Enjoy the first year honeymoon guys!

They don't call the first year the "honeymoon" phase for nothing guys!  You lose weight like a ******* and need to eat very little amounts to be satisfied. At about 13-14 months out I noticed an increase in appetite and capacity of the pouch. Haven't gained any weight back, but I sure do wonder sometimes if I'm destined to fail even after the surgery. Time will tell!

3B,

If you are even enteraining the thought that you will fail then guess what?  You will.  Ever tried a 5-day pouch test? 

No I haven't tried any pouch test, but as I stated earlier,  so far I've remained below goal weight weather I "feel" like I can eat alot or not. It's just amazing to me that when you prepare for this surgery, and you do all the reading and it tells you that the surgeon makes a pouch that is between 1-2 ounces.. and that it's susceptible to very little stretching because it's made up of the tissue from the upper part of the stomach................. than how the hell can I eat a whole plate of food?

I think everyone wonders this same thing.  Will I fail?  I have wondered that myself as I have gotten to the point where I can eat anything and not get sick.  This happened about 4 months ago.  So far I haven't gained any weight and I am 20 lbs less than I want to be.
I remember something Dx posted and he siad he eats normally but instead of eating like a normal 400 lb man he now eatrs like a normal 190 lb guy.
I try to stick to thje program and not worry too much about the weight coming back.

Jim D

Nothing about this process has been easy. Some of us don't have honeymoon phases. Some of us have to diet from the day we get out of the hospital. At only 2 months and 6 days out I could eat a t-bone steak and drink a protein shake along with it. I won't but it's all willpower and fear of doing physical damage to myself. There is zero loss of appetite. None. Zilch. Nada. I stay on the list and the only food I have trouble with is ground beef. I have not strayed from the list. Again, will-power and fear of further surgery.

Now , there is a weird sense that I have horribly overeaten when I go over 700 calories in  day and that IS new but not counting calories? Psshaw. I wouldn't lose an ounce. I tried it for the first 5 weeks. No workee for this fatboy.

As per my surgeon...The pouch starts out about the size of a walnut or your thumb.  On average it will grow to handle about 5oz of food (thumb and inside two fingers).  Some will stretch their pouch to 8 oz or more.  I may be between 5-8 oz.  It makes it much harder to get back on the bandwagon when you "go off" of it for dieting.  Brian

Be careful, Triple-B (and everyone out there, esp. RNYers) ..   I saw Carnie Wilson this afternoon on the Tyra Banks show talking about her recent re-gain after her pregnancy.  She is now up to 205 lbs. after a low of 150 (she was 300 to start, 9 years ago w. her RNY) ..  She said she basically threw her rules out the window while she was preggers, and began eating more carbs, grazing, drinking liquids with foods, not drinking her required daily water, etc. etc.   She didn't change her ways after her baby was born, so now she's in the boat she's in (she said now she's a poster child for "WLS re-gain") ..

  btw, she mentioned she has a website (bills itself as the largest for WLS and obesity) at www.liteandhope.com ... She claims it gets 7,000,000 hits a day ..   Anyone ever check it out?

Thanks Bat!  Sounds interesting...

And I guess I'll always worry about re-gain. Please explain while drinking with meals is so bad?  Does it make you gain weight?

You can also get lazy with your program. Stop supplementing, stop doing a lot of things and that causes regain.

Drinking with meals is not good because it flushes food throough the pouch and basically allows you to eat more as well as not gain any nutrients from the food.

I think we all hit that around 1 year out. We're able to eat more and more... and it's scarey..because 3 grapes and a few slices of cheese a snack won't fill you up like they did as a new post op.

I don't have any advice except to say good luck...and encourage you to check out the WLS grad forum on OH. There are a lot of helpful tips there for people that are out for over ayear.

This issue is the one reason I caution new preops to look into shorter common channels either in having a distal RNY or a DS, because for some people who've had life long eating issues, it may be a better alternative....it gives you more wiggle room.

Scott