first year p/o, do we have chemical advantage for weightloss?

After a visit to Nut, she stated we have a biological advantage first yr po, after that its "calories in, calories out" like before surgery. I realize we have better restriction first year, but what is the chemical advantage? I didn't think to ask for an explanation. I am 7 montgs po and have hit surgeons goal, would like to lose another 20 pounds but its barely coming off now, a few pounds a month if that.

Not with the sleeve.  It's true for the RNY since they've got malabsorption, but not for us.  I do think that resolve can waver after the first year.  Bad habits can creep back in, especially since the weight comes off more slowly.  And our sleeves mature to their full capacity.  But that's about it.  

A few pounds a month rocks.  I'd love to get back to that point!  (But I need to stop sabotaging myself with snacks for that to happen..)

You know how everyone complains that the last 10-20 pounds are the hardest to lose even if they're not WLS people?  Yeah.. we have that too :)

Here is a good podcast to listen to that explains how the gut and hormones change after surgery. 

http://www.weightlosssurgerypodcast.com/

That was a great pod cast! Thanks for sharing it. Would like to hear the one they were taking about "set point".

Actually we do- the surgury reduces a hormone Ghrelin. This is the hunger hormone. Some patients eventually get hunger back, but typically no where near the levels experienced preop. That alone makes it much easier in my opinion, and the restriction is also exceedingly helpful. 

There are a few things that make it easier at first:

• Reduction in grehlin (hunger hormone), which tends to come back over time
• Sleeve is smaller at first, especially right after surgery, due to swelling and non-use, so much smaller capacity
• People lose weight faster when their overall amount to lose is higher-- someone who needs to lose 200 lb will see the weight loss faster than someone who needs 100lb

yep, happy teacher is right about the reduced levels of hunger hormone grehlin.  as my surgeon explains it, much, but not all of body levels of grehlin are produced in the greater curvature of your stomach and when that is removed, the grehlin goes way down.  thats in part why many of us have little or n hunger for varying periods of time.  do some internet searches on ghrelin. i wish i understood more about it.     diane

As others have said, there is no malabsorption like with the RNY.  

We do have decreased hunger from the removal of the part of the stomach that produces ghrelin.  That's the only "biological" advantage.  But fighting the head hunger is worse further down the road, at least for me.

For those of us who were Type 2 diabetic or insulin resistant at surgery, there is another advantage.  The surgery creates a metabolic change within our body that allows us to use insulin much more efficiently and effectively.  Basically, it gets our body back to reacting like that of a "normal" person.

When we utilize insulin effectively it reduces the amount of sugar AND insulin in our body, which makes it less likely that the liver will store calories as fat. I don't think I'd call it an "advantage" necessarily since it's how our bodies are supposed to work...but it is an advantage over the way our bodies worked pre-VSG!

Oh, totally forgot about that. I was diabetic preop, and no issues with it immediately postop other than some bouts of low sugar.