Expert: Jacqueline Jacques, ND - 10/19/2010

Question
I HAD ROU-EN-Y SURGERY JULY 2007, I AM STUCK ON LAST 39 LBS. SHOULD I GO BACK TO PURE LIQUID DIET FOR 3 WEEKS TO JUMP START MY WEIGHT LOSS. I EXERCISE ONE HR AND 15 MINUTES W/ ZUMBA TUES. N THURS. MON. WED. AND FRIDAY I WORK 7AM TO 11;30PM. AND SAT. 9AM TO 7PM AND SUNDAY 12 NOON TO 5PM. WHAT CAN I DO? PLEASE HELP ME .I WANT TO LOOSE THIS LAST BIT SO I CAN GET MY FULL BODY LIFT. I AM CURRENTLY 5'5" AND 204. DR. WANTS ME TO BE 165. HELP!!! I WENT FROM A SIZE 24 TO A 14/16

Answer
Hi Nancy,

Can I ask where you started with your weight?

It is pretty common for people who have had gastric bypass to lose about 70% excess weight and regain 5-20% after 2-5 years.  If you never got your full expected weight loss, you might want to revisit with your bariatric surgeon and make sure there is not a medical or surgical reason why that never happened.  If you have regained weight, then the best thing to start with is to go back to the basics of what you did early on after surgery.  I think it is better to do small high-protein, low carb meals rather than liquid dieting. There are several good people who offer on-line "back on track programs" - Barbara Thompson is one (www.wlscenter.com/) and Colleen Cook (www.bariatricsupportcenters.com) are two I like.  Anything too drastic might leave you nutritionally depleted (which is bad before a body lift) and/or be not sustainable weight loss.

I hope this helps.

In Health,

Dr. Jacques