I know someone who regained all the weight after gastric bypass and worried that I will be the same

My coworker's wife had gastric bypass 15 years ago. She lost about 200 pounds in the first two years. She lost weight even though she didn't change her eating habits, she just ate less. My coworker told me that she would eat chocolate and though it made her sick at first, the more she ate it, the less sick it made her. Within 5 years of surgery, she had regained all the weight plus some. I would estimate that she weighs about 400 pounds.

I am so worried that this is gonna happen to me. I have lost 95lbs twice before in my life and I gained it back both times. I had this surgery because I couldn't keep losing and gaining the same weight over and over again. I wanted a permanent solution.

I am 2 months post op and am very happy with the weight I have lost already. I have had some foods that I know I shouldn't. I just don't want to go through all this to "finally" lose the weight and then gain it back.

How many people really lose the weight forever and how many gain it all back?

Hi

I have lost 100 pounds at least 4 times in my life but I had never changed my habits.I was never willing to learn what it is that thin people do differently.To get that balance of some days a bit more,some days a bit less,80 healthy,small treats.Being satisfied with less.not dieting and fallng off the wagon all the time but just carrying on normally when I slipped.Not fasting and feasting and above all not feeling with food.

I use to eat for fun as well until my ten year old told me that food wasnt for fun,yes mom I enjoy food it taste so nice but for fun I have a swim,go cycle,jump on the trampoline or watch a movie.

I now believe that we have to be willing to make a permanent change,be willing to accept the emotions that goes with all this and to develop a permanent positive relationship with ourselves..positive self talk and no self condemnation,cut ourself some slack while getting back to normal after a treat,no matter how "wrong" we feel it was.

You can do this too...even the woman that regained can do this again as she still have the bypass...to get back to the bypass way of eating.Protein first,then veg,then carbs...20 minutes per meal then stop.Snacking on healthy stuff if you have to snack.

Now I am all this to you but even more for my own benefit.I can and will make this change for life...day by day!

I think we all know we can regain with any bariatric surgery. One of the reasons we have a psych component to the pre-surgery requirement is that there are changes that have to be made. For some of us, it's like anyone with an addiction and there are some things we simply need to avoid.
It's commonly said here that the sleeve is just a tool. So true. It can help us remember to not stuff ourselves. It can even make us a little sick sometimes when we do. But when it's all said and done, it's our brains that have to be changed in this process every bit as much as our stomachs. Even for bypass patients the dumping goes away eventually as our bodies are remarkable in healing themselves and making a new normal. We have to want this badly enough to understand we have to follow whatever plan works for us for the rest of our lives, at least in a modified version. The ones who succeed for a long time follow certain patterns. They exercise, they eat well, they journal their food and feelings. It can't be a matter of Hey, I lost all the weight, that was fun, now let's get back to normal and eat what I want... because sleeve eating is new normal. Exercise is normal. Journaling is normal.
I'm sorry to hear your coworkers wife ended up gaining it back, but it can happen. I wonder if she has considered the ROSE procedure.....if she wants to be thin that is. If she's comfortable where she is, then that's her choice,too.

I think having the fear of gaining it all back is good for us. If we just try to get to "goal" and then forget about "eating healthy, exercise, journal". We will fail just like we did before.

I don't limit myself to any type of food because I don't think of this as a diet. However, I negotiate with myself all the time. I can have whatever I want but I need to have a balance. Like I will let myself have one sweet a day with some protein. Most day I eat clean and don't eat any sweet at all.

I think you need to find a lifestyle that works for you. I am trying to do the same. I know I don't have time to go to the gym two hours a day but I have time to walk 30 mins a day (break it down to 2 to 3 walks). So that is what I commit to.

I heard that the aftercare program is just as important as getting the surgery. If the patients have their weight and lab check by the surgeon or PCP on a regular bases, they are more commited to maintain the weightloss.

One of my friends at work told me she had bypass 15 years ago, she really regretted it because she gained all the weight back. She eats junk all the time and suffer through it while she eats it. She hates that she had the surgery.

It is really scary to hear stories like that, isn't it? It's just real life. No surgery is a cure all because if there was, I think we'd all be lining up for it. It's just a tool and that is what we sign up for. It's definitely about lifestyle change. It's about changing your way of eating, your way of thinking, and reclaiming your health the right way. You're not hungry all the time,and can't stuff tons of food at once, so it is a TOOL. It can still be out done if the cravings are strong enough. It is really a personal journey for all of us. No story is exactly the same. How your journey goes is truly up to you.

I have self destructed more diets when I have gotten to goal. What do I have now that I didn't have then? You good people for one, I never had support in my last diets, and I got the support early on before the surgery. Now when someone eggs me on to eat more, I don't. I have knowledge about what to put into my mouth. Now when that same instance, when I am egged on to eat more, I think about how much protein I need in a day vs. calories. Lastly, I have the sleeve. I measure my food intake to not stretch it, but if I am out and in a situation where I can't/don't measure, no matter how much I want to eat it is the back up so I don't over due it. A few tips I have learned along the way. STAY AWAY FROM YOUR TRIGGERS / ADDICTIONS!!!! Don't keep anything in your home that calls to you, like, your RNY friend's chocolate ( Her addiction was so great that she conditioned her body, that was rejecting it, to accept more and more of it. ). Learn from your friend, use her as your mental example every time you think of eating what you should not. Best wishes

If you don't change your lifestyle and your eating habits how can you not expect to gain weight?? The people that do things like that amaze me when they say " it didn't work for me". NO, you didn't do the work!!!!

Well said....you just helped me too!!!! Thank you so much....I needed to hear this as I bet several others did too....hugs!

I agree with all the above. My old drill instructor in basic training once said.. You get out what you put in. I still use that motto today. If you want to be healthy than you will be. Good luck in your journey, mine starts today.

I don't look at this as a journey with a single destination. Getting to my goal weight is just one stop along the way. I think the problem a lot of people have is that they see getting to goal as the end when really it's just the end of the beginning.

I'm taking it one day at a time. I still lose and gain a pound or two here and there. I feel great where I am but I know my doc wants me to be smaller so I have some work still to do. I have learned that losing weight is different for everyone...five pounds on a skinny person can be just as hard to lose as fifty pounds for a large person....we have had the surgery, but that didn't change our eating habits...that is the hard part for some...I still have the urge to nibble and I don't mean carrots....I still want chips and such to graze on and I have to be careful not to get them in the house....it's hard...but I'm trying really hard....the best thing to happen is this forum....we all need somebody to rant to....thanks to everyone who takes time to listen and understand....!!!!

I agree with the above as well. I know someone who has had the gastric bypass three times now, as well as a lapband--she keeps finding new surgeons who are willing. She has failed all of the surgeries. She refuses to change her behavior pattern, but loves the attention she gains from the quick lose with the surgeries. She has been playing this game for the last 15 years. She even forced her daughter, through guilt to have the lap band surgery. You have to be mentally ready to accept the changes you are making, ready to work on yourself--your self-esteem, your inner demons, your overall person, and continue to do to so throughout your journey. Find yourself and your way. Look at the person you know who wasn't ready and learn from that. I hold up these two people as my way not to go. When I see myself leaning in that direction, I revisit the stories they have told me and weigh the pros and cons--not saying I don't slip, because I do, but slipping and drowning are two different things. Best wishes!

I know exactly 5 women who have had bariatric surgery. (I am sure I know others who have not been public about it!) 3 of them had bypass. 1 has a lap band. 1 had VSG.
The first was my tax lady...I only saw her once a year...she was probably about 300 lbs when I first met her, the next year she had lost at least 100 lbs and told me she had bypass, she looked great! The following year she was eating M & M's at the tax desk and had gained a good 75 lbs back. She sheepishly said, "they took out my stomach but forgot about my brain". I felt bad for her but couldn't help but wonder why she had a large bag of M&Ms at her desk.

Another aquaintance had bypass about 10 years ago. She lost about 100 lbs. She is diligent about eating small portions of good, natural food. She works out like a madwoman. She hikes and bikes.She loves having sculpted muscles. She has maintained her weight since I have known her.

A woman I worked with a few years ago told me she had bypass the previous year. I was shocked because she looked so good I couldn't have imagined her ever being fat. While working with her, I noticed she always had a big bag of Dove chocolates at her desk. She told me she hated exercising. I left that job in 2009. I went back to visit a few months ago and that woman looked like she had gained back a good 50 lbs since I last saw her.

My friend Susan lost 100 lbs with the lapband about 6 years ago. She maintains her figure thru healthy eating and she does exercise, just not dogmatically. She also keeps her lapband fills tight.

Finally, my friend Debbie, with VSG, lost 100 lbs 3 1/2 years ago. She is so thankful for her restrictive tummy. She looks amazing. Went from a size 20 to a size 6 and maintains it beautifully with moderate eating and exercise.

I want to emulate the successful girls! We all can do it! xo to everyone out there!!!!

One of the best books I read in my research on having surgery was "The Rest of the Truth" by Pamela Harrelson. She had bariatric surgery twice, and shortly after her second surgery, she realized she could easily out-eat her pouch and that terrified her. In the book she talks about mind games, transfer addictions, and what she found she has to do to keep the weight off. It really helped me to realize that only I can really lose the weight and keep the weight off. As everyone else has said, the surgery itself is just a tool - it's not a cure. There is a lot of work involved, probably for the rest of our lives, and it won't always be easy, but it will be worth it!

Well stated and I agree. I wonder who those "quack" doctors are as they give a bad name to bariatric surgery.