Question about diets after WLS

I was on the main forum board and someone who had surgery three years ago was asking if anyone post surgery had ever used Alli weight loss method. That confuses me, if you have had the WLS why would you need to use other weight loss methods? Do you eventually gain your weight back? If so why go through the surgery? I understand some weight gain, but enough that you need a new weight loss method? Thanks for your help, just alittle confused. Take Care, Tammy

Tammy i know people that are 3 ,4.and 5 years post op and they have maintained the weight off of them. because they still watch what they eat all the time. This isnt a way to lose weight and never gain back by eating anything and everything you want. You cant do it . You have to continue for the rest of your life eating healthy and small portions or you will gain it back. It isnt a magic bullet and i think a lot of them think so. It is a tool that gives you the ability to get the weight off and keep it off but only if you remember the rules and eat like  you are suppose to. Protein first. keep white stuff to a bare minumim. veggies and fruits second , So no there is no need to use other diet plans if you continue to do what you are suppose too.  Jan

I do not entirely agree with Jan's post.  While it's true that with hard work and determination, one should be able to get reasonably close to goal, the surgery is JUST ONE TOOL out of many that someone may need.   Why go through surgery if you may need Weigh****chers, Alli, or some other program?  For many of us, those programs did not work before, for whatever reason.  We needed something to act as an immediate intervention to quickly shed some of the excess weight that was killing us.  Some of us are able to lose all of our weight and keep it off...they're food demons may not be as difficult to deal with, or they had the proper help, or they became overweight because their habits had gone downhill.  Other of us struggled from the very beginning after surgery, with the added benefit of this "tool." Here is my story: I had high blood pressure and was diagnosed with sleep apnea.  I never really even realized I was so fat, so imagine my surprise when I tipped the scales at 352 lbs.  Even at that weight, I wasn't a fast loser, losing only 13 lbs the first month even when I spent 3 weeks on liquids.  Fast forward to one year out...FINALLY lost 100lbs, after a lot of work.  My binge eating habits took control again, only I began to graze rather than binge.  After all, I didn't want to puke!  At two years out, I began fertility testing and treatment, which was both stressful and "fattening" as the drugs helped me gain weight.  Now, at three years out, I am following Weigh****chers AND taking Alli.  I still struggle with wanting to binge, and my exercise has become lax.  I still have no new baby, and I'm still 80lbs away from goal. Was it worth it to have surgery, even though I continue to pump money into weight loss programs and gimmicks?  ABSOLUTELY!  I'd be well over 400lbs by now.  Instead, I can ride every ride at Six Flags, can walk up hills in the heat, can ride a bike for many miles at a time, and look halfway decent inside my own skin. This surgery has been so glamorized by television and even by those who had immediate success.  The truth is, there are more of me out there than there are of 100% success stories.  I touched upon this subject the other day with someone in this forum. Tammy, I wish you much success, but please don't judge the decisions of others.  You may find yourself being able to answer your own post someday.  A carpenter needs more than a drill, and sometimes, a fat person needs more than surgery.  They're all tools, not magic bullets, as Jan said.  Unfortunately, she did not mention that sometimes people have trouble with a particular tool and need to try something else, like the screwdriver. Pamela

Thank-you for your posts. It has helped me understand alot more. I think I am still just alittle scared about having the surgery, and needed some more incouragement. Thanks again,Tammy

Tammy, I agree with Jan and Pam.  This surgery is not a magic bullet and after a period of time you need to really watch everything you eat.  I remember someone who came to a support group meeting and she had lost 90 pounds and looked great but she was mad because she really thought that after surgery she'd be able to eat whatever she wanted and not gain weight back.  That's not reality.  I know if I ate what I "wanted" I'd re-gain my lost weight.  I would "want" things that I cannot eat and maintain my loss.  So, I choose to not push the envelope and eat sugar, white potatoes, white rice, pasta, white bread and other things that are a trigger for me.  I have to really watch what I eat.  I know I am an addict and like an alcoholic I can't have that first bite of things I can't stop with.  I don't eat much in the way of salty crispy things because those are my downfall.  Doritos, chips, french fries, hash browns - those are permanent no-nos for me.  Not ever, not even a nibble.  It seems harsh and restrictive but being healthy and active is too valuable to give up for momentary pleasure.  So, I can certainly sympathise with Pamela's problems and congratulate her on her efforts to get to goal.  Do whatever it takes but don't take your surgery for granted - it is ONLY A TOOL!!!  If you cannot commit to a lifetime of changed eating habits, exercise and a struggle with your addiction then don't have the surgery because you aren't ready.  It's a day to day, tomorrow and forever fight. Hugs, Lana

very well said Lana. You should be a speaker at every seminar there is. You get it across point blank and tell it like it is. It isnt magic it is just a tool . Thanks for saying it so plain and simple. Jan