Life After RNY

Ok here is my view (RNY Here):

1.  I eat a regular (gastric bypass diet). If you return to old habits you will gain.  You may or may not be able to eat everything again (I pretty much can), but I chose not to.

2.  I still don't have real hunger only head hunger (9 years out).  Head hunger is really awful!

3.  I felt normal again as soon as the surgery was done, but as far as really normal again, when I bought my first size 10!  I was a 22/24!

4.  I am VERY pleased with my results...I walked for the first year, then joined a gym.  I still do not do a lot of exercise but I do enough to work off my calories.

5.  I wish I knew how successful the surgery was and I would have had it yrs before!

Just a side bar, I had a friend who had the sleeve and was not successful at all.  In fact she still cannot eat anything (5 yrs later) healthy, she can only tolerate sweets...and that's NOT a good thing.  I know there are great success stories about the sleeve and I do not mean to discount the procedure.  Just trying to help others.  Good luck.

JA

Hi JA,

Thanks so much for your feedback!  I'm glad to hear that you are doing so well and are 9 years out without problems! I was thinking that the sleeve might be "safer" but I don't know anyone personally that succeeded with the sleeve. However, I know lots of RNY patients that are doing fine, which will probably bring me to my next question: "why so many people discourage others from having the surgery they had". I can understand some of the banders but I have relatives that had RNY and tell me that I should try to do it on my own one more time.

Hello.   Great info being shared back and forth...I had RNY - I am 11 months out-i have lost 132 pounds so far and still want to lose another 80.   Not sure if I will ever make it that low-but i am trying!   My sister had the Sleeve 10 days after I had my RNY.  She has lost so far about 115-120 pounds-so she has done incredible!   She pretty much eats anything she wants to - but the one thing i noticed, is that she can not eat as much as I can.   Her restriction seems to be much greater than mine.    I think that has helped her a lot even considering she can eat ANYTHING she wants to but she does try to focus on healthy and her portion sizes are smaller than mine.   She chose the Sleeve due to being able to take NSAIDS for her arthritis.    I am 47 and she is 48.    My doctor felt that RNY would be BEST choice for me, however - now seeing what my sister has done - maybe, i would have rethought RNY and done the sleeve, just for future health needs if they ever come up/ability to take NSAIDS.    I have not had any complications with RNY - I try to stay away from high fat/high sugar and I do not dump.  I was exhausted until after 4 months out but had no paid or anything like that-just extremely tired.  I do work out and my weight loss seems to have really slowed down these past few weeks so I am starting to calorie count again and push up my physical activity to next level.   I do believe that I have experience RH a couple of times if i eat too much carb so i am trying to watch that more closely-usually it seems after i treat myself to popcorn.  Other than that, i am happy that i went through with surgery.   Good luck in your research as to whether have the RNY or Sleeve.  

Hi,

Thanks for the story. Congrats to you and your sister! Were you two both around the same BMI and/or weight to begin with? I am concerned about an inability to take NSAIDS being that I have sciatica and unexplained joint trouble. I recently started taking Tylenol instead but it's not the same.

With your RH experiences, did you do any blood level monitoring?

I will be sure to update and let everyone know what the surgeon had to say. I just want to make sure I make the best decision which will help me to not only loose but maintain weight in the future.

Thanks again!

Nita

I am not normal, I don't eat a regular diet and I never get hungry.  All of which make me very happy, due to stress I am currently my lowest weight, 134lbs.  Food is really irrelevant in my life now, I still like to eat but it holds no power over me.

I just read others responses about exercise, obviously it's healthy and good for you and you should do it, but I am at a completely normal bmi going on 9 yrs now and do not exercise short of walking and I don't do that everyday either.  Your weight has way more to do with your eating habits then our exercise habits.  If exercise is not your thing then you have to really be careful with your calories when you reach maintenance.

I'm 2 years post VSG. I'm in maintenance after losing 225 pounds.

1. I can pretty much eat anything except pork chops (slow cooked is fine). I don't eat much pasta or bread, it sits heavy so I don't bother.  Carbonation HURTS (although I seem to be the exception)

2. I don't have hunger anymore. Now and then - maybe once per week I get a "oh, I should probably eat something" feeling. Nothing like before with that gnawing hunger.

3. Normal. Hmmm. Physically? A few days I was back to work, but probably a good few weeks before I was fully mobile and doing everything I was before. Mentally, I'm kind of glad I'm not "back to my normal", I wasn't in a good place.

4. VERY pleased. I exercised for the first year, but I haven't really done much in the past year due to neck fusion and now a pending back fusion (unrelated)

5. It's hard work, harder than I imagined.

Honestly, your choice of surgery matters little, IMHO. The RNY and VSG have similar results, you just have to be commited to it. your commitment level truly is the most important part.