Long term.....are there still benefits?

I have RNY on 9/13/19. I understand the benefits for the first 12-18 months post surgery, and I understand that co-morbidities can go away. But are there still benefits to be had after you are maintaining your weight? For instance, if you have been eating properly 5 plus years out, should your body still tell you when you are full? Will your body still react the same to sugary foods (dumping, etc.)? I am glad to be having the surgery done. I was just wondering if the change in stomach and intestines from surgery will still be providing some benefit years down the road, while you are maintaining your weight. Thank you.

• just so you know, a lot of us don't dump. The statistic I see quoted on here often is that only 30% of us dump. I don't know if there's any actual research behind that, but suffice it to say, a lot of us have never dumped. That said, I feel like crap when I eat a lot of sugar. Just....bleeeck. I can have a cookie or two - or maybe a small piece of cake - but if I had a major sugar binge, I'd feel pretty crappy for the rest of the day.

what the surgery basically does when you're more than a couple years out is limit how much you can eat at any one sitting. I could never eat half a large pizza in one sitting like I could pre-surgery. But I could definitely eat a piece or two now, and a piece or two an hour from now, and yet another piece or two an hour after that. So I can definitely still eat half a pizza - it would just take a few hours to do it now. SO...you have to watch that. That's why they tell you to stick to meals and (for some of us) planned snacks, and DON'T graze.

for those who dump, though, yes - that often continues.

so suffice it to say, not as much as it does the first 12-18 months, but yes, it still benefits you. You just have to do your share of the work, too.

Awesome! Thank you so much for the follow up. That's what I was hoping. I love sweets (at least now I do), and I "want" a repercussion if in the future if I eat them.

Sweets are different than regular food. You can't eat a whole pizza, but you can easily eat a whole bag of candy. You may feel miserable after doing it, but there is no restriction on things like chocolate. You still have to control that with willpower.

Sweets can be the bane of my existence lol but WhiteDove is right, you don't get the same restriction from sweets like you do other foods, you can eat a lot more (same with breads and such fyi).

The good thing is most people do get some form of repercussion. I also feel like **** if I eat to much sugar. I can eat 3/4 a cut of ice cream, but any more and I'm in the bathroom for an hour. I can eat 1 brownie, but not 2, etc.

I am very happy that I have these physical reactions, because boy is it a deterrent.

What would you do, if I answered your question with No? Not do the surgery? I say that because I wonder why you want the surgery? The surgery is a tool that generates massive, massive weight loss momentum by disrupting your patterns and forcing you to fully reset. But as others have said - you can go back to old habits very soon. We've seen some people ask about eating odd things only after a few weeks (not the norm, but definitively makes my head scratchy). The side benefit to me is the bypass temporary effect that seems to go away after a year or so. I never did the surgery to get this benefit or dumping. I'm glad I don't dump and my surgeon says that its a pretty small percentage that actually dump. He told me something less than 20%, but I think that isn't clinically derived, but his practice experience. As I approach year 3 post-op, I'd say that for me the restriction is the remaining benefit that keeps me in check. If I'm at a ball game or event where I'm not fully on plan - I sometimes get the bloating feeling and it signals me to STOP. I don't hit that often, but I'm glad to have that part of the tool. I'm also glad I can eat and figure out if I'm over or under consumption. I was concerned about eating too much by habit, then the malabsorption goes away and I'm left with the habit of too many calories. It's much more predictable for me now. In the end - YES to your question, but I suspect for very different reasons than you expected (at least in my case). Best thing I ever did. I was Dx 3 years ago with Stage 3/4 liver disease where the doctor said - it's a matter of when I will develop liver cancer. Today I did an MRI because the doctor didn't believe several tests last week that indicated I was among the 10% of patients *****moved their risk and the liver fully regenerated. I just got his email telling me to have a nice life and I don't need to see him again. I no longer have liver disease or a elevated risk of liver cancer. Go for it.

Congratulations on beating liver disease!!

I am hoping to lose 150 plus pounds, and gain and retain muscle in the process. I am at 300 now, with HBP, sleep apnea and I am taking Metformin for blood sugar. I want to be able to move around better and get rid of these co-morbidities. I am looking forward to a reset. I hope I will continue to get the restrictive feeling as well.

Thank for your response and encouragement. It is appreciated.

I didn't have diabetes but I was exactly 299 when I started I'm a 1 year 7 months and 30 days out today I weigh 142.2if you cut out carbs and exercise you got this. I'm not saying I never went off plan some Cheerios here and there and maybe an evening with a spoon and a jar of peanut butter just make smart choices and join the Menuers for accountability it helps a lot.

I think it's quite natural to be curious about the long-term effects of any surgery. And the time to ask the questions is definitely pre-op, so I think I understand your query enough take a stab at it anyway.

I'm over 10 years out. The surgery still works for me and I am grateful for it. Just as we can eat around it (as was mentioned above) we can use it to lose even more weight and to lose regain as well. Unless there have been physical changes such as pouch or stoma stretching, restriction can remain indefinitely. There are ways to test both the pouch and stoma if needed.

There are more benefits than just restriction. I noticed you give a nod to the loss of co-morbidities. Losing one or more of those is HUGE. Co-morbidities are things that can reduce your life span and losing those is nothing to sneeze at. You might consider doing a thread asking just that question: "What comorbidiities have you lost since your WLS?" or some such. Start adding those up as people answer and the results will probably amaze you.

You already know that the first 12-18 months is prime weight loss time. After that, your stomach and mainly your intestines return to pre-op functionality. You'll be back to absorbing 99% of the calories you eat. You may have some regain in this time period as your body adjusts.

But if you're dedicated and smart and open to trying suggestions from those who are long term post ops here you can use that time to develop new habits and a new life style. Build on that restriction that will always be there. Learn to cut out the snacking that does many of us in. Focus on health, not just on weight. Begin to keep a list of your own NSV's (non-scale victories like being able to climb stairs and such).

There is a down side for some and I won't sugar coat it. I still dump and I now have reactive hypoglycemia which sucks. I've had BIG regains (three!), but I weigh 35 pounds less today than I did immediately post op and it was all done as I was working to re-lose 20 pounds last year. Something kicked in and I decided to see how far I could go with the whole thing. Instead of losing the 20 pounds I lost 55. The woman who inspired me here on OH is several years farther out than I am and I believe she lost 60+ pounds last year herself.

It is what you make it. Good for you for asking your questions now. This forum and the people in it is a big part of why I'm able to keep going. Keep checking in and good luck.

Re-read what Amy said, because I agree with EVERYTHING she said, so there is no sense in me retyping it :)

I am 17 years out...would have surgery yearly, if I had to...but I don't have to...because I keep my head in the game...I come to OH most every day, and have, since before my surgery, both to give AND receive support, because support is MANDATORY, in my opinion, as is QUALITY information

Kudos, to you, for seeking information !!