Let's start with some stats about me: Female, age = 27, height = 5'3", was sleeved 3 years ago when I was 24. Highest weight ever = 210 and weighted 198 on surgery day, reached 147 pounds eight months post-surgery and for the past year have been gradually gaining weight, currently at 172.

Now why the title of the post?

I wasn't that heavy to begin with: If you're not that overweight (below 250 pounds or so, for someone with my stats, for example), I highly do not recommend getting sleeved or having any other gastric surgery for that matter. It seriously is not worth it because you can probably lose the weight gradually without the aid of such a drastic permanent surgery and have better results maintaining your success in the long run - I will explain why shortly.

On a side note, please realize that this surgery is permanent. Going in, I was so fixated on losing weight that I didn't have the wisdom or foresight to really understand that fact. After losing weight and even looking like you were never obese, guess what? You will forever eat restricted portions and have acid reflux (which many people develop after surgery and have to be on medication), along with any other side effects/complications the surgery caused.

I was/am young: If you're in your 20s or somewhere below 45, I also do not recommend this surgery since our bodies can lose weight easier when we are at a young age. So please reconsider. And now for the grand finale and the biggest reason that enticed this post, and I'm quoting this article to effectively get the point across:

We all know that there are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. That means that by reducing your food by 500 calories per day, you should lose one pound of fat per week, right? Wrong! Actually, much of the weight you'll lose will come from muscle tissue, not fat! Why? Because your body tends to use ("excess") muscle tissue for needed energy before it reclaims fat deposits.

For example, starting at 198 pounds post-sleeve, I lost 18 pounds the first month after surgery - Do you think that was all fat? Definitely not!

The answer to long term success is to take your time with fat loss, and either preserve or build muscle tissue by integrating scientific weight training, mild aerobics, dietary manipulation, supplementation and other technologies into your lifestyle.

Here is an example from the article linked above: Let's say a person cuts calories without exercise for 6 weeks - Their starting weight is 200 pounds with 30% body fat. Their lean muscle mass is at 140 pounds and they have 60 pounds of fat. Now after dieting for those 6 weeks by cutting calories and not engaging in exercise/weight training, the person's end weight is 170 pounds, losing 30 pounds; a great accomplishment in 6 weeks, right? No, it's not, because the person is still at 30% body fat - now having 51 pounds of fat (leaving them with 119 pounds of muscle). The general idea here is that if a person cuts 500 calories per day from their diet, but fails to exercise, they may lose 30 pounds in 6 weeks, but their body fat remains at 30%. They lose 21 pounds of muscle and only 9 pounds of fat. That's 70% of the weight coming from your lean muscle mass! They will yo-yo back up to 200 in no time (within 1-2 years according to information compiled during the Congressional investigation into the fat loss industry). However, in doing so, they will be 35% body fat instead of their original 30%. Why? They never regained all of the lean tissue they lost as a result of their crash dieting earlier.

We all know that as we age, we lose muscle mass, and that muscle mass (though it weighs more) looks much better on our body than fat. So 2 people can be the same height and have similar body shapes and weigh the same, but because of their different body compositions, one can look significantly thinner (and ultimately enjoy better health) vs. the other.

I feel so sad realizing how big of a mistake it was to get sleeved - especially 3 years later and when it's way too late. I know exactly how it feels to be desperate, to have tried every diet out there and failed, to be so done with counting calories and not losing enough, then failing to maintain and gaining all of the weight back with interest. But the truth is, I am happy I realize my mistake and I am willing to admit it. In a society that is so poor on nutritional knowledge and a corrupt food industry, it is incredibly difficult to manage our nutrition and fitness alongside our busy schedules. But guess what? There are no shortcuts to being successful in life, and that's what the sleeve harshly taught me. You want to live with only 15-20% of your stomach and eat 4-6 ounces of food at a time? Forever? Sure, that's how I am living currently and will forever unfortunately, but is it truly a permanent solution? You'll never need to diet again? Obviously not, I lost 51 pounds after getting sleeved, then gained 25!

Rules are rules and when you go over your caloric intake, sleeved or not, you will gain weight, especially when you have an extensive past history of yo-yo dieting (most of us gastric patients fall under this category) and you have ruined your body's normal/healthy muscle-to-fat ratio. I've seen some people who are sleeved go from 210 pounds to 120 pounds in 10 months - Is that great? I don't know... Think about it. Their body composition is probably terrible! So many people on here (including myself) say things like, well, at least I look good in clothes… You’re thin on the scale but you will have loose skin and won't look or feel good about yourself. It's like you always put your life on hold because you're obese and now you are doing the same because your body is ugly (I’m talking about myself before anyone else here).

You're in your 20s but people who are 40 look way better than you! Why? Because it's not about LOSING, it's about GAINING muscle mass. It's what will help you burn more calories, even in your sleep. Lose weight by controlling your calories (increasing your Protein intake, adding complex carbs, and limiting fat) - and maintain your success in the long run. Muscle looks better and will carry you through old age - You don't want to look frail with loose skin when you're only 30 or so. It may be the difficult way and it may be hard to accept because you're frustrated and desperate - I WAS THERE! And sadly, I am still there now. But maybe the natural way is the best in the long run. I know how it feels to be desperate and just wanting to live a normal life - I decided to have the surgery and 2 weeks later, I was in Mexico and sleeved - Stupidest and most stubborn decision I ever made.

What I am pleading here as advice to you is to think twice about what's right for you and your body - the only place you will ever have to live and the greatest instrument you will ever possess... Develop the right habits and gain muscle because if you don't and you get sleeved, you will eventually gain all of the weight back. 2/3 of your arms for example are your triceps - so many sleeved women complain about this area - well guess what? Getting sleeved didn't help - probably lost 70% muscle of whatever total weight you lost in your arm, resulting in loose skin and a terribly fat-looking arm. Weight training and developing good nutritional habits truly is the answer. Don't eat out or have any junk. Start with tips and tricks from websites like eatthis.com - and cook simple meals and eat freely without pain or embarrassment (I can't even burp, I do this weird whooshing sound - awkward) and trust me, you will be successful and you will look better than anyone who got sleeved and did just that. I understand some people on here did this whole sleeve thing the right way and worked out as early as they were able to - I am not attacking you - Good for you! This is just my humble opinion and advice for those considering and thinking like me, that this is an easy way out or they won't ever need to diet again, or they don't need to workout, etc. If I can help one person visiting this forum realize what’s in this post before getting sleeved, then that would bring me so much happiness. I wish I would have run into a similar post, truly thought about it and gave the dream of a healthy life one last sober try remembering the sad story of that person – but I will redeem myself – for once and for all.

Edited July 30, 201511 yr by LG2.0

I can't access the full article, but the summary seems to state that the proportion of fat-free mass to fat increased for both ops. It increased more for bypass than sleeve. I'd want to read the full article, but keep in mind "proportion" is different from an actual loss or gain. Typically, patients lose both muscle and fat, it's just that they lose way more fat than muscle. Also "fat free mass" is usually defined as everything except fat, so it includes bone as well. (And lot of patients have some bone loss, either due to nutrient deficiencies but also because being at a lower weight reduces force on bones and body stops "beefing up" the bone density to compensate.)

My layman's understanding of the proportion issue is this: for example, if you are a 6 foot tall sedentary man who is at a 40 BMI, you typically have more lbs of muscle than a 6 foot tall sedentary man at a 25 BMI. You have more muscle because you're lugging around a lot more weight 24/7 than the low BMI guy. Your muscles have to work harder, so they get bigger. After operation, as you lose weight, your body doesn't need as much muscle (you're not getting the same 24/7 workout), and you usually lose some muscle unless you start working out and upping Protein. In other words, unless you fight it, your body is heading in the direction of the fat/muscle ratio of the normal BMI guy.

Make sense? I'm not a doc or medical expert. I could be wrong, but this is my understanding from reading various articles.

I can't access the full article, but the summary seems to state that the proportion of fat-free mass to fat increased for both ops. It increased more for bypass than sleeve. I'd want to read the full article, but keep in mind "proportion" is different from an actual loss or gain. Typically, patients lose both muscle and fat, it's just that they lose way more fat than muscle. Also "fat free mass" is usually defined as everything except fat, so it includes bone as well. (And lot of patients have some bone loss, either due to nutrient deficiencies but also because being at a lower weight reduces force on bones and body stops "beefing up" the bone density to compensate.)

My layman's understanding of the proportion issue is this: for example, if you are a 6 foot tall sedentary man who is at a 40 BMI, you typically have more lbs of muscle than a 6 foot tall sedentary man at a 25 BMI. You have more muscle because you're lugging around a lot more weight 24/7 than the low BMI guy. Your muscles have to work harder, so they get bigger. After operation, as you lose weight, your body doesn't need as much muscle (you're not getting the same 24/7 workout), and you usually lose some muscle unless you start working out and upping Protein. In other words, unless you fight it, your body is heading in the direction of the fat/muscle ratio of the normal BMI guy.

Make sense? I'm not a doc or medical expert. I could be wrong, but this is my understanding from reading various articles.

I would agree with that sentiment. Morbid obesity...everyday is leg day.

What a bummer for me! The 8 inches I have lost off my waist so far were all muscle! I really wanted a temporary fix because I want to be fat as hell again in 2 years. LOL

I don't disagree with everything this person said and I do disagree with the fact that people jumped all over her. I went from going to the initial meeting with my surgeon, 2 days after I thought about getting the surgery, to being in the OR two weeks later, so I disagree that you cannot make an informed decision in that amount of time. I was 29 when I had the surgery, so sort of young compared to this person's standards, and I understood the irreversibility of the surgery. My sleeve hates food...I barf at least 10 times a week. There is nothing wrong with my sleeve that would physiologically be causing its hate for all things that taste good and I know that for the rest of my life pizza, Pasta, bread, cheese, sugar, milk, cream, meat, some vegetables, most fruits and all kinds of yummy things come at the cost of a good barf if I choose to eat them. I won't lie, this sort of really sucks, but would I still get the sleeve? Absolutely. I think people who are considering the surgery need both the bad and the good and this person represents an opinion about why the sleeve may not be for everyone. Simply because we don't agree with her, doesn't mean she doesn't have the right to post a respectful (I saw nothing we should be offended by that was rude or hurtful or that was in poor taste, no bad words, nothing really awful) discussion about her own ideas.

Also, I don't entirely agree with the whole muscle/ fat thing, however I can say that at 126 pounds I have very little muscle left and if you look at me from the right angle you can tell that I am what people call skinny-fat. I look great in clothes, I look semi-decent naked thanks to plastic surgery, and I can run a wicked few miles...ask me to lift something though or do a workout that takes a lot of prolonged muscular strength and I am out of luck. Prior to surgery I was a beast...in more ways than one, but in this instance, I was strong. I sacrificed being small for being strong, I know that, and frankly I don't care a whole lot. Prior to surgery even when I was thin, I was always muscular, and part of this may be because a lot of dense Proteins make me barf now whereas in the past I never had an issue eating them. Is this a side effect of the surgery? Sure, I suppose so because my sleeve hates food that once upon a time my stomach loved eating and which contributed to me being strong.

Therefore, I am fine with this original post. I don't feel I need to agree with something for a person to have the right to say it and I can understand, from my own experience, where some of the sentiments that the poster made are coming from. For anyone who may be considering the sleeve, you need to read both the good and the bad to make an informed decision, so chalk this up to one tally mark on the bad side, and keep doing research. The sleeve is not all sunshine and daisies and while most of us love it, it comes at a cost....understanding that is just as important as recognizing the benefits.

Once again -2 more points on our entire IQ as a whole, if you go back and Re-read the post and take down notes. Then you could Google some of the "Facts" she threw out there and realize why some of us had a right to be angry at her!!!!!

At 51 years old I had to do my research and decided only after 2 years to have my sleeve done, I have not been entirely successful because of my sleeve and diet, I have been successful because of what I LEARNED through research and listening to others who were successful, and even those who were not, and the commonality of those who were not was that they never followed through with the post surgery guidelines, if I believed at any point I wouldn't be able to handle the life change it required I would have backed out and waited to die at an early age.......... Which is another statistic that should be looked up...... Sheesh

Edited August 1, 201511 yr by laguerr13

There wasn't anything good on TV tonight. This entertained me for a while though. I just can't imagine jumping into surgery 2 weeks after you hear about it. That, in my opinion, is irresponsible. Wishing everyone the best.

@@laguerr13

I certainly hope you weren't referring to my post as being -2 points off of everyone's IQ....

I was referring to some of the posts

Edited August 2, 201511 yr by laguerr13

And I stand firmly by everything I said!!!!!!! I don't in any way hate or despise you, but it disappoints me that a lot of what you had to say was way off, I don't know what sources you got your stats from but the one about muscle and fat were very misleading, I don't want to toss stats back and forth all day, because every article can be on either side of the spectrum, but you never mentioned or touched on what YOU did to not succeed, and for someone even thinking of getting the surgery it was like putting a loaded gun in front of an infant and leaving the room.........

You may have cost someone who is not yet self informed the chance at a long and healthy better life and that was in no way fair to them, our responsibility as adults is to be knowledgeable about things we want, before we do them, part of that is... No a MAJOR part of that is making sure we are mentally and physically capable of it, it's easy when you have to tell your psych doctor to sign off to have the ability to tell them what they wanna hear, but in the end we are not hurting them, we are hurting ourselves, I advocate for others wanting or even thinking of having surgery, it's my way of giving back and staying humble, if I am going to post something negative about my situation I will be careful how I word it and even before I do that I will research the subject before I speak, I have lost over 80lbs since January, and since being sleeved on June 10th about 57lbs, my BMI was at 59 and now stands at 47.8, I am ahead of schedule, and will be at 299lbs by August 20 or so, and will hit my goal weight sometime in February 2016, I'm 51years of age and have increased my muscle mass by 4lbs in less than 2 months, so either you gave inaccurate numbers of I guess I'm an anomaly? I'm already thinking and planning what I wanna do to maintain my goal weight for the next 10 years, or maybe I just had enough of being fat and got myself together well enough to decide that I was ready to change my life, not just lose weight but CHANGE THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!!!!

I believe since this is a forum where name calling and fowl language is against the rules but expressing your feeling, thoughts and ideas are aloud. I feel that the OP has every right to list the reasons she feels that it was a mistake for her.

It is up to us to learn what we can from her thinking process and see that we have the right education and fortitude to travel the WLS road if it is our desire.

I can think of many times when I laid in the hospital for 5.5 months that I regretted my choice. Not to mention the year and a half it took to feel somewhat normal because of the complications. But I looked at it as a choice I made to better my health and well being and glad even after everything that happened that I made that choice.

Would I have done it in my 20's or 30's. Looking back, oh yes! Would have saved me a lot of grief, health issues, expensive failed diets, verbal and emotional abuse from friends, family and strangers.

As I come up on my third year being healthier. I owe it all to this marvelous surgery that truly gives us who are lost as to what to do or at the end of our ropes, feel we will never be able to feel better again, live a full life and feel good about ourselves.

This surgery is not for everyone. People are allowed to have buyers remorse the rest of their lives if they want to.

This site is for education purposes. I feel sad that the OP feels disheartened at her choice. I appreciate her views and have read them and understand where she is speaking from.

It does not change my position on it. I am not going to try to convince her not to feel how she feels. It is what it is! So for the rest of us!

Forward we go! Just keep swimming eh! And hope that as time goes on she will be in a better place with her choice of WLS.

With all due respect to those of you (some veterans) saying she's allowed to have her opinion about how she feels about WLS....

Of COURSE she is!

The objection that I and several others have expressed is her using deluded facts and falsehoods in her post for her objections to WLS. Like I said, if she would have just posted how she felt unprepared for the surgery and now she feels she made a mistake, this would have been a whole other thread.

And no, berating and name calling should not be tolerated no matter what the subject. I apologize to the OP for my first post.

@@laguerr13 - "LEARNED through research and listening to others who were successful"

Very important point. I don't take council from whiners and complainers. But I did pay attention to potential downsides of the surgery and what I could do to mitigate the risks. And to some degree I was humbled into remembering that WLS is a tool, not a magic wand which would take away my responsibilities by listening to the laments of those who were not success, but when I listened carefully, most of them gave clues why it wasn't working - and usually it was because they were in front of the TV eating junk. But for the most part I concentrated my time listening to those who were doing great and copied them. And I keep learning many things on this site. I also enjoy the daily motivation of others who are on the same journey.

@ RJ'S : I think some of us understood the underlying issue but for those who did not I give up, everyone has the equal right to express unhappiness, disappointment, and even grief after receiving any weight loss surgery, what no one has the right to do anywhere anytime is use fabricated numbers and statistics to persuade other people's ideas, opinions, or to create more confusion in them by doing so, it's bad enough that mainstream media does it everyday with things like " the number one killer in America is Cigarette smoking, no cancer, no drunk driving, no......" Get the idea??????

@ RJ'S : I think some of us understood the underlying issue but for those who did not I give up, everyone has the equal right to express unhappiness, disappointment, and even grief after receiving any weight loss surgery, what no one has the right to do anywhere anytime is use fabricated numbers and statistics to persuade other people's ideas, opinions, or to create more confusion in them by doing so, it's bad enough that mainstream media does it everyday with things like " the number one killer in America is Cigarette smoking, no cancer, no drunk driving, no......" Get the idea??????

Absolutely! Got it!!!!!

I think it's a conspiracy by someone promoting the Balloon procedure ????