Hi everyone, I’m trying to decide if the sleeve is right for me or if it is an extreme decision. I’ve been struggling with my weight for the past 10 years, I’m 20 years old now. I’m currently the fattest I’ve ever been and I’m considering the surgery because I do not want to wait until my health deteriorates or I reach obesity(my indicators are all ok except for a little excess of LDL and triglicerids, but no liver or sugar problems). My dad and brother are obese (BMI of nearly 35) and my dad has sugar and high pressure problems, so I have a tendency to be overweight from his family and the high pressure precedent. I currently weight 68.4 kg (150.5lb) and my height is 5’ 2’. I understand this surgery is totally life changing and I have mixed feelings about it. I would love to get the surgery because I have faith that the weight loss would be permanent and that I could finally be thin without restricting myself so much as I have done over the last ten years. But I also understand that people who are cleared for this surgery usually have a BMI of at least 30 and have some health issue, so I’d like to hear from anyone who was just overweight instead of obese that decided to get the surgery.any input is very welcome.

PS I had an appointment with my doctor and he told me that if I wanted to get the surgery I should stop losing weight and keep my BMIaround 27.5 at least

thank you

Hi, I got the surgery when I had a bmi Of 32.
I had surgery on 31st Oct, my weight was 13st 10lbs. As of this morning I weigh 8st 9.6lbs, so I’ve lost 5st in less than 5months!
It was the best decision I ever made and would do it again in a second. For me it got to the point that food was ruling my life, all I did was eat until I was stuffed and then eat some more. I also fractured 2 hips cause of low bone density so I knew I had to get the weight off ASAP so I wouldn’t fracture them again.
The only concern I have now is how to maintain, I’m unable to eat more than about 600-800 cals a day at present and I’m still losing. I will probably try adding shakes in soon to see if that will help me maintain. Other than that it has been plain sailing for me. I had no other co-morbidities but knew if I didn’t do something about it now, I would have so many health related problems in the future!

14 minutes ago, monkeyol said:

Hi, I got the surgery when I had a bmi Of 32.
I had surgery on 31st Oct, my weight was 13st 10lbs. As of this morning I weigh 8st 9.6lbs, so I’ve lost 5st in less than 5months!
It was the best decision I ever made and would do it again in a second. For me it got to the point that food was ruling my life, all I did was eat until I was stuffed and then eat some more. I also fractured 2 hips cause of low bone density so I knew I had to get the weight off ASAP so I wouldn’t fracture them again.
The only concern I have now is how to maintain, I’m unable to eat more than about 600-800 cals a day at present and I’m still losing. I will probably try adding shakes in soon to see if that will help me maintain. Other than that it has been plain sailing for me. I had no other co-morbidities but knew if I didn’t do something about it now, I would have so many health related problems in the future!

I totally understand the feeling of being ruled by food, even when I’m not even hungry. How has this changed since you got the surgery? My greatest weakness are sweets, specially chocolate. I understand that with this surgery they remove the part of the stomach that makes you hungry, but how does it affect sweet cravings? And do you feel tired or weak? 600/800 cals seems a little low, do you currently exercise?

Also, congrats on your progress!

No. You have no major health indicators, nor are you obese. You are not far from a normal bmi - 15 lbs and you are 20 yrs old. AND this surgery is ALL about restriction, you stated you are 'tired' of the restriction . I feel you are also immature based on that statement.

If I were you, I would go to a nutritionist and hire a personal trainer. One week of a liquid diet and you would be halfway done with weight loss. You don't even mention what weight loss programs you have tried so far or if you exercise at all.

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by Sosewsue61

I don't think there are many people here, if any, who have been sleeved with a starting BMI of 27-30 (regardless of co-morbidities and health issues). Being overweight sucks. It sounds like you've got about 15 -20 lbs to lose. It also sounds like your doctor may help you with this. I know in the United States, you'd never find a doctor who'd perform surgery on you.

It's interesting, I think as thousands and thousands each year prove successful with the sleeve, the medical industry may begin to consider more seriously people with lower BMIs. In the meantime, I wish you luck in your quest for better health!!!

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by logicwand

Definitely you would need to go out of the country for this.

I agree with the previous poster. You are young, you are not ready for such a life changing procedure. These surgeries are meant to help obese patients, not people that have a fear of becoming obese.

Good for you for worrying about your health and weight before you need a radical surgical measure to get things under control. There are other options available at your weight and age that you could be successful with.

You’re so young. With a BMI so low, I don’t think it’s worth the scars that this surgery leaves you with to lose so few pounds. You’re still at bikini wearing age. [emoji4]

You also mentioned in your note that the weight loss is permanent with the sleeve. That is not true. If you do not eat right after the sleeve, you can regain. There are plenty of stories on this board especially those that have been sleeved for nearly a year where cravings have returned and there has been regain. The procedure basically gives you a few months to get you in the habit of making good food choices.

Those that are successful with any of the WLS surgery procedures long term have also developed good control over food. In the end, it’s still a mind game that has to be mastered with food.

Generally, in the US you need to have a BMI of 40 (with no other issues), a BMI of 35 (with a comorbidity), or sometimes a BMI of 30 with serious metabolic issues. I understand the challenges of struggling with weight. It doesn't suck any less because you are 20. (I'm 25).

If you have 15-20 pounds of excess weight, you can expect to lose 9-14 pounds with a gastric sleeve on average. (The average excess weight loss is 60%).

The surgery has major risks, which can be life threatening. You could have an adverse reaction to anesthesia, get a leak and risk sepsis, become so seriously dehydrated you have to be admitted to the hospital, or get an infection. You face a lifelong risk of vitamin deficiencies.

I recently watched the show "Big Ward" on Netflix, and one of things that struck me was the surgeon asking the patient what "Morbid" Obesity (a BMI of 40 or more) meant. He said it meant deathly, as in obesity leading to death.

When your obesity is life threatening it can make sense to undergo a procedure that entails risk. The benefits outweigh that risk. Obviously, every person is different, and it can be worth it with a 35 or 30 BMI. But it is a serious surgery not guaranteed to work. It would be a lot of pain and misery for 9-14 pounds.

You mentioned chocolate- while this surgery limits the amount of food you can eat at a sitting, "head hunger," cravings etc still exist. I'm thinking that I could easily drink milkshakes, eat pudding, and have candy throughout the day if that is what I wanted.

I totally understand the feeling of being ruled by food, even when I’m not even hungry. How has this changed since you got the surgery? My greatest weakness are sweets, specially chocolate. I understand that with this surgery they remove the part of the stomach that makes you hungry, but how does it affect sweet cravings? And do you feel tired or weak? 600/800 cals seems a little low, do you currently exercise?
Also, congrats on your progress!

It’s massively changed for me now, I would take or leave food really since the surgery. I don’t crave sweet things (only when it’s the time of the month). My taste buds have completely changed, I don’t really like bland food..being able to eat so little all I want is burst of flavour type food...ie really spicy (although this makes my reflux worse!!)
No I’m not tired at all, in fact I have more energy than I’ve had in years! Yea 600-800 cals is really low, my nutritionist wants me to try get up to 1000, although I’m finding it really hard. Today I managed my biggest meal so far of 230cals (I’ve really only been managing about 150-180 cals a meal, doesn’t seem to make a difference if it’s high carb, low carb, high fat, i can never manage more than 180cal) I was delighted to manage that today but then I was full for hours, and still was under 800 for the day. I find it difficult to get my protein in also, if I eat protein first I only manage about 2oz before I feel sick, so will have to go onto shakes again I think.
So many people were against me getting the surgery, except my surgeon. He couldn’t believe how quickly I recovered (I was out power hosing the Garden 5 days after surgery!) and have had no complications, he said the reason is most likely because I got the surgery when I did and didn’t wait until I had put on more weight or had co-morbidities. The only thing I will find hard to do it to try stop losing and maintain, it’s still coming off pretty quick but working with nutritionist to help that.
It’s a decision only you can make yourself, I knew no diet was going to work for me as I was on a run away train and couldn’t get off. Now I know it was the best decision for me.

The reason why bariatric surgery is the most successful procedure for severely overweight people is because it resets your metabolic floor, to an extent. Normal dieting doesn't do that. Basically, if you're an identical twin and you gain to 350 while your sister stays at 150, if you diet your metabolism generally doesn't recover to match your sister's - you CAN diet down to 150, but to stay at that weight you'll have to ingest far, far fewer calories than your sister does to maintain and that means you feel like you're starving the whole time. It's a weird spooky piece of science that hasn't quite been cracked yet, but bariatric surgery seems to avoid that trap. That's why many of us get it; not just because we can lose weight and feel restriction, but because it means when we get to 150 we can ingest a reasonable amount of daily calories without gaining again.

Your metabolism isn't at that stage yet, in fact your metabolism sounds like it's pretty manageable. And the issues you're describing sound psychological, like food addiction, or might be metabolic like PCOS. Both of those are manageable without surgery, especially if you're tackling it now when you're still young and close to a healthy weight.

When people say they're having weight loss surgery to prevent getting ill or grinding down their knees, they're talking about something that is the logical trajectory of inaction from their current weight. You're not there yet, you're talking about the surgery to prevent getting obese and in turn prevent other complications. But you're not obese, so tackle that part first. It's called "weight loss surgery" for a reason, and is not "prevention of weight gain surgery" for that same reason. Don't get sliced up without exhausting all available options for managing your weight while you're still in a healthy range. This is not a quick fix and it definitely won't prevent you from eating enough calories to gain if you're still working through a food fixation. That's why YouTube is full of regain videos.

I hate to even mention this but it did cross my mind... For all the reasons others are stating, plus the fact you aren't even of drinking age yet. I'm not saying to go out and be an alcoholic but enjoy your twenties. Let yourself be your own restrictions and not a life changing surgery. Best of luck!

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