Does it last?

[snowy1515]

I'm seriously considering a gastric sleeve. After years of emotional and physical abuse as a kid I grew up telling myself I was fat about 20+ times a day for the last 21 years. I've done every single diet. And many successfully. Lost the weight, gained back more. I've gone to years of counseling, forgave my parents and am in a healthy place emotionally. My husband doesn't mind if I lose or gain and is supportive of my decision to get this surgery -or not- he says its my choice.

I am looked all over the internet and done hours and hours of research. I've prayed and pondered. I think I'm ready to schedule my surgery with Dr. Almanza. But first I have a few questions for any of you who have had the surgery before.

1- Are you really less hungry and fill up much quicker after the surgery? Is it like a no brainer, it just is so much easier to fill up and not over eat?

2- Does the hunger hormone come back over time and make sustaining the weight loss difficult?

3- If I have a sweet tooth does this help curb cravings? I read somewhere that for those who have a 'sweet tooth' they would be better off with the bypass because the 'dumping syndrome' makes eating sweets so uncomfortable over time you'll lose the desire. I don't know if I never want to not eat something sweet again. I also don't know if I can afford the bypass. So I'm just wondering if any of you had sweet tooths (fatty and greasy foods are easy for me to turn down) and have been able to loose and maintain with the sleeve?

4- Were you weak or faint in the beginning while your body adjusted to lower caloric intake?

5- Have any of you done diet after diet after diet and yo-yo'd on weight loss and always felt like a failure until this surgery and did the weight loss actually last?

I'm really needing answers to some of these questions. So Thanks in advance.
Anita
weight 240 height 5'7"

[acnichols]

yes it does work and it will last. I have lost 103 lbs in the lastsix months. It willtake yourbody time toadjust after surgery but it wasnt long for me. Had surgery on a tuesday was on a treadmillthe folowing saturday. I still cant eat very much. But what I can do is fill on a smallamount of healthy food. That is why I consider this a tool. There is no way I could have sustained myself on such a small meal over the long haul. If however you drink shakes and ice cream all the time it wont work. If you just eat regular food you will be surprized how little you can eat. The amazing thing to me was I was worried I would be weak and tired from not enouch calories but just the opposite is happening I have way more energy than ever.

[PITSTOP]

Howdy!
I had my surgery in the states so cant really give you much info on Mexico but I'll answer what I can:
1) Yes, I still get hungry but Im 3 months out and can still only eat about 6-8 bites of food depending on the consistency at any given meal. Anymore than that and it becomes uncomfortable. I usually get the hiccups when Im full.
2) Im still have a lot more weight to lose and havent reached the substaining stage yet.
3) I still have a sweet tooth and indulge on a bite of something here and there. You have to make this work for you for the long haul and everything in moderation. The surgery was on my stomach, not my brain. You still get cravings and you still have to make healthier decisions. There is no getting around that.
4)I didnt get faint the first couple of weeks but I did experience low energy for the first couple of weeks after surgery. Its seemed to get better when I got to the solid food stage. Although, there are some who have experienced being light headed and dizzy spells.
5)I have gained and lost the same 80lbs the last 20 years. Im 3 months out and 55 lbs downs. Ask me in another year if I kept it off?
I hope this helps and wish you nothing but success on your journey......

[ariggs]

you are physically full very quickly but mentally its much harder but worth it! I do believe the hunger hormone comes back I get hungry now when I didn't the first few months but fill up easily. I can eat very normally now...about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food...some foods are easier than others. It is a great tool but I am learning that now that I'm healed and my body is all adjusted I have to work harder on it. Weakness and fainting didn't happen some fatigue just getting over the surgery. I have a bad sweet tooth still struggle with it....the first few months it was gone but now its back. Yes I have yo yo back and forth on every diet possible....I have lost about 97 lbs but not anything in the last 2 months my point of I have to work harder now because I want to loose 50 more....but I never gain more than 2-3 lbs and it drops right back off. I'm very happy with my decision even if I don't loose another pound but I will get to goal!!! best wishes to you

[snowy1515]

anichols-Great work! That is so exciting. Thanks so much! That is very interesting about having more energy rather than less. Thank you for confirming that without the sleeve you would not have been able to maintain such a low calorie diet. I appreciate that input and it is making more and more confident in my decision. Yes I plan on making a complete lifestyle change and eating healthy and getting back to my active and athletic figure (that I had 6 years ago). I just know that my sweet tooth is hard to tame. So having this done I think will be a huge help! & of course I won't be eating ice cream etc. very often-if at all.

[snowy1515]

Thank you ariggs for being so candid. Yes, that was what I'm afraid of. having hunger and my sweet tooth return. I will work hard to stick with it long term. It's a mental head trip I'm sure. I'm planning on going to a psychologist during the weight loss stage because I'm afraid I'll get the physical healed but not the mental healing I'll need.

Thanks!

[snowy1515]

Pitstop- Thanks so much for taking time to answer. I appreciate it. I have been making slow changes to become more and more healthy for the last five months. Now i eat more clean than I do junk... but the weight still isn't budging. I do think if I approach it like you said, to make healthy decisions for the most part but moderation, I'll be successful. I really pray that I'll be able to stick with it long term. Congrats on the weight loss and making right choices! I hope for the best for you too.

[Kodi's Mom]

Personally, my first diet was in 8th grade. I became a professional dieter. Say a food and I can ballpark the calories and macronutrient count
I would have been happy to live on junk food and anything sweet. An ice cream diet would have put me in heaven.
I am 9 days past my 1 yr surgiversary. My sweet tooth is gone as I limit my carbs and eat quality food, protein first. At Christmas I did a lot of baking and indulged in a few cookies and some fruitcake. It didn't have the same zing for me as pre-surgery. My taste buds have been retrained. Now if I want some thing sweet my go to is microwaved apple with apple pie spice, packet of splenda and a little butter or organic strawberries.
I no longer have to remind myself to eat (which is good because you cannot sustain yourself on 300 calories a day for life) but am still limited to the amount I eat which is anywhere from 2-3 ounces depending on the food or the day.
I choose not to go back to eating crappy food because for me that would be a slippery slope. I realize I am not one of those people who could have a bite or two of cake and not crave it. I don't want to go back to those days so I choose this lifestyle for me. (I state this because I know that some in this group do not agree with this and do not believe that food can be/become an addiction.)
The surgery was my 3rd best life decision (after marrying my husband and retiring.) I have not looked back since. Only so grateful for the surgery, my doctor and his staff.
Good luck on your decision and journey.

[StacyD]

Snowy heres my truth..... does anything last that we do not put a bit of thought and effort in? I was told I had 1 year to get my weight off - and I did. I am still 14 months out not particularly hungry. Boredom is my enemy and knowing that saves me quite a bit of pain. I know if I do not keep myself busy I will eat out of boredom. With that said - I love my sleeve. I love not being diabetic or having high blood pressure. I am for the first time in 57 years not dieting.

[Texas Rose]

Snowy heres my truth..... does anything last that we do not put a bit of thought and effort in? I was told I had 1 year to get my weight off - and I did. I am still 14 months out not particularly hungry. Boredom is my enemy and knowing that saves me quite a bit of pain. I know if I do not keep myself busy I will eat out of boredom. With that said - I love my sleeve. I love not being diabetic or having high blood pressure. I am for the first time in 57 years not dieting.

I agree with everything shared here. I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza last Feb. 2014.I needed to loose 50 pounds which I did in the first few months. After a year I am still at the same weight. I know 50 pounds wasn't as much as some have to loose but I had diabetes, high cholesterol,high blood pressure, high Triglisirides and sleep apnea. Blood sugar was normal 2 days following surgery. I am off prescription med's and feel wonderful. I would not hesitate letting Dr. Almanza do your surgery best investment in your long term life.

[StacyD]

I agree with everything shared here. I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza last Feb. 2014.I needed to loose 50 pounds which I did in the first few months. After a year I am still at the same weight. I know 50 pounds wasn't as much as some have to loose but I had diabetes, high cholesterol,high blood pressure, high Triglisirides and sleep apnea. Blood sugar was normal 2 days following surgery. I am off prescription med's and feel wonderful. I would not hesitate letting Dr. Almanza do your surgery best investment in your long term life.

Texas Rose isn't it wonderful being a new healthy you! The weight loss is the bonus but the icing on the cake (so to speak) is being healthier than a year ago

[Skibabe]

I think the biggest surprise for me has been how much it has changed my brain. Literally.

I tried dieting seriously about five times and quickly worked out I would never succeed. I always gained back all the weight I'd lost, and more. It was mental torture daily, on a diet. Full of what I couldn't eat, mustn't want, etc. shopping in a supermarket was awful, full of things I wasn't "allowed". I was eating chocolate daily in the end, I'd given up.

After the surgery, it took me 8 months to even buy chocolate. Now, if I ever do buy it, I often forget that it's even in the house! I can have some, and leave the rest for another time. My brain has switched off that desire. M tastes have changed a bit and some things taste too sweet to me now, but I still like my tea with two sugars, and some chocolate. I certainly wanted the choice to be able to eat what I wanted, but the difference now is that most of the time, I ONLY want to eat healthy, nutritious food.

As for the rest, I'm nearly a year out from surgery and still don't get hungry. I've heard for others, that the opposite is true. So I don't know what your outcome would be. I certainly get full on very little food now, and my diet is largely protein, and some veggies if I have room.

I have to say, I've found it ridiculously easy, particularly when compared to traditional diets. No mental torture, I barely even think about food, still enjoy it and have never felt dizzy. It's been life-changing for me. Good luck for you in your decision :-)

[Zebbie]

Hi

I am 3 years post Op now so maybe I can help. I lost 75lbs altogether and have maintained that loss since. I could probably lose more if I wanted to but I found a happy place with my weight and I have no problems staying at this point now. I used to weigh obsessively but I rarely need to check my weight or think about it much now. It just maintains without any real effort.

I was a serial dieter before. You name a diet, I guarentee I have tried it at least once! I swear I have done them all and lost/gained the same pounds over and over again. All it ever did was make me bigger in the long run. I have spent my entire adult life counting calories or points or carbs or fats etc. It dominated my life from the age of 15. The sense of freedom I now have from living a life without worrying about diets is amazing.

I also have a very sweet tooth but post op I still can't eat a loads of sweet things. Yes they are easier to pass through your stomach than some foods but you still can't over eat as much as you used to before a sleeve. Eating anything is generally more effort. Your tastes can change and I personally find eating lots of sweet things makes me feel a bit sickly now. Even things like ice cream which can slip through easily makes me feel a bit queasy after too much. a couple of spoonfuls is enough. I would never be able to eat a whole tub like I could before! If I order a dessert I rarely finish it.

I still get hungry. But a small amount satisfies me so it doesn't really matter if the hunger hormone is present or not. You still can't eat the amount you used to.

Remember when you restrict your calories your body starts using its supply of fat for energy. I had plenty of fat to burn so I never had any problems with energy! :-) These days my calorie intake varies but I am always full of energy! I try to eat a healthy, balanced diet. I take all my vitamins and make sure I drink plenty. Shifting 75lbs does wonders for your energy levels. I run up the stairs, do exercise and dance all night long in nightclubs these days! :-)

Having a sleeve was the best thing for me. I have no regrets at all.

I hope that helps answer your questions. Good luck on your journey x

[AlwaysVSG]

I'm over 8 months out and still have very little hunger. I still enjoy food, but eating is no longer an imperative all day long.

The sleeve will work, but you have to learn to deal with your head hunger. You also have to learn to eat healthily. The more positive lifestyle changes you can make pre-op, the easier it will be post-op.

If you think the sleeve by itself will "make you thin" then you're on the road to long-term failure.