Help for a newbie?

Hi everyone,

I'm new on this site and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.  

I've seen a surgeon and just attended a mandatory info session, so next is blood work.  I'm still on the fence about whether or not to have the surgery or to just follow all of the tools they have given us in the information package and try once again to make it work for myself.  I'm in BC, so the sleeve and RNY are the only procedures covered here.  I believe I would be getting the sleeve if I go through with this.  I'm so sad that I have to cut out a part of my body because of my failures, but I don't want to continue like this.  I'm 41 and have been struggling all of my life.  I just keep seeing the scale go up and up each year and it's time it stopped.  

I guess my questions are:  

1.  Where should I read on this site?  There's so much, and I just want the really informative sections, but it's overwhelming.

2.  If I go with the sleeve, does it just restrict the amount of food I put in as well as decrease the hunger hormones, or does it change how my body digests food?  I guess I feel like if it just restricts, can't I just lower my food intact on my own and have the same results?

If you've read this far, you're sweet.  If you answer any of my questions, you're an angel.  :)

Thank you all in advance.

I'd recommend reading the VSG forum if the VSG is what you're considering.  When I started looking into it, I went back and read all the posts starting from the beginning.  It was really super useful to me to see what kinds of questions are asked every day and then what the more bizarre and unique questions were. I felt like it gave me a really solid base of information going forward.  

The sleeve doesn't have a malabsorption component like the RNY and DS do.  It does restrict how much you eat if you're eating dense foods and it does diminish gherlin production significantly.  Recent research also points to metabolic change.  

The issue with just reducing your portions without the sleeve is that you'll probably always feel hungry, unsatisfied, and miserable.  Right now, at about 11 months post-op, I eat three meals a day.  One is a protein shake and the other two are 4 ounces of solid food.  I NEVER would have felt satisfied eating this way pre-op, at least not for any length of time.  But I've kept this up for 11 months now and feel no "diet fatigue."  I feel like this is an established lifestyle and way of eating that I'll be able to maintain for the rest of my life with 90-95% compliance.  With the huge stomach I had before, I always would have felt hungry and miserable trying to eat the way I eat now.  

And I've definitely never happily lost 130 pounds without the VSG :D

Thank you for this, Gwen.  :)

Sure, you could just lower your food intake on your own and have the same results.  How has that worked for you in the past?  Have you been able to lower your food intake and stick to small portions?

I wasn't able to do that.  I felt hungry and then I ate more.  After WLS,  you will feel full on small portions.

Good point.  Thank you.

If you have not been able to get your eating under control and continue to gain weight each year, your chances of successfully losing weight AND keeping it off is doubtful.  

A sleeve doesn't change anything but the size of your stomach.  Which allows you to manage the quality and amount of food you consume.  If you follow the guidelines given by your surgeon and nutritionist, you will be successful.

Good luck to you in your journey.

Thanks, Debbie. 

You've received good information in the posts from other members of the OH community!  

Check out the VSG message board to look at other posts and cross-post what you have here. 

Thank you, Cathy.