I know I’ve been remiss about posting here regularly; but do get comments on my older posts – so I know folks are finding this site and still benefiting from previous posts.

Today, I want to give you an update on where I’m at in my post-op journey….

First, if you haven’t already, enter your name and email above to get my free report: The TRUTH About Weight Loss Surgery.  It’s eye opening and covers some very important things that could benefit anyone, regardless if they are pre-op, or post-op.

Now for my update.

I’m doing fair.  The reactive hypoglycemia is an ongoing issue.  I have to eat a little bit of something every 2-3 hours to keep my blood sugar stabilized.  My iron levels seem to have stabilized.  I changed my iron supplement to carbonyl iron with vitamin C, that I get from Vitalady.com and so far, that seems to be doing a pretty decent job at keeping my iron & ferritin levels up.

Since I have osteoporosis and I take Vitalady Tender Dry Vitamin D3-50 (50,000IU) once a week (also from Vitalady).  I also take Vitalady Tender Calcium Citrate Only 300mg(elemental) from Vitalady.  I do have hyperparathyroidism, which honestly is the bulk of my current complaints and health issues (click the link to read the list of symptoms – I have nearly every one.  Enough said – it’s not fun!).  This means I need to increase my calcium even more!

I also take a multivitamin, magnesium citrate, both from Vitalady.  I also take extra zinc and a sublingual liquid B vitamin supplement (with B12) that I get from Walmart.

Protein shakes:  my favorite is Champion Pure Whey Stack.  Not only does this protein taste great, it does NOT contain sucralose (NutraSweet), which I am allergic to.  Let me  give you a bit of advice about buying protein; get samples first!  What I love, you may hate – and protein is not cheap.  I like ordering my protein from Vitalady, because she offers samples!  So you can try before you buy a larger container.  ;)

Overall – I’m fair.  The hyperparathyroid symptoms are awful; but with increasing my supplements, I will overcome this and feel better.  To say that supplements are important is an understatement.  They’re critical.

Sound Off

Are you a weight loss surgery post-op?  If so, how far post-op are you and how is your health?

Like most, I sailed through the actual surgical procedure without complications. I had no major issues or problems.  I ignored my surgeon’s supplemental advice of 2 Flintstones chewables and Carnation Instant Breakfast as his recommended ‘supplemental’ advice; and began taking bariatric specific supplements as soon as I got home from the hospital.

Imagine my shock when 3 years later I had a mild heart attack due to severally low ferritin and iron levels.  The form of iron I was taking, was not what  I needed.  I also learned that the portion of our small intestines that does the best job absorbing iron – I had removed as part of my bypass surgery.

Then, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and severally low vitamin D and zinc.  How could this be?  I was taking my supplements.

Apparently taking supplements – even those designed for bariatric post-ops – is no guarantee you’re getting the nutrients you need.  Deciphering blood work results is tricky, as not all is always as it appears at face value on test results either.  You have to know what to look for, to know how deficient you are and in what nutrients.

Adjusting supplements is an art form.  You take more, but how much more.  You adjust your dose, wait 3, 4 or 6 months – test again, adjust again.  Taking too much of some supplements can be dangerous, and even with malabsorption, apparently this can happen.

If you are one who is a gastric bypass post-op who had a malabsorptive procedure, it is urgent you do three things:

1. Make an appointment with your doctor, or hematologist ASAP and get a full panel of testing done to check all of your nutrient levels, including thyroid
2. Get a dexa bone scan to check your bone density
3. Take your supplements, including your high quality protein shake, faithfully every single day. Note: you will have to take supplements more than just once per day.  I’m currently taking supplements 4 times per day.  Check your levels, supplement and then test again and adjust as needed for you.

If you are feeling tired, no energy, experiencing symptoms of depression, numbness, tingling, etc…. you need to get to your doctor now.  Please.  We had this surgery to get healthier, and that’s not always what happens for everyone.

Find a support system to help you, keep you on track with your diet, exercise and what you’re experiencing.  This will help you.

To your health,

Traci

P.S. Reply below and let me know if you have experienced any gastric bypass complications since having your surgery. What issues are you having?  What type of surgery did you have?  How far post-op are you?

Ok – so today I had an epiphany on the why we (and that’s the collective we, that includes me, and anyone else who has struggled with their weight) struggle with losing belly fat and body fat in general. We have tried exercise, diets and nothing really works. It’s a ton of work, often a ton of money – and the results are, at best, slow to see results and usually short term. Once we go back to eating normal portions and we aren’t exercising every day for an hour – the weight piles back on. Frustrating!… and confusing.

So today I found some excellent information about why we struggle with our weight and why dieting and aerobics will not fix the problem.

Watch the video to learn what I found out. I bet you already know this information; yet were not actually doing it.

So, were you like me and shocked that you knew this and really hadn’t been doing this simple thing? Comment below and let me know.

Learning that your focus and efforts were going in the wrong direction is a huge light bulb moment for me.

To YOUR Health,
Traci Knoppe

P.S. Seriously, check out Fat Loss Quickie Home Office Workout, as Scott’s workouts are designed around doing the key thing we need to permanently lose weight! So my finding this information today, only confirmed that Scott’s program is exactly what I need to be doing!!

P.P.S. Here’s a link to the audio when Scott Tousignant interviewed me about my weight loss surgery experience.

Not the answer you were expecting?

Hate to tell you, but weight loss surgery is definitely not an easy way out, nor a quick fix for all that ails you. Quite the contrary, I see more and more folks like myself who have essentially traded type II diabetes, hypertension and all the other ailments of pre-op life; for a now a post-op life of osteoporosis, low energy levels, iron infusions and battles to stay well nourished!

If it were only as simple as taking a few vitamins and that’s it – the struggle would not be there. But unfortunately, finding supplements in the proper forms that we can absorb, and equally as important, in the correct amounts to keep our blood work where it needs to be to keep us healthy, is practically a full-time job! I posted on the topic of gastric bypass post-op supplementation two years ago.

Helping Others

Recently I was interviewed by Scott Tousignant, also known as ‘The Fat Loss Quickie’, about my life after weight loss surgery.  He asks me if, knowing what I know now – based on the issues I’ve had, would I have the surgery again. My answer is no, I wouldn’t.

My mission is to give an honest post-op life view as I am living it, and how I’m seeing other longer term post-ops are doing overall. If someone has not had the surgery, I’m not going to recommend weight loss surgery as an option, until I give them the honest truth on what life is like. I also want to help those who have already had gastric bypass surgery and are finding they need answers and help. Someone who understands their struggles.

I realize that not every single post-op struggles with post-op nutrition like I do, but a good majority of them do. I’m not referring to those that didn’t follow their surgeon’s post-op supplementation schedule, because to be honest – if we all did that, we’d be in worse shape!

Surgeons are trained to do surgery – they are not trained nutritionists, and even nutritionists are basing their information on a normal digestive system. The gastric bypass digestive system is far from normal – malabsorption is not easily dealt with to keep us healthy. The fact that every person is unique in how their body responds after weight loss surgery is what makes getting help and keeping YOU healthy so difficult.

There are some awesome online support groups with very knowledgeable folks willing to help. Michelle Curran, aka:  The VitaLady, is one such person. Michelle and her husband Don both had weight loss surgery; Michelle in October 1994 and Don in October 1995. Michelle is brutally honest about the supplements we need to take, and does not gloss over the importance of taking all that we need and that it is a struggle that can only be won by regular blood work to monitor how you’re doing and adjusting your supplementation schedule based on your labs.

Staying Positive & Staying Focused

Believe it or not, getting your guts rearranged is not a permanent solution to keeping the weight off, if you do not change your eating and exercise habits. The further post-op you get, the more you are able to eat foods that you weren’t immediately post-op. The fact that you’re willing to try to eat foods you know you shouldn’t is clue #1 that you’re veering off track. If this is you, and perhaps a few pounds have crept back on: STOP! Right this very second stop the destructive behavior. There is no more lifelines. No more excuses as to why you’re gaining weight again.YOU are responsible for the food that you eat, and the supplements you take.

If you have not been exercising, then I’ve got a program that will help. I’ve been doing Scott’s awesome Home Office Workout, which is broken down into two 10 minute workout sessions per day. Because I have been struggling with low energy, my stamina and ability to do long workouts is not possible; but 10 minutes I can do (and you can too!) and I love Scott’s workout videos!

Exercise as a post-op should be part of our new lifestyle changes. It helps keep you focused on health. So instead of slipping back into bouts of depression and a sedentary lifestyle, we need to stay focused good, healthy habits and a positive attitude.

To YOUR Health,

Traci Knoppe

P.S. If you are a post-op, how is your health? If you’re considering weight loss surgery, do you have any questions? I’m here to help.

I recently addressed the topic of post-op gastric bypass diet on my Squidoo lens, but wanted to go into more detail here on the gastric bypass support aspect of post-op life.

Gastric Bypass Support

If you frequent online support forums, you will notice a majority of the active participants are pre-op through new post-ops. It seems that one year post-op is usually a common time-frame when post-ops’ visits to support forums start to dwindle down to eventually very infrequent to not at all.

Having gone through this phenomenon myself, I know that for me, it was due to getting my ‘life’ back and feeling good enough to get out of the house and go and do things! On one hand, this is a very good thing; but on the other hand, the lack of accountability from those who know and understand this post-op life and body can lead to our downfall into old habits.

I’ve seen it happen over and over again: a post-op, 18 -24 months (or more) out from surgery comes back onto an online support forum devastated because they have gained back 10, 20 or even 50 or more pounds! How could this be? Well, it didn’t happen overnight: it happened one pound at a time just like how we became obese before we had our surgeries. It’s the little, small choices we make that add up and before you know it, they catch up with you and you find yourself dealing with a weight gain issue, or malnourishment issue with labs all out of whack,  you feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck, losing hair again, or worse, such as neurological damage or osteoporosis, all because you haven’t been taking your supplements.

How Support Groups Help

They help in two primary ways:

1. Accountability. If you have others who are going to hold you accountable in your post-op journey, you are more likely to stick with the gastric bypass diet, nutrition supplementation and exercise to keep you healthy.
2. Education. Even though you know a lot about being a post-op, bariatric surgery is still an evolving medical field. What surgeon’s recommended for post-op care and nutritional supplementation 5 years ago, is not the same as today. These changes effect you, even if your surgeon did not tell you these same things at that time. Surgeons are learning too!

Offline or Online Support

I personally feel that both is best. There will be times you can’t make an offline/in-person support group due to weather, other committments or whatever. So having an online support group that’s always there is ideal.

But, offline support, where you are looking folks in the eyeball, can not be matched with online support. If folks are going to actually see you, it’s hard to hide the truth in how you’re really doing and how well you’re staying on track.

That said, I love online support groups too. There are many fine forums where you can connect with long-term post-ops who have given their time to helping those new to this life. They are paying it forward and helping, just as someone else helped them. You may very well find a wider variety of help online than offline, depending on where you live and what offline support is available to you.

Whether you can obtain the ideal gastric bypass support situation with both offline and online support; it is essential that you do seek out and participate in a gastric bypass support group.  It will help your long-term success, and health, as a gastric bypass post-op.

Online Support Resources

A few of my favorites.

Renewed Reflections

ObesityHelp.com Graduates Forum

Living After WLS Neighborhood

Thinner Times forum

Gastric Bypass Info Central (yahoo group)

Graduate OSSG (Obesity Surgery Support Group – yahoo group)

Christian WLS Friends (yahoo group)

Gastric Bypass Nutrition Resources
Veriuni Advanced Liquid Nutrition – 98% absorbability liquid multi-vitamins

Supreme Whey Protein – uses hydrolyzed whey peptides for highest bioavailability

Floradix Iron & Herbs – natural liquid iron

Call to Action: get connected with a gastric bypass support group today.

Are you currently part of a gastric bypass support group? Is it online or offline – or do you belong to both?  I’d love to hear your weight loss story and why you are, or are not, part of a support group. Post your comments below.

I do believe I’m going to get one of these!!  If this will work in keeping me (or YOU!) on track in drinking enough water, then I’m all for it. 

With a little planning, you can still enjoy a nice holiday meal that is post-op friendly. There are many WLS specific cookbooks on the market and a web search will turn up as many free recipes floating around web forums and email lists. Here’s one recipe for you Kabuki’s Sugarless Pumpkin Pie

Try these simple tips to help you through the holidays:

• Remember the first rule of WLS eating: protein first
• Stick with sugar-free/low-sugar, lower-carb, low-fat choices: make them and bring them to ensure that you have those choices!!
• Avoid drinking your calories.
• Drink your water!
• Don’t forget to exercise, even though you’re busy – you need to do it!
• Don’t forget to take your supplements
• Drink a protein shake before you leave home to keep you satiated so you won’t feel the need to overeat.
• Keep a protein bar with you at all times, in case there isn’t any post-op friendly food available and you were not able to bring a post-op friendly dish yourself.
• In case you are tempted by a sweet treats or something you shouldn’t: remember, your tool is there, and you may not have dumped in a long time, but you may very well this time and believe me, it’s not worth it. Put that sweet monster down and run the other way!
• Remember that the holidays isn’t really about focusing on food; it’s about time spent with our family and the people we love. Shift your focus on them and you’ll feel better in the morning when you haven’t overloaded on carbs and when you won’t see the scale creeping up.

If you would like to discuss your struggles through the holidays, to help you stick to your goals, there are many fine message forums at ObesityHelp.com, there’s also the LivingAfterWLS forum, WLS Butterfly Network forum, and several email lists at Yahoo Groups: Christian WLS Friends, GastricBypass-InfoCentral, and Graduate OSSG to name a few. Plug-in and get connected to some support to help you through not only the holidays, but for long-term post-op success.

Even though there were only a handful of us there, we still had a great meeting – lots of great samples of various products to try and good information shared.  If you are close to the Fenton area, or it’s at all within driving distance, please consider joining us the first Monday evening each month from 7:00 – 8:30 pm.  The group is open to pre-op and post-op and any surgery type.  This group is lead by Gayle and Amanda and is an ObesityHelp sponsored group.

This is not the group that I am hoping to start for the Crawford/Franklin County areas after the first of the year.   Check back later for more information for developments on that group. 

With my recent health issues stemming from nutrient deficiencies (calcium, vitamin D and iron) ,  I’ve had several people ask me if I regret having had the weight loss surgery. My answer is a resounding: NO!  I do not regret having had weight loss surgery!!

First, I think we need to put into perspective that while I have had some health issues, and while they have had some  debilitating side effects for me, frustrating because it’s taken a while to discover that they were in fact related to nutrient deficiencies and not something else; there are people who have had much more severe complications from not only weight loss surgery but from living with obesity.  I do not regret having had this surgery.  All I need to do is to adjust my supplements – tweak the amounts I’m taking, and perhaps continue with iron infusions periodically, if I can’t maintain with supplements.  But honestly, that’s a very small price to pay to maintain my health.  YES, it’s worth it – it’s just vitamins and nutrients people:  very important yes, but not a deal breaker for me.

Note to the Pre-Op folks:  If there is one key thing I want to stress to any pre-op folks who may be reading this blog entry:  is that you need to know you will have to take vitamins and nutritional supplements for the rest of your life after you have weight loss surgery.   If you don’t – you can die. Yes, that’s a very serious statement to make; but it’s true.  If you can not afford to buy vitamins and protein powders after your surgery, then you need to seriously re-think whether or not you can afford to have this surgery; because without vitamins and protein supplements after – you will not be healthy and you can do very serious damage to yourself that could be life-threatening.   The total cost each month varies, depending on where you buy your supplements and exactly what all you take, based on the core minimum that all post-ops really should be taking and your specific lab results.    I personally spend about $200 per month on supplements, including protein powders, prescriptions and everything I need to keep me healthy (not including food).

Which vitamins and how many of each you need to take will depend on your lab work; and of course, that means you’ll need to have your labs drawn regularly.  Every 6 months is ideal for labs, then you can catch something if your levels start to drop, before they get too far down.  Once a year just isn’t often enough and some recommend every 3 months.   So maintaining your health as a WLS post-op is work; but it’s worth it to stay healthy.   If you’re taking your supplements, then it really isn’t that big of a deal if you keep it up.  It’s just part of what you do.  If you stop doing it – then believe me, it will become a huge deal very quickly.

I am normally very much an encourager,  but I believe the in telling the honest truth too.  I believe this surgery works;  but I hear of a lot of post-ops gaining and struggling years down the road with this surgery.   In almost* every instance, it was a preventable problem.   I want everyone to go into this surgery eyes wide open.  It’s a great thing – it will work, but you will have to work too.  You will have to know why you became obese.  You will have to overcome your food addictions.  You will have to exercise.  You will have to take your supplements.  If you can’t do that: then don’t have this surgery.  Otherwise, you may find yourself, a few years down the road,  obese once again, and suffering from nutrient deficiencies to boot,  and it will not be the fault of the WLS, it will be your fault for not being compliant with the guidelines of the surgery.

Your tool didn’t fail you – you failed the tool.   Only you know your own true circumstances and if you are making excuses for your situation.   Let’s get real here.  We didn’t rearrange our guts to continue to lie about what we’re eating and make excuses as to why we’ve failed at this.  Be honest with yourself.  Deal with it and work at making it right.

[*There are some cases of known surgery failures.  Where the stoma is larger than it should be, or the food is going down and the intestine is actually enlarged and creating a pseudo stomach and holding food, and all sorts of things like this.  If you believe you are truly able to eat more than you believe you should be, then make an appointment with your bariatric surgeon for a endoscope to make sure your pouch and everything else is working and intact as it should be.   ]

Here’s a link to an article I wrote to try and help put it all into perspective:  The Scale vs. Society.