How did you decide on which surgery to have? The VSG seems to be the most popular and pushed surgery through my research. I'm 49 BMI and can't seem to loose weight on any diet or exercise program since my hysterectomy 5 years ago. I am concerned that the sleeve will not be enough and know that I could convert to DS later but I don't want to waste anymore time trying something that may not work.

I know this is a conversation best with my doctor but I don't want to be pushed into a sleeve if it's not going to be effective.

I'll be self pay in Mexico.

7 hours ago, globaljuju said:

I have only lost and kept off a total of 17 pounds on the sleeve (out of 51). I work out and eat meticulously. I'm converting to the DS (sadi-s) next month. I figure I'm halfway there already. The sleeve is turning out to not have such great long-term success. I am reading about lots of failures, and I for that profile to the t. Wish I had just done the DS the first time.

But the question is -- is the regain the fault of the sleeve or because the person didn't change their relationship with food and use the sleeve as a tool to its full potential? You say that you eat meticulously, but what does that mean? How many calories do you take in per day? Carbs? Protein? Water? Do you track everything you put in your mouth? What do you do for exercise?

I don't say this as a dig at you personally. It is just that most of the cases of regain that I have read about have been because the people didn't make the true LIFESTYLE changes that they needed to make to be successful long term.

Great responses and things to think about. Thank you everyone. I'm on the fence of doing sleeve 1st because they cut out more of your stomach then convert to DS if needed. DS doesn't take as much out and I need the help of feeling full faster and hope to use this as a tool to fill up on good foods so I won't have room for the bad.
Anyone else shake their head when they see the stories of going for ice cream after surgery? Maybe it's sugar free and they don't mention that part. I'm afraid once I taste it after it will trigger the need for other sugar foods.

9 minutes ago, fastfoodaddictnomore said:

Great responses and things to think about. Thank you everyone. I'm on the fence of doing sleeve 1st because they cut out more of your stomach then convert to DS if needed. DS doesn't take as much out and I need the help of feeling full faster and hope to use this as a tool to fill up on good foods so I won't have room for the bad.
Anyone else shake their head when they see the stories of going for ice cream after surgery? Maybe it's sugar free and they don't mention that part. I'm afraid once I taste it after it will trigger the need for other sugar foods.

I try to avoid sugar free versions of trigger foods, too. After all, it triggers my eating - and I'm not going down that path again. I try to find substitutes that hit the right spots but aren't too closely related - like Greek yogurt when I'm thinking ice cream...(dairy, sweet, creamy - but not too closely related...)

I think the most common thing I hear people say post op is their tastes have changed and now protein shakes are too sweet. This definitely applies to me.

Fresh fruit is good sweet. McDonald's sweet tea is death!

9 hours ago, globaljuju said:

I have only lost and kept off a total of 17 pounds on the sleeve (out of 51). I work out and eat meticulously. I'm converting to the DS (sadi-s) next month. I figure I'm halfway there already. The sleeve is turning out to not have such great long-term success. I am reading about lots of failures, and I for that profile to the t. Wish I had just done the DS the first time.

In less than 10 percent of cases the sleeve fails due to anatomical issues, poor surgical technique, or other issues that are no fault of the patient. Also, a tiny percentage of unfortunate souls have no favorable markers of chromosome 15, rendering them nonresponders to bariatric surgery.

Nonetheless, 90 percent of sleeve failures are due to the person failing the sleeve (e.g. behavioral issues).

http://thebodyimagecenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/why-we-hear-so-many-stories-of-failure-after-bariatric-surgery.pdf

At 6'0", I weighed 397 pounds when I started my journey in March 2016 with my six month pre-op diet program. I decided on the sleeve because the idea of re-routing my insides bothered me. I think that it is more about what you do with your tool than anything else. I embraced a keto way of eating for the entirety of my six-month pre-op diet program, and lost 99 pounds by the day of surgery. I have continued that way of eating post-op (even through the food stages), and I have lost an additional 102 pounds (I got below 200 pounds for the first time in 19 years recently), and now I am only about 16 pounds away from my goal (180 pounds and a normal BMI). I am hoping to get there by the end of the summer.
Changing your relationship with food, staying on your plan, and getting up and exercising are keys to success with this journey. Too many people on this site get one of the surgeries and then seem to do nothing with it. They lose some weight during the "honeymoon phase" (when it is all but impossible to not lose weight), and then it all goes to hell when any more weight loss (or even maintenance) requires good decisions about food and drink.
Talk with your surgeon and together you can decide which procedure is right for you. But making sure that you are ready to deal with the mental battle of the journey is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Good luck!

I found a great link to a free online seminar about eating and relationships with food by Dr Colleen Long. http://schoolofselfhelp.teachable.com/p/fullfromwithinmini

3 hours ago, Introversion said:

Nonetheless, 90 percent of sleeve failures are due to the person failing the sleeve (e.g. behavioral issues).

http://thebodyimagecenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/why-we-hear-so-many-stories-of-failure-after-bariatric-surgery.pdf

Plus the failures seem to scream it from the roof tops, while successful people are enjoying life. Most of the people on youtube are WLS failures and they are always talking about the sleeve failed them but they are eating fried egg sandwiches for breakfast. Fast food with their kids. Getting every drink they want at Starbucks. I see the same thing on Instagram. There is a girl I follow 3 weeks from surgery and she eats more than me, most of it useless trash and I am 23 months.

A sleeve and RNY are so easy to eat around it isn't even funny. I could easily suck down a large shake from Steak and Shake, that is around 900 calories.

People that whine about not losing never say, I was eating 12 to 16 ounces of steak a day and gained 50 pounds. They are vague af about what they actually eat.

You can't do it. People are such compulsive food addicts they lie about their food like heroin addicts lie about their drug use. It is just sad.

When watching 600lb life I watched the patient eat tons of pizza and a batch of brownies. When asked by the Dr she said she ate hard boiled eggs for lunch. Hello? She did seek therapy and seemed better but it was shocking to see her lie. Idk if she was lying to herself or just the doc.

41 minutes ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Plus the failures seem to scream it from the roof tops, while successful people are enjoying life. Most of the people on youtube are WLS failures and they are always talking about the sleeve failed them but they are eating fried egg sandwiches for Breakfast. Fast food with their kids. Getting every drink they want at Starbucks. I see the same thing on Instagram. There is a girl I follow 3 weeks from surgery and she eats more than me, most of it useless trash and I am 23 months.

A sleeve and RNY are so easy to eat around it isn't even funny. I could easily suck down a large shake from Steak and Shake, that is around 900 calories.

People that whine about not losing never say, I was eating 12 to 16 ounces of steak a day and gained 50 pounds. They are vague af about what they actually eat.

You can't do it. People are such compulsive food addicts they lie about their food like heroin addicts lie about their drug use. It is just sad.

Preach!

26 minutes ago, Joann454 said:

When watching 600lb life I watched the patient eat tons of pizza and a batch of brownies. When asked by the Dr she said she ate hard boiled eggs for lunch. Hello? She did seek therapy and seemed better but it was shocking to see her lie. Idk if she was lying to herself or just the doc.

I just watched a where are they now episode and they were cooking burgers in butter. Yeah, it is awesome you aren't eating a bun but you are eating 2 burgers with cheese cooked in butter

This is why when people are begging for Dr Now's diet on here. WHY!?!?!?!?!!? The people on the show don't follow it. They only lose weight because they are massive and they had surgery. The amount of them that manage to gain like 30 pounds in a month post-op is staggering. Still people come on here begging for his diet? Why? It obviously sucks just like his bedside manner.

They also eat salads loaded down with trash. Salad greens are a slider, so when you eat other stuff with it, you can eat basically endless amounts. Saying "ohh I had a salad for lunch" doesn't matter when you pile another 800 calories on it.

It would be comical if it wasn't truly sad. Food addiction is the hardest addiction to battle because you can't go cold turkey on food.

3 minutes ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

I just watched a where are they now episode and they were cooking burgers in butter.

Why not just main-line Crisco and save the trouble of cooking? Some people are seriously f'd up.

Edited June 1, 20179 yr by Navigating the Wilderness

I eat high fat but I know if I eat a greasy burger or lets say one cooked in butter I could eat a lot more than normal because the fat acts like moisture, so if you have excess fat with your protein, it is just like drinking and eating.

I'm sure a lot of them know that too, because things cooked in fat are never in short supply on that show.

In general I think 600 pound life is useless but it is a great way to learn what not to do. Watching that show you can learn exactly how you can eat around your surgery, so hopefully you don't do it.

Edited June 1, 20179 yr by OutsideMatchInside

Dr. Now makes me angry (and I've only seen him talk for about 5 minutes, total).

But I love burgers in butter!!! (pout, pout). Well, actually I've never tried it.. so dunno....

I do grease my pan with butter when cooking my egg. Mmmm. egg with beans... my favorite meal....

Funny story.. went to a mexican restaurant, could have ordered anything off the menu, and what did I get?

yup... huevos rancheros! lol. left the rice on the plate, but I finished 2 eggs over medium and about 3-4 ounces of refried beans. (Yes, I can eat a LOT!)

Look at me, I have completely forgotten what post I'm responding to... sigh.

I went to my consult wanting the bypass and my surgeon was glad I didn't want the VSG because he is starting to be put off by how common they are when some patients really should be doing the bypass or DS, and they see it as "easy." He was glad I came in with the seriousness of wanting more, so he suggested the DS to me. I trusted him immediately, and went foward from there without another thought about it. He thinks I can have great success with it.

Good luck!