Sleeve results long term

cbo2cute4u

I have seen so many say it’s the best choice ever to get the sleeve. I have also seen some that look sick and have complications, teeth problems, hair loss, vomiting etc. what it is really like 3-5 years down the road? Any personal examples. I’m 5’6” 230 Type 2 diabetic and am having an ablation on my leg for poor vascular return. I workout almost daily, I am eating a very similar sleeve diet already. Is surgery the answer?

cmriverside

Your call.

I lost 70 pounds in about eight months just using this site and logging food and some moderate exercise. I started at 5'7" 220, so really close to where you are. Surgery is a big decision.

Danp

Genuine question.

If you're eating the sleeve diet already then why put yourself through the surgery?

cbo2cute4u

I’ve been low glycemic eating every 3 hours mostly lean meat and veg set by a nutritionist. I work out high intensity 30 min 5 days a week. I’ve done it all the past few years and the weight keeps creeping and the doc added another diabetes med. I’ve been to a hormone specialist as well. My body is stubborn and at 42 it’s giving mean a hard time. I think the sleeve would be more of a tool to prevent my circulation and diabetes risk. It is s hard decision.

Cahgetsfit

A lady I know (sorry, not me, this is purely observation) had the sleeve because of diabetes recently. I noticed that she was dropping a lot of weight and so the other day I asked her about her weight loss (thinking she had been on a diet) and she told me that she had to operation to control diabetes. I scrutinized her more closely and thought she looked a bit sickly and seemed to have less hair than before (we used to sit behind each other at work). I asked her how she felt and she said she feels fine, not sick or anything.

Another person I know had bariatric surgery (don't know if it's the same thing sorry) and has lost a TONNE of weight, however, complained a LOT about feeling nauseous every time she ate and so on. She hasn't been complaining anymore and it's been a couple of years now. She's still kept the weight off. She didn't do it because of diabetes, she did it because didn't want to put the effort into dieting/exercising.

Another guy, my friend's brother, did it, lost weight, got fit, did Ironman challenges etc. Then started eating exactly like he did before, stopped exercise and now is just as huge as he was before the surgery.

Big call and seems to work for some and not for others. Good luck with your decision!

Fflpnari

There is some awesome research regarding bariatric surgery and diabetes. So even if you are doing it not to lose a lot of weight it still might be beneficial

cbo2cute4u

Thanks yes I am a nurse and overly researched BUT there are studies only about 7 year out. Very little before that. It wasn’t even mentioned until one leg started turning purple from bad circulation then my arms stared having spots as well. My chances of getting worse increase like 60% of I don’t lose the weight. Thats what scared me. I think I’ll be trading one set of symptoms for another really but there are so many that say it gave them their life back.

Kamille68

I hope you can make the right decision for yourself. But I find it a big decision. It's one for life. You can't undo that operation when it turns out too difficult. You can't eat normal anymore for the rest of your life if I'm not mistaking. A griend of mine had a gastric bypass and have to make decisions with every meal that she eats. If she eat too much she will feel sick. She has too take medication too. I don't know. Can't you not first try to lose weight with MFP?
I really hope that you can make the best decision for you.

neugebauer52

For me it is all about portion control. With my top weight of 170 kg - 375 pounds - an operation became a stark reality. However I am told that over time (and continued overeating) sleeves can stretch, stomachs can stretch and after a couple of years I would be back at the same weight - or more. So I chose to trust MFP, let them do all the calculations and slowly change my habits to a healthier life style. I am eating about 1740 calories a day split into 3 meals and a snack. I prepare myself a basic meal plan for the next day, depending on what is going to be planned for food and drinks wise. I started to walk (veeeery slowly initially) and walk now just about every second day for up to 2 hours. I love swimming - all that weight gone, just floating is heaven. As soon as I fit onto / into the gym machines I will also include this exercise. I take it day by day, meal by meal. I am now just over 300 days with MFP, have lost about 30 kg's and much more weight to go. Sure, I would like to lose that extra weight faster, but I didn't gain it overnight either.

ceiswyn

I'm also 42, and a similar height to you - 5'7. Three years ago I weighed 380 lb. Today I weigh 150, purely through accurate calorie counting and ruthless honesty with myself.

The sleeve doesn't do anything for you that you can't do for yourself.

cheryldumais

I think WLS takes a huge amount of courage but I don't think it's always necessary. I did the band years ago and it was NOT worth it. I don't know as much about the sleeve. I finally had to have my band removed due to complications and I never lost much weight with it. A few years later I came here and lost over 100 lbs just counting calories. I'm 62. I was 59 when I started. One of the best things about losing it here was learning how to eat correctly and not having that foreign object in my body to do it. Whatever you decide you can do it but give it lots of thought because it really IS a big decision that will affect the rest of your life.

amfmmama

Kamille68 wrote: »

I hope you can make the right decision for yourself. But I find it a big decision. It's one for life. You can't undo that operation when it turns out too difficult. You can't eat normal anymore for the rest of your life if I'm not mistaking. A griend of mine had a gastric bypass and have to make decisions with every meal that she eats. If she eat too much she will feel sick. She has too take medication too. I don't know. Can't you not first try to lose weight with MFP?
I really hope that you can make the best decision for you.

I thought that the sleeve could be reversed... no?

AprilMLowe

hi Everyone!
The sleeve can not be reversed! Its a hard call to get the sleeve or not! I had the sleeve in October and lost 60 already . The sleeve restricts how much food you can take in at a time. You have to make lifestyle changes to along with it. I used to be able to drink alot of water before sleeve and now have trouble with that. Granted i have to have alot of different vitamins to get all my nutrients in. I have seen good results with friends that had diabetes and high blood pressure before having the sleeve and no longer have those conditions.

Annette1Pierro

i am a sleeve patient, and even after the initial first year, you have to still need to watch what you eat like any other person on a weight loss journey. It's NOT a quick fix, you have to work at eating healthy and exercising just like anyone else. I did not have any of the medical issues after surgery like some of you say your friends had, so i was good there. But if you think it's a quick fix you are WRONG. You still have to journal your food daily, get your head around the WHY and make healthy lifestyle changes - just like anyone else. So for those of you thinking this is a quick fix, you are quite mistaken.
everyone's journey of losing weight is a personal one, and if done correctly can be successful, BUT you have to be willing and want to put the effort in for LIFE, not just for a few months, years, and then go back to crap eating foods, not exercising etc.

amy19355

cbo2cute4u wrote: »

I have seen so many say it’s the best choice ever to get the sleeve. I have also seen some that look sick and have complications, teeth problems, hair loss, vomiting etc. what it is really like 3-5 years down the road? Any personal examples. I’m 5’6” 230 Type 2 diabetic and am having an ablation on my leg for poor vascular return. I workout almost daily, I am eating a very similar sleeve diet already. Is surgery the answer?

With the 'similar sleeve diet' that you currently are on, does it have you counting the calories each day?

If you are not counting calories, and attempting to limit your calories to just what you need, then that might be all you need to change for suceess.

cbo2cute4u

I do log everything, it’s only about 800-1000 cal lots of veggies and lean meats and good fats. I work out most every day HIIT training and yes feel good. Dropping 70 pounds on my own seems worth having a lifetime of being able to eat and drink. My condition is not life threatening and I’m not looking for a quick fix. I’m thinking the sleeve may not be the best choice. Being obese causes you to be 60% more susceptible to cancer, diabetes, heart disease. As long as I get this weight off I’m confident I did my best. I want to be able to enjoy the little things on vacation or celebrations too. Thank everyone for your 2 cents!!!

yirara

I'm in a patient group for vitamin B12 deficiency. There are many sleeve or similar patients there because they can't absorb vitamin B12 properly anymore. Most are not well because doctors don't know what B12 deficiency entails and as a result undertreat these people, resulting in them getting even sicker. Thus that's something to consider. You need a GP that really knows about the rarely talked about side effects of having bariatric surgery.

Phirrgus

2 of my sisters in law had it done. Both dropped the weight, one continues to eat properly and exercise and the other has put all of her weight back on and more. I'm actually trying to get her on the forums here...

As has been said, your call obviously, but from what I've seen it isn't going to relieve you of the need to eat properly...which you're already doing...

garber6th

I had the sleeve over 5 years ago and it was the best choice for me. I am fortunate in that I had no complications, a super easy recovery, and no issues with food or water. I have no issues with vitamin absorption either (that is mainly an issue with gastric bypass patients). I did it because I was pushing 400 lbs and my health was in danger. Surgery helped me get out of danger faster than I would have on my own, however, I do NOT think it's for everyone. There is still a lot of work to do to stay healthy. You have to be prepared to do the work, with or without surgery. If you are not mentally in the right place to do the work, or if you haven't resolved any possible issues as to why you are where you are health/weight wise, I would not rush to surgery.

garber6th

This is a good group for people who have questions about WLS. People are at all stages - pre-op, post op, long term, short term, and all are honest and open about their experiences whether it's bad or good.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/637-gastric-bypass-vsg-lapband

CharlieBeansmomTracey

cbo2cute4u wrote: »

I do log everything, it’s only about 800-1000 cal lots of veggies and lean meats and good fats. I work out most every day HIIT training and yes feel good. Dropping 70 pounds on my own seems worth having a lifetime of being able to eat and drink. My condition is not life threatening and I’m not looking for a quick fix. I’m thinking the sleeve may not be the best choice. Being obese causes you to be 60% more susceptible to cancer, diabetes, heart disease. As long as I get this weight off I’m confident I did my best. I want to be able to enjoy the little things on vacation or celebrations too. Thank everyone for your 2 cents!!!

how do you know you are eating that little? do you use a scale? if you were truly eating that little and working out the weight would not be creeping up. its not what you eat but how much for weight loss. and its really easy to eat more than you think if you are not weighing everything(solids and semi-solids) in grams on a food scale. I made that mistake for a year. as for the sleeve I cant say anyone I know that did WLS did not get the sleeve.

cbo2cute4u

Yes I weigh everything. I have a list of very specific foods and portions. I eat 3 meals a day at 2oz lean protein plus 2 cups of fast burn veggies and small good fats like 6 almonds or 10 olives. I then have 3 snacks at 1 oz lean protein 1 cup veg and smaller portion of fats. It has to be balanced each meal. We meal prep and also buy approved meals for dinner that are part of the program. The weight is coming off, the 80% feeling of being full is always and a gallon of water a day. The concept is to feed the body you need to be at not that you are. I’m sticking with it.

clicketykeys

Well I feel foolish. I thought this was going to be about how losing weight affects arm tattoos...

Oops.

cathipa

WLS is only a tool, but it still will come down to creating a calorie deficit to lose the weight. I have seen plenty of people who has WLS only to lose and gain it back because they go back to their old way of eating. You say you are losing weight then what would you need surgery for? Also you should be eating to "satisfied" and to not to be "full", however most don't know the difference between the two which explains our overweight/obesity crisis.

debrakgoogins

I have seen successes and I have seen major failures. It comes down to what will work for you but understand that it is a lifetime committment. My ex husband and his wife both had bariatric surgery. She does not adhere to the diet required to maintain the weight loss and is larger than she was when she started. My ex husband nearly died because of complications. That isn't an exaggerating. I had to bring my boys to the hospital to say their good byes because he was that close to death. He recovered but it took a year until he could function without being sick.

anl90

I personally had the sleeve done this past December, and have not had any complications. I started out doing it for weight loss, but I think now it was more for being pre diabetic. Do what you think is best, I think either way you will succeed.

cmriverside

I already posted on p.1 of the thread, but I just wanted to add that sometimes some therapy or counseling is needed. When I started my weight loss I was at the tail end of several major life traumas and I had just as much work to do psychologically as physically.

I spent quite a bit of time on these forums and found solutions to many problems that were not strictly about food and exercise - but the info about food and exercise is definitely here so make use of the forums. Go through all the sticky posts (Most Helpful Posts) at the tops of the individual subforums. Read books like the Beck Diet Solution. Figure out why your thoughts or coping methods are causing you to eat too much because there is a huge psychological/mental angle to this and unless you address that you'll be right back to using food in the wrong ways.

If we can do it you can do it. I've kept my weight off for nearly 12 years now, but it takes some effort and some consistency. It's not impossible. The Diabetes (as you know as a nurse) will likely go into remission when you lose some weight.

You were born with the ability to figure this out. You CAN do it.

rswick89

I had the sleeve....240 at 5'5". That was last July. I'm 179 today, and definitely couldn't have done it without the sleeve. I was Gestational diabetic and after pregnancies the weight never came off, no matter what I did. The sleeve isn't magic, diet and exercise are requirements. It gave me an energy boost, for sure. Negative side effects, I have to vitamin D. My hair is just as thick and full and shiny as before surgery. I can still indulge on special events (weddings, holidays), meaning have the occasional slice of cake or junk without getting sick after. Hard parts--protein. 60-80 grams a day is VERY hard given youre eating 500-800 calories a day. I have to utilize protein shakes. I also only eat meat and veggies on a regular basis to keep the carbs down.

6 1/2 months out and I still lose anywhere between a half pound to a pound a week.