I am going to be sleeved on 9/17. I weigh 240 because I regulary overeat to a point of discomfort, make poor food choices and do not exersize enough. I have been on the diet yo-yo with all of you and have lost and gained.

During a "diet" a would make better choices, eat smaller portions and move more, after a couple hours, weeks or months of the "diet" I would cave in and quit, to regain anything I had lost. Here is my question.... How is the sleeve going to stop this behavior? I want and need this surgery and I am commited to do what I need to do to be sucessful, but I have been committed on lots of diets to only end up frustrated and end up quiting soon after. I can't have major surgery and fail, seeing everyone do so well is encouranging. Can you tell me what the difference is now post-sleeve?

Thank you!

I am physically unable to over eat. My new stomach only allows 5 bites.

I was the same and had same thoughts. I can not physically put more than a few bites in before I get uncomfortable and feel stuffed. The fear off putting too much in and splitting your stitches thus dying stops you from putting more in. Plus I am never hungry. Ever. Weirdest thing. I was saying last night how I feel free from my addiction. I don't think about food all day long. Also strange. Like my brain was operated on, not my stomach.

I'm in week 4 post-op. I honestly don't have the food cravings I had before. I have to force myself to eat, and when I'm full my sleeve lets me know. In the beginning it freaked me out that I wasn't hungry. I used to be 357 lbs. However, I did start a low carb diet and lost about 35 before my pre-op diet. The low carb diet included 2 Atkins shakes a day. That really helped the transition to the pre-op diet which was 4 protien shakes a day for 2 weeks. Lost 23 lbs on it. I have continued to lose very well. I just started week 4 and I'm down 31 lbs, I'm currently at 268. I would tell you to get your body into weight loss mode before surgery. I believe it has really helped me continue losing at my current rate.

It's physically impossible to over-eat - doing so causes you to vomit.

As for eating the wrong foods, some things your sleeve won't like anymore, and other things will come easier but not as easy as they were. Your sleeve is a tool, and just like a hammer will break a bone if you don't use it properly, it is possible, albeit unlikely, for you to not be successful with the sleeve.

That being said, I highly recommend seeking professional help to overcome your binge eating and over eating issues before your surgery and after.

The sleeve is just a tool. If making bad choices I can also gain weight back. I have to control what I put in my mouth and how much. My doc told me that we can still stretch the sleeve out and we also can learn ways to cheat using slider foods. I totally recommend learning new habits and making a commitment to eat healthy and exercise. Start practicing now and when you find yourself wanting to jump ship, refocus on why you want this change. It will help to reestablish new healthier habits.

I agree with Dorrie about the sleeve being a tool and there are ways to "ruin" it. The comments about being physically being unable to eat help, I think I need a consequence or physical stop. I also think once I get some initial weight off I will start liking myself and wanting to take care of my body better. Thank you for the help!

The thing is, it's not so much the physical stop and fear of vomiting that'll stop you, it's more the fact that eating will become a chore. You'll have no appetite for the first several months, and if you do chances are it's reflux or head hunger. You will have no desire to eat and will find yourself eating more out of necessity or habit than actual hunger. But you do need to seek professional help to get a handle on your psychological issues with food, because it is definitely possible to sabotage your success.

I agree with Dorrie about the sleeve being a tool and there are ways to "ruin" it. The comments about being physically being unable to eat help, I think I need a consequence or physical stop. I also think once I get some initial weight off I will start liking myself and wanting to take care of my body better. Thank you for the help!

Someone told me 'It wasn't your stomach that made you fat, but losing your stomach (or most of it) can help get you thinner!'

The sleeve is not magic, nor is it going to do all the work. The main thing I am hoping is that it gives me a second chance.

Here's my story. Overweight all my life. Sleeved 7/23/2012 so I'm not quite 1 month post op yet. Starting wt. was 310 lbs. Now I'm at 279. I've noticed that I feel full most of the time, which is great. I eat what I'm supposed to and get all the pro and H2O in ok now. Television commercials for food no longer makes me drool.

I'm so glad I got sleeved. I'm looking forward to a "normal" life. :-)

Here's my story. Overweight all my life. Sleeved 7/23/2012 so I'm not quite 1 month post op yet. Starting wt. was 310 lbs. Now I'm at 279. I've noticed that I feel full most of the time, which is great. I eat what I'm supposed to and get all the pro and H2O in ok now. Television commercials for food no longer makes me drool.

I'm so glad I got sleeved. I'm looking forward to a "normal" life. :-)

I had the same fears about the sleeve. I actually worked with a therapist for the past year or so to help me with my binge eating/overeating issues. I think it was a life saver. Now I am using this tool, the sleeve, as a way to take off the weight. I was too afraid to do it before I worked out my issues with the food!

Lauren

I am going to be sleeved on 9/17. I weigh 240 because I regulary overeat to a point of discomfort, make poor food choices and do not exersize enough. I have been on the diet yo-yo with all of you and have lost and gained.

During a "diet" a would make better choices, eat smaller portions and move more, after a couple hours, weeks or months of the "diet" I would cave in and quit, to regain anything I had lost. Here is my question.... How is the sleeve going to stop this behavior? I want and need this surgery and I am commited to do what I need to do to be sucessful, but I have been committed on lots of diets to only end up frustrated and end up quiting soon after. I can't have major surgery and fail, seeing everyone do so well is encouranging. Can you tell me what the difference is now post-sleeve?

Thank you!

Your doctor is going to remove about 85% of your stomach. It's forced portion control. You cannot eat like you are now, not without throwing up or pain. I still eat sometimes to where I am uncomfortable, but over eating now is such a tiny portion compared to before surgery. I.E. eating a whole tortilla (to dip in salsa before the meal) and then eating a full enchilada and TB of Beans and TB or rice. Seriously!!! LOL I need to stick to a half tortilla, and I KNOW that or else eat only half the enchilada! You can drink your calories or eat things like ice cream, cake.....etc. and gain, but you will probably have little or no hunger. It is not anything like before!

Some people experience zero hunger and feel forced to eat and I'm glad I never had that feeling. I have experienced hunger since my surgery but in a much more mild way. I guess the best way to explain it is that my hunger is a light whisper compared to the annoying ravenous hunger before surgery. It's so much easier to deal with cravings that way! I am grateful for that. My taste buds are still the same and I am only able to eat a small amount and feel satisfied. I can't explain to you how freeing that is! I too was a volume eater and really just needed a way to get my portions under control and feel satisfied with it.

So you really can stretch your stomach? I've read from some others you can't but if you can how would that happen if you barely eat?

I was told you can stretch your stomach ( from constant & increasing your portions beyond you feeling full) but the real danger of regain is from constant grazing & drinking while eating. There is a great video on here somewhere that shows what drinking with your food does in your sleeve.