Long term success

I am in the process of having surgery. What procedure yields long term success? I want to avoid having to have another surgery in the future and want to keep the weight off.

Thank You.

Of the three major surgeries, RNY/VSG/DS, none is better than another. Long term success is based more on the commitment of the person having the surgery, and not the procedure itself.

That said, often one procedure is better suited to a particular person.

This is certainly not exhaustive -- but for someone who is super morbidly obese and who is committed to being meticulous with supplementation -- the DS can often be a great fit. For someone who would benefit from restriction but would prefer to keep their pyloric valve and intestines intact -- the VSG may be right. For those with reflux or diabetes who feel they'd benefit from restriction and some malabsorption -- the RNY may be their best fit.

That said, I've seen long-term success with all three surgeries -- as well as, horrendous failures with each of them, too.

It's all about which surgery is right for you and your commitment to making the tool work for your goals. No surgery is magic and it does NOT do all the work.

I don't think it can be said any better than this. I did a lot of research before I chose my surgery and this is pretty much exactly what I found.

The WLS part is the medical part that helps. It's your brain that really has to do the work. All WLS can be gone around and cheated. You can eat or drink away as many calories as you are today, you might do it differently but you can do it. So before you pick a WLS think about how much you and your brain can commit to making real changes that includes eliminating foods that you like but are not good for you. When it's 3pm and you want chips, what will you do? All of the WLS options cannot keep you from eating those chips.

WLS is great for helping you stop eating before you wolf down a 16oz steak with all the fixings. However with enough time and persistence, you can still eat that entire meal so really think about what your issues are with food. If you tend to overeat, eat too much sugar, snack all day, make very poor nutrition choices, work through your food issues and think about how having a smaller stomach will help you but really explore how it will not help you. The idea of how it will not help you doesn't normally catch up with people until the honeymoon is over and you start gaining again, so think about that early so you get the most out of your tool.

^^^^^^^^ What Kat and Steph said.

Ditto!!!

Excluding the lap band which is an abomination of a surgery no one should ever get...

Any surgery that YOU are willing to work with will give you long term success. The long term part is really up to you, not the surgery you have. No surgery will magically make you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime to come - you have to do that through hard work, mental health work, and dedication.

Pick a surgery you can live with. Let it give you the jumpstart you need. Then work hard to fix your brain so you can attain and maintain the weight you want to be.

This may sound like I a being glib but I am not. Take it from someone that is 13 years out and have seen it all.

The best procedure, common denominator is the "head" procedure. It's key to deal with the head issues, why we eat the way we do. Journal/log on a daily basis what you are feeling and or what is going on when you make the choices you do. You will start to see a pattern and can take steps to deal with those speed bumps.

There is no way I would have kept over 200 pounds off for over 10 years if I had not taken the time before surgery to figure it out

We are here to help

Statistically, the DS has the best long-term stats for weight loss and lowest regain. That being said, there are many success stories for the long haul for each procedure. The key is finding the one that is the perfect fit for your needs. We are obese for different reasons, and each of these procedures works a little differently. Read all you can on the RNY (gastric bypass), DS(duodenal switch) and VSG (sleeve) and compare what you learn to yourself, your weight history, and how you and your body react to your diet attempts. This is something to do for yourself and not expect a doc to spoon-feed to you.

Surgery is not a fix-all for obesity, it is a tool to help you lose weight. Just as you wouldn't use a hammer in a way it wasn't intended, if you don't use your smaller stomach in the way it was intended you risk the consequences.