I'm curious if everyone's appetites and hence weight returns eventually? I realise the surgery is only 8 years or so old, meaning that long term data is not available, but anecdotally, what is the general thought?

This is a huge investment for me and I will be changing my lifestyle and eating completely but I'm terrified it'll all be in vain. Any thoughts?

The sleeve is very long term...permanent. They are removing most of yout stomach. That is very irreversible.

Yes some people regain. Some people regain with lap band and some people regain with bypass. Whether or not you regain is ENTIRELY up to you

I think you have to decide what you consider "success"

I know there is probably a minority who get to and stay at a normal BMI. a lot of them are here, and boy do they inspire me to reach for it!

for me success will be defined as not being a diabetic, and being less than 160#. I want to be obviously less weight than my husband. I think my chances of achieving this and keeping this success for at the minimum 5-10 years is pretty darn good. I'm committed. if it adds a decade to my life it will be a success even if I don't stay at my goal for the rest of my life. Already this year my quality of life is so vastly improved I know it was worth my time and effort. I will just keep following the program and see where this wild ride takes me! my motivation for the surgery was to be healthier and extend my life so I can see my grandchildren grow up. If I get to anything close to normal BMI, well that will just be gravy. I don't want to rule it out, but I also don't want a number on the scale to completely define my success/failure.

I posted a thread a while ago about my inspiration - my uncle's story. I believe the surgery saved his life and even though he is almost 70 and probably lost half what he could have - he is still alive with us and healthier than I remember him being. I consider him a success too.

How will you choose to define success? what are your motivations for the surgery?

In my experience, it is what you make it. While yes, your stomach is gone forever, the benefits are not forever. Most people many years out have learned to eat around the sleeve so that if they did not learn good food habits while they had restriction, they just return to their old ways.

I am three months short of three years out from surgery. I hit goal in April of last year and I have maintained within 3-4 pounds. This morning I woke up a few ounces heavier than usual, so today I get to pay more attention to my food and exercise. Every single day is going to be a fight for the rest of your life, although the sleeve makes it substantially easier. I am never going to get to go on vacation for a week, eat whatever I want like those damn naturally skinny people do, and come back and have gained no weight. I could easily gain 5-8 pounds in a week if I ate sweets, which is my big "gain weight fast" food. Because I like being thin, I don't eat sweets anymore. I wake up and I weigh myself every morning. I missed a day in MyFitnessPal about 2 weeks ago and broke a 230+ day streak, so the last two weeks I haven't been recording my food intake, but really I don't need to anymore. I know what I can and cannot eat.

This time three years ago I was 237-ish pounds, I could not manage to lose weight, and I was ashamed and miserable. This morning I weighed 132.8 pounds, I have a closet full of clothes that are 0-4, and I feel like a different person. The sleeve is not something that will make you thin and happy forever, but rather it is something that makes it a lot easier for you to reach and maintain a healthy weight if you are willing to make the sacrifices to do so. Where I live it is 95 degree outside already, I do NOT want to go workout, but in a little bit, I'm going to spray myself with sunscreen, whine as I get into workout clothes, and get my butt outside. I'll log my food today because I gained a bit over the weekend, I'll probably do my ab video, and I won't have any dessert at the Memorial Day party this afternoon. Sure, the sleeve made it easier to get to this size, but at this point the only thing keeping me here are my own daily decisions.

So, the sleeve itself is forever, the benefits it provides are great the first year or two and then slowly drop, but you have the potential to use the tool to your advantage to achieve and maintain good health. In the end, it's entirely up to you- not what happens to be left of your stomach.

I agree with @@Christinamo7 and my triggers are just like @@AvaFern so I love they both responded and shared.

Thank you both because I'm in the same boat and pre-op until my surgery on July 13th.

I never wanted to have surgery, but I've tried every diet in the book for 25 years. Gained it all back and then some.

YES I'm a statistic!

When my weight started to affect my health, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high A1C, I decided to make a change because my daughter is only 24 yrs old, I have yet to see her marry or have children and at the rate I'm getting ill, I felt I'd never see those things happen in my lifetime. I was really worried when I saw one of my blood panel results that said my heart was the same as an "86 yr old" and I'm only 49 yrs old.

I'm not doing this surgery to be thin, although that part will be very nice, I'm doing it to live.. live a long healthy life and to enjoy time with my family and friends. Even if this surgery only buys me "time"...what wouldn't a person do to have more lifetime?!

I think these posters both offer a powerful reminder of how the surgery impact inside you, that's the getting healthier part... Numbers on a scale are only a small measure of long term success and health....

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