How To Lose Weight 15 Years After Gastric Bypass

Growing up, kids bullied me about my weight, so by the time I hit high school, I was ready for a change.

I started cycling through diets like crazy—specifically ones that promised fast weight-loss results. I shelled out more money than I'd like to admit on gym memberships, diet plans, and supplements. But every time, I’d lose 15 to 20 pounds, then gain it all back (plus more). I felt trapped in this cycle of hating my body, dieting, bingeing, and feeling ashamed.

Then, when I was 24, I had my daughter. She was perfect in every way, but I was spiraling. I felt worse than ever about myself, inside and out. Postpartum depression hit me hard, and I found myself falling deeper into a dark place. I turned to food.

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By the time my daughter was three years old, my depression was at its worst and I hit my heaviest weight at 281 pounds. Just as she was discovering the joy of running, jumping, and twirling, I was losing my inability to play with her in the most basic of ways. I felt like I was watching the world from behind a dirty window.

I met with my doctor and made a plan to regain my health. My mental health came first. I found an awesome therapist and got treated for my depression and anxiety. Once I began to escape that dark cloud, I saw how my mental illness and my weight were caught in a vicious cycle.

Once I was in a good place mentally, it was time to take control of my physical health. My doctor and I decided the best route was gastric bypass surgery, which I had on February 7, 2018.

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The surgery itself has very strict rules for what you can eat and how much, but many people find a way to eat junk food and end up regaining their weight despite their smaller stomachs. I’m determined not to let that happen to me!

Step one in forming a new relationship with food was revamping my kitchen. Gone are all the processed comfort foods like chips, cookies, and soda. Now, I eat lean meats (mainly fish and chicken) with lots of veggies and fresh fruits. I also started cooking, which helps me create healthy versions of the foods that I crave.

Hiring a personal trainer was the best decision I ever made. I started with workouts geared to my fitness level (which, at the beginning was basically zilch), courtesy of my coach, Brooklyn Taylor.

How To Lose 15 Pounds

As I gained strength, she upped the intensity and movements to keep my body guessing and progressing. Now, I warm up with 15 minutes of light cardio on the treadmill or elliptical, then I lift for an hour. Brooklyn changes my routine so I never get bored.

When I first started, I was using the smallest weights on the rack, lifting just five pounds for lots (and lots!) of reps. Now, I go straight for the heavy weights, and I'm so proud of my strength gains.

This past Thanksgiving, I ran my first 5K—ever. The girl who couldn't even finish the mile run in middle school finished her first 5K race in 36 minutes and 48 seconds (and I didn't stop once!). It was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Long Term Outcomes Following Laparoscopic Roux En Y Gastric Bypass: Weight Loss And Resolution Of Comorbidities At 15 Years And Beyond

Today, I’m maintaining my weight loss at a powerful 155 pounds and I never felt better, inside and out. Now that I've lost weight and have a handle on my depression, I feel like I can finally enjoy life.

I love showing my progress off on Instagram (follow me @k.adkinss!) and I’ve made a lot of great friends through social media. It’s also made me better at my job, working as a licensed practical nurse. Oh and you may be seeing more of me—I just signed up to compete in my first NPC bikini bodybuilding competition this year. Bring on the sparkly bikinis!

Charlotte Hilton Andersen has been a health and fitness writer for 12 years and is the author of The Great Fitness Experiment. Her three great loves are her family, jelly beans, and true crime podcasts on the treadmill (but only the ones against the wall so no one can creep up on her).

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Does Volume Eating Work For Weight Loss? 15 Effective Ways To Lose Weight In A Month ‘Ozempic Changed The Way I Look At Food’ The 14 Best Drinks To Help You Lose WeightPatients that have undergone bariatric surgery might find that they see excellent results after just a few years – or usually just a few short months. Further post-operative patients with comorbidities seem to report greater postoperative results. The outcome of bariatric surgery after a decade shows staggering results. Studies show that 30% of bariatric surgery patients had no signs of diabetes after 15 years. These results are compared to only 7% of patients with standard care being in diabetes remission. These studies were conducted by the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) and compared to those by Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Years After Gastric Sleeve: Long Term Success

The studies conducted show that diabetes patients with a shorter duration or significant weight loss within two years after the surgery had the best likelihood of sustained diabetic remission 15 years after the surgery. This indicates that the patients had their bariatric surgery before the insulin-producing cells were failing beyond irreversibility. If they had not, it is not likely that the patient would have seen long-term remission from the procedure. These individuals had the advantage of getting safe surgery at the right time of their lives. It is unlikely that others had gone beyond the point of being irreversible in their diabetes status.

Out of the 4, 047 obese patients enrolled in the Swedish study in 1987 and 2001, 260 patients went through standard medical care for their diabetes, and 343 had bariatric surgery of some type. The average age of these patients was 50, and their BMI or body mass index was approximately 41. While both men and women conducted the study, nearly 60% of the participants were women. The individuals had been diagnosed with diabetes for approximately 3 years before the surgery and had been seeking medical treatment but not taking medication at the time. Indications of diabetes slowly vanished, leaving the patients in remission and suffering no ill consequences from diabetes.

The definition of diabetes remission was below 110 mg/dL, and the patients were not taking anti-diabetic medications. The individuals that had the greatest weight loss success also seemed to have the longest diabetes remission rate. There was also an apparent reduction in the risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications. This means fewer complications with these individuals required added medical treatment or care beyond the comorbidities.

Recovering From Bariatric Surgery

These studies seem to illustrate that bariatric surgery is not just a weight-loss tool. Still, it can also help many severe comorbidities be contained, reduced, or completely removed. Patients seemed to find long-term success in reducing these complications of obesity when they underwent bariatric surgery of any kind. It appeared to be important to know that the patients kept the weight off and maintained a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition and exercise. These factors have helped the patient maintain long-term remission from diabetes and other comorbidities associated with obesity.

The long-term success rates make a statement about where the bariatric surgery can take a patient. The right surgery with the right patient and the right attitude can change their health dramatically. These studies will help to better understand the success that can come with the surgery for patients that are excellent candidates.

By Ron Elli, Ph.D. |2022-11-28T23:06:16+00:00July 25th, 2014|Categories: Case Studies|Tags: benefits, comorbidities, diabetes, does weight loss surgery cure diabetes, health benefits, obesity problems, reduce risk of diabetes, remission, results, study|0 Comments

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Mexico Bariatric Center's Founder and CEO, Ron Elli, Ph.D. has been in Medical Tourism Bariatrics and Plastics since early 2007. Dr. Elli is a pioneer in the Mexico Weight Loss Surgery sector. Ron has published numerous articles in Global Healthcare and is certified by Medical Tourism Association. In the fight against obesity, Dr. Elli has been informing patients in U.S. and Canada about the benefits of this life-changing surgical treatment through bariatric seminars and webinars.