Any Regrets?

Hello all,

I'm pre-op hoping to have the gastric bypass in the near future. The closer i get to finishing my requirements the more nervous (and excited) I get. I was just wondering if there's anyone out there that's had the roux-en-y and regrets getting it, for whatever reason. Veterans-has it been hard to keep the WLS lifestyle up years after the surgery?

It seems overwhelming to have to take vitamins 3 times a day, take supplements, get 60+g of protein, watch to be sure what I'm eating is low carb/low fat, no drinking with food, no alcohol, no caffeine, etc. Is it easier to maintain this lifestyle than I'm imagining? I think I can do it- I have been since I started this process and I've been losing. I just want to hear what post-ops have to say about life after surgery. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Kaia

The vets really have the info here but I am six months out and ecstatic.  I am so happy I did this.  I feel wonderful, I can eat lots and lots of things, really anything I want but it is so much easier to manage my intake because of the restriction and also I think the hormonal changes that shift hunger and satiation are helping.  I imagine I will have times when it will be tough, it is smart to listen to the vets about this, but so far, ecstatic!  The vitamins and protein and water become totally second nature, though it did seem like a full tiem job the first month of two, but now it is easy.  Again, I am only six months out so still in the honeymoon but listen to what the vets have to say, some of them are really smart!!!!!  :)

True taking the vitamins all the time is a drag, it's really not that bad.  I have turned back the clock of time on almost everything else. I am certain with out WLS I would be D E A D now. I am now capable of riding my bike 25 miles at a time over real terrain outside. Before walking to the end of the driveway was a great challenge. Getting the protein in is easy. Learning all the foods you can't ever eat again sucks some what. In the end, it's so worth it. Just stay away from the donuts and candy bars at the gas station. You look at that post surgery and think "RAT POISON" instead of tasty treat. 

 

The number one thing is, follow your doctor's instructions!

 

 

Wow! That's really inspiring that you can ride 25 miles! I can't even sit on a bike seat without it bothering me right now. I'm hoping to become more athletic during the process. I read a book that said It takes 6-12 months for exercise to become a habit, so I'm trying to stick with it. Thanks for your response.

Everything you have to do and keep up with is overwhelming at first because it's so different from how you have been living.  But, after a while it becomes your new normal and you will do things without even having to think about it.  The vitamins are just part of my normal day and in my schedule.  I have my routine and my go to foods and ease through the day.  The only time that vitamins are cumbersome is when I have to travel for work (which isn't too often) and when I am on vacation.  But, being 9 years out, I kinda got all of that down pat now too.  LOL.  Loving life healthier and thinner.     

 WHAT IS YOUR SCHEDULE? I NEED HELP, TOO. THANKS!   

I take 1 multivitamin, 2 calcium citrate, a B-complex, and a probiotic at 7 every morning on my way out the door.  I get them out the night before and have them ready by my purse with a bottle of water.  At lunch I take 2  more calcium citrate which I keep in my desk drawer at work in a pill organizer.  I fill it up over the weekend for the next work week.  After I finish eating I do a sublingual B-12 and a sublingual D3.  At 3 to 3:30 when I have a little snack, I take a second multi and a probiotic.  That's a wrap for what I take.  That way when I leave work and get home to a hectic evening with hubby and kiddos I am not trying to remember vitamins.  LOL.  They are done by 3:30.  I have containers for my purse that snap apart.  You just snap Saturday off, throw it in your purse and wherever you are you can take your vitamins like normal.  

I will be 6 years out in August. Although I don't regret my RNY, I have to admit that the vitamin schedule does get to be a drag after a while.  I find the prohibition on taking NSAIDs much more difficult than I expected.

I don't find watching what I eat to be particularly difficult, but I think some of that depends on whether you really commit to making changes in what you eat during the first year.  I did, so how I eat now is just how I eat rather than eating as if I am on a diet.  I don't count carbs or fat, and I don't even consider the way I eat to be low fat (I almost never eat fried foods ****asionally, I eat fried shrimp and pull off much of the breading), but I eat full fat cheese, eat nuts as a protein snack, use butter instead of margarine, use regular PB, etc.).  I don't have any restrictions on caffeine, either.  I still allow myself to have occasional foods that are less than healthy choices (pizza, ice cream, etc.), but I have them only very occasionally and limit the amount that I eat.  For me, success depended on me finding a way to eat that was workable long term.  That meant no "off limits" foods.  Others find that they have to have some foods that they never eat again in order to stay "in control".

Lora

That's comforting to hear that you are still able to eat like a normal person, just in smaller amounts. I'm really focusing on making good habits and getting out of old bad ones right now. I've stopped drinking diet coke and eating sugar. I'm following my nutritionist's advice and I am losing weight. Thank you for bringing up the first year. I'm determined to follow my eating and exercise plan.

I'm almost 4 years out, and down 160 lbs with no regain.  I was a 324 lb dead woman walking before surgery.  I had no comorbidities YET, but with my family history, I knew they were looming.  I was always tired, and gasping for air.  I literally went from the bed, to my car, to my desk, home and  to the couch.  Fast forward to May 1, 2009.  I had RNY surgery.  I committed 100% to change my life for good.  I had already started 6 months prior by regularly exercising, which was a daunting task at 300+ lbs. BUT I DID IT.

For the 1st year, I was 100% by the book compliant.  I knew I had to cement the good habits.  At 13 months, I reached goal (and I say "goal" loosely....I never had a magic number I wanted to reach...my doctor said "you'll stop losing when your body is done" and I did).  I then began the hardest part, in my opinion, maintenance.  I began to allow flexibility in my food choices and also allowed an adult beverage on occasion.  I now live by the 80/20 rule:  I'm compliant about 80% of the time with my food/drink choices...the rest, not so much.  I can eat whatever I want-I'm not a dumper.  There are just a few things that do not agree with me and that is real ice cream, banana pudding and key lime pie.

What I do not ever waiver on is the rules of my surgery.  I still, to this day, do not drink with meals, avoid soda (only because the fizz makes me miserable) and I wait 30-60 minutes after a meal to begin drinking again.  I also do not miss my vitamins.  I have my labs checked every 6 months. After 4 years, vitamins just aren't a big deal-3 times a day I take them...it is like brushing my teeth.  Also, I workout hard 3-6 days a week.  It depends on how my arthritis is acting how many workouts I get in, but in general terms, I'd say I'm a solid 4x a week 1 hour each time exerciser.

I do have one regret only.  I wish I'd done this 15 years sooner!