Question:
Why surgery versis restricted diet?
I guess my biggest question at the moment is if the diet is so restricted after surgery and the emotional hunger doesn't go away, then why won't following the same post-op diet alone work. Is it because the new size of your stomach doesn't allow for cheating? — Carol M. (posted on October 17, 2002)
October 17, 2002
I physically can not eat the volume of food I could before and it is
wonderful! I am satisfied with much less. I could never have limited
myself without this tool. I just don't have the will power.
— MARSHA D.
October 17, 2002
There was also a study published in the NE Journal of Medicine that says
that a hormone called ghrelin is reduced significantly in RNY patients.
This hormone is apparently involved in promoting hunger. Do a search on
ghrelin in your favorite search engine...JR (open RNY 07/17 -96 lbs)
— John Rushton
October 17, 2002
Carol, there is also the "malabsorbtion" aspect. With less
intestines for the food to pass through, RNY patients do not absorb
everything this food had to offer (both positive and negative). Kevin
— meilankev
October 17, 2002
The surgery does seem to affect many peoples' tastes too, i.e. all the
sugars, fats, etc. that we once thrived on don't seem to have much appeal
anymore. All I know is that WLS has given me some control around food, so
that I know longer have hang ups about being a "diet failure".
(Of course I have new ones now about how can someone else lose 100lbs. only
five mos. after surgery and it's taken me six mos. to lose 70lbs!) Arragh!
I guess nothing's ever perfect...Best of luck to you!
— rebeccamayhew
October 17, 2002
There has been another great side effect for me since having the RNY. My
tastes have changed so dramatically. From what I understand, this is
common, although it doesn't happen to everyone. I NEVER touched a fruit
pre-op, I would have rather eaten a twinkie or ho-ho. I never wanted to
waste my time with healthy foods, I was FED UP with them from being on SO
many diets and trying to 'change my lifestyle' as they said. Now I cannot
stand the fried, greasy foods, the rich foods with lots of sugar, cream,
and or butter. I prefer the healhier choices. I don't understand
physiologically why this has happened, but I LOVE IT!!
— Cheri M.
October 17, 2002
Carol,
Roux-en-Y works on different levels. First, there is the small pouch which
restricts the amount you can ear. Second, part of the small intestines is
by-passed, causing a malabsorption of calories. AND as the previous poster
stated, at least for me, my tastes have changed so much. The only thing
even remotely sweet that I injest now is sugar free popsicles and Crystal
Light. The smell of really sweet things like doughnuts makes me physically
ill. And then there's the dumping syndrome for those of us who are lucky
and dump - over do it on the sweets and fats and you pay the price. I have
never been able to lose weight like this before and the most amazing thing
is that I don't crave the foods that were my downfall. I know a lot of
people suffer from head hunger, especially at first. I never did. I think
the most important thing you can take into this surgery is a positive
attitude. It is a tool and will will work well for you but you have to do
your part. It is possible to outeat the surgery and not lose or gain it
all back but you have to work at it.
Open RNY - 11/29/01 -150+ pounds
— Patty_Butler
October 17, 2002
I'm four months out from open RNY and still have some of
the same questions! Because I can eat more than many
post-ops, and because I'm fortunate enough that everything
agrees with me, this often feels like a diet rather than a
permanent change. I wonder sometimes why I couldn't do
this BEFORE surgery. I think part of it is that having
surgery, being in the hospital, having to be extremely
careful with your healing stomach, the liquid diet most
people are on at first, all of that helps give you a jump
start. You're very nervous and scared at first, and eating
can be uncomfortable, so all that helps you get used to the
smaller meals and thorough chewing. Hopefully they become
habit.
I'm doing well so far, but because I feel so "normal" with
food I wonder sometimes if I'm going to fall off the wagon
the way I did eventually with every previous diet. I think
it could happen easily: yes, my smaller stomach would
prevent me from eating a mammoth amount in any one sitting,
but I could certainly graze and munch my way into enough
calories to gain weight, even *with* a certain amount of
malabsorption. I don't ever want to get cocky with this
and assume it will be easy forever, because I know it won't
be.
Obviously this *is* different from dieting: most WLS
patients lose at least a large portion of their excess
weight, even if all don't get to goal. That's certainly
not the case with dieting in the vast majority of cases.
But just as all the reasons we're overweight in the first
place are a mystery, I don't think it's really as clear-cut
as it might seem why this surgery works. Sure it's part
smaller capacity, part malabsorption, part new habits.
I'll bet there are also other components, whether they be
grehlin or eating fewer carbs or other things that either
vary from person to person, or that we just haven't
discovered yet. I just hope that it keeps on working!
— Celia A.
October 17, 2002
The emotional hunger DOES go away, and the restriction usually curbs
cheating, but not all... If you want to cheat, you can; you still need a
bit of self control- I mean why go through this MAJOR proceedure just to
push your limits?
— Karen R.
October 17, 2002
The smaller stomach, hence less food going in and satisfied sooner, and the
malabsorbtion, all work to allow you regain control over your life. For
me, it was all about control. Pre-op, I had NONE, now I seem to have lots.
Can you still have sweets and junk foods and comfort foods, yes. At least
most of us can, not all! But tastes do change. I don't like pizza
anymore, and most Chinese food disagrees with me, both previous comfort
foods. wish I could say that about brownies! However, with my new
control, I can eat 1/2 a brownie now and be satisfied instead of the whole
pan. I don't consider the diet restricted at all. And how many diets have
you been on that you can stick to? Many of us could not control portion
size pre-op, so trying to follow this post-op diet as a pre-op would have
been impossible for me.
— Cindy R.
October 17, 2002
For me, surgery became the final option after YEARS of diets, fad and
otherwise, programs and other attempts at significant permanent weight
loss. After doing so much to my body my metabolism was so out of whack that
I could go into 'starvation mode' at the drop of a hat. I honestly can't
believe that ANYONE who is considering or who has had surgery hasn't made
many attempts to acheive significatnt and permanent weight loss by
restricting their intake and increasing exercise.
Post surgery we are equipped with a tool that helps us break that cycle.
Many surgeons (thank goodness!) require not only physical but psychological
testing to be sure patients are prepared for the physical and emotional
changes that occur after surgery. But that doesn't mean that some of us
don't deal with personal demons when it comes to food.
So what we have is that 'permanent lifestyle change' that we've ALL learned
about and tried a gazillion times, coupled with a tool that makes it harder
to fail. Can you still fail after surgery? Sure. 'Cheating' is a real
possibility. Junk food will go down just fine if you chew it well enough,
if you don't dump, milkshakes are an easy swallow. But I like to think
that in this process of preparing for surgery, we spend so much time
reading about the missteps of others that we are guided and held to a more
prudent path.
Here endeth the novel.. *G*.. Peace!
— Joscelin
October 17, 2002
Carol, you can easily answer this question for your self by trying it. Get
a post-op diet plan from a surgeon and put yourself on it. If it works for
you and you loose weight and keep it off, great. If you can't do it for
whatever reason, you will know why so many people are more successful after
WLS.
— Amber L.
October 18, 2002
hi the difference is on a restrict diet you can always fall off ot it and
be right back where you started from or more with the surgery you can only
eat so much and if you over eat you wont like what happens you get sick
throw up gag so you willstop when you stomach tells you rosemary
— ROSEMARY A.
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