Vets..... whats your honest view....

You are caught up in bull**** programing idesigned to sensationalize and drive sponsor sales even at the expense of misinforming.  Would you allow garbage tv to impact your decision on treatment of any other medical issue? 

Research the truth.  These lack of reality tv programs repeatedly give the false impression that wls patients regain the weight more often than not.  Scientifically valid studies say the opposit is true. 

The billion dollar diet industry has a lot to loose due to the long term succes of all types of wls.  Programing, a wide variety of products, branding etc are cash cows that wls would skin.  Just look at the names that have become house hold words and the number of branded products out there due to programing. 

Sure regain is possible for everyone.  Insufficient weight loss is possible for everyone.  However, even if it were true that say eighty out of a hundred wls patients regained significant weight,  IT WOULD STILL BE A FAR BETTER OUTCOME than anything the diet industry has to offer.  Call it a 'life style change' or a 'diet', the diet industry failure rate remains at around 95%.  Of course we know the overwhelming majority of wls patient succeed in the long term.  That success is also overwhelmingly without complications or need for  revision. 

I won't tell you which studies to consult because you can easily check it out yourself.  Stacking the statistical deck in my favor is unecessay because respected medical journals will show no contradiction.  I will say start with organizations like the National Institutes for Health or the American Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery.  Working from there you will find the truth about regain. 

It would be in your best interest to start addressing your head issues immediately.  Many of us will carry these issues for life but we can learn to manage them.  There are links in my signature to a starting point.  Best wishes to you.  I hope you approach your decision from a rational and well informed vantage point. 

How do you reconcile your statement about the lack of validity to the studies of regain with the ASMBS own statement that

"Weight loss usually reaches a maximum between 18 and 24 months postoperatively. {snip}  Mean percent excess weight loss at five years ranged from 48 to 74 % after gastric bypass and from 50 to 60% after vertical banded gastroplasty. In a study of over 600 patients following gastric bypass, with 96% follow-up, mean percent excess weight loss still exceeds 50% at fourteen years. Another 10 year follow-up series from the University of Virginia reports weight loss of 60% of excess weight at 5 years and in the mid 50's between years 6 and 10.  Multiple other authors have reported 5 and 6 year follow-up of their patient series with similar weight loss results."

Clearly MOST people initially lose much more than just 50% of their excess weight (when was the last time you saw anyone here say that they needed to lose 150 pounds but only lost 75 in two years?), so if the average maintenance of weight loss for all RNY patients is 50%, there is a LOT of regain going on.

Lora

There can be regain with all surgeries including the most drastic.  If you eat more calories than you expend you will regain, that's why you see all the revisions. 

I had my surgery 8 years ago- lost 100% excess weight.  I did fine for 6 years until a time of personal turmoil when I allowed myself to regain.  I have now lost 40# of the regain and will get back to my "normal" weight again.  Just by following the rules.

Surgery is not a magic bullet- no matter which one you have.  You will always have to follow the rules- some people forget that.

Good luck-  It really ISN'T the easy way out.

Pup

I think people regain for all sorts of reasons but mostly because they didn't decide to make permanent LIFESTYLE changes forever. The mental battle is huge and some choose to face it and some don't. I don't think if you needed WLS there is a safety net of taking the focus off of food and exercise. I know there are some that don't exercise but the reality is that the majority of us will need to exercise routinely for the rest of our life. We also need to figure out why we ate the way we did and change that. Food shouldn't call my name, I shouldn't eat out of boredom, food should not be a routine item to comfort me. It requires commitment to address all the issues related to being morbidly obese. It requires being completely honest with yourself, it is hard work and it is most likely going to be work for the rest of our lives.

I had WLS in 2002 and lost all my excess weight in about 2 years.  Over the next 5 years I put back on 100lbs.  And I had the DS, so in spite of what some people say, you can regain with any WLS.  The reason I regained was simple.  I didn't change the way I ate.  I am a refined carb addict and I deluded myself into thinking that WLS would cure my carb addiction.  It didn't.
I was hungry all the time but that didn't matter.  I could eat plenty when I wasn't hungry.  I could eat myself sick and I did many times.  I have no off button, especially when I am eating refined carbs like sugar and bread.  I tried moderation many times.  It always has led me down the road to regain.
The difference now is that I am using the surgery like I should have from the beginning.  A tool.  It works for me 2 ways.  One, since I am also addicted to quantities it helps me limit the amount of food I can eat.  Two, since most of my stomach was removed with my revision, I no longer have the ghrelin sending out hunger signals.  I am able to be satisfied with small amounts. 
I still have to deal with my addictions.  They haven't gone anywhere.  I just have some extra help in dealing with them.  The surgery doesn't cause me to lose weight.  I lose weight by eating right.  I eat right because I have some help.  In time the malabsorption will lessen and go away, except of course with vitamins.  The pouch will stretch out and you will be able to eat more.  All that is left is the good habits you have learned along the way and the new coping skills that you will develop by not being able to turn to food anymore.
In addressing your eating problems along with surgery you will go along way in preventing regain.