I was reading another forum last night and a woman just got back from a seminar with her bariatric doctors they told the people that the sleeve is great, but also said that after about the five year mark the restriction goes away and hunger is back all the way and most need to be re-sleeved!! Thoughts?

So I've been thinking about it all day, and have done some poking about a bit and some reading..

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Obesity/40490

And I found this an interesting statement coming from a doctor at a bariatric conference...

“Doctors are constantly concerned with durability. The gastric sleeve gained instant popularity because it is quick and easy to master, and is a less difficult operation than a bypass,” said Dr. Coon. However, he stressed the need for surgeons to learn all of the facts, perform extensive prep work, and communicate effectively with each patient before deciding whether the sleeve gastrectomy is appropriate.

“With new surgeries, outcome is always hard to predict,” he said. “If five years from now it still seems to be a good operation, then it probably will continue — and then again it might fail. Regardless, people will continue to promote it or disagree with it.”

This is exactly right.

I "failed" with the lapband and I took away 3 key points from that experience:

1. I needed way more education and support

2. Obese people just need a crapload less food then "normal people" so get used to the idea of eating a pittance for the rest of your life

3. The lapband sucks

The education and support part is huge - I got alot from my surgeon and nutritionalist, but i also get it here. That support helps me alot with point #2 as well. I sometimes get grief of my "mini meals" but that is MY WORLD and the only thing that keeps me from obesity.

One of my sisters is probably 50# overweight but says she deserves those pounds - she eats too much.

Her daughter who is probably 100-130# overweight, with a lapband, eats much less, is younger but still maintains this large size. My neice has a similar experience that i do - add back bread, potatos etc and the pounds pile on.... This sister of mine is one of the few who get it when I tell her i don't believe in calorie math.... there is something else going on.

It does take a lot of strength to say, yes, I made a mistake, but I am accountable and I am here not giving up. I think in the past many of us (I know for myself anyways), if I started gaining, I just gave up. Boohoo, poor me. Now, I strap on my big girl panties, say its time to get my head back in the game.

I don' t think anyone is a failure that is struggling to reach goal, or has had some regain. I think the only time that we fail is when we choose to give up.

So this is what i was told pre sleeving that these were averages.

Of course this means some people lose very little...

My surgeon wouldn't give me exact percentages, but told me that revisions from the band don't do as well for two reasons. 1. learned behavior (how to eat around a restrictive WLS) and 2. scar tissue from the band interfering with the stomach size they can make.

Anyway, I lost about 60%-65% of my excess when my weight loss stopped. I was exercising and everything, but that was the moment when i had to get real... ditch the Protein bars, go really low carb, switch to high intensity exercise etc etc

I think that those of us who remain active here so long after our surgery are NOT typical and are a very motivated group. Even those who struggle at not being "at goal" are pretty dang normal (or smaller then normal!!!) compared to a typical American their age.

I see a group of hugely successful people on this forum who are engaged in the good fight over maintaining, or getting those last few pounds off (maybe even for the second or third time). My observation is that alot of normal size people are engaged in that same struggle...

One thing to note from the study is that at one year, average EWL was 61% and at five years it was 57%. Turn that into pounds so it's easier to see that if I wanted to lose 100 lbs. on average I lose 61 lbs by the end of the first year and when rechecked at the end of five years, I have regained 4 lbs. So for me, the more telling statistic is that EWL is around 60% on average. And it's best to get there in the first year because as the years go by, it's more likely to gain a little back. Key word is a little, on average. Now that takes the people who get to 100% EWL and those who gain everything back and averages them.

And of course we are not average here, we're all hanging around because we want to do better. At least that's why I'm still here. I don't want to go off, get complacent, quit weighing, and wake up morbidly obese again.

Lynda

I had a "check up" with my surgeon today.

It's funny how I stressed about the weigh in..

But he seemed pretty happy with it.

I asked him about long term success..

He said first off, that he sees his patients yearly after the first year... Glad I like him!

He said yes he sees lots of regain but it happens slowly for most of them, about 10 pounds a year on average. It's the slow creep of getting to comfortable..

We also talked about reduced calories for us compared to a "normal" weighted person of the same size that never had weight issues.

What thread was that here? About consuming 20% percent less than an never been obese person? Well it sounds about right.

I also asked about stretching of the sleeve.

Has he actually seen it with his own eyes?

He told me yes more than once. It's not unusual if someone continually eats to over full.

So that was definitely "food for thought"

It gave me a better handle on the things I need to do and look out for to have more potential for long term success.

Me at the doctors scared to be weighed....

Good for you! The article on eating 20% less is in the research section...

Good for you! The article on eating 20% less is in the research section...

Thanks I was poking around looking for it!

Laura,

Its one of these...

http://www.drsharma....or-obesity.html

http://www.drsharma....ody-weight.html

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Laura' date='

Its one of these...

http://www.drsharma....or-obesity.html

http://www.drsharma....ody-weight.html

Thanks!!!!

Oh a picture of me waiting and scared for my weigh in!! Butters request

Laura' date='

Its one of these...

http://www.drsharma....or-obesity.html

http://www.drsharma....ody-weight.html

Oh and really thank you! I could not find it

I like this Sharma guy I've been enjoying his articles on OH (sorry Alex)

The Dr Sharma articles are great, thanks. The readers comments following them are worth reading too. Having realised myself that I will have to keep my calorie intake v low even at maintenance - and that the whole 2000 calories per day thing is tosh (for me and no doubt many others who gain weight easily) - I found it interesting that so many respondents to those articles have similar comments to make.

This is soo often portrayed as a "poor me" thing - not surprising if hunger is gnawing away. But I'm trying to reframe it and the sleeve is a blessing in this regard (at least at my relatively early stage), as I have v little true hunger these days. Unfortunately "I'll be laughing come the next famine" doesn't put a big smile on my face. But knowing I can eat v small meals and so save time and money IS a pretty nice thing.

Like a reformed smoker, I'm wondering what I'm going to do with all of that spare cash I used to spend on food. That is, after I've paid off my sleeve op and for my top-notch multi Vitamins and endless fibre supplements.

Like a reformed smoker, I'm wondering what I'm going to do with all of that spare cash I used to spend on food. That is, after I've paid off my sleeve op and for my top-notch multi Vitamins and endless fibre supplements.

You're going to blow all of it and more on skinny clothes.

Thanks!!!!

Oh a picture of me waiting and scared for my weigh in!! Butters request

Laura, where in the heck are you going to get 23 more pounds from girl! From that pic all I can think of is you must have fat feet cause there isnt any fat anywhere else I can see!

Laura' date=' where in the heck are you going to get 23 more pounds from girl! From that pic all I can think of is you must have fat feet cause there isnt any fat anywhere else I can see![/quote']

Lol! I think it was a fun house mirror... Look at how big my paws look

Oh and it's there trust me! Even the doctor today said I can and should get to a "normal" BMI.

I'm loving this guy tonight!

http://www.drsharma.ca/how-many-extra-calories-do-you-need-to-become-obese.html

**** it's late!! And I'm all alone here reading

I need to go to bed!!

Nighty night

Thanks!!!!

Oh a picture of me waiting and scared for my weigh in!! Butters request

You look tiny!!

You look tiny!!

Georgia my new BFF!!