comments of friends???

I have lost 127 pounds and lately my friends (I am beginning to wonder) have all come up with stories about people who have had the surgery (gastric by pass) and gained their weight back. Is there really that many people that lose then gain it back. I am 10 months out and I am worried the end of weight loss is near.

Please help

Yes there are those that gain their weight back of course, but it like the horrible teenagers,  or anything else , you know you only hear about the bad ones.  
I am 3 years out  and so far havent gained any back,....you will always have to remember what you are for the rest of your life, you arent normal. lol  as if any of us were to start with but....you have to remember the rules....and if you stick to them you will be ok... you have to get enough protein in daily i still do two protein shakes and eat a good meal at supper, you will always have to get in all your vitamens daily and always have to get in your water. i get in at least 80oz a day and days im outside all day i get in more.  you need to exercise at least 30 minutes a day ....keep away from bad carbs as much as possible....my one big rule that i do all the time is nothing white. ....

well like i said just follow the rules , even at 3 years out i can lose some more weight if i wanted to do it...i have the tool it is just harder to lose now than in the first 18 months....keep up the good work and as i like to tell my support group ....rememeber we are HYBRIDS   just like the hybrid cars it takes less fuel to run our bodies than it did when we were big gas guzzlers  ....lol

Thank you I needed to hear that I just started seriously exercising about a month ago. and I feel so much better, I am scared that I will backslide.I guess I would not have ended up at 320 if I was not weak. I still do one one protein shake a day take water aerobics 3 x a week and walk 2 to 3 days a week (only about 20-25 minutes, does it sound like enough?















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Hello, Hello-kitty.

I always tell people that having any weight loss surgery is like being pregnant. Everyone you know seems to have a horror story about how the poor woman was pregnant for 12 months and delivered a 29lb baby that had three heads!  Same thing for us. Everyone knows someone who has failed after wls, either never reaching close to goal, or not staying there long. It's the sensational stories that stick in people's heads, not the successful ones....they're not as glamorous as the other.

I've maintained my goal weight for two years, but NOT without effort. I TRY not to have things in the house that are trigger foods, and if I munch on stuff at work that isn't in my plan then I TRY to watch out the rest of the day. Every day is an adventure in control.....WHO'S in control, me or food.

You don't have to be a statistic

Ya know, when I told my mother I was having the surgery, that was the first thing she told me. You see, the media (especially TV, the tabloid shows) usually show the failures, not the successes. And that's all my mom had seen.

It took my three years to lose my 180 pounds. I was a slow loser. But I worked hard to get it off. You have lost a lot in 10 months; your body may be catching up and slowing down a bit. You may be losing inches instead of pounds. If you stick to the plan, you won't gain it back. I know it's scary (it scares me, too, five years out), but hang in there.

I agree with the others, it's unfortunate that only those who gain back their wt. are the ones people talk about......think of the hundreds and probably thousands of people who have been successful in their WLS journey.....focus on the good not the bad.

Stick to your food plan, get all your water in, and your vitamins and try to get at least 30 minutes of any kind of exercise every day.

You won't become a bad statistic if you believe in yourself and follow the rules.   I hope you are going to a support group -- it's very important to have the support of others who are on their WLS journey and/or have succeeded. 

Stick with this board - we're always here for support and love.

Pat R.

Thanks for your response I have been unable to find a support group in my area

All of these posters are right--you generally do not hear about the successful people.  And as Susan said, it is like being pregnant -- some people feel that you need to hear about the horrible delivery, labor, etc.

This surgery is like a rebirth so metaphorically I think the new digestive system is like the newborn child.  You nurture the child and the rest would follow.  It takes work, effort and a ditching of the "all or nothing" thinking.  I'm working on that.  Also, I am not thinking of this as a "diet".  Diet implies an end--there is no end to a healthy lifestyle.  While I am saying all of this, I am a work in progress.  I was determined that the second half of my life is going to be healthier than the first.

I'm a little over a year out (not as far out as the vets here) but I find I am continuously learning.  I went through years of the yo yo dieting and tried everything known and probably unknown to man.  I actually attained goal (although about 30 years ago) thru Weigh****chers.  I did the Oprah diet that was popular in the late 80's (remember her bringing the 67 pounds of fat in the wagon)?  That was the one. 

Go your own way, listen politely to the stories and do what is right for you.

Sylvia

Aloha.......Look at you!! 127 lbs gone......that is fabulous!! And, yes....there will be those who only see the failures (I have a couple of friends like that......delight in the failures!...I don't get it).

I don't know what makes a person go through this WLS and then manage to gain it all back. I have a friend who paid for her daughter (who was 400 lbs.) to have this surgery ($25,000!). She lost maybe 100 lbs. and then proceeded to gain it all back and MORE! Something tells me that the motivation was NOT there. But can you imagine the guilt she must feel after her parents spent that kind of money and then their daughter totally blew it!! The psychologist in me yells "gotcha"........and very sad indeed for all concerned.

My story doesn't included years of yo - yo dieting.......just a broken leg, a hysterectomy and 15 years of gaining steadily but surely up to 320 lbs!! 160 of that is gone......and I plan on keeping it gone......but I never say NEVER because I've been zapped too many times and know better.

Listen to the stories of failure....and file them away as important information...then go on with your life of success, health, fitness, and freedom in your body!

Aloha nui loa,

Maui Karen

Here's how I look at it.........
Weight loss is difficult, whether you do it with diet and exercise or via WLS, it's not easy.  But the real challenge is keeping it off.  Once you hit your goal weight the journey is not over....you just start traveling on a new road.

Yes, statistically there are a good deal of people *****gain their weight, but it happens whether or not you lost it with WLS or diet and exercise.   BUT, and here's the big but........... It is all in your control!  If you stick to your maintenance plan you will not regain it.  Simple as that.
You need to watch your food intake and make sure you exercise.

So far as your question about exercise........
Personally I think you need to increase it.  You need a minimum of 30 mins cardio a day plus weight lifting 2-3 times a week to maintain.  If you really want to burn fat/calories, I'd increase the daily cardio to 60 mins a day.  When I was aggressively trying to lose weight I did 60-90 mins cardio 6 days a week plus 3 nights I did weight lifting for about 45 mins and added an extra 20 mins bike ride.  In the warm months I also added 20 min swimming laps about 4 days a week.  The more you burn the more you lose.  Now on maintenance I try to ride my bike 70-90 mins 6 mornings a week and do weight lifting 3 nights a week for about 30 mins.

PLEASE keep in mind you must only exercise to what your body can handle....if you have health conditions you need to be careful...always ask your Dr what he/she advices.

So do not lose hope, you can definitely do it, have faith in yourself and be determined to reach and maintain your goal!!  

Best wishes on your journey
Ruth