Hello fellow sleevers. I have been on this site very little in the past couple of years but have logged in today to respond to a question. Since I'm here, I feel obligated to tell you all the things I've learned after 5 years.

1. The people that told me my approach to living life with the sleeve was all wrong and that I would fail, gain weight in a few years, stretch my sleeve, and regret my actions are mostly gone now. I have seen a couple of them around but the most are long gone. Do not pay much attention to the know-it-alls. They know no more than anyone else and are just as likely to fail.

2. Obviously you want to follow your Dr's instructions but don't get too hung up on strict rules and diets. If you make reasonable decisions and balance your good and bad food choices, your sleeve will do most of the work for you. I have eaten anything I wanted since day one. I try to pay attention to protein etc., but I do not deny myself anything. You have the sleeve for a reason. Let it do it's job. Don't force it to hold more than it can and do not deny yourself the things that make you happy. Balance - just do it.

3. WLS is much more than losing weight. It is getting to the bottom of the issues that cause us to compensate with food in the first place. Pay more attention to your mental well being than the numbers on the scale. Your long term success depends on it.

4. Know that even after you reach your goal weight you will still be the same person with the same insecurities. Being thin changes nothing. If you did it for health reasons then hopefully those will no longer be an issue, but the person you are and how you feel inside doesn't change from losing weight. That has to change on the inside. No way around it.

5. Know that once you have made the necessary changes inside and out there will be some people that don't relate to you the same or just plain don't like you anymore. Also know that what they think is completely irrelevant . Physical and mental changes for the better intimidate those with small minds. Don't give them a second thought.

Thanks for reading.

I had gastric bypass, but all of your points translate to us as well. Can't agree with you more, and I'm only 10mos out from my surgery. Congrats on your success! And YES, everyone should spend some time really dissecting the what/when/why they go to food as a comfort or a compensator. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but will be the biggest reason why you have long term success. I also found a new passion in doing active things that I never thought my body could do - it's incredibly empowering to see your body accomplish things you never thought it could do. It definitely drives me to see just what I can get my body to do lol

Thank you, @sharonintx! Wisdom from a vet is always appreciated! Congrats on 5 years worth of success!

Thank you so much for sharing!! I may come back to your post periodically for its sage words. <3

Love love love this post! As someone relatively new to wls (1 mo post op) I can tell you that I feel like I'm going to print your post so I can reflect on it when I am further along in my journey. Thank you for sharing and congrats to you on your success.

EXACTLY what i needed to hear. I'm only 2 weeks out but the future sounds worth it all. Thank You. Sadly, I've already lost one friend of 16 years from jealously I think? Sad, but I'm staying strong and moving forward.

fluffy it's going to happen. I guess sometimes jealousy, sometimes other reasons that we will never know. The good news is that as you progress you will surely find that you never needed them in the first place:)

Great post

Best thing I’ve read in ages, thanks for sifting out all the BS

Thank you so much. I did a LOT of work before surgery to work through my mental illness issues and my eating disorder. I am only a couple of months post-op, but I had already done the work to learn balance is key. I find it very disturbing on here, so many vets who post regularly say so many things that suggest highly disordered eating behaviors and it worries me what newbies who haven't gone through all the therapy I have are learning.

I loved your post! Thanks for your insights! I am going to hold on to this!

I needed this today. Thank you

On 9/4/2018 at 5:03 PM, sharonintx said:

Since I'm here, I feel obligated to tell you all the things I've learned after 5 years.

This is one of the smartest, most common-sense things I've read anywhere about WLS. Thanks.

Great post!!! Thank you for sharing!!! I’m post op day 5. I have anxiety and depression. I went to rehab for my eating disorder and mental health issues in April 2018. This is after going to psychotherapy for over 6 years. Rehab was one of the best decisions I made. I was finally able to embrace my issues. After rehab I made the decision to put my self 1st and I scheduled my Gastric sleeve. I was always worrying about others opinions and didn’t trust my own judgement. I am so grateful that I am in a mentally better place. Dealing with my core issues prior to surgery has given me the freedom to know that this is the beat thing I could have ever done for myself.

@sharonintx

I cannot thank you enough for posting this. I'm only 5 months out instead of 5 years, but everything you said rings true with me.

Thanks so much for the feedback! I am glad you are still doing well and believe in your sleeve ☺️☺️