i've been reading different forums about WLS.. a lot of people talk about how they think that VSG is good, but if you are older or are used to eating a certain way, then you should go ahead & do a duodenal switch or have a RNY... for the malabsorbtion thing it gives you...

any idea why these people feel that JUST having VSG is not enough?...

is there a lower success ratio or something if you just have VSG vs if you do a full duodenal switch or RNY.. and what's age got to do with anything?...

me, personally, i feel that if i can't eat as much as i'm used to eating or want to eat.. then that fixes my problem.. i'll drop my weight & won't have to have my intestines messed with...

i've also never heard of someone whose had VSG that has relapsed & gained ALL of their weight back. i think that for a lot of people, having the limited stomach capacity & eliminating the hunger (physical) solves a lot of the problems.. we want to turn to food, but can't.. you can graze all day long (which i understand you shouldn't), but it'll take a long time to catch up with you if you do that.... but i have seen people who've had RNY relapse & regain all their weight.. i've seen people who lose all their weight with diet & exercise relapse & gain it all back & usually MORE.. perfect example would be that 650lb virgin guy that Chris Powell trained.. and they made "reshape the nation" together & etc., that guy is back up to 500lb.. if he had been sleeved, there's no way he would be 500lb! his stomach wouldn't have the capacity to allow him to regain that weight. he'd have had to force himself to deal with his emotional issues.

what are your guys' thoughts on the topic?

I couldn't say it any better myself. I think you are absolutely correct and is why I choose the sleeve.

I agree, as well. Time will tell, but I think I made the right decision, although it's only been 2 1/2 weeks, so I'm no expert, but only my opinion.

I just can't imagine why someone would want to suffer with a bypass when VSG is an option. In the worst case, VSG can be revised into a bypass. It's a no-brainer.

I agree, too. I still fight a lot of my emotional stuff, but now a cheat is a whole lot easier to deal with. Yesterday was a bad day and my "cheat" was a single serving size bag of cheetos AND ONE mini almond joy. Okay, neither one is "good" for me, but it's a whole lot less than I'd have cheated on before surgery. I also allowed myself to get overly hungry rather than eating regular meals as I should have done. Today, I'm back on track (and on My Fitness Pal) and I'll do right today. No regret for yesterday.

IMO, that's the beauty of the sleeve vs the others. I have physical restriction that won't let me eat mass quantities of anything, so I've been forced to deal with the emotional stuff. Yeah, I ate something I shouldn't have yesterday, but I now have the self control to get back on track and keep working toward my goal. THAT is what the sleeve has helped me accomplish!

Hi

Just my take on this.It might be clouded by my current 3 week stall though..lol

I am 6 minths out and all of a sudden I am thinking of food way to often.I am also hungry.Real stomach hungry,a feeling that I suppose is hunger (never felt hungry before in my life as I was always eating)

As a 45 year old habitual dieter that's not been at my goal weight for over 20 years and having to constantly tell myself not to eat now at 6 months out,I would have done the Ds if 1.it didnt have the bafhroom issues ans 2.the malabsorption of Vitamins were not so severe.I also would have considered the RNY if I havent seen so many of my friends gain 50 plus pounds 4 to 5 years after the RNY.

So,the botom line is one will have to relearn to 1. eat only at meal times and not snack all the time,2.have self control in your choices 3. Make peace with all this, no matter which one of the surgeries you have.

And if you can do that for the RNY or the DS then you can do that for the sleeve which at this time seems to be the surgery with less long term health issues in terms of nutrition.

One thing though.It was so shocking for me when I realized that I can snack and that carbs do go down so easily.I am sure that if I snack all the time it would be possilbe for me to regain everything I have lost.I have no doubt about it.When we graze we usually choose high fat high calorie Snacks and rubbish goes down so easy with the sleeve.

Permanent changes in the way we think about food and saying no to ourselves even when we dont want to is definetely necessary.

But the sleeve is working for me and I am working on changing my bad patterns.Having said all this my close friend had the RNY,lost all her weight,eats great gourmet foods,stays at her goal and have more restriction than me,had right from the start.She had her surgery quite a few years ago and she's still doing great and she finds it so easy.

totally agree with NYXA post...well said.

I've heard of a few people gaining 30% back and one lady gained back 50 of the 100 she lost. I don't hear about them very often though. They were over on another forum I belong to. I think the sleeve is one of the best out there. Do I think duodenal switch is an excellent surgery? Yes. BUT the trade off is you have to take a LOT of Vitamins and supplements and I know first hand what happens when you don't. A lady I know lost her insurance and job and could not afford the hundreds of dollars in supplements and vitamins she required. She got a charity organization to help her because she was getting VERY sick. It was her example that made think that while the sleeve may not be as powerful as the duodenal switch--it's a LOT safer! The sleeve is a really great tool and I don't want to get a DS and perhaps one day not be able to afford my vitamins. I also forget to take vitamins and with the HUGE regimen they have--I wouldn't remember every day. Some people are excellent at remembering--me--not so much. It was just too big of a risk to take for me personally.

Gastric bypass? Pssh no thanks. Malabsorption of calories only lasts for 2 years but malabsorption of vitamins and minerals lasts a lifetime. Not a fair trade off IMHO. At 2 years out they end up with a restriction only procedure just like we have. And the restriction isn't as good as ours from what I've heard after several years out. There are some GBP people who can eat entire full meals and appetizers at restaurants with no problem. I will take my pyloric valve over their stoma any day

Sleeve= safe and effective and has weight loss results pretty darn close to the gastric bypass after 2-3 years. I like that the sleeve uses the least stretchiest part of the stomach and that it helps with appetite. I like that if I forget to take my vitamins for a day or two--it's not likely to cause me to get sick as it could with the other surgeries.

I had a switch done (please don't kick me out!).

My doctor recommended it because according to data, there are higher success rates of percentage of goal lost and higher rates of maintained loss over long term. My recovery may have been a little longer (I also had my gallbladder and an esophogeal ulcer removed), from what I'm reading, but for the most part, everything I read here seems to apply. I have the same stalls, the same eating/drinking issues, the same...bathroom issues, etc.

Hi Deanac

Well that makes me feel better about my stall...lol

If the DS was available in the UAE in 2003 I would have done it.Heck if it was here now I still would have considered it but I am not very compliant with Vitamins so it might have been a bad idea for me.

Good luck and enjoy losing!