The Gastric Sleeve Was Counterproductive for Me

In my case (as well as my wife's) the gastric sleeve has, in the long run, been counterproductive to the purpose for which I had the surgery. Though I (and my wife) lost weight during the first few months after the procedure, the weight loss has stopped altogether and now further weight loss is harder rather than easier. I realize that exercise and diet are needed to lose weight and that further efforts in this will facilitate weight loss for my wife and me, but the gastric sleeve has made these basics of weight loss more difficult to do. I cannot eat most healthy foods without getting nauseated. Almost the only foods I can eat without feeling sick are high in carbohydrates or fat. I have other medical problems (several) which make exercise quite difficult. This is why I thought the sleeve would help to facilitate weight loss and boost overall health. In the long run, it has only made my goals more difficult to achieve and caused unpleasant side-effects such as muscle cramps and nausea. I have been faithful to follow-up visits with all of the specialists but as friendly as these people are they have been of no substantial help.

I would say my overall health and quality of life are lower as a result of the sleeve and my prospects for improvement are less rather than more likely due to the increased difficulty of losing weight. Knowing what I do now I would not have had the procedure and I would not have recommended it to my wife for whom it has also proved counterproductive. A good friend of mine's sister had the sleeve and she too deeply regrets it since it has made her weight loss more difficult in the long run and resulted in many, unpleasant side effects. The surgery is irreversible so my only option now is to try to lose weight and recover health in spite of the procedure which has made my goals much more difficult to achieve. 

You seem to be impeding your own weight loss by only eating carbs and fat. Isn't this counter to the recommendations prior to surgery? Nobody can lose weight on that program.

Have you talked to your surgeon and nutritionist about ideas for protein that you may be able to tolerate? It sounds like you've given up.

I have spoken to the dietitian and surgeon (actually his nurse practitioner) at great length many times. Your comment merely restates what I have asserted. Eating carbs and fats impedes weight loss! I agree most heartily that I cannot lose weight on this program but this is the only diet I can follow as a result of the surgery which makes me quite nauseated when I try to eat other kinds of foods. I would very much like to eat a healthier, lower calorie diet but the gastric sleeve has made that nearly impossible. I am doing the best I can in spite of the surgery, but as you note, the dietary limitations imposed upon me by the surgery have made this weight loss much more difficult and neither the surgeon nor the nutritionist can offer me any substantial help in spite of our hours of consultation. They no doubt meant well but the procedure they performed has made my health goals much more difficult to achieve. No one warned me of this possibility but now in the aftermath I am hearing of others like me who never seemed to be free to tell their stories as publicly and prominently as those with the success stories (of whom I know none personally though I do not doubt there are some). I made my foolish decision to have the gastric sleeve because I was not exposed to the full range of testimonials from those who had the procedure which, for me, makes it nearly impossible to eat the kind of diet I should, and which therefore makes weight loss much more unlikely. Other than impeding weight loss, the only long-term effects of the surgery for me have been terrible problems with GERD, muscle cramps, and nausea. 

As a postscript I would say I have not given up. I am just saying that I have to face the reality that the surgery I foolishly chose to have has made my health and weight-loss goals more difficult to achieve. As I said in my original post, I have determined that I will lose weight in spite of this ill-advised procedure that has been counterproductive. Though the increased difficulties imposed by the procedure make weight loss harder I am still determined to act in as disciplined a manner as I can, and do the very best I can in spite of my folly in getting a procedure that was counterproductive to my health and weight loss goals. 

are you both getting 64+ ounces of liquid a day? Dehydration causes wicked nausea. Are you able to eat protein,which is what you need to eat to lose weight.

what do you mean by a "healthy "diet?

We are both getting over 64 ounces of water per day as a rule (sometimes I neglect to do so but not usually). I cannot eat any dry meats (only greasy ones such as bacon or sausage) though my wife can eat some. I eat as much protein as I can from the very limited foods I can eat. My doctor suspects I may have gallstones (fairly common, I'm told, in the aftermath of this surgery). I am scheduled to get an ultrasound. When I speak of a healthy diet I refer to what most people do -- eating lots of vegetables and lean meats, for example (I can eat neither). What did you suppose I might have meant other than eating the foods most people consider beneficial to health?

I didn't know,that is why I asked. Some ppl think healthy diets include lots of grains,lots of fruit and lots of vegetables. that is not a useful diet for those having had Wls and trying to lose. are you either one able to do protein shakes?  You may know carbs are absorbed at 100%,so they are definately impeding your loss. I would think you would do better eating what ever meat you can,greasy or not and trying your best to stay away from carbs. 

Hopefully of you get your possible gallbladder issue settled you will be able to tolerate more dense protein. Is your wife having possible gallbladder issues as well?

My wife is not having gallbladder issues of which we are aware. This will be my last communication on this website. I have spent many hours speaking to doctors and nutritionists about my issues, and have read a great deal of material about the matters involved with my concerns (between my wife and I we have six college degrees, three of them in health care -- so we are both able to understand these things). I am in very poor health just now (unrelated to the surgery and not a possible contributor to the nausea) and find it difficult to maintain a patient tone when people here seem to presume I am an ignoramus in their comments and questions. Good bye.  

The worst kind of idiot is an educated one. It is okay not to KNOW. It not ok not to LEARN. These people are trying to TEACH you. I'm betting those 6 college degrees did not include "Playing Nicely With Others 101"...sheesh...

I was looking for a nice way to say the same thing! Sometimes education is the biggest deterent to learning! When I had trouble getting meats down I pureed mine and mixed with a bit of broth or bottled gravy since even with the gravy having some carbs it doesn't take but a tiny bit to juice it up enough to make swallowing easier. I eat sausage and bacon very often but I don't eat but 20 grams of other carbs, fat doesn't make us fat carbs make us fat! We need fats for bodily function we don't need carbs for anything. I eat less than 20 grams of carbs a day and don't even worry about fats and I'm still slowly losing weight and nearly to goal.

I would also guess they are having acid issues, nothing nauseates me more than acid so there is a good chance they need PPis or to be checked for hernias I know mine improved dramatically once my hernia was put back where it belonged! Sadly they will now never know what it could be because they left in a snit! Nuts are the worst people to get bariatric advice from and surgeons know even less because they don't study that, they cut. I am finding that many, many people in the medical field are dumber than rocks about just about everything. They know what they study and not one other thing and they don't seem to check out any of the more current ideas. Sadly common sense seems to be lacking most! Sad state of affairs out there folks!!