Sleeve, RNY or Duodenal switch-which is better for a binge eater who has to lose 150 pounds

I have the sleeve and couldnt be happier,  I have lost so far 117 lbs  ( 10 months ) and have 56 more to go to be at goal weight that I want ,  I started at 338 and I am 5 9 I am 221 today.  I choose the sleeve because of other issues with Arthritis  I have a few different forms and need to be able to take meds / Nasids.    I am Italian so I love love love carbs,  I thought I would have an issue with this but since my surgery I sometimes crave carbs but I know I can only eat so little that I have to get my protien in and choose to eat protien at every meal.  sometimes I have a carb but I limit myself to a tbls of an item,  or a couple of bites.  like everyone else says this is not magic and we have to make the decisions we need to make to have this surgery work for us in the best way possible.  I am positive that with the changes in my diet and all the excercise that I am doing I will loose the weight ,  it may take a while longer than RYN or DS but I am happy with my weight loss so far. 

Research and choose the surgery that you and your Dr decide is best for you.  its a hard decision,  ps I was going to do the RYN first and decided against it due to other health issue I have .  My sister did the RYN and loves it she has lost 140 lbs so far and is 11 months out . 

Thanks so much for your reply!  It sound like you are doing great!  One of my concerns has been taht I have autoimmune issues and may need to take ant-inflammatories. The sleeve sounds enticing because of the limited complications but I have always had such a difficult time maintaining and Im' not sure I would be able to maintain for the long run with it. It's such a hard decision. Waht would you say is the difference in your diet compared to your sisters? Any complications with either surgery?

No WLS tool is going to be successful for you until you address the cause of your binge eating. It's not magic, just a tool.

I was a binge carb eater.  For me, I knew I wanted to get the head thing and addiction thing under control or I would no doubt "eat through" my surgery.  After some therapy, watching great movies (Hungry for Change, Food Inc., and Killer at Large) and reading both "Salt, Sugar, Fat" and "Fat Chance" by Lustig I came to grips with sugar being very very bad for me (and actuallly everyone).  I quit eating refined sugar (think table sugar, honey, maple syrup) and most processed foods.  Within 4 weeks my high blood pressure was resolved!!!  I lost 27 lbs pre surgery eating as much of anything that was single ingredient.  So you see, for me, it wasn't "just" about binge eating and quantity...it was about quality.  I had the sleeve to help with the quantity issue and basically as an insurance policy.

It may sound impossible now, but you CAN change what you eat and still be very happy.  Even with DS, if you continue to eat anything and everything sugar loaded you will remain physically sick.  I am sure of it.  Obviously, some people can eat small quantities of anything and be successful.  If you truly are a binge eater, it is likely that you will eventually choose bad carbs over protein and veggies to your peril.  Ask yourself this, "am I afraid to not be able to eat ___________ regularly?"  If that blank is filled with anything with sugar or processed flour you probably have issues that need to be dealt with. 

Just one woman's humble opinion based on my experience.

Anne

ANNE- I found your response very interesting, and will be following up on the movies/books you mentioned. SALT is my "thing" vs SUGAR, but I hate having a "thing", at all...

Posts like yours are one of the main reasons I am still active on OH, even at 11 years post RNY...I learn new things, and pick up new ideas nearly EVERY day, and gain inspiration and encouragement, even when I'm not necessarily even looking for it..

Please continue sharing your "experiences". You never know who you will inspire!

There's a comment I'd like to make about the "it's just a tool" that gets tossed around here a lot. Yes, all forms of WLS are "tools" to help us lose weight---but they're not all the SAME tool. For example---you have a dirty floor. You can choose to clean it with a broom, a carpet sweeper, a vacuum, or a Roomba. One room, just a little dirt, on a hardwood floor, the broom is probably sufficient. (LapBand/Sleeve)  Same room, a little bit dirtier, short-nap carpet, a carpet sweeper would be better. (Sleeve, RNY) Lots of pet hair, heavy-pile carpet---gotta go with the vacuum, at least. (RNY, DS). Whole house, and you've got a bad back---get a Roomba and let IT do the work. (DS)

Laughing...so true...I feel like I have a messy house with a bad back and  A LOT of pet hair...that's why i was thinking about the DS to begin with. It's really hard to determine what is right for me because I don't know what it would feel like to feel full. If I felt full I would most likely stop as I do stop when I feel full now but I just eat so fast that by the time I'm full well Ive eaten enough for 3 people. The truth is that I suffer from depression and I know that I struggle terribly with initiating and motivating myself to "do". I am trying to work around that. I have been in years of therapy for binge eating and have tried meditation, hypnosis, every program imaginable and I lose 100 lbs but then put it right back on plus some. It's depressing. I really need something internally to help me stop eating. I'm sure as I lose weight and feel better I will move more as I love the outdoors but at 310 lbs I am too tired to do anything. I have always been a short distance dieter. In other words I can lose 75-100 lbs but then BAM! I start eating again and gain it all back and fast.  I don't seem to have the ability to go the distance. Now, more recenlty, I can't even get started on a diet without a struggle. I think I'm just feeling so hopeless because after losing 75-100 lbs 5+ times and gaining it back I just can't see an end to it and I'm tired of losing money to these weight loss programs that charge and arm and a leg. I have never been able to lose weight on my own without the help of a structured weight loss program and I have never been able to maintain after I lost. I'm just so tired of it and now, at this point, I can't afford to keep putting money out only to know I will gain it back and kick myself for it.  I need some hope....I'm glad to get your input because every bit helps me...Thanks...

I can sure relate to the hunger thing.  I would eat Thanksgiving dinner and 20 minutes later want to do it again!! My favorite part of my sleeve is significantly reduced hunger.

Anne

missvonbatt @yahoo .com

Omit spaces.

You sound a lot like me. (*grin*) I too never knew what 'full' felt like, pre-op. I was ALWAYS hungry. Now, I have what I think of as 'normal' hunger.

Your dieting experience sounds a lot like mine, too. That's one reason I chose the DS---it has the very best stats for maintaining weight loss. I think you can lose the weight with any WLS, but I know that *I* would be ft again if I didn't have the malabsorption of the DS. And most of what you have no doubt hear about the bowel issues with the DS just ain't so.