Question:
I am a super super MO person weighing over 400 lbs
Are there any other posters who have been this large who has had WLS and been successful? How much weight did you lose? I am afraid that I will still be morbidly obese after my body stops losing weight. I am still pre-op and am susposed to be getting surgery in sept. or oct. Also what about the protein drinks, after checking out the costs I don't think I'll be able to afford them and vitamins. Has anyone found some at a reasonable price and that tastes good? — Patricia C. (posted on August 6, 2002)
August 5, 2002
I'm 2 days pre-op, but what I have read here, you will be successful, I've
seen larger people who look fabulous after the surgery. As for the protein
drinks, I have bought mine and am ready to go when I get home, they seemed
a little expensive at first, but consider what you paid for food before,
this is cheaper....Good luck & Bright Blessings to you.
— penciepaws
August 5, 2002
I started out at 450 lbs. Had my open rny on Oct 9th, 2001 and
have lost 215 lbs to date!!!! I have noticed that the higher
your starting weight, the faster you lose, at first that is!
My friends used to call me "BIG WILLY" now they call me:
"SLIM!!!" I am getting real skinny. I still weigh 235 lbs,
but I am 6' 8" tall!!!! My wife says that I am going to
disappear soon! So to answer part of your question: YES,
SOMEONE OVER 400 LBS HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL!!!!!!!!!
— OLD RODEO C.
August 5, 2002
My daughter weighed 406 lbs. with a BMI of almost 70 at the time of her lap
RNY in January, 2000. She lost 210 lbs....took a small "break"
to get married, get pregnant on the honeymoon, and give birth to a
beautiful, healthy baby....and now is continuing to lose weight at a slow,
but steady rate. It is obvious that she will reach "goal", and
is happier and healthier than at any time in her life since the age of 12.
As for protein drinks, there is always a great deal of discussion about
brands and grams of protein per day. Our surgeon, who is one of the
pioneers of WLS, offers "No Sugar Added Carnation Instant
Breakfast" to his patients as an acceptable option for protein
supplementation. He does however, add the caution that approximately 30%
of RNY patients will develop some degree of lactose intolerance, and that
the Instant Breakfast may cause some problems with those patients. This
product does contain SOME sugar, but did not trigger "dumping" in
any of the four of us in our family who had RNY surgery....although we all
experience dumping with other refined sugars, as well as fats. Our surgeon
is also one of those surgeons who subscribe to the school of thought that
protein supplementation should stop after six weeks, and that patients
should strive to eat "normally", receiving their necessary
protein in their diets. So, with that in mind, the CIB was a tasty,
easy-to-prepare, well-tolerated, cheap, and short-term solution for us.
Please listen carefully to your surgeon's recommendations....there are
differing nutritional requirements for different WLS procedures. Best
wishes!
— Diana T.
August 5, 2002
I want to answer your question as far as protein supps and vitamins
go.........first, if you don't supplement your vitamins, you WILL have
deficencies (?sp)at some point. That would NOT be good. Without your
calcium Citrate supplement you ARE going to get osteporsis. Supplementing
your vitamins is NOT something you have a choice about. You can always get
store brands. They are A LOT cheaper and just as good as name brands. As
far as protein supps.....Those will probably only need to be taken for the
first year. After that, you should be able to eat right and get your
protein that way. I have found, thru a lot of searching, the best place to
get protein supps and GREAT prices. The #1 best selling protein supplement
is the DESIGNER WHEY Protein powder and bars. I have tried many and this is
by far the best *I* have had. There is no grittiness and the taste is good.
You can order it at http://store.yahoo.com/esupps/desprotbar.html/ At GNC
I paid $17.99 for a 12.7 oz. can of Designer Whey Protein powder. On this
website I paid $18.95 for a 2 pound can!! At GNC it is $30 for the 2 pound
can. Yes there is shipping and handling but the more you order, the less
S&H will cost in the long run. Supplementing is VERY VERY important!!
— Kim B.
August 5, 2002
I had my surgery January 11th of this year, I was 410 I am now 274. I do
not compare my weight loss to anyone else's
and I am enjoying every part of this weight loss. Dont worry you will lose
weight. As for protein drinks. Do you have a Wal-Mart? the have Carb
Solutions, here the can runs around 8.97. I do add 1/2 cup of powered milk
to it to up the protein count. They also make really good protein bars.
You will be amazed at how much you will save on your food bills.
Carnation sugar free instant breakfast with 1/2 cup of powdered dry milk
added to 1 cup skim milk makes a good protein drink also.
Best of Luck !!
— domestic G.
August 5, 2002
My cousin weighed over 450# when she had WLS over 3 years ago. Today she
weighs around 188# and continues to lose slowly. She looks great and feels
great. She was over age 50 when she underwent her WLS as well. She was,
and still is, my inspriation for my own weight lose journey. She had open
RNY. Her co-morbidities were many, including be confined to a wheel cahir
because she could no longer walk. Her tummy hung to her knees and she was
totally dependant on her family for her every need. They were considering
putting her in nursing home. Now she is completely independant, has had
her tummy tuck and two knee surgeries and is living the life she could only
dream of before WLS. She doesn't use AMOS, or I would have directed to you
to her profile. As for protein drinks. I found Carb Solution, which I
think tastes pretty good, at Wal-Mart for a very reasonable price. I
personally, only used protein drinks for the first month post-op. But I do
eat Carb Solution Protein Bars now for breakfast. You can survive and lose
weight without using protein powders, etc. You just have to plan your
meals to provide you with your daily protein needs. Things like cottage
cheese, yogurt, beans, etc will give you plenty of protein.
— Susan M.
August 5, 2002
Patricia... I'm still a new pre-op. Just a little over 3 weeks out. I
started my journey at 440 lbs and weighed 436 lbs the morning of my
surgery. I had a "text book" surgery... no complications! And
I've also had a really fast recovery. At my 2 week appointment I had lost
26 lbs. My doctor gave me the okay to go ahead and start water walking so
hopefully that is helping with the weight loss too. A man who weighed 600
lbs had his surgery the day before me and he was doing pretty well too. As
far as protein drinks my doctors reccomend them until you can really start
eating again. After that he said "I'd rather see you eat a roast beef
sandwich than have a protein drink." They would rather you get your
protein in with real food. Vitamins however are verrrry important.
Wal-Mart has the store brand children's one-a-day that are chewable.
Wal-Mart also has protein drinks that are pretty reasonably priced.
— Tanya B.
August 5, 2002
Loved reading all these positive, wonderful, replies this morning! (at goal
& loving it!) Blessings, Barb B.
— Barbara B.
August 6, 2002
You can read a profile on Susan Barr. She was 530lbs I think she is 188lbs
now. Very inspirational. I don't know her but her story really made a
believer out of me.
— Sharon T.
August 6, 2002
I was 494 day of surgery and over 500 pounds at my peak. I am 2.5 years
post op and have lost 254 pounds. I expect to be about 200 pounds when I
am all done with the rest of my redundant skin removal and can get back to
my yoga and biking. I have a pretty detailed profile if you care to check.
As for the nutritional supplements, what I used to spend on food easily
compensates for the cost. Mostly, the quality of life I have now is
dramatically and drastically improved. Good Luck to you!
— merri B.
August 6, 2002
As you can see there are many post-ops that started out over 400 and now
have cut their weight in half. Think about how much healthier you will be
with 1/2 your weight or more gone. I admire you for making this decision.
As for protein drinks and bars, those are individual tastes. You really
only need to supplement until you can eat sufficient protein from foods.
For me that was about 2 months or so and now I have protein shakes/bars
when I feel like it because they taste good, or I want to eat a non-protein
meal, so I then supplement with a protein shake. And, the money that you
spent sustaining your pre-op weight, will now be money that you will be
able to use for your supplements and vitamins. Good luck!!
— Cindy R.
August 6, 2002
I am 16.5 months post-op. Started at 407 lbs. Down to 215 lbs. (-191
lbs.!) so far. The going is very slow nowadays, but I'm hoping to get to
190. It might take me a year, but I'm determined to get there! Good luck
- it is possible to make your goals if you're patient with yourself and
tenacious.
— Terissa R.
August 6, 2002
I started out at about 500 and had surgery in December 2001. So far I have
lost 156 pounds. Walmart has generic vitamins chewables, and iron at
reasonable cost. Don't worry about the cost - you'll be eating so much
less you'll save a bundle on food - and you can spend it on vitamins!
Remember you'll only be taking protein shakes for a few months - or as
directed by your nutritionist. Good Luck! I have a website you can check
out about my surgery: www.themightyempress.com/wls
— Pamela P.
August 6, 2002
I am in your position. Just had surgery 11 days ago and have already lost
enough weight to make my pants too small for me. I was 426lbs at my pre op
appointment but now I am waiting for my first follow up to see how much I
lost. My surgery was very successful. I can drive, walk more than a mile,
and I feel great. My incision is already healing nicely and I am looking
forward to the future. Good luck to you and God Bless.
— Lawrence R.
August 6, 2002
I am almost 4 months post-op and started out weighing 404lbs. I have lost
82 pounds in 3 1/2 months and am feeling GREAT! This was the best thing
that I could have ever done for myself. I do water aerobics 3 days a week
sometimes 4. I walk and ride my exercise bike(not all the time though). I
am able to do things now that I couldn't even think about 4 months ago. I
even went tubing in the Mountains with my family. It was FANTASTIC! About
the protein shakes, my doctor said not to do them. He said that he wants
me to learn to get my protein from food. So I do. You'll do fine and
remember God is always with you. Keeping a positive attitude really
helps. May God bless you with a complication free surgery and a fast
recovery. Lots of love and hugs, Amy
— Amy H.
August 7, 2002
I weighed 398 lbs when I had my WLS on 4/4/00. I now weigh 168 pounds and
just recently had my TT on 6/14/02. You'll make it!
— terri B.
August 10, 2002
I have found an awesome recipe for homemade protein drinks. The protein
can be found at a health food store, if they dont have it in stock, they
can order it for you. It is made by NurtiBiotic Company in Lakeport, CA
and it is "Dairy Free Vegetarian Rice Protein"-for a 1lb50z
container its only about $16.95 and you only use 1 tablespoon per serving.
It has 12g protein, 58 calories, 0.7g fat, 0 sat fat, 1g sugar and 200mg
fiber. It is the best tasting protein I have found and the recipe I use
is:
1/2 blender full of pineapple juice (unsweet)
or Diet V8 Splash, Berry blend
2-3 Tbsp of protein powder
handful of frozen raspberries
handful of frozen blueberries,
handful of frozen strawberries,
one banana
if you put the protein in the juice first and blend, it wont get too thick
too fast, you can judge by the amounts of fruit to thin it down or not.
But, go ahead and put everything else in and blend on high and fill 2-3
lidded bottles, about 8oz size. You can find them at Walmart. You can vary
the amounts of fruit depending on what you like. You can do 1 or 2 instead
of all of them. Keep trying different combinations of fruit until you like
the taste, as you are adding them to the blender. Refridgerate them and
drink them when you feel a little hungry or slowed down, they will pick you
up for sure, let me know how you liked them.
I usually buy the large bags of frozen fruit from Sams and that way I
always have it on hand.
Good luck, Jane
— Jane C.
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