What Difference Does Surgery Make?

So, I've been kicking this around for quite a while, especially when I read everyone's posts about being compliant and following the nutrition plan completely. I even asked my best friend this 10 years ago when she had WLS.

The question: given that the road to success is following the eating plan, and given that I'm having surgery BECAUSE I can't follow an eating plan (because if I could follow one, I wouldn't need surgery), what difference does having surgery make? Why will I suddenly be able to follow a food plan after surgery if I can't stay on one now?

Not trying to be a smartass -- I'm just really curious, and thinking about it makes me very nervous about what will happen after surgery.

Thanks.

Joan

Well I'm only 4 weeks out, but I'll try to answer a little bit! Once you have surgery, as your pouch heals you can only have liquids. As time goes on you can add softer foods (yogurts, cottage cheese, etc) little by little and work up to more solid foods such as meats. So far I haven't really had a hard time tolerating anything, but sometimes I just feel sick to my stomach and really don't want to eat. Also, there is "dumping syndrome" where if you eat sugars they go right through you, sometimes causing diarrhea, but I experienced it once right after surgery and got extremely lightheaded/dizzy, sweaty, etc. Because of that I will avoid all sugars for as long as I possibly can- it's just not worth it. This only happens to about 30% of people who have surgery though. 

Another thing to mention is that since surgery I have not felt hungry whatsoever. I actually have to remind myself that I should eat (or friends/family remind me). I've heard this can last for a few months. I know long term that might not help- but you will eat small quantities hopefully for the long term because of your small pouch. 

If you are motivated to lose weight and keep it off you should be dedicated to a new way of living and not worried about a "food plan". Even only being 4 weeks out, still tired/nauseous/sore a lot of the time, I would recommend the surgery to anyone who needs it. As of last Friday I lost 46 lbs since my high weight (whi*****ludes my pre-op diet)- I only weight myself once a week so I'm not obsessing about it all the time. Good luck to you!!

For me personally, with the new pouch I can only eat about 1 cup of food at a time(2years post op), compared to before when I could eat a whole pizza at a time now it is just the cheese off the top. I cant stomach things that i used to love, such as Ice cream, candy bars, anything fried or just high in fat. So the biggest thing for me was learning a new way to eat better things for my body and my pouch. RNY is a tool, that allows you to feel full quicker because your losing a good amount of your stomach. Yes there is ways to keep eating, but that isnt safe.

Just make sure you know that this isnt a DIET, its a life style change. RNY is just a tool that you have to be willing to learn to use or you will fail. The plans are pretty easy to follow, protein first, no drinking while eating or 30 mins after, limit your carbs to good carbs, take your vitamins(life long thing), drink your water, and most of all MOVE YOUR ASS.

The difference surgery made for me is that I am not hungry all the time and I am content with a reasonable portion of food. Before surgery I was ravenously hungry and I was a volume eater.

I could still eat a bunch of calorie dense food and eat too many calories, so I still need to watch my intake, but it is much easier now.

Before my WLS, my stomach was about the size of a football.  Now, it is about the size of an egg.

Before surgery, if I tried to stick to a plan that involved eating no more than one cup of food at a time, well, I was starving.  Now, I get full on that amount.

Yeah, I have to choose the right type of food. But surgery lets me get full on a small amount.

Yes.  I lost weight to goal and learned healthy eating to keep myself here forever.  Nine years and counting wearing size 4-6, looking better at nearly 50 then I did at 25.  Yes you will eat different.

My problem wasn't that I couldn't follow a plan, it was more about how long I could follow a plan.  

I teach so for years, my norm was to join WW in January, lose an average of a pound a week for about three months (12 lbs down)  and then during Spring Break, I would back off a little. I'm not talking about buffets everyday, but not tracking my food and splurges throughout the week. I would finish the week 8lbs up and then get back on track. It would take me another 8 weeks to lose that sprain break weight and then summer break would arrive, I'd maintain my 12 lb lost for the summer and then slowly gain it back plus an extra 5-10 lbs from the stress of starting back to school as well as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas eating. I would then start all over again. 

The difference this time is when I hit my first mini stall at 1 month, I didn't have a choice to overeat as my pouch couldn't handle anything not on program and I had already lost 20 lbs so I had the motivation to stay the course. For the next five months, I just enjoyed every bit of the ride as I stayed 100% on program and watched the weight come off.  I was too busy trying to figure out how to get enough protein in and how to stretch my wardrobe since I couldn't afford too many clothes, so I didn't have time to play head games with myself about justifying eating things I knew weren't on my plan. By my 6 month anniversary (a week before Christmas), I had lost 80 lbs. That will keep you motivated!

The next three months I stayed close to plan except for a few glasses of wine and some smart pop thrown in and the last 4 months I have been working with the idea that this is how I will be eating for the rest of my life so how many calories, protein, carbs, fat, exercise, etc. will work for me.

This is longer than I planned, but the bottom line is I get full faster, sugar and carbs make me feel gross and sometimes actually ill, I have a great minimalist wardrobe and look good in everything I own, for the first time I look forward to exercising and get antsy if I don't, I get compliments daily almost to the point of embarrassment, and I really like all the things I get to eat and get excited about cooking now- definitely quality over quantity. All of these things make is MUCH easier to stay on program 97% of the time and I'm kinder on myself for the other 3%.  

I'm hoping all of the good habits now, will help me through the dreaded year 2-3 everyone talks about. I don't post often, but I visit this board daily and all the comments and threads keep me going. Thanks to all the vets who keep answering the same questions again and again and to the newbies who seem to come up with new ways to ask which keep the boards interesting!

I asked the very same question of my surgeon before surgery. 

7 months out I can say the difference is 130 lbs lost and a life that doesn't revolve around food. Both of those things were unimaginable before surgery. 

It's a legitimate question...

Weight loss surgery gives you a nice initial weight loss that will alleviate a lot of health issues and gets you off medications that might have hindered weight loss efforts in the past. The initial "retraining" within the first year gives you a chance to make some lifestyle changes, find some healthier food options that you enjoy, incorporate exercise/activity that's fun and something you look forward to doing (which is much more effective with 100+ pounds off,) find stress reducers that don't involve a bag of doritos and most importantly and the hardest part IMHO work on the head stuff (the why's) and slay some of those dragons.

Weight Loss Surgery is not a DO-OVER (repeat same mistakes = get a similar outcome.) Weight Loss Surgery is a DO-BETTER (make lifestyle changes you can continue forever.)

Best to you! ~Michelle "Shelly"

P.S. I think a little healthy fear is good... keeps your head in the game. 

You also have malabsorption with RNY - so that helps in the beginning.

However, I still want to eat... all the time actually, but now at a normal weight - I have more motivation to keep it off.  Like before when I lost 30 pounds and got tired of dieting, I was still fat so I didn't care if I gained it back.  Now I am "normal" so I am more motivated to keep it off so I can STAY normal.  Mind games.

That is the difference it has made so far for me.