weight gain after DS

[Glamgirl 63]

Had DS urgery april 2018 .. lost a lot of weight . and well since covid hit I gained almost 20 lbs back in a year i cant believe this happened. what do i do? I am making appointment with surgeon ASAP. I have no idea on how to lose this again and fast! Im sorry I let this happen. 20 lbs is a lot!!!!!

[catwoman7 11,220]

it's a lot, but it's definitely do-able. It's way better than having to lose 50 lbs! Rein yourself in now before it gets out of control. Good for you for making an appt with the surgeon. I'm sure they'll tell you to get back on the plan and start tracking your food again. To be honest, I still have to do it every day at six years out. I went on vacation for a month last year, and although I wasn't eating like a pig, I wasn't tracking my food and I didn't have access to a scale. I came back a few lbs heavier than when I left. I now know that I have to monitor myself closely every freaking day...

[Glamgirl 63]

56 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

Thanks catwoman7! I am going to lose this and im taking control now! thanks for the words of encouragement ! I sure hope they get me back on track at the surgeons office! I just didnt think I would gain especially after these past few years ive never ever gained before since surgery. ughhhh

[Postop 411]

@Glamgirl If you're a traditional DSer, the best thing to do is eat lots of Protein, low carbs and fluids. That should get your weight going in the right direction.

Edited February 23, 2021 by Postop

[Glamgirl 63]

12 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

Thanks Postop!! yes im a DSr! and I will do that! Those points are important that you mentioned! I feel like Ive failed myself... I feel like im starting over. ughhh.. but this 20 lbs is not going to get me. Ive got to lose this!!! once this 20 is gone then I can work to lose more after that. Im just so upset about the 20 additional . Ive never gained in all this time since surgery, probably doesnt help that im starting menopause... ughhh Im wondering if I will lose this fast since im a DSr if I stick to a strict plan? what do you all think?

[Postop 411]

@GlamgirlYou haven't failed yourself. You've just had a small setback. The beauty of the DS is you can still eat and eat and lose weight. Eat steak, burgers, nuts, cold cuts, cheeses...don't deny yourself.

[Glamgirl 63]

Thanks Postop! I really appreciate your words of encouragement ! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

[_Shane_ 63]

Yep, had DS in 2018 - I think a good quality one too, and gained about the same amount over 2020-early 2021.

I know exactly why too. Too many simple carbs (breads/sugars, chocolate and candy), processed convenience junk foods, liquid calories (sugary coffees, lots). Also lack of exercise/activity due to staying home, as well as being placed on a prescription known to cause weight gain contributed to the regain.

I simply got over-confident after a few years living with the surgery.

Simple refined carbs are our surgery's achilles heel. We do not 'malabsorb' simple carbs, we absorb them 100%. Simple carbs, for me anyway, tend to be slider foods - breads, pizza, sweets/candies/donuts/pastries, and of course liquids like 800 calorie Starbucks don't spend long in the sleeve. Those two issues spell trouble for us, at least they have for me.

Good news is once I eliminated the junk foods, simple carbs - and switched to a high-protein, low - carb diet, the weight has been melting off. I was concerned that losing regain would be difficult after the initial massive weight-loss after the surgery, but that has not been the case.

I can accurately report that I've lost about 14 pounds in the last ~28 days. I have been calorie restricting in addition to the low-carb/high-protein diet, but the sleeve component of the surgery has made that rather painless, and I'm not starving at all.

Just get back to basics and I think you'll do fine.

Edited February 28, 2021 by _Shane_
grammar and in-line image attached.

[stardust82 11]

Hi, Everyone! I am a DS'er who had my surgery 8.5 years ago. I lost 50% of my excess body weight at the time but have lived in 5 different cities since (and may be moving again this summer!) and honestly was not able to really focus on my weight loss as much as I had hoped in light of all of the moves and a lot of life transitions (e.g., loss of both of my parents in my 30s, completing grad school, etc.) I have kept what I have lost off with minor regain and re-loss over the years (no more than 10 lbs) so have hovered around 215 lbs pretty consistently for 6 years.

I decided to freeze my eggs since I still have not met that special someone, am 40 years old, and have had pcos since high school. Unfortunately, I am not responding well to the highest dose of follicle stimulating hormones the doctors are giving me. and they are expecting to be able to freeze only 2 eggs at most, which is even less than what they had originally anticipated based on my follicle count. The fertility team has suggested doing a medical weight loss program (injections like Wegovy or mounjaro) to lose weight rapidly before doing another cycle as they have seen some patients respond much better to the meds after losing more weight. I'm certainly going to explore that avenue (there is one through the local hospital's bariatric surgery program) and i have also joined a bariatric surgery support group through the local hospital.

i'm wondering if anyone here has considered injections after DS or if you have some advice for me for how to restart my weight loss as i've been trying to do so with just diet and exercise for almost a month now. i'm walking 45-90 mins a day and trying to eat a lot of Protein. i've been eating minimal carbs -- just from fruits, veggies, and oatmeal but haven't been dropping weight. i assume my DS still works since i have still had foul smelling gas up until a month ago when i would eat stuff like sushi (the rice!) or a baguette at panera.

Appreciate the advice!

Highest Weight: 328

Weight at Surgery: 290

Current Weight: 215

Goal Weight: 140 (bmi of 25) but I would be thrilled to get to 165 (a bmi < 30)

[KyahRose 2]

Don't feel bad about 10-20 lb regain. I'm about 11-12 years out from Gastric sleeve surgery. I had it back in 2012, starting at 183 lbs, got down to my lowest of 185 lbs, then from 2016 through 2023 regained back up to 283 lbs. Earlier this year (around march / april of 2023), I was up to 297 lbs. I'm currently hovering around 280-285 lbs pretty consistently, and I'm starting the process to hopefully get the DS surgery. So, take it from me, don't feel bad about the small setback, recognize it and tackle it as soon as possible, because I didn't do that for myself, and I am kicking myself every day.

I'm excited, reading these posts, that there are people with DS who eat things like steak and sushi....I love steak; and I love Japanese cuisine (sushi, ramen, hibachi, etc.). Secretly, I've been scared/nervous that I wouldn't be able to eat some of the things I really enjoy ever again after DS. I understand, though, that I'll have to limit my rice intake, and that seems fair enough for weight loss. Lately, I've been enjoying eggs; and I'll take a ribeye anytime and any day I can get my hands on it!