Has the sleeve not worked for you?

[t.ski 61]

I am just over a year post op. I love my sleeve and believe it is the best decision I have ever made for my health and quality of life. That being said, I am still a food addict. I love food. I think about it way more often than I should. I still feel hunger if I don't eat every 3 hours (which I try not to do). I still have cravings. When I was preparing for the surgery I thought "once I have the sleeve, my battle with food will be over, I can live my life not controlled by the constant thought of food." I was wrong. I have now come to accept that everyday I will face my battle and have to choose if I will eat for my health or eat for my pleasure.

Probably from March through June I made pretty poor food choices on a daily basis, my weightloss stalled, I fluctuated in a 5 pound range for those months. I can eat a lot of calories if I am not careful. I can easily eat 2000+ in a day if I am not following the sleeve guidelines. Unfortunately I now know that I can eat anything without discomfort or trouble-bread, rice, Pasta, cake, tortillas...you name it, my sleeve accepts it.

Getting back on track is much easier with the sleeve, at least from my experience. If I can exercise three days of discipline, my eating shapes up pretty well and the sleeve guidelines become easier to follow. I think I would still like to lose about 20lbs, and I know that I will have to work for each and every one of those. I will also have to work to maintain my loss. But with the sleeve I know I have a tool that makes that work possible, that it is not a hopeless battle I face.

[TES 858]

Not every sleeve is cut the same size!! My doctor admitted to cutting my sleeve large after the surgery. I am a bit disappointed by that! For me the sleeve is a bit defective . I am trying to take advantage of the lack of hunger I feel but I have very little restriction to the quantity of food I can eat! So disappointing. Everyone's Story is different. Every doctor is different. There is room for error in these surgeries so we should never judge or compare others weight-loss with our own. Just because you can only eat a little doesn't mean someone else can only eat a little. So please don't equate someone's slow weight loss to a lack of trying. Everyone' experience is different. I know mine has been like no one else's. I wouldn't want anyone to judge me and say I am not trying! I am trying probably harder than most!

did your surgeon say why? Your weight loss looks great--was some of that pre-op?

[Melixxa 125]

...doesn't fix metabolic issues.

Yes! This!

I just watched this really interesting TED video of Dr. Peter Attia talking about metabolic syndrome and insulin resistence, which he believes is a reality for about 70 per cent of people who are overweight. It causes people to feel more hungry, fatigued, crave more carbs, store fat more efficiently and lose weight more slowly. It's real, and lots of us are battling it--even post sleeve!

[janarae 93]

I just tested positive to celiac, 4 days gluten free down 4 lbs, I haven't lost in months. This isn't a cure all, I don't regret my sleeve at all. I just had to figure out my body to get the result I dreamed of!

[brad360west 29]

WLS is only a tool. How you choose to use that tool will determine your out come.

[tannak 60]

did your surgeon say why? Your weight loss looks great--was some of that pre-op?

My surgeon told me at my one month check up that he had to cut my sleeve larger then most only after I complained to him that I wasn't even sure he really did anything at all. He said it was because of scar tissue left on my stomach from the lap band i used to have. I understand his reasoning but disappointed that he was not up front about it in the beginning. I thought I was going crazy that first month ! I am old fashioned dieting. I don't feel hunger so I am trying to use that to my advantage. But I have to exercise lots of will power to keep my portion size small! I have now lost 70 pounds. 45 since surgery on 3-25-13 and 25 post op.

[HatheryOnHerWay 603]

My surgeon told me at my one month check up that he had to cut my sleeve larger then most only after I complained to him that I wasn't even sure he really did anything at all. He said it was because of scar tissue left on my stomach from the lap band i used to have. I understand his reasoning but disappointed that he was not up front about it in the beginning. I thought I was going crazy that first month ! I am old fashioned dieting. I don't feel hunger so I am trying to use that to my advantage. But I have to exercise lots of will power to keep my portion size small! I have now lost 70 pounds. 45 since surgery on 3-25-13 and 25 post op.

I think that's pretty common for lap-to-sleeve patients, unfortunately. That band can really wreak havoc on the poor stomach!