success: sleeve vs old fashioned way

what makes the sleeve more successful than the old fashioned way of dieting without the sleeve? is it the restriction that makes the difference?

No, it goes way beyond that.

In the beginning post op you are required to follow stages of eating.   By the end of the six weeks most of the cravings have disappeared and shockingly healthy food starts sounding really good.  Since you are so swollen, you can eat very very little.  This period is also surprising because you realize that you are just as satisfied with just a few ounces as you used to be eating a huge meal.  You have very little to no hunger since you have little to no ghrelin.  During the first few months all of these factors contribute to your retraining yourself how to eat healthy.  I chose to attend support groups and that really helped keep me on track, and I was motivated to exercise.  Since the weight falls off, and exercise gets rapidly easier the reinforcement for what you are doing is very present. 

There are also many of us with a history of losing a lot of weight the old fashion way, but gaining it all back and then some.  For whatever reason, maintenance is also easier.  Research is coming out now indicating that the surgery changes more then just the size of the stomach, and it is believed that this helps.  That makes sense to me.  

My hunger level is much lower now. For me, it was nonexistent for at least 6-8 months. 

For me it is all of the above plus a big psychological impact that keeps me focused and on track. I am a smart person. I should have known better to begin with but now that I have had major ELECTIVE surgery removing almost all of a perfectly healthy organ...damn right I will be mindful.

Someone posted this a few months after my surgery. It is dated 2011, but I found it to be very informative. It helped me to find peace with deciding to have 85% of my stomach (and most or all of the grehlin) cut out of my body. Yes, the grehlin can be produced in other organs, but not as much as it was produced in your stomach.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope- fat-trap.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Good luck.

Really enjoyed that article! Thanks for posting!