Some things I learned from my surgeon yesterday about VSG that I had never heard before

[Anakin Jay 39]

So we all know about ghrelin... but according to my surgeon, once the brain detects ghrelin it starts to prepare for a fast. The body slows down the metabolism thinking we won't get to eat for a few days or something.

In addition, there's something called the omentum (I had NEVER heard of that before.) that serves as a fat depository, amongst a few other things. One of the problems with the omentum is that once your BMI starts getting over 30, it starts to act as a blocker between the nutrition you're eating, and your cells. And the more weight you put on, the more nutrition it blocks.

So what happens when you're not getting enough nutrition? Your body signals that you need to eat more by producing more ghrelin. Which in turn lowers your metabolism.

So, even if you just ate an hour ago, a fatty omentum will block your cells from getting nutrition, you'll make ghrelin, shut down your metabolism, and be hungry again..

Sound familiar? I know it does to me... sometimes I'll eat a whole large pizza, and be hungry again an hour later. My surgeon said it's one of the reasons he truly believes obesity is a disease. Because you have to not eat even when your body is telling you it's hungry.

Then all that sugar in your blood that the omentum is blocking from getting to your cells, just stays in your blood, and that is the cause of diabetes. (at least one type of it)

So part of what makes the sleeve so awesome, is it cuts out the ghrelin producing part of your stomach, which eliminates the omentum's ability to make you hungry when you shouldn't eat... BUT it also means your brain always thinks your stomach is full.... which means your brain is constantly running your metabolism at full speed.

I'm not an expert, just repeating what my surgeon said. But I found this REALLY interesting, and I thought maybe someone else on here would too.

[weho 103]

Very interesting. I remember learning about the omentum in anatomy and physiology but I've never heard that theory!

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

Thanks for sharing this info. This definitely solidifies my decision to get the sleeve. It makes the surgery seem even more necessary to me now!

So we all know about ghrelin... but according to my surgeon, once the brain detects ghrelin it starts to prepare for a fast. The body slows down the metabolism thinking we won't get to eat for a few days or something.

In addition, there's something called the omentum (I had NEVER heard of that before.) that serves as a fat depository, amongst a few other things. One of the problems with the omentum is that once your BMI starts getting over 30, it starts to act as a blocker between the nutrition you're eating, and your cells. And the more weight you put on, the more nutrition it blocks.

So what happens when you're not getting enough nutrition? Your body signals that you need to eat more by producing more ghrelin. Which in turn lowers your metabolism.

So, even if you just ate an hour ago, a fatty omentum will block your cells from getting nutrition, you'll make ghrelin, shut down your metabolism, and be hungry again..

Sound familiar? I know it does to me... sometimes I'll eat a whole large pizza, and be hungry again an hour later. My surgeon said it's one of the reasons he truly believes obesity is a disease. Because you have to not eat even when your body is telling you it's hungry.

Then all that sugar in your blood that the omentum is blocking from getting to your cells, just stays in your blood, and that is the cause of diabetes. (at least one type of it)

So part of what makes the sleeve so awesome, is it cuts out the ghrelin producing part of your stomach, which eliminates the omentum's ability to make you hungry when you shouldn't eat... BUT it also means your brain always thinks your stomach is full.... which means your brain is constantly running your metabolism at full speed.

I'm not an expert, just repeating what my surgeon said. But I found this REALLY interesting, and I thought maybe someone else on here would too.

[exoticheart 5]

I have heard that there is just less ghrenelin because there is less stomach either way we are eating less and if have learned to eat healthy we will all do great

Thanks for sharing this info. This definitely solidifies my decision to get the sleeve. It makes the surgery seem even more necessary to me now!

[Shea 13]

Wow this is truly interesting. It makes so much sense to me. This has also made me more sure that getting the sleeve is perfect for me. I may even print this page and let others see it so they can understand why I want the sleeve so bad and what could happen if I continue to overeat without help. Thank you so much for this.

[Kris 78]

This actually makes a lot of sense to me; thanks for sharing! I remember pre-surgery I would eat nearly constantly, and was fairly obsessed with food (so when I wasn't eating, I was thinking of what I would eat next). food really was an obsession for me, really almost like drugs must be for a drug addict. I think it was the carbs, too -- I was not much of a Protein eater prior to surgery (I really think I was addicted to carbs!). While I still do experience physical hunger, it is nothing remotely like it was before surgery, and I don't find myself obsessing about food like I used to before surgery.

Before surgery, my husband would let me plan out all the meals for the week because I was always thinking about food. Now he gets really exasperated with me because he will ask what we are having for dinner, and I will tell him truthfully that I really don't care what we eat, and that is 180 degrees different than how I used to be, and he is not used to that response!

I was reading an article in a bariatric journal that indicates within a few years after surgery, the sleeve will begin producing ghrelin, which is why you will always have to be careful about maintenance. Hopefully it won't produce ghrelin in the same quantity as before surgery!