I see tons of success stories on this site whether they be biggest losers or slow losers or even people with complications. And yet I have heard of people gaining all their weight back. How does that happen? Does the stomach stretch back out? Can you really gain that much weight on a few bites a meal, even if it is a slider food?

The sleeve doesn't fail, some people who are sleeved fail. Instead of utilizing their tool, they eat around their sleeve, grazing, eating sliders, making poor choices, not following the nutritional plan their doctor gave them, etc.

Nope. The sleeve cannot fail. You can. I can. We all can. We must CHOOSE not to.

If that is the case, is WLS just a better tool than everything else we have tried? Does WLS have better results than Weight Watchers or HCG shots or Paleo or Slimfast or all the other diets out there?

<------ Just a newbie searching for answers

To be honest, I haven't seen anyone gain ALL of their weight back. Some regain 20-25-30 pounds as I did by eating too much junk sliders but I lost it all and more. My SLEEVE still has great restriction and it is the best tool I've ever had in my life. My 100 pound weight loss would have never been successful with just WW. I tried all that before.

And if you get back to basics and follow your plan, your sleeve continues to work! I'm four years out - down 110 pounds.

If that is the case, is WLS just a better tool than everything else we have tried? Does WLS have better results than Weight Watchers or HCG shots or Paleo or Slimfast or all the other diets out there?

<------ Just a newbie searching for answers

What WLS does is help you by having restriction and not having the hunger you once had. All of those other diets work as well. No matter what you choose whether it be WLS or something like Weight Watchers you have to be ready for a life change. WLS helps keep you on the path because of the restriction. That being said you CAN get around it. So unless your ready to actually make a life change then YOU will fail not the sleeve.

I would bet that the vast majority of WLS patients choose surgery because they have tried and failed at "diets". I know that I tried Weight Watchers, Nutri System, Zone Diet, Medifast and Atkins at various times. I had varying levels of success with each but ended up putting my weight loss back on. Part of the problem is the "diet"approach. Very few of these diets teach you how to manage food choices beyond their program.

Many WLS programs take a holistic approach to the surgery. That is why nutrition classes, exercise classes, psych reviews are included. Did any have a psych evaluation as part of weight watchers?

The reason VSG is working for me is that I have made a lifestyle change. I am eating healthy Proteins, fats and carbs on a regular schedule, I am drinking more Water than ever, I am exercising and I have tremendous support from medical professionals and current WLS support groups. I have every reason to believe that I will be successful as long as I follow the plan.

The sleeve doesn't stop you from eating "bad" foods...It stops you from eating large amounts of "bad" foods.

You are in control of what you put in your mouth and the quantities in which you do that. I have found that I can "eat around" my sleeve - I can eat lots of carby foods like tortilla chips and never feel full.

You still need to practice self control and make good choices.

Mine worked for about a year and then I went crazy. I had an extreme amount of stress and was always a stress eater; I overate. After the sleeve I could no longer eat large portions but I could eat anything. Nothing made me sick or disagreed with my sleeve. I began eating entire bags of candy in a day mutliple times per week. I gained back 65% of my weight in a year. My sleeve was done becuase I was too high risk for the RNY and he did not think I could lose all 300 lbs with one suregery anyway. I was always to have a second surgery but with the gain, I had no choice, there was just an added element of embarassment. It boils down to not following the rules. For the first year, I was vigilant and tracked everything and then it all went out the window. I have now been revised to the RNY and hope to have dumping syndrome (but do not intend to test it). I beleive I have learned from my mistakes and now know how serious my sugar/junk addition really is. I can NEVER touch those things again. I also must "diet" for life and track my food.

Edited May 30, 201412 yr by Heather B

One of the reasons people regain the weight is that the surgery will not fix your psychologically dysfunctional relationship to food. Not everyone has a full blown eating disorder, but there are a very, very, very tiny percentage of people who have gained enough weight to qualify for this surgery who do not have a dysfunctional relationship with food. If you don't actively work on the psychological aspect, you aren't taking care of what made you overweight in the first place. I have been in therapy for a year for binge eating disorder and exercise related bulimia and I plan to keep going for the majority of the remainder of my natural life. I always encourage people who are looking into WLS to find a therapist who specializes in eating related issues and see them for at least a few months pre-surgery. You will be so much happier if you do, I promise!

Heather,

I too have a sugar issue. Im terrified to have my sleeve. Im afraid im going to fail. I keep trying to stay away from that stuff but lately ive been having problems at work eating junk at work. I hear you I hear your whole situation. We can get through this!

Heather,

I too have a sugar issue. Im terrified to have my sleeve. Im afraid im going to fail. I keep trying to stay away from that stuff but lately ive been having problems at work eating junk at work. I hear you I hear your whole situation. We can get through this!

*If* you're not already doing this, I suggest you bring healthy Snacks with you to work so you're less likely to be tempted by the junk.

While I was losing with my sleeve I packed lunch and snacks everyday. When I began gaining I was buying food from out and would go to Walgreens and buy junk for my afternoon snack. Packing is a way to go. This also helps planning for the day to meet goals.

I am only a few months out but what I have found beneficial from the sleeve vs the other methods is that I am getting stronger messages from my body on fullness. I still have to listen to those messages and I definitely have work to do (ie I know I have snacked when I didn't really need to). I have had the experience where I can eat almost anything already without feeling sick so I am having to work my plan a little sooner than those who have physical discomfort eating. I can definitely see where it's possible to slip.

Choosing a small amount of the right food does leave me satisfied though which hasn't been the case for previous low cal attempts.

I have done every diet out there, and I long ago made peace with the fact that I will never be able to eat like a "normal" person and not gain. I just don't require many calories to live, and the sleeve helps me stick to that. I can't overeat, I don't really graze anyway, and sugar makes me queasy after a few bites.

I did have an early complication with bleeding and a clot, and then I had VERY slow loss the first 6 weeks or so. After that was smooth sailing and my sleeve makes it so easy for me to stay on my diet. Maybe I am one of the lucky few who doesn't really have emotional issues with food. I am close to goal weight now and although I will ALWAYS need to closely watch my weight and intake, I don't anticipate any problems maintaining. It is awesome to be a size 6 and to have healthy lab results. I'm hopeful for the future!

They say the stomach doesn't stretch back to where it was but it does stretch some. I don't know the real answer but I can say I can eat more now than I could at 6 months out. For example, I can eat 2 eggs and a sausage patty when I used to be super full off of one egg with cheese on top. I could only eat half a sandwich at one time now I can eat a whole one. I'm hungry every 3-4 hours, so if I ate poorly every 3-4 hours, even though I can eat small amounts at one time, the calories really add up. Now if I ate every 2 hours or every time I passed the kitchen......you can see how easy it can be to gain weight.

If you haven't dealt with your food issues and have a real problem with abusing food, you could eat until you're really full......wait a few minutes for some food to digest and try to force more in. That's an extreme example but It's possible to eat around the sleeve. Unfortunately, some people can't get a grip on it. It's really important to gain control early on. Make life long changes in you're eating habits that are doable. We're all going to have our days where we feel like a failure but I think the secret to being successful is being able to get back on track before you have a huge gain. I personally have had a 7 pound gain that I'm currently working to get off. I've managed to lose 4 of those 7 and still want to lose 20 more.

Mine worked for about a year and then I went crazy. I had an extreme amount of stress and was always a stress eater; I overate. After the sleeve I could no longer eat large portions but I could eat anything. Nothing made me sick or disagreed with my sleeve. I began eating entire bags of candy in a day mutliple times per week. I gained back 65% of my weight in a year. My sleeve was done becuase I was too high risk for the RNY and he did not think I could lose all 300 lbs with one suregery anyway. I was always to have a second surgery but with the gain, I had no choice, there was just an added element of embarassment. It boils down to not following the rules. For the first year, I was vigilant and tracked everything and then it all went out the window. I have now been revised to the RNY and hope to have dumping syndrome (but do not intend to test it). I beleive I have learned from my mistakes and now know how serious my sugar/junk addition really is. I can NEVER touch those things again. I also must "diet" for life and track my food.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It makes me realize the importance of working on the reasons why I eat the wrong things.