Will I regain the weigth?

[Canadian lady 0]

I am new to the forum and I will getting either sleeve or bypast surgery in the near future ( a few weeks). I hear and read of people who have regained their weight after their initial weight loss and I wonder if I am likely to do the same. I wonder if there are people with certain types of eating patterns that are more likely to regain the weight and if I am one of those? Any thoughts?

Also, a big question for me: will I finally stop being hungry? Will the surgery control the feeling of hunger?

Thank you all for being there.

Lucie

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

Well yes you could regain weight; the surgery only helps you eat smaller portions it does not chose the food you eat. As someone who has had the sleeve and now the bypass I suggest you go with bypass, personally I believe it has better weight keeping off abilities than the sleeve. You shouldn't be hungry in fact I have a hard time consuming my calories as I really don't feel like it. With the sleeve I was never really hungry and I had it for 3 years.

If you research how the surgeries are performed the bypass has rerouting that has a major effect on the stomach hunger hormone(I can't explain it would be better to read about it).

Good luck in your decision.

[_Kate_ 2,224]

Maybe you need therapy in conjunction with the surgery, just to keep your head in the right place whilst your body is changing.

Best of luck in your decision!

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@Canadian lady,

You are having surgery in a few weeks? Has your surgeons office given you information about both surgeries and the expectations for post op care? If not I would suggest you ask for this information so you have everything you need to do to prepare yourself for success.

Having WLS requires a great amount of work on your part to be successful. The answer to your question about regain is yes, absolutely you can gain all of your weight back down the road if you do not follow the plan.

It is important that you are given a plan and speak with a therapist to ensure there is a plan to deal with any current eating habits that got you here. Otherwise it is very possible to eat around your surgery.

I would definately reach out to your surgeon asap and ask for their expectations post surgery. I went to a bariatric center of excellence and was given a giant binder that informed me of all the surgery options, their risks, what I could expect afterwards and a food and exercise plan. I believe most surgeons have something similiar.

Best of luck on your upcoming surgery!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Everyone has these doubts.

Ask yourself: If I don't have the surgery will I continue to gain and/or if I lose what are the odds that I will gain it all back, plus? If I do have the surgery, what is the likelihood I may reach my goal and then gain a little bit back? Under this scenario would the surgery still be worth it to you?

Also, as to which surgery to have. That is a decision you need to make with your surgeon. Learn as much as you can so you can make the most informed decision possible.

From what I observed almost everyone has an opinion about what is "best", but keep in mind that we are naturally biased based on our own decision and experience.

I was sleeved on April 20 of this year and couldn't be happier with my recovery and progress. And, yes, I had the same doubts as you at one time. I was just sure that I was the unique person who would fail. Now, for the first time in years, I am confident and hopeful about regaining my life.

Edited: because autocorrect is insane.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Boy, those are two very different kinds of surgeries, with very different lifelong self-care requirements -- but both require significant lifestyle changes and discipline on your part. The surgery will not "fix" you by itself. You have to do quite a bit to make the surgery "work" for you.

Like @@Djmohr said, you should research very carefully what those differences are and what your best options are -- based on how much you weigh pre-op, your co-morbidities, any eating disorders you may have and your plans for overcoming those post-op (neither surgery will fix eating disorders long-term), and your past, demonstrated compliance taking daily Rx meds and nutritional supplements, etc. And then there's exercise and your activity level -- ramping all that up will make a big difference in your ability to maintain your weight loss long-term.

Good luck to you!

[Canadian lady 0]

Thank you each one of you. My surgeon suggest the sleeve, given my age (62), but he may have to do the bypass if tests indicate a problem with my oesaphagus. So the test result will determine the surgery I will have. I have read the material, I have read the diet plan, and at this time I feel I will do fine, but wonder if there is a profile for whom it is more difficult to stay on the plan. I believe that if I do not feel hunger I will not eat. I believe that if my stomach cannot take any more food I will stop eating. As for healthy eating, that is not a problem as I already eat healthy and am carefull about nutrition. It is the quantity of food and the frequency of eating that causes my problems and has meant that I have always regained weight, and more, at all past weight losses through healty diets. I am not a binge eater, but eat 3 large meals and 3 Snacks a day, and put up with hunger in between. For me the idea of not feeling hunger all the time and finally feeling sasiety is like a liberation! And i believe I will succeed, but I want to put all chances on my side.

Cheers

Lucie

[toasty 371]

I agree with everything @@Djmohr, @@Inner Surfer Girl, and @@VSGAnn2014 have said. The only thing I would add is that WLS is a tool, it is not a magic bullet for weight loss. In the end, what it does is help you to develop good eating habits. By decreasing the size of the stomach, it helps you to reduce your portion size and forces you to eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and generally eat more healthy. But, it is only a tool, and it is totally possible to overcome the tool and sabotage your weight loss.

One example is grazing, or eating small amounts constantly. By doing that, you get around the fact that your stomach is smaller, but still rack up the calories. Or drinking your calories by drinking high-calorie drinks throughout the day. Or eating high-carb or high-fat foods. These are some ways to defeat the WLS.

In the end, if you have real food habit issues, you would be best to combine WLS with therapy to deal with those issues so they don't sabotage your weight loss.

As far as hunger is concerned, it is different with everyone, and you won't know until after surgery how it will be. Most people have less hunger, but not everyone. Everyone seems to struggle with "head hunger" (cravings) to a greater or lesser degree.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I am taking a wild guess, but if you are eating three large meals and two large Snacks, you aren't actually hungry. What most of us experience is "head hunger". It's not our bodies telling us we nutrition, but boredom, habit, stress, and other psychological cues telling us to eat.

The surgery does not cure head hunger, but it does give us a chance to learn the difference and learn healthy ways to deal with it.

You probably will have to remind yourself to eat and drink, I have had to do this, at least early in your recovery.

[Stevehud 1,790]

, here's the bottom line, while the surgery may help with physical need to consume food, it doesn't help with head hunger , that's all up to you and all up to fixing your head. People like me have received a lot of support both from here and from family friends and co workers. I highly recommend taking a deep long hard look at yourself before any surgery and getting counseling, you need to figure out why you have the patterns that you do, and whether or not surgery is right for you.

A lot of people fail with keeping weight off, this is not easy and it requires working on forever. There are great people here, do a lot of reading and see the kinds of things you need to do on a daily basis in order to succeed. This is a journey you get on for the rest of your life, and if you cant be prepared fr that, you will fail, maybe not right away, but eventually.

Good luck, and use all the tools at your disposal.