What if it doesn't work?

[am3rs 4]

My rny is scheduled for Jan. 6. I'm as ready as I can be, but I have this gnawing fear that I will go through all of this and it just won't work. I've been a yo-yo dieter for so long that my last couple of attempts had zero weight loss - my body was so used to me trying to restrict that it just held onto the weight. Is this an irrational fear?

[Fatboyslim1 204]

Yes

[cpgirl 20]

Girl you will do well. I felt the same way...I'm down 60lbs in 4 months.....you will do fine. Good luck and look forward to seeing pics!!!

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[FluffyChix 17,415]

It is a legitimate fear. And it's very very common. And understandable.

I too had this fear. I know of SOOOOOOO many people who came into this journey after years and years of unsuccessful, yo-yo dieting who were and (some still are) terrified of failing weight loss surgery! Imagine! We go to the lengths of cutting out 80% of our tummy, re-routing feet of small intestines, and go through months of deprivation only to hit the skids somewhere between 6-9 months when the weight loss gets REALLY hard. And life becomes interesting again. And we start living life...and suddenly we have to figure out if our first goal is really a burning desire or if we want to rationalize to ourselves in favor of living a life that got us all the way to the Obesity Ball in the first place!

Gosh! Talk about scary larry! It is! It's enough to scare you straight.

Use this time wisely. Don't squander your honeymoon period. Use this time when you will have as little interest in food as you will ever have to develop and nurture new healthy habits for life after surgery! If you do that and follow the plan your doctor and RD have set for you, you will be fine and you will be victorious.

There is freedom from food addictions and the behaviors of the past! Swearsies!

I went from 325 at my highest to 287 at my most recent high and this morning at less than 22months, I'm 129lbs. I'm walking proof and I'm no one exceptional, just average.

[JRT Mom 919]

I have yo-yoed my whole life since my mother put me on amphetamines when I was 12. I even got a lap band over 10 years ago and it was great--until it wasn't (slippage, hiatal hernia development). Then I got an RNY a bit over a month ago and lost 20 pounds in the first three weeks!

It's not a magic bullet, and you will not get to your goal without some work, but you WILL lose weight. And you have lots of good resources here to help you with your journey. Like the little sidebar says, people on this forum have collectively lost over 5 million pounds!

[New&Improved 1,780]

The rny bypass changes your metabolism with the internal changes that happen

[Fatboyslim1 204]

I'm 24 days out and my PCP has already cut my blood pressure Meds in half. This whole process is different than just a "diet". Used correctly it will completely reset your metabolic and homeostasis clock.

[cathybahai@yahoo.com 1]

it has to work, your new stomach is the size of an egg!

[loridee11 519]

My surgery is Dec 31st (2 days - yikes!) and I keep having the same thoughts and fears. What if... what if I am the weird exception that doesn't lose weight? Or, what if I lose it, but gain it all back.

I'm grateful to all of the veterans here for sharing their stories. I've done a ton of research and have to trust that the metabolic aspects of the surgery will work. And, as everyone says, if I do my part to rewrite my habits and patterns it will work long term. I've started looking for a local therapist with food addiction experience and hopefully that with the surgery will help me get where I need to be.

Lori

[PEGGO 107]

14 hours ago, am3rs said:

My rny is scheduled for Jan. 6. I'm as ready as I can be, but I have this gnawing fear that I will go through all of this and it just won't work. I've been a yo-yo dieter for so long that my last couple of attempts had zero weight loss - my body was so used to me trying to restrict that it just held onto the weight. Is this an irrational fear?

It will definitely work! You won’t have any appetite at first , and a very small one after that. You won’t physically be ABLE to eat anything other than tiny portions, and if you forced yourself , you’d have very unpleasant results ! I know people can mess it up and start eating badly again further down the road, thus stretching their new stomach , and putting on weight , but this is a tool to help us, and it does ! I was the worlds worst eater, but I have no desire to eat like that anymore , and there are alternatives that we can have out there. I find I may want something momentarily when I see it , but it’s short lived .Hope this helps . I wish you well with your journey 😊

[lvidacovich 372]

Will it work? Maybe. But the good news is that the answer to that question depends mostly on you! I have a strong suspicion that most people who say WLS didn't work for them didn't follow the process or weren't ready mentally.

Also, I want to give a dissenting opinion. The honeymoon period is not always easy. My hunger drive has not left me. I still have my appetite. Yes, it's easier to eat much less than I used to but I didn't have the same experience as some posters here and I think there are lots more like me.

[summerset 5,265]

On 12/28/2019 at 2:59 PM, am3rs said:

I'm as ready as I can be, but I have this gnawing fear that I will go through all of this and it just won't work.

Given regain rate etc. it's not an irrational fear. There is never a guarantee. You get surgery and hope it will work. You'll do your best and hope it's going to be enough.

[summerset 5,265]

On 12/30/2019 at 6:05 PM, lvidacovich said:

I have a strong suspicion that most people who say WLS didn't work for them didn't follow the process or weren't ready mentally.

Yes, if the therapy doesn't work, simply blame the patient.

[PEGGO 107]

5 hours ago, summerset said:

Given regain rate etc. it's not an irrational fear. There is never a guarantee. You get surgery and hope it will work. You'll do your best and hope it's going to be enough.

I tend to think that if it doesn’t work , the patient hasn’t followed the plan iproperly. I can’t see how it can’t , when you’ve got such a small stomach. I can see that further down the road, we can gradually start to be able to eat more , and could mess it up by eating too much stretching the stomach , I know someone who did just that , but it’s a tool to help us , not a magic cure to allow us to eat what and how much we want ,and not put on weight . We have to do some of the work ourselves too! As long as you’re careful and do

as they say , you should be fine It’s not always a walk in the park ,but the results are well worth it . I wish you well .

5 hours ago, summerset said:

Yes, if the therapy doesn't work, simply blame the patient.

[summerset 5,265]

14 hours ago, PEGGO said:

I tend to think that if it doesn’t work , the patient hasn’t followed the plan iproperly.

I don't know. I'm on the fence with quite a few things regarding WLS, "compliance" and "how many calories to eat and reach a normal weight" being two of them.

On the one hand I think "It simply HAS to work when one does everything one is supposed to do!", but on the other hand I don't want to label people who complain about a lack of success as "liars" when they tell me they only eat so und so much calories a day.

I also look at myself and think... "Well, seems to work even if your diet is kind of shitty and not going to the gym six times a week two times a day." So regarding compliance? Are really all long term normal weight maintainers super-compliant? I doubt it. But what exactly is the reason they maintain the weight if not being 110% complaint?

Quote

I can’t see how it can’t , when you’ve got such a small stomach.

How can e. g. an antihypertensive drug work better in one patient than in another even though both take their pill regularly? I personally can't see why that should be but that's the way it is.

There are so many factors involved - how many of them does science really know about? Same with WLS success.

Edited January 1, 2020 by summerset