually do not dump so far out) I have an occasional episode of reactive hypo-glycemia. If I eat clean I can avoid both situations but I still have the head that got me fat in the first place, so there you have it. Just thought some might be interested in this info from someone a ways out from sx.

[James Marusek 5,244]

Congratulations on being successful in the Maintenance phase.

I am 3 years post-op. I started to cut back on my calciums. But my blood work detected that my Calcium was low. So I went back on the full regime.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@tbott

Welcome and congratulations on such a job well done! It is always nice to hear from folks like you that are so far out and doing fantastic.

I too had RNY nearly two years ago. I started out at 310 and am currently maintaining between 158 and 162. I have been at goal for about 5 months and of course finding it is much harder than the lose phase.

There are many veterans on this site that have been out for many years and they mention that after 2 or 3 years maintenance gets harder.

What are your thoughts about that. What does your diet and exercise look like if you don't mind my asking.

I am glad to hear that you are still taking B12. That is supposedly the one we must take for life. So far I have only had a small bit of trouble with B1 so I take 100mg a day for the last year and now that is in great shape.

I still take calcium citrate chews 1500 total (3 in all) daily. My labs look good but I wonder if some day I will be able to back down on these a bit. They are my most expensive supplement. I only like the chews through Bariatric Advantage and I buy them on Amazon only because they are the cheapest I have found and they are over 30.00 for a bag of 90 which for me is a 1 month supply.

Anyway, just wanted to say welcome and congratulations!

[kellilynn1107 42]

Hi everyone! I'll be 5 years out in November. The day of surgery I weighed 351 and I am maintaining at 141. I'm 5'8. I also stopped taking my Vitamins about a year ago but my lab works comes back perfect. I was giving myself B-12 injections but had to stop because my Vitamin B was too high. I do take Calcium once in a while. I'm a vegetarian so getting my Protein in is a struggle. I'm a super picky vegetarian

About a year ago I was diagnosed with Graves' disease but I don't think it has anything to do with the surgery. Other than that, this surgery was the best thing I ever did.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[tbott 15]

@@tbott

Welcome and congratulations on such a job well done! It is always nice to hear from folks like you that are so far out and doing fantastic.

I too had RNY nearly two years ago. I started out at 310 and am currently maintaining between 158 and 162. I have been at goal for about 5 months and of course finding it is much harder than the lose phase.

There are many veterans on this site that have been out for many years and they mention that after 2 or 3 years maintenance gets harder.

What are your thoughts about that. What does your diet and exercise look like if you don't mind my asking.

I am glad to hear that you are still taking B12. That is supposedly the one we must take for life. So far I have only had a small bit of trouble with B1 so I take 100mg a day for the last year and now that is in great shape.

I still take calcium citrate chews 1500 total (3 in all) daily. My labs look good but I wonder if some day I will be able to back down on these a bit. They are my most expensive supplement. I only like the chews through Bariatric Advantage and I buy them on Amazon only because they are the cheapest I have found and they are over 30.00 for a bag of 90 which for me is a 1 month supply.

Anyway, just wanted to say welcome and congratulations!

Thank You! I exercise; hit and miss but never get completely away from it. Currently I go to Planet Fitness a few days a week right after wwork. Eliptical for 20 min and a bit of strength training. I haven't found maintenance too difficult. I still have the tools in place. I do not feel like my pouch has stretched. And the dumping keeps me in line. For example: I made a cake last weekend and cut myself a moderate slice when we had company over to play cards. I ate approximately two or three bites and started to feel sick so pushed it away. The old me would have gobbled it down and wanted more. I feel fortunate that I still have this tool in place. I eat anything that I desire; it is the quantity that makes the difference. The old me loved cold cereal; multiple bowls. The me today can only eat a very small quantity and sometimes I don't even get away with that! At the end of the day I would do it all over again. It has been a miracle for me. I recently was looking at old pictures of myself and I was just sad for her that was me! My doctor told me that really it IS the b12 and VitD that we have the most trouble absorbing from food. My b12 has always been a bit high because I like those cherry under the tongue discs from costco and take them more frequently than I should. My oncologist discovered my VitD was low in 2013 and now I take 5000 IU's a day and am in the normal range. I think the key to maintenance for me is a daily weigh in. The old me would go months without weight because I was scared.

[tbott 15]

I forgot to mention one other sort of major side affect that I suffer from. Kidney stones! The gastric bypass has turned me into a stone maker. About every 18 months I have to have one surgically removed because I have narrow ureters and can't pass even small ones. Something about the PH of the urine.

[araywill 20]

Wow reading these posts is super encouraging. I'm 6months out and i am finally able to eat most things which has me a little scared. I too still have the brain that made me fat in the first place . I have a Fitbit which keeps me in line but I do get a little worried about maintenance . I'm almost ready to throw away my big girl clothes. However this little voice keeps telling me to keep them. I think I'm afraid I'll go back like all the other times . After reading these posts, I'm encouraged that maintenance is possible

Edited July 29, 2016 by araywill

[tbott 15]

Wow reading these posts is super encouraging. I'm 6months out and i am finally able to eat most things which has me a little scared. I too still have the brain that made me fat in the first place . I have a Fitbit which keeps me in line but I do get a little worried about maintenance . I'm almost ready to throw away my big girl clothes. However this little voice keeps telling me to keep them. I think I'm afraid I'll go back like all the other times . After reading these posts, I'm encouraged that maintenance is possible

Throw those big girl duds out!! My Mom had gastric bypass one and a half years before me. She was 65 years old. Today at 73 she has maintained her weight loss. A co-worker is two years out and she looks soooo good and no signs of re-gaining. A friend of a friend is 3-4 years out and I think is a bit too thin..no regain. You will do great! I think we will always have the Fat Head. I am like a fat girl on the inside crying to get out. My eyes are always bigger than my tummy. My husband thinks it is hilarious that while in France I had my nose plastered to every pastry store front we passed. I just want to look!!! He has always been thin and does not understand this.