Can you please share how you feel about how hard you've had to work at losing the pounds post surgery.  I chose the sleeve and got my surgery date today.  I kinda felt like the surgeon was a bit more in favor of the gastric bypass because he spoke a lot about how much harder it was to lose with the sleeve.  Not to say that he was discouraging me but maybe just wanted to make sure I saw the full picture.  I want to lose about 80-90 lbs but when I said that he thought that was a lofty goal.

 Just curious about others experiences. 

I have a sleeve and I have friend with a RNY.  I think we both work very hard.  The only difference I see is she is "afraid" of high sugar and some high fat foods...afraid of dumping.  I don't have that fear.  If I so desired, I am sure I could happily eat a donut just one month out from surgery, but I choose not to.  That is the only real difference I have seen between her and I.  I do know that she malabsorbs nutrients, but that is the reason I chose the sleeve, I preferred to do as little harm to my actual intestinal system as possible. 

I am anxious to see what others say.

bottom line...there is nothing easy about either as far as I am concerned.

Anne

PS...my doctor really focused on the lower risk involved with sleeve. 

While your friend has a valid point, only about 1/3 of bypassers even dump anyway.  I think it is a mistake for someone to choose bypass only because of dumping.  Odds are, they won't and of those who do most lose the dumping from specific foods about 6-12 months.

I know some people won't like me for saying this (because many are sensitive about the "easy way out" comments), but I found losing my first 78 pounds incredibly easy.  I wasn't particularly hungry, I was highly motivated because I was seeing great results and I found it easy to stay on plan.  And almost every day the scale would move down.  And every morning I would run to the scale to see - it was like Christmas every day.  I still have 20 or so pounds to lose and now it has gotten hard.  I now feel more like I did in the past when I really had to work at dieting.  I started out at 251 and weigh now 173.  Being 16 months out I have also gotten to the point where i can see that it would also now be really easy to gain back weight and eat around the sleeve.  That's why many say the losing stage is easy and it really gets hard in maintenance.  

I'm choosing the sleeve for the same reasons.  I could go for RNY but I really like the less invasive route.  I feel like I can adhere to the program.  I'm also anxious to see others perspectives on the topic.  Thanks!  

I lost 70 lbs which is what I need to lose. The first 6-7 months I don't think there is any difference in the ease of losing weight between surgeries. None of the surgeries are 100% full proof you have to work with all of them. In my opinion I think that you need figure out which surgery fits best to your lifestyle.

When it comes to choosing a surgery you have to ask yourself a few questions.  I'm only going to deal with one here.  I don't see what your original weight is so I don't know where losing 80-90lbs. will put you but your surgeon doesn't seem confident that you will see these results.  Ask yourself this?  Do I lose weight relatively easily or do I struggle to lose weight when I diet? My sister chose the DS ten years ago because she was unable to lose weight on any diet that she attempted. She had PCOS and believed that caused alot of the problems with her ability to loose weight.   On the other hand, I've always been able to lose weight easily when I followed the plan I was on so I chose the sleeve.  It gives me what I need, the ability to eat a much smaller portion of food and the less invasive procedure I prefer.  I will say this...losing 80-90 lbs. can be done with either procedure....but if you know losing weight doesn't come that easy for you, you might want to choose a surgery that has the malabsorption element.

What are your stats? Height, weight? I also chose the sleeve for the same reasons mentioned above, but it is not without it's own risks...you also have to be disciplined about using the tool you choose...whatever that may be. Do your research, know the risks and the rewards. I have two very good friends that had the gastric bypass...both ended up with herniated intestines at the 2 year mark. One went into emergency surgery, aspirated on the table and ended up in a coma for 6 months and is now unable to work and is completely disabled. The other ended up in surgery, they had to remove a portion of her intestines that was dead, she had numerous infections and abscesses and it took her 12 weeks to recover so she could return to work. She realizes now that she almost died but wouldn't change a thing. My boss' mother had a VSG some years ago and just recently had her surgery revisioned to a gastric bypass because she ended up with a stricture and nothing worked to correct it.  I also know two co-workers that have had the VSG and have done a fabulous job of maintaining.  I am not telling you this to scare you...I am telling you this because you must know the risks and educate yourself about everything...knowing all these people and their experiences didn't deter me it helped me decide to take this journey...complications happen, but I follow the rules, and I know that if something does go wrong, I did my part...I also know I could get hit by a bus crossing the street tomorrow and living in fear is not living! And living with an extra 150 lbs isn't living either!!! 

My surgeon was about the same, and said the weight would come off faster with by-pass. I opted with what I felt comfortable with instead. I have stuck to the plan 97% of the time and I continue to loose, just a little more to go...I'm not sorry for my decision and you have to do what you are comfortable living with as this is a life change event!

I am thinking about the sleeve and wondering if you would be open to answering some questions for me. I'm 5'2 and weight 300 lbs. My doc told me to get the duodenal switch which is the surgery that has the most risks. I have heard others say I can lose the weight with the VSG but some docs I interviewed didn't think so.  You seem to have done great! I'm wondering if there was an exercise regiment that you followed and if you could tell me the pros and cons of the surgery. Also, some folks said the size of the sleeve is important. Do you know how small or what size your doc made your sleeve or if this is important?  I feel pretty overwhelmed and scared but have to do something sooner than later. I'm not sure where you are from but if you are from NC could you recommend a doc.. Any input would be soooo appreciated..

Thanks so much!