A different sort of issue.

Please forgive me - I actually feel guilty for posting this, but I have to ask if there are others like me! Does anyone else here have problems with too much malabsorption?  My surgeon told me that it happens on occasion, but they don't know why.   The primary way I am affected is that I eat.  All the time.  Rather than following the three-squares rule my surgeon normally imposes, I have "permission" from him to eat as often as I need to - usually every two hours or so.  I also don't need to watch what I eat too terribly much.  If I have a baked potato with ham, my dietician says it's fine to add cheese and sour cream, as it adds extra calories for me!   I do struggle a lot with um... bathroom issues... as well - no matter what I eat.  Doc says that is because I absorb so little of what I eat.   I have maintained a loss of 160 pounds for over a year now... I guess I am just wondering if there are others out there like me.  I check my weight a few times each week, just to make sure I am still within 5 pounds or so of 150.  Except for not being able to have sugar, I don't even feel like a GBS patient sometimes.  (I read an article about Star Jones-Reynolds yesteday... she was at a restaurant and ordered one egg with cheese - she said two would be too much.  I can usually eat three!) Anyway, I am just looking for others.  I feel a little ashamed for even posting, but I am just tired of feeling alone.  Like I'm a black sheep of the WLS world!  :) Thanks, Nicole

While this may be uncommon among RNY patients, I know some DSers who eat over 3000 each day and still maintain or lose weight. Maybe you would find some understanding by posting this also on the DS board....just a thought.

Don't feel guilty about posting this~we are all different and have different issues to deal with after wls~one issues is no more important than any other issue, IMO.  I certainly do not eat 1 egg w/ cheese, LOL! I can and do put it away sometimes. I guess like everyone out there we all have hungry days and not so hungry days. When I check out the "what did you eat today" posts I can guarantee you that I eat WAY more than what other's post that they eat. Like you I still try to avoid sugar. I seem to be able to maintain my weight pretty well without over analyzing everything that goes into my mouth (I still worry though!) The one thing that does seem to have an effect on my weight are carbs~the bad ones like Wheat Thins!!!!!!! I can gain several pounds if I allow myself too many bad carbs during the week~its more like being bloated I guess b/c as soon as I cut the bad carbs out the pounds drop right back off again. Due to my work out schedule my body does require a certain amount of carbs daily, but only the good carbs do not cause me a gain. Anyway, if I steer clear of the carbs I can eat alot and not gain weight.  Right now I'm around 2.5yrs post op. I will, however, keep a very close eye on the scale b/c it seems that unfortunately around 2-3yrs post op alot of people see that rebound weight gain even when they are still following a restricted diet. So,I say enjoy being able to eat as you please, but don't forget to eat healthy!

Hi Nicole! I can understand why you might feel guilty. When I first had this surgery, I had similar emotions - guilty that the weight was "falling off" and others had to work so hard. Of course, I've developed into more of the norm - watching what I eat, when I drink and exercising.  I wish I could offer more in the way of "support" but I think that you need to be proud of the choices that you have made to get healthy. Yep, you are got better-than-average results but that was luck - you can't blame yourself for being lucky!!! :-) I hope you can find others in your position with whom you can share your feelings but please, please, please try not to feel guilty. You don't need to be forgiven in any way, shape or form. You need to be celebrated for making healthy choices. Good for you! Good luck with your journey. Judi

what makes you think you malabsorb too much? I'm guessing the bathroom thing is, er, shall we say, spendingtoo much time in there, not too little?

Sometimes you can alter that by eating less fat (obvious choice), but for many sugar or even simple carbs do it.

All RNy's are malabsorptive, as far as nutrition goes, so I'm kinda confused what you mean.

Nicole; I've had trouble not losing more as well. My surgeon's goal for me was 152. My personal goal was 144. I've been bouncing between 130-131 for the last 6-7 weeks. Hopefully I'm finally stabilizing. I can't eat a lot at once - I can't finish more than one egg in a sitting, but I've started eating small amounts every two hours and eating an embarrassing amount of carbs. (In reading of all the ladies that are cutting the cheese or peanut butter crackers out of their diet, I've been feeling guilty because I eat two packages every day in an attempt to keep my weight up.) I've cut my workouts back from 4-5x/week to 2x/week. My labs are fantastic, I feel great and I have excellent energy so I try not to stress about it. But there are things I worry about: 1. Since I lost this last 14 lbs. without intending to that I may regain it in the same fashion. 2. I'm starting bad habits that will come back to bite me in the future. 3. I worry that I'm losing muscle tone now that I can't workout as much as I'd like. Don't feel like a black sheep. It happens to some of us. I think I'd rather be in this situation than wondering why I couldn't get to goal.

Hey there, When you lost the last 14 or so.........when did that drop happen in terms of post op?  Did you make any changes in your food/exercise plan at that time? I ask because.........I made the orginial goal the doctor thought , but now both he and I think more could come off.  I lost the first eight months and then no more pounds off.  I have continued to lose inches, but not pounds.   Folks tell me..........it will still happen.  I am thrilled with my new health.  But I do sometimes yearn for svelte.  LOL  I was always obese as an adult, so a 'set-point' is a freaking number out of thin air.   Just curious.  (I am 5'4" and was 255 at my highest). Vicky

Hey Vicky! It's good to see you on another board. I had my surgery in November 2005. I was 147 from mid-September 2006 until I vacationed in London after Thanksgiving. I returned from London at 143 in early December. January through June, I travel for my job regularly - at least two trips/month - and was losing 2-3 lbs. a trip. I spent a lot of the spring eating anything and everything I could when I was home to gain so I'd have that same 2-3 lbs. to lose over and over again. Then, it just got too cumbersome. I didn't have time to keep eating so much, so I let the weight come off. So, the question really is "what do I do differently on the road?" I eat every meal in restaurants and I don't get to work out in a gym. The two things that usually cause people to gain seems to make me lose. Most of my travel is to NYC, SF or Chicago. All really great food cities, but also excellent walking cities. I limit my use of motorized transportation to getting to and from the airport, when my destination is more than 2-3 miles away,  when the weather is ugly (although I walked 19 blocks in 3.5" heels in the NYC pre-St. Pat's blizzard because I was feeling stubborn), or when my meetings are timed too close together that the only way to make it is via cab or train. When I remember it, I take a pedometer with me on these trips, but since I don't use the pedometer when I'm home, I don't know for sure how much more I'm walking on the road. In restaurants I tend to only eat seafood - usually crab, shrimp or lobster.  I'm always eating with colleagues or clients on these trips, so I keep my choices somewhat safe and no matter how wonderful anything tastes, I never overindulge because I don't want to have to explain why I just had to go throw dinner up (only about a dozen people in my real life know I've had WLS). I always eat my protein first. If I've got room, I'll try some of the other things on my plate and I don't drink with my meals even in social settings. My body seems to keep a tighter weight range than I see others. Many people allow a 5-10 lbs. fluctuation. I had planned to give myself a 5 lb. range, but in the last 8 months, I've noticed the only time I bounce out of a 2 lb. range is when I drop to a new low weight. I hope that helped. If you've got any more questions just let me know.