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I have a very LOW metabolism- but, I want the sleeve...help!



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I forgot to day that dietary education is a very important part of the journey. I am notcing my triggers and foods that I absolutely need to avoid (I am addicted to cheese crackers, lol)

I had to write down my trigger foods and 100% avoid them or it leads to a slippery slope downhill. CheezeIts are one. Doughnuts are another.
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My advice to you is begin weight training immediately. I have a very high metabolism which I attribute to being muscular and years spent in the gym before gaining weight. Building muscle through moderate weight training exercise is the best thing you can do to raise your metabolism. For each pound of muscle you add, your basic metabolic rate goes up by 200 calories a day. Do the math.

If you have been overweight and sedentary your whole life, this is why your metabolism is low. Get to to the gym and start a weekly routine. 3 days a week, full body resistance training. It's a great idea to hire a trainer for 1-3 sessions to get you started in a manageable routine.

Eating little is not a long term solution nor is it a fun way to live. Working on your health means being able to eat enough calories to give you full nutrition. Getting your body to gain muscle is the smartest thing you can do for yourself besides having surgery.

Edited by bellabloom

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Actually, I was in soccer and weightlifting in high school so I have experience with weightlifting. However, I also have PCOS and insulin resistance. Because of these conditions I steadily gained weight from a young age. The year I did soccer I weighed 200 lbs when I started, worked out 5 days a week, leg pressed over 400 lbs and I gained 10 lbs that year. When I joined weightlifting I weighed 230. By the time I graduated I weighed 240. It didn't matter how much I lifted and dieted. My parents took me to multiple specialists. By the time I was 23 years old I weighed 290 and was diagnosed with diabetes (despite continuing to exercise).

I met with my PCP last week and he said even though my PCOS is in remission, because I was insulin resistant for so long my body will always be insulin resistant and now I'm dealing with occasional hypoglycemic episodes. So I will always have to be very careful to avoid sugar and certain types of carbs.

I've actually been working out, including weights, but I've still been losing and I don't feel deprived at all at 1,200 calories a day. I guess my point is some people spent their lives dieting and exercising but because of genetic hormone conditions were never successful losing weight. WLS was the hormone "reset" I needed to lose weight. But I'll still always have the genetic predisposition to have a crappy metabolism.

Edited by KristenVSG2014

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Actually, I was in soccer and weightlifting in high school so I have experience with weightlifting. However, I also have PCOS and insulin resistance. Because of these conditions I steadily gained weight from a young age. The year I did soccer I weighed 200 lbs when I started, worked out 5 days a week, leg pressed over 400 lbs and I gained 10 lbs that year. When I joined weightlifting I weighed 230. By the time I graduated I weighed 240. It didn't matter how much I lifted and dieted. My parents took me to multiple specialists. By the time I was 23 years old I weighed 290 and was diagnosed with diabetes (despite continuing to exercise).

I met with my PCP last week and he said even though my PCOS is in remission, because I was insulin resistant for so long my body will always be insulin resistant and now I'm dealing with occasional hypoglycemic episodes. So I will always have to be very careful to avoid sugar and certain types of carbs.

I've actually been working out, including weights, but I've still been losing and I don't feel deprived at all at 1,200 calories a day. I guess my point is some people spent their lives dieting and exercising but because of genetic hormone conditions were never successful losing weight. WLS was the hormone "reset" I needed to lose weight. But I'll still always have the genetic predisposition to have a crappy metabolism.

That does really suck. I'm sorry you have that issue. I still believe working out and muscle addition is the key for most people, however. And exercise certainly can't hurt, can it?

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Have you seen any of the YouTube videos by Dr. Matthew Weiner? He's a bariatric surgeon who has some unusual ideas about metabolism. In one of his videos (I forget which) he says that the biggest determining factor in how many calories we burn every day is how many calories we eat every day. In other words, if you eat low cal, your body will slow down your metabolism. You should check him out; I think he makes a lot of sense.

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Hi all-

I've been doing A TON of research and reading a lot of these forums. I've read encouraging and discouraging stories...

I'm in the beginning stages of getting approved for bariatric surgery. Based on what I've learned so far, I believe I want the sleeve.

Although I've never been diagnosed with anything officially, I know I already have a low metabolism issue. I'm maintaining 271 lbs on about 12,00-14,00 calories daily. I've tracked this, and I know my standard diet...its very frustrating when people think I'm in some kind of denial.

TRUST me- its not easy and I dont eat 80% of the food that I want to- because I KNOW I'll gain weight...

Many people have stated they have the same issue- and theyve had success...but many of those stories are from 2010 or so-

Others have also made statements like the sleeve wont be successful for me...its all confusing and causing me to have doubts.

Anyone with a similar issue whos recently had the sleeve- maybe in the last 6-12 months?

I guess I'm just very fearful that I'd go thru this, and it wouldnt be restrictive enough.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Hi Ejirish good morning :)

I am Peter member of Bariatricpal if you need any assistance please feel free to contact me at: peter@bariatricpal.com :)

(619) 900-7345 Office Number(619) 651-0803 mobile number
(844) WLS-DEAL / (844) 957-3325
Office Hours: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday thru Friday

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It has been over 3 years since I had my sleeve. I lost 98 lbs. I have been stuck for 2 years. I could stand to loose about 40 lbs. I mostly like fruit broth and seeing anyone with a lot of food on their plate makes me ill and I end up having an anxiety attack.

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It has been over 3 years since I had my sleeve. I lost 98 lbs. I have been stuck for 2 years. I could stand to loose about 40 lbs. I mostly like fruit broth and seeing anyone with a lot of food on their plate makes me ill and I end up having an anxiety attack.

By fruit broth, do you mean juice? If so, that could be why you are stuck as juice is highly concentrated fruit sugars with little to no Fiber. Try sticking with whole fruits that are lower in carbs and you may want to limit that. Carbs will hinder weight loss.

Another thing I wonder is if you are getting enough Protein and calorie free liquids. Not eating enough will cause your body to go into starvation mode.

That being said, 98 pounds lost AND maintained is a HUGE success!!

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So, don't know if this will help or not...I also had a very, very slow metabolism. Diets that worked for everyone else just didn't work for me, no matter how religiously I weighed and logged every gram, or how hard or often I hit my Crossfit box. Low carb? Check. Weight training? Check. Massive calorie deficit? Check. Protein-sparing modified fast? Check. Moderate deficit? Check. Strict paleo? Check. Tried vegan? Check. Coaching? Cognitive behavioral therapy? Meal delivery? Integrative medical plan? Yes, yes, and yes. NOTHING WORKED.

I had the sleeve done in early December, and discovered a couple of things:

  1. I have actually managed to lose some weight. More than I have in a long, long time. Enough to make my clothes fit better. I feel better. I'll be able to fit on roller coasters when King Island opens in a few months. Yay! I'm happy about this! HOWEVER:
  2. It's come off really, really slowly. Like, in two months, I've lost what a lot of people lose in the first 3-4 weeks. And my BMI was solidly over 40. I'm short. I had well over 100 lbs to lose. It's not like I was just on the edge of not qualifying. Weight stays put for a few days, bounces up, goes down a little, stops moving, rinse repeat. I didn't just hit a week three stall...I hit a two week stall, then a three week stall, then a four week stall, lost a little, lost a little, then another few days of stall. This is on 700 calories a day, walking 8000 - 10,000 steps, carbs below 30, drinking 60-70 ounces of Water, lots of Protein. ALSO:
  3. I have other medical crap going on. Shortly before surgery my new and brilliant GI specialist diagnosed me with a small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Short version, have probably had it for years, and it's wreaked havoc in my digestion and subsequently my endocrine system (hello thyroid!) Also, another specialist I've been seeing pointed out that my temperature has been dipping ever downward for the few months he's been looking at it. This means that my metabolism is screwed up. Apparently, my body, when presented with magnesium, has no clue what to do with it. So.

To make a long story short, if you have metabolism issues, surgery MIGHT help resolve them. This, of course, depends on what they are. And even if you have metabolic problems and the surgery doesn't fix them (like my case), you CAN still lose weight. It won't be like everyone else's, and this is a huge, huge bummer. I'm also hungry on my tiny little portions. Yes, VSG gets rid of ghrelin production for the first few months. However, if your problem is leptin resistance, your brain will never get that message that you've had enough and you can stop eating. I don't know why everyone gets so fixated on ghrelin and think that that's the only hormone responsible for hunger. Makes me nuts...just like everyone who says that if you just follow the program or do X, Y, or Z (cut carbs, cut calories, drink more Water, exercise in a particular way, do interpretive dance under the full moon, WHATEVER) it will work for you, because it worked for them.

My advice...treat the weight like any other symptom of a disease state in your body. The surgery will help you manage that symptom, but if you're not looking for the root cause, it'll always be a THING you'll be dealing with. I don't know if I'll be able to correct whatever's causing my metabolism shutdown. It might be related to some MTHFR genetic mutations I tested for, in which case, we won't be able to fix it, but I will eventually figure out how to manage it. Or maybe once my intestine has healed from the SIBO (which appears to be gone, huzzah) things will get much better. Don't know. Weight MAY continue to be an issue post-sleeve...but I'm doing everything I can. I've got that going for me, even when I'm so frustrated I want to scream.

Don't know if that helps or not...I really wrote a long post, didn't I? :)

Edited by jeaniebobeanie

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It has been over 3 years since I had my sleeve. I lost 98 lbs. I have been stuck for 2 years. I could stand to loose about 40 lbs. I mostly like fruit broth and seeing anyone with a lot of food on their plate makes me ill and I end up having an anxiety attack.

I have no idea what fruit broth is but it doesn't sound like it has Protein or would be bariatric friendly.

Please make an appointment with your NUT to talk about your goals. In addition, you might want to talk with a therapist or counselor about your anxiety.

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I had my sleeve done on the 9th February. I caught a chest infection in hospital but now at week 3 am much better. I have Hashimotos disease so yes a very slow metabolism. I have always had a very healthy diet. Since the sleeve 2 weeks today I have lost 6 lbs.. Not sure why.. But hey it's a loss If this continues I will slowly loose the 70lbs I need to loose! I hope so I am getting in approx 60g of protien in haven't counted calories yet. The verdict is still out with weight loss I am hoping once I am well enough to resume walking.. Really like reading everyone's experiences so far we are all so different!

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