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Why Getting Sleeved was the Biggest Mistake of My Life
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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 by LG2.0