Thinking Of Getting Gastric Sleeve

[sonicyouth]

Hi
Since being diagnosed with under active thyroid 5 years ago I have slowly gained around 45kg (90lbs) which NOTHING will shift. I work, lift weights once/twice a week, I walk, so I am active and carrying this excess weight is painful and uncomfortable. I am 51, in peri-menopause, which might explain why I am stuck and can not lose weight.
I believe in and follow Peat's nutritional philosophy passionately but in my current state, my body feels like it is in a constant state of inflammation. I have all kinds of different symptoms, too numerous to even try and address.

I found that the more weight I gained, the hungrier I got and my self discipline around food is getting weaker. I had a busy life and never had this kind of weight issue before. Since learning of bariatric surgery very recently, the thought of going for it has never left my mind. Anything to get myself out of this 'suspended state'.

Does anyone on the forum have some experience, knowledge or opinion on Gastric Sleeve /Bariatric Surgery?
I know they cut off the part of the stomach where gherlin is produced - the hunger hormone. What freedom it would be to only eat for optimal nutrition and without any fear....

Thank you for reading

 

[Tenacity]

My mother got a gastric band and it does nothing for her. The only thing it does now is make food get 'stuck', after which she might have to go vomit. The biggest waste of money she's ever spent, in my opinion. I think it's one of the things she regrets.

 

[sonicyouth]

Thanks Tenacity

 

[bluewren]

Hi, @sonicyouth
Are you on thyroid meds? If so, is it a T3/T4 combination, or just T4?

 

[Peater]

The only surgery I've had which I'm glad of was an emergency appendectomy

And even that wouldn't have been needed if I hadn't killed me appendix with pizza and beer one night.

 

[Tarmander]

If you starve yourself, you will get the same benefit basically. My aunt had gastric bypass...she lost a ton of weight for awhile and then eventually gained it all back. She had multiple surgeries to get rid of the loose skin she had, perk her boobs up...but eventually she is kind of back to square one. Supposedly your stomach can stretch out again. A lot of money for a short period of looking good.

Surgery will be stressful and lower your metabolism

You will have nutritional deficiencies you will need to work around

There are no shortcuts, you may lose weight for a time, maybe 5 years, maybe 10 years, but you will eventually have to pay the piper. We all pay the piper, but there are cheaper ways then all that. If you want to lose weight in this way, go on the snake diet Getting Started You will lose weight and the electrolytes will help you not feel god awful.

Or, make small moves that put you in the right direction, and let the quick fixes, so alluring, go.

 

[Dolomite]

The two people (women) that I know who have had that procedure have gained a lot of the weight back and look worse because of the loose skin.

Any surgery may result in infections or worse. I would think a long time before I ever got an elective surgery.

 

[Blossom]

Honestly I’ve never seen anything positive come from it long term.
I’ve seen multiple people have the same experience described by @Tarmander though. I thought they required a person be 100 pounds above their ‘ideal body weight’ to qualify.
I’d recommend doing lots of research especially related to the complications and talking to as many people as possible who’ve had it done before making a decision.
Best wishes @sonicyouth

 

[sonicyouth]

Hi, @sonicyouth
Are you on thyroid meds? If so, is it a T3/T4 combination, or just T4?

Hi bluewren
Yes I have been on t4 for 5 years, I’m up to 125mcg and I do take a Cynomel, I bite on a 25mcg tablet through the day. In spite of this my blood tests are never below 4.5

 

[sonicyouth]

If you starve yourself, you will get the same benefit basically. My aunt had gastric bypass...she lost a ton of weight for awhile and then eventually gained it all back. She had multiple surgeries to get rid of the loose skin she had, perk her boobs up...but eventually she is kind of back to square one. Supposedly your stomach can stretch out again. A lot of money for a short period of looking good.

Surgery will be stressful and lower your metabolism

You will have nutritional deficiencies you will need to work around

There are no shortcuts, you may lose weight for a time, maybe 5 years, maybe 10 years, but you will eventually have to pay the piper. We all pay the piper, but there are cheaper ways then all that. If you want to lose weight in this way, go on the snake diet Getting Started You will lose weight and the electrolytes will help you not feel god awful.

Or, make small moves that put you in the right direction, and let the quick fixes, so alluring, go.

Thanks, this is useful-food for thought.

I have tried to eat as I would if I had a smaller stomach, so many times. During the day I have Greek yougurt, fresh orange juice, blueberries, eggs and milk and lots of coffee with sugar, occasionally meatball, all homemade and I enjoy all of it! I take good vitamin supplements. It’s when I get home from work (a job I love) that this bizarre HUGE hunger hits me and I give in to pasta and bread. So I’m in a complete vicious circle. I start well and end the daybadly. I cannot break this spell. And it hurts to be this active and this heavy

 

[sonicyouth]

Honestly I’ve never seen anything positive come from it long term.
I’ve seen multiple people have the same experience described by @Tarmander though. I thought they required a person be 100 pounds above their ‘ideal body weight’ to qualify.
I’d recommend doing lots of research especially related to the complications and talking to as many people as possible who’ve had it done before making a decision.
Best wishes @sonicyouth

Thank you Blossom.
I never even considered it until a friend in Dubai had it done. Her life transformed.
She had a gastric sleeve - they cut out 75/80% of the stomach and especially the part of the stomach where gherlin, the hunger hormone, is produced. So there is no band, the post surgery risks are minimal. You just eat less but fill up on optimal stuff.

My friend says she feels free, in control and she can live life and breathe without fear or burden for the first time in 43 years.

My fear is will the body feel kind of ‘mutilated’?

 

[sonicyouth]

The two people (women) that I know who have had that procedure have gained a lot of the weight back and look worse because of the loose skin.

Any surgery may result in infections or worse. I would think a long time before I ever got an elective surgery.

Thanks Dolomite
Did they have gastric band or gastric sleeve fitted?
I am sure it is possible to regain in each case.

 

[tara]

I know there are people who have been happy with the results.

I also know that surgery always involves some trauma to the body, and occasionally it can get life-threatening.
(As Dolomite said, infections etc - I know someone who was luck to survive. Lost mass temporarily.) You have to be rigorous to avoid malnutrition - it doesn't necessarily happen automatically. It's not guaranteed to be a long term fix. Easy to get malnourished.

I don't know what the 10 or 20 or 30 year statistical results are.

I agree with Blossom about doing lots of research, esp about complications, and talking to people, before considering it.

I'd also consider giving it some more time before you decide, and see if there are other things to try first.

What else have you tried?
Have you monitored your body temps?
Run your diet through cronometer or similar to see roughly what nutrition you might be getting from your food? Could show up some micronutrient gaps etc.
How's your breathing?
Getting regular sunlight and suitable enjoyable movement?
Sleep?
If you are suffering chronic inflammation, I wonder if you are reacting to something - maybe intollerance to something you are regularly eating? Have you paid attention to how particuallar foods make you feel?
Do you think you could have some intolerance to wheat or gluten that is giving you trouble? Do you have more energy if you replace it for even 3 days?
If bread and pasta have a particular pull for you, and you think they are particularly hard on your system, are there things you can have in your home that you think would serve you better and satisfy you and would help you not binge so much on them? When I had a particular food I wanted to give up years ago, I had to replace it with something else - that made it much easier. I don't know your situation, but can you avoid even having those particular foods in your house?
Or maybe there is some other specific food in your diet that you can identify/test?

 

[Runenight201]

I’ve been there with the insatiable hunger, and at times I did wonder if I would ever find a solution.

In regards to you coming home and crash eating, you’re probably not feeding yourself enough calories from the proper macronutrient/micro nutrient ratios during breakfast and lunch, which will lead to you binge eating foods in improper ratios and lead to weight gain.

In my opinion, each meal should be balanced and satiating enough to leave to you without the need to eat for the next 3-4 hours. I think snacking consistently really isn’t the best for weight loss, because it usually ends up with eating enough “to keep hunger away”, but eventually it really catches up and binge eating occurs.

I’d recommend trying to eat balanced meals 3 times a day, and then peaty snacks in between meals and before bed if necessary. Each meal should leave you full and satiated, never starve yourself. In my experience, including diverse food groups in my plate and ensuring there’s proper fat, carbs, and protein satiates the best. The exact ratios are up to you and what makes you feel and operate the best. Nausea after a meal means too much fat, and bloated usually means too many carbs. Protein is a little more tricky, but eyeball and be aware to what’s appealing as you eat and you’ll figure out what works for you.

Of course, only eat when you’re hungry, and if you’re not sure, try drinking water with some electrolytes. I use to pound oj or milk when I wasn’t sure but I’ve come to realize that this was a mistake.

Oh yea, this isn’t peat approved, but in my experience, sugar and fat don’t satiate and lead to overconsumption. I always include starch at each meal and it definitely improves my sense of well-being. Too much starch is for sure bad, but for I think those who are prone to overeat, you need enough to satiate.