looking for post op feedback----anyone 5 years or longer gastric sleeve

trying to decide on surgery or no surgery

I sure am tired of being the largest person in the room, the largest person in the photo, etc.

I try to do this (weight loss) on my own for awhile and then fail again, but question whether the surgery option is successful long term and how it works for people (in all aspects of their life) in the long term.

thanks for taking the time

I am searching for the same information, there are many posts about weight regain and this is one of my concerns with going through with the surgery. I think as long as I were to stick to the rules protein no sugar/ carbs lots of movement, this is the maintenance part. I personally know 3 people who have had the rny 2 have maintained their weight 5 years post op, 1 has gained 40 lbs but still lost 130 lbs total. 1 now has alcoholism and struggles with that, but was unstable emotionally to begin with. I think the biggest worry is the unknown. Rebecca

I had the sleeve exactly five years ago today. I lost from my highest weight 100 lbs at the one year mark after surgery.  ( I gained 25 lbs and kept the 75 off for 5 years). (I weighted 442 when I started). I have started a month ago the medifast diet, and have lost 10 lbs.

I am 4 years out from VSG and lost 200 pounds. I continue to lose about 2-3 pounds a month. 

I eat according to "the rules" - protein, about 3-4 ounces, then veggies, & then if there is room a few bites of a starch or grain. No drinking for a half hour before and after meals. No carbonated drinks. No alcohol. Drink as much water as I can or, other liquids to reach 64 ounces a day. 

Breakfast is usually a half cup of oatmeal with nonfat half & half and artificial sweetener. Lunch usually some protein. 

It is not an easy fix but it takes hard work. No fast foods. An appetizer portion is sufficient if we go out to dinner . 

I started at a size 32 and now wear a size 10. I have never felt better, nor do I feel deprived, either. Chocolate no longer has any appeal, but new clothes do. I don't have to look for a sturdy chair or worry that the chair I sit in may break- it did happen once , but never again! 

Good luck on your journey. I hope I am able to help you. If you have any questions , you can contact me here. 

Hi, I had gastric sleeve in Jan 2008. I got down to a low of 137 lbs (I am 5'7") and was able to maintain my weight perfectly fine until 2014 and I hit menopause. The hormone change really threw me off. I am struggling with being hungry way too much again. I have an appt to see my bariatric specialist to see what can be done. I would kill to get phentermine again but at 156 lbs now my BMI is not high enough. Sad that our medical system waits until you gain back everything you lost before they will prescribe a medication that has been around since the 1950's. I am married to a personal trainer and I have to starve and workout 5 days a week to get 1 lb off now.

But you asked about the decision to have surgery. I have never ever regretted getting it done. I totally relate to how you feel about being tired of being the largest person at the party, the largest person in the photo, etc. I am also tired of people saying, put the fork down and get on the treadmill. Yeah, right, it's that easy isn't it. There is a genetic component to the obesity problem. Me and my brother both got the "fat" gene and he had gastric bypass, I opted for the sleeve because I had less weight to lose than him.

I wholeheartedly believe for myself that this was and still is a long term success. It's not a perfect solution because things happen in life (pregnancy, stress, menopause...) that sometimes drive us to pick up the bag of Cheetos but overall it is better than spending your life regretting not doing it sooner. I had the sleeve done at age 42 and I can't tell you the number of people older than me in my support group who said they wished they had done it a decade+ sooner.

So the only question left for you is, how much longer of your life do you want to spend being physically and emotionally tired?