Having a sleeve vs. old school dieting?

[TrailriderJulia 39]

BEST MONEY I EVER SPENT !! I have dieted all of my life since puberty... ugh Now I no longer am always on a "diet" . I just live my life and food is no longer my master

[kmorri 1,689]

I did every diet under the sun....just like most people here. This tool makes it completely different. I'm not ever hungry and sometimes need to remind myself to eat. Most of the time my eyes are still bigger than my stomach when I fix my plate as I'm very rarely able to finish it......so not only do I love my sleeve, my little dog loves it too!!! I agree with what everyone else has said, it's really not about willpower.....although there is a lot of adjustments you have to do. You really have to educate yourself of the right foods to eat so you're not lost wondering what you should eat. That to me is the good part about the length of time it takes to get qualified for surgery, it gives you time to learn.

Good luck to you!!

[laceemouse 631]

I'm am big because I loved to eat in volume. Small amounts left me hungry. Real hungry - not head hungry. Even healthy food like salad and veg, I wanted huge amounts of to make the grumble go away. Even worse if fast food was involved. Now I'm satisfied by a small portion be it healthy or a treat. I still feel real hunger but it is satisfied easily and goes away long enough that I'm not always thinking of food. I also catch head hunger so much easier now and rarely get that craving type hunger for really unhealthy food. This has made all the good things I was capable of, so much easier. Also after surgery nothing seems scary. Like joining a gym which I had always been too scared to do. As soon as I was cleared I went and joined. After being seen in a hospital gown, my tights and long top seemed just fine. Good luck with your decision.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you so much for this. I am pre-surgery and I always say I am fat because I am hungry all the time. When I make good choices I am still hungry. I eat a healthy dinner and an hour later I am back in the kitchen because I am hungry. I had a super skinny person tell me once that they reason I am always hungry is because all I eat is junk, my body is craving real food and lacking Vitamins, etc. Nope, I do eat good stuff, I just eat too much of (for instance, LOVE nuts, eat way too many of them) and I also eat things like carbs because they fill me up.

Love your comment, can't wait for my approval!!!

[laceemouse 631]

I did every diet under the sun....just like most people here. This tool makes it completely different. I'm not ever hungry and sometimes need to remind myself to eat. Most of the time my eyes are still bigger than my stomach when I fix my plate as I'm very rarely able to finish it......so not only do I love my sleeve, my little dog loves it too!!! I agree with what everyone else has said, it's really not about willpower.....although there is a lot of adjustments you have to do. You really have to educate yourself of the right foods to eat so you're not lost wondering what you should eat. That to me is the good part about the length of time it takes to get qualified for surgery, it gives you time to learn.

Good luck to you!!

Yes, excellent! I have tried every diet out there too. It stinks to starve all week on Weight Watchers (yes, following the plan is starvation to me right now) and go in to weigh only to find I have lost nothing or very little.

[kmorri 1,689]

I'm am big because I loved to eat in volume. Small amounts left me hungry. Real hungry - not head hungry. Even healthy food like salad and veg, I wanted huge amounts of to make the grumble go away. Even worse if fast food was involved. Now I'm satisfied by a small portion be it healthy or a treat. I still feel real hunger but it is satisfied easily and goes away long enough that I'm not always thinking of food. I also catch head hunger so much easier now and rarely get that craving type hunger for really unhealthy food. This has made all the good things I was capable of, so much easier. Also after surgery nothing seems scary. Like joining a gym which I had always been too scared to do. As soon as I was cleared I went and joined. After being seen in a hospital gown, my tights and long top seemed just fine. Good luck with your decision.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you so much for this. I am pre-surgery and I always say I am fat because I am hungry all the time. When I make good choices I am still hungry. I eat a healthy dinner and an hour later I am back in the kitchen because I am hungry. I had a super skinny person tell me once that they reason I am always hungry is because all I eat is junk, my body is craving real food and lacking Vitamins, etc. Nope, I do eat good stuff, I just eat too much of (for instance, LOVE nuts, eat way too many of them) and I also eat things like carbs because they fill me up.

Love your comment, can't wait for my approval!!!

This was me exactly!! I ate pretty healthy but I ate way way too much!!....now I ate some unhealthy stuff too but for the most part it was just a volume problem for me............Well this surgery has certainly fix that!! Best decision ever!! Good luck to you!!

[theantichick 2,204]

I'm only 2 weeks out, so FWIW... the part of the stomach that is lost is responsible for a lot of the hormones that drive our cravings. I have zero appetite. I have to remind myself to eat and drink. It's a whole different world from what I had pre-surgery.

Just reading your story. How was your eating before hand? I tend to snack and binge sometimes out of being board i think. I wonder if this would really help those cravings. Its so hard to tell as everyone has a diffrent story.

Do you feel you can stick to the diet once you get back on to solids?

I am an emotional eater. I also tend to eat a lot of the wrong things. Anyway too much of those wrong things. In addition to getting the surgery, I have also been seeing a therapist since February about my emotional eating issues. The surgery is just a tool. but so far, it seems like a really darned good tool.

sent from mobile device

[Fredbear 397]

Yes, excellent! I have tried every diet out there too. It stinks to starve all week on Weight Watchers (yes, following the plan is starvation to me right now) and go in to weigh only to find I have lost nothing or very little.

Yeah, the latest version of WW is awful.

They play with the formulas every so often, demonizing one nutrient factor with each version.

I'm stuck following WW until my surgery, but I'm ditching that b***h ASAP.

The current f ood demon for WW is carbs; I had to roll my eyes when the app said I could have bananas for zero points (100 calories or so), but a low-calorie popsicle cost me 4 points (70 calories).

Absolutely stupid.

"When all is said and done, usually more has been said than done. "

Edited September 1, 2016 by Fredbear

[KristenLe 5,979]

@@stefanie0804 It's helpful to get some therapy to deal with emotional eating issues before surgery. This can also help to determine if you're ready for WLS or if you want to try on your own. Once I heard only 5% of people who lose on their own keep it off - surgery was a no brainier for me.

[olliesoda 174]

I'm new here, looking to get sleeved. From what I'm reading, Sleevers still need to have strong will power to eat the right things. How has having the sleeve made a difference compared to regular dieting and choosing the right foods?

I fear i might not have the will power, and i will fail at this too!

I'm in my two week pre-op. I had the same concern. I'm not a big eater but eat the wrong stuff at the wrong time. I had no appetite but when I ate I went for it. (And with a tipple) My metabolism had stalled...I never felt hunger.

Since Monday.... I have drank well and eaten my Dieticians plan.....I'm starving! The reason. My body has kick started! Im delighted. I will need will power to get me through the next 10 days but hey not a big sacrifice to save /extend my life.

If I can do what I'm doing today, and trust what the besleevers and my surgeon advise about the sleeve controlling the hunger while the body and mind get to work on getting to and sustaining a better prolonged life.... I'm in.

We all need to make life decision I made one to extend mine. Surgery date 9/13!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I've always been a champ at losing weight. My sleeve and the restriction helps me keep it off.

Certain foods make me dump or vomit so I avoid them. Others make me feel horrible so I just don't. Others make me feel full and stay full for hours so I stick with those.

My sleeve keeps me on track at three+ years out. WWs couldn't do that. For ME.

[OKCPirate 5,323]

It's a tool. Yep you can self sabotage it as 20-40% of WLS people do by drinking or eating crap. But if you embrace it, it is wonderful reset button. Your choice.

[niqian 33]

This surgery (I'm only 9 weeks post-op) has taken away my cravings and hunger, so I'm establishing new eating habits right now. I had the surgery because I care about my health, and when I can only eat a few tablespoons of food, no way am I going to have that few tablespoons be carb-y garbage like bread, rice, baked goods, ice cream, etc. That mindset keeps me from eating dumb, useless foods. Instead, I now know that I need Protein to feel good. Before my sleeve, I could eat a bunch of crappy food AND the Protein I needed for survival. Now, I have to choose and for me, it's been easy. The restriction helps to keep my portions where they need to be as I train my body to be satisfied with small portions, and the lack of hunger allows me to portion appropriately and avoid mindless eating.

It IS hard to explain and even harder to understand until you're in the midst of it, but this is the most effective tool I've ever had access to and I'm loving it.

I couldn't agree more! I have so little interest in eating garbage anymore. I had a bite of my favourite burger a Big Mac the other day, and all I could think was YUCK! The best tool ever.

[theantichick 2,204]

I don't know how long the effect will last, but here's my experience shopping last night at just over 2 weeks post-op:

Walked in the produce section and was drawn to the smell of the nectarines. Mind you, I have SERIOUS food issues (Dad physically force fed me veggies when I was very young) and in the past would have serious anxiety about eating anything outside my comfort zone. I can't tell you if I've ever even tried a nectarine. But damn they smelled awesome. So hubby said he likes nectarines, and we grabbed a couple. (Tried them at home, they're good but not really by themselves, needs to be in a cobbler or Cereal or something.)

Walked by the Little Debbie display - one of my old binge foods. Part of my brain went "oooohhhhh, Little Debbies, that would count as soft food". (Don't worry, I didn't get them.) But then the part of my brain that was imagining eating them, went "eh."

Walked through the Breakfast section - PopTarts are another one of my old binge foods. Used to be I only loved the chocolate fudge ones. Those had no appeal. The cherry ones had more appeal, but there's better ways to get cherry tastes like fruit in yogurt. Walked on by, no cravings no nothing.

Even if this effect doesn't last forever, if it lasts long enough for me to establish some healthier eating patterns, it'll be good enough.

And, I'm 30 lbs down from my highest weight. Jeans I haven't been able to wear since last fall are comfortable on the verge of being loose, and my wedding band which I haven't been able to wear for months is finally back on my hand. Just getting the boost of that 30 lbs gone is exhilarating and making me very excited about the future.

[stefanie0804 36]

I'm am big because I loved to eat in volume. Small amounts left me hungry. Real hungry - not head hungry. Even healthy food like salad and veg, I wanted huge amounts of to make the grumble go away. Even worse if fast food was involved. Now I'm satisfied by a small portion be it healthy or a treat. I still feel real hunger but it is satisfied easily and goes away long enough that I'm not always thinking of food. I also catch head hunger so much easier now and rarely get that craving type hunger for really unhealthy food. This has made all the good things I was capable of, so much easier. Also after surgery nothing seems scary. Like joining a gym which I had always been too scared to do. As soon as I was cleared I went and joined. After being seen in a hospital gown, my tights and long top seemed just fine. Good luck with your decision.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you so much for this. I am pre-surgery and I always say I am fat because I am hungry all the time. When I make good choices I am still hungry. I eat a healthy dinner and an hour later I am back in the kitchen because I am hungry. I had a super skinny person tell me once that they reason I am always hungry is because all I eat is junk, my body is craving real food and lacking Vitamins, etc. Nope, I do eat good stuff, I just eat too much of (for instance, LOVE nuts, eat way too many of them) and I also eat things like carbs because they fill me up.

Love your comment, can't wait for my approval!!!

This was me exactly!! I ate pretty healthy but I ate way way too much!!....now I ate some unhealthy stuff too but for the most part it was just a volume problem for me............Well this surgery has certainly fix that!! Best decision ever!! Good luck to you!!

1000x this! i try to eat well and im still hungry a hand full of nuts turns in to the whole bag or tin. I have tried every diet, Weight watchers was the closest thing to working but by the end of the day i was still hungry. My hope is that this sleeve will move me a way from feeling hungry so i dont snack or want to fill myself with carbs

[stefanie0804 36]

@@stefanie0804 It's helpful to get some therapy to deal with emotional eating issues before surgery. This can also help to determine if you're ready for WLS or if you want to try on your own. Once I heard only 5% of people who lose on their own keep it off - surgery was a no brainier for me.

This is kind of where I'm at, after speaking to my family doctor there is an Ontario Bariatric group so I would see a dietitian and a therapist to be more successful. My only problem is after researching this for over 6months. I just spoke to my doctor about it. so the weight could be months to years. I could self pay for about $13,000. trying to give it tme but now i want to get the ball rolling as the more research i do the more if feel this is right for me.