? for WLS Grads about losing weight at a few yrs out

Ok so I had RNY back in June of 2008 and lost 130 lbs in 10 months.  I then got pg with my third baby at 14 months post op (cleared by my doctor first and got pg the first try! lol).  I gained 27 lbs total and then lost it all within 6 days post partum after having the baby (that's just how it is for me even pre op, lose the baby weight within a month or less).  I then had to go on meds for PPD and gained the 27 lbs all back and was then feeling really bad, these meds made me eat like  a horse!!  I got off the meds almost a year ago and can't seem to lose this weight still! 

I got down to 145 before I got pregnant 2 yrs ago and am currently fluctuating between 170 and 175 and HATE IT!  I was a size 8 and don't think I'll ever get back down to 145 again, but 155 or 160 would be nice.   I am currently in a size 12 and hate it, scared my weight will keep going up.  Plus we are trying to get pregnant with #4 and this is the first month trying, so if I gain weight with the pregnancy, I could get up 200 lbs maybe (my pre op weight was 270)!!!  Ahhh!!

Does our body just adjust several years after WLS and we don't lose weight as easily as before (even with the malabsorption issue)??  I have tried to excercise and eat right but it's obviously not enough and I am not trying hard enough.  When I tried like this around a year out, I lost at least 2-3 lbs a week.   What should I be doing to lose weight, I want to lose like 15 lbs before I get pregnant and get to 160 or 155.

With the first 2.5 years - I had to work hard to stop losing. But things changed. 
Now - I have to work really hard to stop gaining.

For me - is the carbs.  If I eat them - I gain like crazy.  Even the so called " good carbs".
I need to eat 5-7 small meals a day. Lots of proteins, min carbs and some fat.

It's doable bit won't be as quickly as the first year or two.

Are you following the rules? Protein first, no drinking with your meals or at least 30 minutes after, drinking enough liquids exercise ( at least being active), taking your supplements. Have you had your labs done lately?

I am following all those rules except I need to get my butt in gear and start exercising regularly! I've had a problem off and on with insomnia and hormones (bcp) in the past 6 months so that has made me really tired and I haven't been exercising!

I just had labs done in August and they were fine. I need to eat a little more protein each day and cut out some carbs and less sugar. But the thing is, I don't really want to go too extreme with the dieting right now if I'm trying to get pregnant. I was thinking of doing protein shake for breakfast and dinner and doing a decent lunch each day for a week and see how that goes. I got a case of hypoglycemia with my 3rd pregnancy at around 20 wks and hope it doesn't happen again this time around!!! Because I have to eat every few hours and keep my blood sugar up.

I am about 12 days away from my period coming and/or finding out if I'm pregnant! I got pg with my first post op baby the first time and wonder if it'll be the same this time around! My other two took over a year to get pregnant with and I guess I'm a lot more fertile with the weight gone.

You are aware that after you have another baby, you will need to be on antidepressants again, and probably for a longer period than last time, right? PPD gets worse after every child, and you could be on antidepressants for life. You'll need to talk to your psychiatrist about your meds after the birth. There are meds that won't make you gain as much weight, and one or two that may cause you to lose.

 I am 17 years and same here., with weight issues....yes our bodies do adjust several times and it seems like in stages.. I had a Memphis by-pass i*****  Try adding isometrics at night to keep metabolism up during the night...and cutting carbs. Those are the two things that help me loose...more activity and cutting the carbs...I actually went up to 192 in march-april but have come back to 178. ...it is much slower the older we get.

I'm 3 years out and do not have a hard time losing. If I'm up 2 or 3 pounds, I cut back and lose it within a week. I guess we are all different. I've been maintaining at 138-140 for 2 years now. I did gain about 10 (my only real big gain) last holiday season, but lost it within a month.

I hope you figure out what works for your body. I think exercise is the key.

Laura

Melody, each time I was only on the anti-depressants for 3-6 months PP after each baby and then weaned off with my doctor's help and was fine. It's just my body adjusting after I have a baby and my hormones get all screwed up, the AD's just help me adjust I think mentally. And the PPD has been about the same with each baby so I'm not worried this time around again. I am going to stay with what works for me (Zoloft) and not try anything else though. I tried doing Lexapro for 9 weeks after #3 was born and it was a nightmare for 9 weeks and didn't work! I switched to Zoloft and got to the right amount (25 mg, which my doc tells me is the pediatric dose, lol!!!), so I know for next time what the right dose is for me. Before the bypass, I think I was on 50 mg after I had my 1st and 2nd babies but now it is lower because I think I absorb it better.

I really do need to exercise and eat better, I agree! Thanks

The problem is that now you no longer have much malabsoprtion, so you are absorbing almost all the calories you eat (whereas before you at least had SOME of your malabsorption left) AND the severe caloric restriction during the first year after surgery causes a permanent change in the metabolism for some/many of us (have not seen any statistics on how many)... and therefore, if you are one of thsoe people, it DOES make it more difficult to lose weight... even more difficult than it may have been before surgery.

Your best shot at losing weight now is by cutting out as many carbs as possible and making sure you are not consuming too many calories overall.

Lora

wait, so I hardly have any malabsorption going on now??? I thought as a RNY patient, that was one of the benefits of having the surgery, that the malabsorption would stay with me for the most part post op. I knew I'd absorb more over the years post op, but not all the calories I eat.

So what's the point of having the surgery now, having a smaller stomach?? And we don't have the part of our stomach that absorbs the nutrients from food (calcium, iron, etc)??? I'm confused.

Also, it can mess up your metabolism- how did you find that out? If all of this is true, I need to kick my butt into gear or I will start gaining all of the weight back!!! I already have gained 30 back and no more for me (except if I get pregnant and the baby weight that is)!!!!!