[After Weight Loss Surgery] Back in the saddle again

My RNY was in January 1999. In the intervening 14 years, I've gotten a bit lax about my 'pouch rules' and early last year I realized I'd gained 30 pounds.

Early last October I joined a gym and started going every other day and I stopped drinking wine. I figured that would do it, no problem. But there was a problem. I hadn't lost an ounce by the end of December

In January 2013, I started a low carb, low fat diet. After a month, I'd lost 5 pounds. Hmm.

So I decided to see a bariatric (I love how autocorrect just changed bariatric to 'barbaric'!) physician. Surely something was wrong with my pouch and I needed a revision. I'd moved from Illinois to Florida, so I had to find a new surgeon, and I started making calls.

But at 14 years post-op, no physician would see me. How could that be possible? On my 4th call to a surgeon, the phone was answered by a nutritionist who worked for the doctor. She encouraged me to make an appointment with her. The $93 fee wasn't covered by my insurance, but my husband encouraged me to go anyway. I also didn't think it would help much, but I reasoned to myself that seeing her might help me get in to see the surgeon, so I went.

What a revelation. I've moderated this group since I was 6 months post-op, sharing my experiences. But I didn't have enough self-reflection to realize I'd completely fallen from 'the path'.

That path is the training I learned for living with my gastric bypass. I had RNY surgery and not a lapband, so your mileage may vary on your 'path'. But people are still getting surgery, so I'm hoping the following is relevant.

I had stopped the good practices that 'respect' my surgery, and thus was defeating it. Part of that is my pouch and esophageal and intestinal openings have stretched, and my dumping reactions had a higher threshold. The other part is that I've got the concept that I want to be 'normal' - meaning I don't want to have to watch everything I eat and drink. I want to be like 'regular people' who don't gain weight from the very thought of a doughnut.

I was naive about both those 'parts', and the nutritionist has set me to 'rights'. She offered the following 'refresher course', which I'll share with you. It is not medical advice to you, this is the information I learned 14 years ago, but which I have 'conveniently' forgotten. This is what she told me:

1. No drinking 30 minutes before, during or 30 minutes after eating.

2. Three meals plus three snacks a day, all of which are protein-centered, no matter what else you eat. Plain Greek yogurt and quinoa were suggested, as was a daily protein shake.

3. Track your weight, daily if possible. Weigh yourself and keep a log. Doing so keeps you cognizant of changes so you can correct them.

4. Journal your eating. Very important, very easy to not do. Nike yourself and just do it.

5. Exercise daily. 30 minutes of uninterrupted walking at minimum. Anything else is a bonus.

6. Take vitamins (I'd totally stopped them). She recommended 2 Flintstones chewables with iron (morning and evening), a B-Complex (B-6, Riboflavin and B-12) sublingual liquid), and calcium citrate daily.

7. Have a full vitamin blood panel done at least annually to ensure you're within range. Also check for anemia.

8. Participate in a support group. Her bariatric center has monthly meetings. Of course they're on my Game Night, but I'll have to miss it.

9. Be moderate with obviously bad food choices and alcohol. Research has shown that artificial sweetners do promote over-eating, so limit or avoid them in drinks, food and candy/gum. Unprocessed vegetable oils are your best choice for fats, limit butter, avoid margarine and the jury is still out on coconut oil.

10. Analyze your eating habits. Are you eating because of stress? Are you 'emotionally eating'? Are you missing something in your life and relationships? Take a step back and observe yourself. Look for stress and lack (!) and attempt to manage it with alternatives like meditation, yoga, socializing, walking and spirituality.

I hope what I've 're-learned' may be of help to you. Sometimes what we know can evade us. Best of luck to you all.

-Vic
group founder



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