I've been a normal weight, active person all my life. That is until about age 35 I developed sinus issues living here in Texas. The only thing that helps is prednisone when the polyps get really bad until I have surgery to remove them. Over the last 15 or so years I have gained 60+ pounds. It is hurting me now because I have difficulty getting around and dealing with being "a fat guy".

I have lost weight with diets like Atkins and the HCG. In fact I lost 51 pounds in 2009 and kept it off for just over a year. However, soon my old habits returned and I started gaining again. Now I've gained the weight back and a few pounds more. I'm just getting over pneumonia and a round of steroids and I feel like a hotdog. This is the heaviest I've ever been.

I said all this to ask a question:

Doing a low calorie restricted diet works for me but it is so hard to do. It feels like I just can't make myself leave the carbs (chips and other snacks) alone. My question is, will having the sleeve make it any easier? Will it help me to have more joy at leaving these killers behind and getting on with getting my eating under control?

Seriously, I have been on a diet for a year where I am eating mostly the right foods, but keeping the calories under 1800 per day. I am a 5'10, 260 lb man and 50+ years old. At 1800 calories, I should be losing weight. But I'm not. Only when I inject the HCG and eat 500 calories a day do I lose anything. And then I lose about 15 pounds and it stops. Even though I continue the diet, I stop losing weight. Is getting the sleeve surgery going to change that?

I love the feeling of exercise but I've been unable to do much more than my job. I haven't had my heart over 100 bpm in probably a year. That bothers me.

I'd love to hear some input from those of you who have been there done that. I am in need of a little advice and encouragement.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Crusher

I use to love carbs too but now I don't eat any because it bloats up my sleeve. I only eat nuts, meat, vegtables, fruit and protein drinks now. I think the sleeve would help get your eating under control. I tried the HCG too and yes, you do just gain all the weight back and more so. It is such a scam! Everyone I know has gotten heavier after doing HCG. Best luck to you in whatever you end up deciding. The sleeve was the right choice for me!

The sleeve most certainly restricts how much you can eat. You feel it when you over-eat, even if its just one bite too many. My perspective is, that if I am only going to get in a single cup of food for a meal, it better be something that is going to help my body, provide nutrition and give me energy.

Another positive aspect is the reduction of the hormone Ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of the major appetite stimulants in your body and it is produced by the stomach. Therefore, when 85% of your stomach is removed via the procedure, your appetite should lessen. Some people say they are no longer hungry. I don't find that to be the case but my hunger is usually real hunger and I don't have the cravings for carbs that I used to.

On the sleeve, I have three meals and two Snacks. At least one of my snacks or meals is a protien shake and I strive for 80g of protien a day. In total, I take in between 700 & 1000 calories a day. When I exercise, (burn 200+) calories, I then end up netting between 500 & 800 calories.

I hope this helps. There is so much information and helpful people on this forum so keep reading and asking questions.

The effects of gastric sleeve surgery are:

• restricts food intake
  
• controls hunger
  

Following gastric sleeve surgery, food continues to move through the digestive system naturally, from the time it enters the stomach to the time it is released into the small intestine through the pyloric valve. The difference is that after surgery the amount of food that can be eaten at any one time is greatly reduced.

The surgery also helps to control hunger, because the upper portion of the stomach that produces the hunger stimulating hormone Ghrelin is removed during surgery.

I've gone through the Kaiser Options 12 week pre-op program with the intention of having weight loss surgery, after many years of yo-yo dieting and always gaining back the weight. I'm 56 and I needed to do something very proactive to give me longevity and a more active lifestyle. I got really tired of being sedentary! Tired of needing a belt extender on an airplane, tired of never sitting in a booth in a restaurant!

In the 12 week program, we were expected to lose 10% before being eligible for surgery and put on a restricted calorie diet, mine started at 1400-1700 calories for six weeks, then 1200-1400 for the next six weeks, and after that 1200, which is ongoing while I wait for surgery.

The post op information indicates that the dietary restrictions after surgery, once fully healed, are to eat mostly Protein, then fruits & veggies, then carbs. The new stomach pouch can only hold about 3-4 ounces in the beginning, so this is not much food, but you feel FULL after eating very little, and the stomach is no longer "stretchy". You have to supplement with protein about 80-100 grams per day. This means for most people supplementing with Protein shakes between meals and then meals with high protein as a main component. I can envision having some carbs after surgery, but this will not be my mainstay.

I have lost a good amount of weight even now at 1200 calories and 30 minutes a day of walking and some resistance work and strength training. I take Vitamins everyday and drink at least 64 oz of liquid daily.

Mostly, if you feel better having some carbs in your life, you would be better to switch out to whole grains. I do this by having whole grain crackers, reduced fat triscuit and wheat thins, whole grain bread, brown rice (learned to love this) and whole wheat english muffins, Pasta, etc. Even tortilla chips are whole grain, so I can have my chips and salsa and still lose weight.

In the big scheme, you can't do things the old way. You have to eat healthy and do the work, by monitoring your intake, and drinking Fluid and getting excercise.

The sleeve is a tool not a simple fix.

I'm going for it.

Wow thanks guys. I'm at that place where I know I have to lose weight and my life back on track but I am unsure if the sleeve is going to make a change I can live with. My problem with food is that I am a snacker. I eat little bits of stuff between meals and after dinner, usually late in the evening watching TV. I eat apple, crasins, almonds, celery with a little soft spread cream cheese and sometimes chips and salsa (my favorite). Not the worst Snacks, but horrible to eat them late at night. I know all that will have to change and I feel I can do that.

But I am also a "social" eater. Since I am simi-retired, I have time to meet with old friends for lunch or for coffee somewhere. I truly enjoy meeting friends and talking about life over a meal. It is somehow comforting to me. The problem is, once in a while I will eat lunch early and a friend will call to meet them. Since I treasure the time with them, I go along anyway. I always eat something while I'm there. Even if it is just a salad or Soup. Giving up that time would be difficult. It's a choice I will have to make.

I'm asking myself if having this surgery and going though a very rough first 4 weeks or so, then having to manage a strict 4 oz at a time diet is going to be any different than the normal struggles I have with any other diet. I'm asking "am I going to spend $13k and end up with something just as difficult as the dieting I'm already doing, except there is no going back".

What I'm doing here is asking for input on the positives and negatives of doing what I consider a fairly drastic thing to get my food under control. I'd love to hear what some of you have to say. And I'm not thin skinned so just say what you mean

Crusher

Hi,

I too had some medical issues and had to take prednisone and blew up to over 100lbs over weight. I delt with the over weight for 8 yrs. Yo yo diets, depression and lack of self love. I hated the way I looked and who I became. I am 3 months after surgery. The surgery sucks. Eating small portions sucks. Going out to dinner and can only eat 6oz sucks. The dumping syndrome is real that sucks too. Ok the positives. I have lost 37 lbs on a 4'11" frame so far. I feel better than ever. I am getting back to my old self. I eat proteins first then the veges and fruits second. Occasionally I will take a bite or two of carbs like rice or pasta. I am still trying to overcome the comfort eating. That will be a life journey. So would I recommend this to a friend? If I knew that you would be serious and stick to the diet, nuttrional needs and know that this is life changing. If you wanted a quick fix and then I would say no. This is only a band aid to the whole issue of eating healthy and a life style change. Good luck to whatever you choose.

Very honest of you. Thank you for that.

I have some food issues, some health issues and some emotinal issues that all contribute to this overweight thing. But in the end I know I have to make better choices and eat the right stuff. I struggle so hard doing something like the HCG or the Atkins that I don't know that I could actually do the diet that is required after surgery. To me it seems like I will do it for a while, then be absolutely miserable and struggle every day to try to do it right. Shoot... I'm doing that now. And I didn't have to spend 13k to get there.

I'm leaning toward going back on the HCG and giving it the most serious effort I can. Do the thing right. I will lose 30 lbs or so in 6 weeks if I can do that. The weight loss is rewarding and feel good about it. However, being denied my favorite foods completely starts to get old after a while and I need a little break. So after 6 weeks it is so difficult to maintain, waiting for enough days to pass so I can go back on. I need to find help for that.

And on a side note, I just found out that my hematocrit is high. I just donated blood in November so this is a concern for my doctor. Being aspirin sensitive means I'll have to take some other drug. Ugh... this is getting to be a drag...

Crusher