Checking In - Old-Timer (DS was 11+ years ago)
Hi all!
I had my DS in April 2005 in Chicago. The surgery was performed by Dr. John C. Alverdy. I haven't posted here in about four years, and my last post was pretty much a cry for help, because I had had a significant weight regain. I got some (mostly loving) rebukes for my crappy eating habits and lots and lots of excellent advice and encouragement. My weight history since my DS has gone like this:
Starting weight: 326 lbs (I'm 5' 3 1/2" with a petite bone structure)
After my DS I lost steadily until I was about 125 lbs. and I stayed right there for awhile. Then I started losing again and got down to a scary-skinny 117 lbs. My follow-up DS surgeon (Dr. Margaret Inman in Carmel, Indiana) was concerned enough to warn me that if I continued to lose like that she would recommend a revision.
To counteract the extreme weight loss I started drinking sodas laced with sugar and not restricting sweets, even though they did make me feel pretty crappy. Gradually I began to gain weight. My poor eating habits caused me to eventually gain weight back into the 130s, 140s, 150s and then my weight zoomed. I never dreamed I would ever see the 160s again, but I did - the 160s, the 170s, and even the 180s. I was hovering around the 190 mark and feeling huge and miserable. I got rid of all my beautiful "skinny" clothing and started shopping in the plus sizes again, which was heartbreaking because I thought I was done with those sizes forever. I despaired of ever being any smaller ever again, and I tried to mentally prepare myself to be over 200 lbs.
Then, two years ago I decided to go on the Paleo diet. I didn't follow it strictly - I just concentrated on high-quality proteins and cut out all concentrated sugar, starting with sugary drinks. The weight started to come off easily. When I got back down in the 170s I was satisfied and decided to stop the diet. However, I had adjusted my everyday eating enough that I never did stop concentrating on protein and cutting out the sugar, so I still continued to lose.
Fast-forward to today. I am steadily losing weight and am down to 148 lbs. and still losing easily. I regret getting rid of all my "skinny" clothes because all those plus-size clothes I have in my closet now don't fit me. I've bought a few new things but because I am still losing I don't want to buy many because I don't know where I'm going to end up this time. I would like to stay around 135 - 140 lbs. but I will cross that bridge if and when I get to it.
I'm curious to know if anybody else has experienced anything like this after their DS. And if anybody else is struggling with weight regain - going on Paleo for a bit jump-started my weight loss, and I didn't have to stay on it forever. Just pushing the protein and cutting out the sugar has done the trick for me. Your mileage may vary.
Have a great weekend all,
Morganna in Indiana
on 8/27/16 9:28 am
I'm a male version of your situation in the earlier stages. I'm just short of 2 years out, and down to scary thin so I'm eating and drinking anything I want to prevent further weight loss, including lots of sugar.
Can you provide a rough timeline for your weight loss down to scary skinny and eventual regain timeframes?
I was 117 lbs at 3 years out. At four years out I was steadily regaining and by 8-9 years out I was a blimp again. Then at around 9.5 years out I went on a very loose version of the Paleo diet and started losing. Even though I went off it after a few months I have continued to lose. This morning I weighed 146.8 lbs so my weight loss is actually accelerating.
Hope this helps!
Morganna in Indiana
