Considering Gastric Sleeve

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lhillreloaded
lhillreloaded Posts: 5 Member
edited February 2017 in Motivation and Support
I decided to check the community section and type in weight loss surgery. I'm so glad I decided to see if anything was here. I thought my fitness pal was just for people who worked out and had natural weight loss only.

I've been researching Gastric Sleeve for about a year and half now. I've been using my fitness pal app for almost a year and I've only shed about 16lbs. I really like the app because it helps me track and be mindful but I need more.

I'm still trying to focus on natural weight loss without surgery but I'm having difficulty achieving that.

Replies

  • lenhill04
    lenhill04 Posts: 56 Member
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    Natural weight loss can be difficult, sometimes that weight just doesn't want to come off. But we are learning better/healthier habits as well as trying to drop pounds.
    As for the gastric sleeve surgery, I can tell you my best friend had it done over a year ago. You only lose so much weight to start with, then you still have to eat healthy and exercise to drop the rest. She dropped 120 pounds over a year. Then she stopped eating right and exercising and has gained a LOT of it back.
    So either way you go, you still have to adopt healthier eating habits or you will gain it back.
    Good luck!
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    lenhill04 wrote: »
    So either way you go, you still have to adopt healthier eating habits or you will gain it back.

    Yup. I'd say if you can adopt that lifestyle for at least a year before having the surgery you will have the chance at success with it, but if you can't, or expect the surgery to allow you to go back to the way you ate before, it's not going to be a solution, it's going to simply add to the problem.
  • twobuttonsandabow
    twobuttonsandabow Posts: 14 Member
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    Agree with other replies. I had the gastric sleeve procedure almost 5 years ago. My high weight was 287. I lost about 80 lbs following everything to the letter in the months following the surgery. Then I got a little lazy and didn't track everything so carefully.....over the last 4 years I managed to gain about 25-30 of it back gradually and decided January 1st was a new beginning for me (cliche, I know but I knew it was time to recommit) I've done really well and have lost a little over 20 lbs so far and I'm determined to make it the rest of the way now (I'm 5'10" and my goal weight is 170ish).
    My point is that the surgery gives you an amazing tool but it doesn't make it a walk in the park. You have to work at it and continue to work at it or it won't work long term for you. Feel free to message me with any questions if you'd like
  • MostMidgetlegs
    MostMidgetlegs Posts: 17 Member
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    twobuttonsandabow wrote: »
    My point is that the surgery gives you an amazing tool but it doesn't make it a walk in the park. You have to work at it and continue to work at it or it won't work long term for you.

    This. And the doctors will also reinforce this. This surgery is tool, not an answer. I'm hesitant to give too much advice about it, because it hasn't been too long since I had it done. I can say that it's helping with portion control since it physically restricts how much you can eat, but you can stretch your stomach out if you regularly attempt overeating. And even at the amounts you CAN eat, if you eat the wrong things you can easily mess things up. Honestly, I think most of the habits they tell you to follow after surgery are habits that would be helpful anyway. Exercise, high protein, low fat, plenty of water, chew your food enough and so on. The vitamins are the only real exception.

    For what it's worth, my doctor told me that his older patients that have gotten the surgery generally said they wished they had gotten it when they were younger. It made me feel a little better, and as of now I have zero regrets about getting it done.

  • christys03
    christys03 Posts: 22,785 Member
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    Agree with everything said here....there is no easy fix. No magic solution. I had the sleeve over 3 yrs ago....I still count calories, and exercise every day....hang in there! If it's right for you...go for it. It definitely worked for me, and I don't regret it for a second...I look at it as a tool that got me where I am today. Hope this helps in some way...good luck!

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