Weight Loss Failure

I have been reading alot on the other forums and a recurring theme seems to be coming up- people who have had the surgery but haven't been successful with the weight loss.  I have an under active thyroid so I know that I will have to be extra diligent with what I eat and how much I exercise.  Is there any credibility to these people's stories?  I guess that I am afraid that I will go through all of this and then very little of the weight will come off.  Thank-you for your responses!

Without knowing the people who are saying they've had no success, I wouldn't want to pass judgement on whether what they are saying is exactly true, but my perspective going in to this surgery is that you get out about what you put in. I also have a slow metabolism and actually eat quite well, my weight has piled on in the past 5 years because of a serious knee injury that led me to radically cut back from what used to be a very active lifestyle, but still having the appetite of a more active person. I was always bigger, but I piled on 60-70 pounds in the last 4 years without being a junk food eater (I'm actually a bit of a food snob) and now it's to the point where exercise is so painful for my knees that all I can do is walk in my building's pool. I'm only in my 20s and I'm already a borderline diabetic, so I know this what I have to do. I know that even with surgery the weight loss will likely be pretty slow until I'm able to do more exercise and working out to help it along, but what I'm counting on is feeling satisfied with much, much less to eat. I'm commited to a life of protein shakes and supplements so I can get my life back and I think it takes commitment to the new lifestyle and understanding the changes that surgery will bring so that we work with those changes to acheive a new way of living. I think it sometimes happens where weightloss is slower and harder than one hopes, but I think it is very rare where it doesn't take at all and if that were the case, I think you'd be sorting it out with your surgical team to see if further intervention is necessary.
Now - I haven't had the surgery yet, so maybe I'm talking out of my a$$ - anyone who has already had surgery want to chime in?

It does happen occasionally I think - that someone has surgery, follows all the rules, and doesn't lose weight.  But I'd bet that is VERY rare.

Much more common is someone having surgery - kinda following the rules and being successful for awhile, and then derailing due to bad eating/exercise habits etc.  The people who do this often post early out about how they CAN'T eat meat/protein, or CANNOT stop drinking while eating or LOVE diet coke etc.  People who don't realize that it is a GOOD thing that it is harder to eat meat (you get full and stay full faster), and that not drinking with meals makes your food seem to "stick" which is a MO-mindset way of explaining how your food fills you up quickly (again a good thing) instead of sliding through on a rush of soda like in our past life.  These bad habits will be your downfall.

What I've seen is that WL seems to have a momentum.  YOu come off surgery and the diet that immediately follows losing well.  If you follow all the rules, you keep losing.  YOu might have a few short stalls, and your loss might slow down..but you keep going.  At some point, all of us will lose momentum.  It might be as you approach goal (best case scenario).  It might be part way in, when something comes up that you have trouble dealing with.  Christmas.  A death in the family.  A bad reaction to your weight loss by friends or family.  Etc. Etc. Etc.  When that happens - often people stop losing.  Sometimes for good.  It's hard to get that momentum going again.

Best advice?  Make sure you know ALL the rules. LIVE THEM.  RELIGIOUSLY.  FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN.  

Hi Erica

Another great post chickie..................

Have a good one

I wouldn't let the occasional horror story on the internet discourage you. All surgeries carry the risk of failure... as does living with morbid obesity.

Hi there

Listen to Erica......................... She is a smart woman.

I lost 120 pounds, went through a horrible divorce, and my Mom died, had to help my Dad get on track after her death................. Yep all excuses, but excuses not to be as vigilant as I should be with my eating and exercise.
I gained maybe about 20 pounds. I still have about 80 to lose.............. Things always happen. I was doing well going to the gym then my osteo arthritis got really bad and I had to have my knee replaced.
Sometimes it seems like a never ending battle, but you know what? I am healthier than I have ever been in my life. I eat properly(ok too many carbs, but I am trying), I exercise when I can(getting back into that)

I still post here 6 years after I joined. I read the good advice that everyone has to offer, and I do the best I can.
Don't take everything you read on all the forums to heart, you will drive yourself crazy LOL
One day at a time.
You can do it.

Thanks everybody.  It just seems like there has been MANY people that have not been able to loose weight after.  I agree with your Erica about following the rules.  I don't want to go through all of this and then not having my expectations met.  I know that it will be a year and a half of hell- until I can adapt the rules and it becomes my new lifestyle.  But I am willing to do that to lose the weight.  Thanks for the reassuring advice!

I don't know what the exact success rate is, although I'm sure with the new program in Ontario it will be climbing. 

If you are seeing "many" failures, then I think you need to go to support group meetings and take a look around the room at the successes instead.  That would be much more inspiring and more likely to build your confidence in WLS.  

On one occasion I keyed in all the weight loss figures into a calculator as everyone in the room (in Windsor) introduced themselves and the total ran into the thousands of pounds lost.