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Bariatric Surgery/weight not going down anymore

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Expert: - 8/19/2009


Question
I am almost 6 years out from open RNY. I started 308lb. Got down to 174lb but currently weigh 211. I quit smoking and can't seem to shake the weight. I started exercising and watching what I eat but nothing seems to help. My cholesteral is horrible so I'm afraid of protein because I would die if all I had to eat was chicken. Help. How can I get this weight back off. how much protein should I be eating everyday?

Answer
At six years after your RNY and cessation of smoking (congratulations on that, by the way!) you may be eating more than you should for weight management or weight loss.  As a WLS patient, you know that gastric bypass is only a tool to help you eat less and the rest is up to you.  As a WLS patient you are probably also aware that the size of your 'pouch' will most likely have grown to allow much more intake.  Many WLS patients, when they have been unable to control their eating and have 'stretched' their 'pouch' out, are in a position where it may become necessary to have gastric bypass again to 'renew' their tool.

If this is an option for you, that's good.  If not, you'll have to get back on that "restricted intake" horse and ride those extra pounds back off.  

Remember how your intake was restricted to liquids, then semi-solids, then solids after Gastric Bypass surgery?  You'll need to do that all over again - excep this time, your stomach will not be of such a size that it will help you keep the intake down.  You'll have to do it on your own this time.

But the good news is that you now know exactly what you have to do - just be brave and muscle your way through that all again.  Take that trip again and I promise that the weight will begin to come off again.  But you have to be honest with yourself - keep a diary of what you eat.  And if you follow the plan, and document all that you put in your mouth, you'll lose.  If you don't; if you cheat yourself out of it, you'll continue to gain and you'll be right back where you were before.

As always, I encourage those who ask my advice to consult your doctor and/or your surgeon as you prepair to take this trip - again!

Good luck and make sure that you keep me informed as to how you're doing, Lori.

You can do it - you KNOW you can!

Steve

Bariatric Surgery

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Steven West

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I can answer any and all questions from the perspective of a weight loss surgery patient. I have had Gastric Bypass Surgery - Roux-en-Y - and can answer questions from the perspective of one who has experienced the pain and suffering of murderous obesity. I have mustered the courage to open myself to the opportunity to live life again! Let me help you get there, too! Weight loss surgery isn't for everyone, but for those who fit some specific criteria, it is a viable option. With the rise in obesity in America, there are suddenly weight loss surgery centers springing up on every street corner, it seems. Choosing to have weight loss surgery is a major decision in your life, and choosing the right center can mean the difference between weight loss success and failure. There are three main types of weight loss surgery being performed today at most all surgical weight loss clinics: the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, which creates a small stomach pouch and bypasses part of the small intestine; the Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, which is similar to the first surgery, but is done laparoscopically, so it reduces the size of the incision, and reduces the pain and recovery time of the surgery, and the LAP-BAND surgery, which is a band fastened around the stomach to create a small pouch. Weight Loss surgery is not for everyone who is obese. In most cases, candidates must be at least 100 pounds overweight. Surgery should be the last resort, rather than a quick-fix. Surgery is a long-term answer to managing your weight, and you need to be aware it will change your life.

Experience

I am a post operative patient of Weight Loss Surgery (Gastric Bypass, RNY). I am interested in providing coaching for pre-operative and post-operative patients.

Organizations
Member of obesityhelp.com.

Publications
Profiled in Obesity Help Magazine.

Education/Credentials
Bachelors Degree in Computer Science. I am an engineer working for Computer Sciences Corporation in the Washington, D.C. area.

Awards and Honors
I am a retired veteran with over twenty years of U.S. Naval Service.

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