Any Regrets?

[candy32980 9]

Excellent point @JamieLogical. Thanks for the insight.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

Excellent point @JamieLogical. Thanks for the insight.

I say it over and over on these forums, because it's a mental hurdle that a LOT of WLS patients seem to struggle with. WLS is not a diet. On a diet, you want to lose weight as fast as possible so you can be "done". But, you'll never be "done" with your WLS, so what's the hurry? I actually had my WLS as a weight MAINTENANCE solution, not a weight LOSS solution. I was a pro at losing weight. I'd lost hundreds of pounds over the years, even losing 90 pounds in one year back in 2010/2011. The problem for me was maintaining the weight loss. As soon as I thought I was "done" dieting, I'd go right back to my old ways of eating and my exercise would drop off and I would start packing the pounds back on. I am hopeful that my sleeve will help me when my REAL journey begins. Once I reach goal and have to start maintaining my weight for the first time in my life.

When it comes to weight maintenance, there doesn't seem to be any real data on whether sleeve or RNY is "better".

[texasdude 15]

Had the Lap band in 2004 and will convert to the sleeve on July 7. The band literally saved my life and I am optimistic that the sleeve will improve my life even more.

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

While I agree with your main point, i have some slightly different perspectives.

one of the reasons i had a hard time maintaining with the lapband is I never got to goal! I am 3.5 years post revision to sleeve and maintenance isn't always easy. One of the very motivating things for me now is that I WANT to stay in single digit clothing sizes! I did the surgery for health, but my motivation for maintenance comes largely from feeling and looking normal size. With the band, I never got there so even though I was better off as a size 16 versus 24W it still never made me feel successful. one of the benefits of the sleeve and bypass is you lose enough weight, fast enough, to help with that "motivation". It made a big difference for me.

According to what I have read, the rate/speed of loss is only slightly higher with the bypass. for most people, I am not sure the difference is really that significant. I don't really agree that there are big benefits to losing slower. I am not convinced your skin turns out better or any other side benefit. We lose at the rate we lose - not just surgery type, there are many other factors both obvious and mysterious....

Having said that, years down the road it makes absolutely no difference that it took me 14 months to get to goal versus some other number of months... It REALLY IS ABOUT MAINTENANCE. I could write that about 1,000 times and still not convey how critical it is to know that. As @@JamieLogical said most of us could lose weight reasonably well, we could just not keep it off. WLS is an effective maintenance tool but it is still a bear at times.

@@candy32980 It does seem that the rate of loss is faster with RNY, but I wouldn't necessarily see that as a benefit. There are a lot of benefits to losing more slowly. Your skin has more time to adapt. You don't have to replace your clothes as frequently. You get fewer comments on your rapid weight loss. And you have more time to mentally adapt to your changing body. Meanwhile, losing "fast" doesn't really have any long term benefit. In 5 years, will it matter if it took you a couple more months to lose those pounds? Nope! But, your skin and wallet might be grateful for the extra time!

[7 Bites_Jen 479]

I have zero regrets. Things may not have always been perfect, and I've made a lot of mistakes along the way, but with every mistake came knowledge. I've learned so much during this journey about myself, my body, and about health and nutrition in general. <3

[Rogofulm 2,440]

I agree that this is not a race to get to goal weight. And we're certainly not in competition with any other bariatric patients. Everyone has their own biological, emotional, psychological, and practical factors that will affect their program and the speed of their weight loss. But what most of us do have in common is a 9-12 month "honeymoon period" after our surgeries. So as I have posted many times, while it may not be a race, there are real advantages to maximizing that honeymoon period. That's when our restriction is most effective, our determination is strongest, and the weight comes off fastest. I think most of us agree that our surgery is merely a tool, right? So if it were a chisel, we'd want to use it when it's sharpest. That doesn't mean it can't be used for a long, long time. Or even that it can't be re-sharpened (see 5-day Pouch Test). But it does mean that our tool is most effective during the first year or so. So the more weight we can lose during that initial period, the less weight will remain to be lost in subsequent years when its potency may be somewhat weaker. All I'm saying is that we should make every possible effort to maximize our tool while it's the strongest it will ever be. And in doing so, hopefully we will learn and internalize the habits that will help propel us into maintenance for the rest of our lives, when our tool may have dulled a bit. Just another viewpoint....

[MBM1Forever 107]

My biggest regret was not knowing exactly how my pouch would react and how much time I would spend thinking about what to eat. The surgery itself was a piece of cake for me. The after, not so much. I really struggled with how small an amount I could eat at first. At six months, it is the new normal and it is ok. What isn't ok is the sometimes upset that happens if food is eaten too fast or too much and every day is different. I really miss being able to take a big glass of Water and gulp it down, especially in the heat. Oddly enough, I still forget and then suffer with the contractions afterward.

Biggest non regret-weight loss and improved health conditions.

[Rogofulm 2,440]

@@MBM1Forever, I can't remember when I crossed over, but sometime between 6 months and 1 year, I became able to drink Water very quickly. (Actually, I drink watered-down Crystal Light iced tea.) I drink it without ice so it gets to room temperature fairly quickly, and then I'm able to gulp it just like I used to. As for the concern that it will stretch your sleeve/pouch, my doc says that fluids will find the easiest path of escape, and that's straight down into the intestines. So drink away as soon as you're able!

I really miss being able to take a big glass of Water and gulp it down, especially in the heat. Oddly enough, I still forget and then suffer with the contractions afterward.

[Beni 1,484]

Best decision of my life. The regrets were only early on because I was missing the comfort of eating a huge meal and lolling myself to sleep. Definitely not a healthy relationship with food. I also got sick quite a few times in the first few months because it turns out I had a hard time figuring out how to eat. Slow and chewing properly was hard for me. I used to be one of those super fast eaters. I Still get sick sometimes because I try to push it. Silly me.

Now, after losing 99 lbs, I am a ball of energy. Me, a ball of energy? I still can hardly believe it.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I really miss being able to take a big glass of Water and gulp it down, especially in the heat. Oddly enough, I still forget and then suffer with the contractions afterward.

@@MBM1Forever, I can't remember when I crossed over, but sometime between 6 months and 1 year, I became able to drink Water very quickly. (Actually, I usually drink watered-down Crystal Light iced tea.) I drink it without ice so it gets to room temperature fairly quickly, and then I'm able to gulp it just like I used to. As for the concern that it will stretch your sleeve/pouch, my doc says that fluids will find the easiest path of escape, and that's straight down into the intestines. So drink away as soon as you're able!

I too can gulp water most of the time now. Still have to wait a good 40 minutes after eating, but I rarely have issues beyond that. For me though, I am the opposite. My water has to be ICE COLD... like freezing... for me to be able to drink quickly. Room temp water is like lead and fills me up super fast and sits "heavy" in my stomach.

[Rogofulm 2,440]

@@MBM1Forever, I can't remember when I crossed over, but sometime between 6 months and 1 year, I became able to drink Water very quickly. (Actually, I usually drink watered-down Crystal Light iced tea.) I drink it without ice so it gets to room temperature fairly quickly, and then I'm able to gulp it just like I used to. As for the concern that it will stretch your sleeve/pouch, my doc says that fluids will find the easiest path of escape, and that's straight down into the intestines. So drink away as soon as you're able!

I really miss being able to take a big glass of Water and gulp it down, especially in the heat. Oddly enough, I still forget and then suffer with the contractions afterward.

I too can gulp water most of the time now. Still have to wait a good 40 minutes after eating, but I rarely have issues beyond that. For me though, I am the opposite. My water has to be ICE COLD... like freezing... for me to be able to drink quickly. Room temp water is like lead and fills me up super fast and sits "heavy" in my stomach.

Well, I should have said that I drink my tea at refrigerator temperature, but without ice. I agree that cool water goes down easier.

[Daisee68 2,493]

This may not be the most popular reply and I am very early out - 4 weeks tomorrow - but right now I have a bit of buyers remorse. I know things will get better and I hope to be able to come back here in a couple of months and say no regrets, but don't fool yourself, THIS IS HARD. And no matter how much I read about it, I still wasn't prepared. This feeling of buyers remorse is very normal I am told. And the first couple if weeks weren't so bad but at 4 weeks in I am a bit overwhelmed with following all the rules and thinking about following all the rules at every moment of every day. I don't want this to deter anyone from the WLS path; I just wanted to say it's not all roses in the beginning. This too shall pass...

[Rogofulm 2,440]

We're all different, and it takes everyone's bodies and minds different lengths of time to come to terms with our new reality. But in the vast majority of cases, eventually people become happy with their decision. Sometimes it takes 6 weeks; sometimes it takes 6 months or longer; but eventually almost all of of us get there. But at 4 weeks, you're still adjusting, and that's perfectly normal. Hang in there, and be emotionally prepared for The Dreaded Week-3 Stall when you stop losing weight for a few weeks. Don't let it bring you down, because in a few weeks it will pass. Good luck!

[JamieLogical 8,727]

This may not be the most popular reply and I am very early out - 4 weeks tomorrow - but right now I have a bit of buyers remorse. I know things will get better and I hope to be able to come back here in a couple of months and say no regrets, but don't fool yourself, THIS IS HARD. And no matter how much I read about it, I still wasn't prepared. This feeling of buyers remorse is very normal I am told. And the first couple if weeks weren't so bad but at 4 weeks in I am a bit overwhelmed with following all the rules and thinking about following all the rules at every moment of every day. I don't want this to deter anyone from the WLS path; I just wanted to say it's not all roses in the beginning. This too shall pass...

At four weeks I wasn't even back on solid foods yet (that was 40 days post-op), so I was DEFINITELY questioning my choice to have WLS at that point. I was back at work, fatigued feeling, still uncomfortable and healing. Ugh. Not a great time! That is for sure! I would honestly say that I didn't start feeling "normal" again most of the time until about 2 months out. I still didn't really feel "normal" when it came time to eat, but I felt physically in pretty good shape the rest of the time by then. Eating-wise I was still struggling with figuring out how much to eat, how fast to eat, how often to eat. I was also really coming to terms with not being able to emotionally eat around that time. Once I was allowed solid foods, one of the first things I did was try to eat pizza, of course! I could barely eat one small piece and felt terrible after, so it was tough getting my head around not being able to turn to my favorite foods for comfort and not being able to binge. That was a real struggle for me for a couple of months.

By month 4, I really did just feel "normal" 99% of the time. Even around eating.

[Rogofulm 2,440]

By month 4, I really did just feel "normal" 99% of the time. Even around eating.

Last week, I spoke to someone in our bariatric support group who said it took her between 6 and 9 months to be happy with her decision to have surgery. I think that's on the long end of the spectrum, but as I said, we're all different. The point is that eventually we get there, and then the 2, 4, or 6 months of doubt start to recede in our memories.