7 and a bit month update post RNY !

[Kevin1708]

Hi all . . .

Just a quick update as I have not been on here for some time. This is not bragging but hopefully inspiration for those starting their journey . . .
I am pleased to report that since my journey began (April 2011) I have lost 118lb and reached target - all in 7 months ! The surgery has had no negative impact on my life whatsoever – I can more or less eat what I want but in much smaller quantities and I tend to choose the healthy options (I think you ‘just do’ post op). I feel great inside and out and fit as a fiddle. Do I miss the food? Well to be honest I don’t think you do because you are eating just less. Thankfully no adverse affects . . . 34/36 inch waist 44/46 inch chest (6’0’’) BMI = overweight, I could lose more but I am delighted with the way I look (sorry, that does sound awful but I will balance it by saying I hated to way I looked pre op). No excess skin (that did worry me), no pains, no dumping (save for theonion bhajis I had a week or so post op). You may recall I am an advocate of ‘taking a little longer’ to get to goal and trying to live life as normally as possible which means going out to eat, having a drink and so on ~ life must go on. If I want a bag of Cheese and Onion or another treat then that’s fine – you just change the way you feel about food and life in general. I have had the builders in for the last few weeks and have been without a kitchen – what a nightmare but it be will be worth it as this sort off adds to the fresh start I aim for for 2012. Good luck to one and all and best wishes. Regards, Kevin

 

[Caren]

thats great Kevin well done mate xxx

 

[wizzbang]

Congrats Kevin, Its lovely to hear that you have reached goal. I'm glad you haven't had any more dumping and its fab to know that you have managed your phenominal loss so well.
You did well !!!!!!!! Keep safe and happy.
Lynne xx

 

[starr]

well done kevin!,,,,,,, and yes life has to go on,,,,even better than before !!,youve done so well, x

 

[Tray3004]

Well done Hun uve done great

Sent from my iPhone using WLSurgery

 

[Sharonimo]

So inspiring to hear you have lost 118 lbs *and* reached your own personal goal all within 7 months.

!!!!!!!

 

[cost]

Hi Kevin, Thanks for taking the time to update us on your success. It is great to hear your news and gives me inspiration for my own journey. Cheers Cx

 

[mariew]

What a fab post, thanks. And massive congratulations, you sound really balanced too. I am glad you like the way you look, That's what a lot if not all of us hope for!

 

[Peterborough Guy]

Well done mate, great to see you have done so well, your a inspiration.

 

[Debbie15]

A big CONGRATULATIONS ....

 

[FuturePerfect]

Well done Kevin. I'm so jealous - no excess skin! I expect your other half is also delighted with the reformed you. Enjoy a longer life.

 

[Liesa]

well done Kevin x

my husband Steve has high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, he wants to have a RNY bypass but i told him lets deal with me first... lol... get through my surgery see how i manage to deal with not just the surgery but a new way of life then he can see the Dr to start a new journey for him xxx

 

[Stavros]

Hi all . . .

Just a quick update as I have not been on here for some time. This is not bragging but hopefully inspiration for those starting their journey . . .
I am pleased to report that since my journey began (April 2011) I have lost 118lb and reached target - all in 7 months ! The surgery has had no negative impact on my life whatsoever – I can more or less eat what I want but in much smaller quantities and I tend to choose the healthy options (I think you ‘just do’ post op). I feel great inside and out and fit as a fiddle. Do I miss the food? Well to be honest I don’t think you do because you are eating just less. Thankfully no adverse affects . . . 34/36 inch waist 44/46 inch chest (6’0’’) BMI = overweight, I could lose more but I am delighted with the way I look (sorry, that does sound awful but I will balance it by saying I hated to way I looked pre op). No excess skin (that did worry me), no pains, no dumping (save for theonion bhajis I had a week or so post op). You may recall I am an advocate of ‘taking a little longer’ to get to goal and trying to live life as normally as possible which means going out to eat, having a drink and so on ~ life must go on. If I want a bag of Cheese and Onion or another treat then that’s fine – you just change the way you feel about food and life in general. I have had the builders in for the last few weeks and have been without a kitchen – what a nightmare but it be will be worth it as this sort off adds to the fresh start I aim for for 2012. Good luck to one and all and best wishes. Regards, Kevin

Hello Kevin

I’m glad to here your success story. I am now into my 12 week post-op. I read with interest that you are able to eat and drink most things. My question is can you drink fizzy drinks ok! And if you can how long after your op was it before you tried anything fizzy.

Stavros
:sign0163:

 

[Kevin1708]

Hello Kevin

I’m glad to here your success story. I am now into my 12 week post-op. I read with interest that you are able to eat and drink most things. My question is can you drink fizzy drinks ok! And if you can how long after your op was it before you tried anything fizzy.

Stavros
:sign0163:

Yes, I do drink fizzy drinks, no problems at all but limit to one small one a day and take my time – funny enough a diet coke on a warm day taste so much better now.

This is from and earlier post of mine, hope it helps . . .

I think fizzy must be limited to 1 a day be diet and caffeine free (though caffeine does speed up the metabolism and aids weight loss!

I looked in to the subject of Fizzy and RNY ~ found some interesting reading this is taken from "Why Carbonated Beverages are "TABOO" after bariatric Surgery" By: Cynthia Buffington, Ph.D (but reworded and cut down by me to help ME understand it !!)

If you consume a fizzy while eating, the carbonation forces food through the stomach pouch, reducing the time food remains in the pouch. The less time food remains in your stomach pouch, the less satiety you feel leading to you eating more food (possibly). Some claim (though I cannot find any definitive research) that the gas in fizzy drinks may "stretch" your pouch. Food forced through the pouch by the fiz can (allegedly) significantly enlarge the size of your stoma (the opening between the stomach pouch and intestines of patients who have had a RNY or biliopancreatic diversion). An enlarged pouch or stoma would allow you to eat more. Fizzy drinks may also cause weight gain by reducing the absorption of dietary calcium. Dietary calcium helps stimulate fat breakdown and reduce its uptake into adipose tissue. Epidemiological and clinical studies have found a close association between obesity and low dietary calcium intake. Recent studies have found that maintaining sufficient amounts of dietary calcium helps to induce weight loss or prevent weight gain following diet.

The high caffeine in fizzy drinks may reduce the absorption of calcium into the body. Studies have found that caffeine increases urinary calcium content, meaning that high caffeine may interfere with the uptake of dietary calcium into the body.

Fizzy, such as Pepsi and Coke (diet or with sugar), may also cause calcium deficiencies from the high amounts of phosphoric acid that they contain. Phosphate binds to calcium and the bound calcium cannot be absorbed into the body.

Drinking fizzy may also reduce dietary calcium because these beverages replace milk and other nutrient-containing drinks or foods in the diet. Carbonated beverages, then, may reduce dietary calcium because of their high caffeine or phosphoric acid content or because drinking such beverages tends to reduce the consumption of calcium-containing foods and beverages. Such deficiencies in dietary calcium intake may be even more pronounced in Bariatric surgical patients.

Calcium deficiencies with Bariatric surgery have been reported following gastric restrictive and/or malabsorptive procedures. The reduced amounts of calcium with RNY may occur as a result of low nutrient intake, low levels of vitamin D, or, for patients who have had gastric bypass pr the biliopancreatic diversion (with or without the duodenal switch), from bypass of the portion of the gut where active absorption of calcium normally occurs. Drinking fizzy may further increase the risk for dietary calcium deficiencies and, in this way, hinder maximal weight loss success.

For all the reasons described above, including calcium deficits, reduced satiety, enlargement of pouch or stoma, drinking fizzy, even those that are sugar-free, could lead to weight gain. Fizzy that contains sugar, however, pose a substantially greater threat to the Bariatric patient in terms of weight loss and weight loss maintenance with surgery.

In addition to the adverse effects that carbonated drinks have on weight loss or weight loss maintenance, carbonated beverages may also have adverse effects on health. Soda beverages and other carbonated drinks are acidic with a pH of 3.0 or less. Drinking these acidic beverages on an empty stomach in the absence of food, as Bariatric patients are required to do, can upset the fragile acid-alkaline balance of the gastric pouch and intestines and increase the risk for ulcers or even the risk for gastrointestinal adenomas (cancer).

 

[LET.ME.OUT.OF.THIS.BODY]

Thank you so much for you original post, i am going in today and having major second thoughts but after reading your post i feel much better about the whole thing. THANK YOU XX

 

[Kevin1708]

Thank you so much for you original post, i am going in today and having major second thoughts but after reading your post i feel much better about the whole thing. THANK YOU XX

I am glad you are going ahead . . . strangely enough the time running up to the op is dominated with both good and bad thoughts about the op and the ‘possible outcomes’. Once you are out the operating room you have a whole new life ahead of you. Have you noticed that there are few ‘old timers’ (operation wise) on this site . . . ! Many just fade away or like me pay the odd visit – this is because not only does you physique change but also you outlook on life. You soon forget that you have had the op and just get on with life a normal life where you can fit into restaurant seats / airplane seats, buy cloth of the rack and not be rummaging around for the odd XXL. Let me know how you get on xx