Questions

[Medowsweet 52]

*Shyly pokes in head*

Uh... Hi, guys. Not sure I belong here but I am in the considering stages...

I am 5'8" and weigh 315 lbs, 36 years old.

I have been heavy since early childhood.

I was 285 in highschool

Plus size clothes all my life.

I joined weight watchers in 2008 and went from 349 down to 279

I quit due to lack of money and slowly regained to 313

Rejoined and lost down to 265

Then sorta got stuck

And slowly regained.

For someone like me (very learge and has been since early childhood) I doubt WW will get me lower then 250... At best.

I started looking into a surgical option just recently. (I would continue to do weight watchers, in theory, because the program works for me- in my life it is the only program that ever has)

Here are by biggest concerns:

*regaining weight 5 or more years down the road. In some studies this has been a major problem!

(I understand you need to eat healthy, count points or calories, or macro nutrients, whichever you do that works for you to keep you in track. I understand a cup of food can still pack on pounds if that cup is ice cream. That said I also don't intend to never-ever eat treats again. Like weight watchers I was hoping to fit in a reasonable treat here and there.)

*satiety. That is what I am really looking for! I can have a relatively small meal (say, a piece of toast with an egg and a few slices of tomato) and feel temporarily full as long as I drink enough Water and coffee with it. But I will be hungry again in an hour or two!!! Starving and climbing the walls by lunch! I am really hoping for smaller amounts of food to have STICKING POWER!

If an apple with Peanut Butter could fill my tummy could it actually KEEP ME full for a decent amount of time?

And this is years down the road, not just the first year. I understand for a few months you are just not hungry due to lack of a hormone (gremlin? Sounds like gremlin). Does this stay? If you splurge and have a muffin for Breakfast will it hold you till lunch? (Years down the road).

*slowing metabolism due to "starvation mode"

*also "starvation mode" trying to conserve energy making me feel tired, or less likely to move around.

* feeling tired, low energy

(I am a very high energy person. Yesterday I was playing in the rain, laughing and jumping and dancing, and I swear I was sober, I just like rain and tend to be a high energy person.

I am afraid a slowing matabolism and less nutrients will make me less energetic or playful)

*getting enough water

They say don't drink with meals... They say don't use a straw. Tummy being too small to hold enough water.

* stupid and vain but: loose skin (especially in the double chin area, because that is my FACE. at least the others can be hidden with clothes.)

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

As far as I'm aware the studies ended at 5 years and didn't not continue, meaning that it can't be said that there is an issue of major regain after 5 years because the studies ended.

You will experience a good 6-8 months of not feeling hungry after the surgery. This is because the hunger hormone ghrelin is drastically decresed.

There's no way around loose or extra skin. You stretched it out and now you have to face the consequences. The good news is that the answer is plastic surgery.

Good Luck!

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I think you can minimize the damage to your metabolism and getting into starvation mode by trying to get your calorie intake up as quickly as possible post-op. I think that a LOT of WLS patients try to keep their calorie intake ridiculously low for far too long and that does permanent damage. Yes, you will lose more slowly by increasing calories, but you seem to do less long-term damage. Another great way to keep metabolism up or boost it is to do strength training and make sure you maintain your muscle mass. A lot of people lose weight very quickly post-op, but a significant percentage of that weight is muscle. By getting into exercising regularly and doing strength training, you can avoid losing as much muscle. I had actually GAINED 7 pounds of muscle by the time I reached my goal weight!

[goddess04 45]

wls: it is a tool. It is hard work but worth it!