Bariatric surgery question

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I’m at the point where I’m considering bariatric surgery. My BMI is over 40. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve dieted. Dieting works for me, for a limited time. I can follow the rules, the weight comes off, but after a few weeks, or after I’ve lost about a stone, I just cannot force myself to stick to it. I dive back in to the crisps and chocolate and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to stop myself.

So, my question is, obviously after bariatric surgery you still have to “diet”. So what makes it different to dieting without the surgery? Is it the fact that you physically can’t eat the same amount of food? Am I going to end up in the same cycle but £10k poorer?

Do lots of research.
I had roux en y surgery.
It 'works' because, if you eat as before, it makes you ill (vomiting & 'dumping'). Eventually that wears off. If you don't then have 'willpower' the weight will return (plus you've screwed up your body). I regret it massively (partly as now on supplements + iron infusions for rest of my life now)

I've been wondering this too. I've seen some people say that they remove the part of your stomach that secretes the hunger hormone, but I'm not sure how true that is. And also I'm sure other people are the same, but I don't just eat because I'm hungry

I had a gastric bypass in 2020 and lost 13 stone. It stops you feeling hungry in the first place, but also restricts the amount and type of food you can eat.

Another one as a PP who regrets it slightly due to now needing regular iron infusions, B12 injections and vitamins for life. I'm always tired & cold and have lots of loose skin. There are benefits though.

Yes, part of your stomach is either removed or stapled off. This reduces ghrelin or 'the hunger hormone'. But, that does wear off in time plus, as we all know, eating is very often not due to hunger but boredom, anxiety, habit, stress etc. You must address this too.

Hi,

I'm 2.5 years out.

I basically eat everything I did before (that made me 7 stone heavier) but tiny portions.

Well not everything because alot of sugar makes me ill.

I eat pizza but just a slice. Mcdonalds buy just a small burger and literally 6 fries.

A Sunday roast but toddler portion.

I don't miss out on anything.

I lost 7 stone and haven't gained any back.

Every 6 months I do the same diet you do after wards (liquid protein diet) to reshrink my pouch.

I agree about the tired and cold thing but I've always been tired. I can't blame that on the surgery and I guess I would feel a lot colder without 7 stone of fat covering me!

And its a blessing in the summer. Used to be a sweaty mess

Thanks all, some good things to think about.

It’s 3.5 years since my gastric bypass. I didn’t feel hungry at first, but now I do, although not as much as before and I can distinguish between real hunger and emotional hunger. There are certain foods I don’t eat because they don’t agree with me, but I can eat small amounts of fried foods and sweet foods now. I have stuck to small potions and still eat off a side plate, only ever order a starter at restaurants for example, but I can eat more than I could previously and i can see how you could stretch your pouch relatively easily. I was a big binge eater and the most helpful aspect for me was the therapy I had before and after the surgery to address why I binged. The surgery helped me lose weight (altho I didn’t end up that thin to be honest - thin enough for me though! I went from a BMI of 47 to 32, but I’m still a size 18ish) but the therapy cured my eating issues.

@WooWooWinnie ah, that’s very interesting. Therapy is the other thing I’ve had in mind. Did you go to a specialist of some kind, or general therapist?

I have had specific eating disorder therapy, which was really useful, but it ended up being general therapy that was the most beneficial. That said, it was the specialised therapy that made me work out the root causes for eating the way I did, which I then addressed with the second person (not on purpose, I just moved part way through). So maybe both?! It worked like a part one and part two! If you can find someone with an interest in food-related issues that’s probably an advantage, but I wouldn’t discount someone without that, if that’s all that’s available to you.

I’ve had both
gastric sleave ( lost 3 stone ) kept it off
and then a Gastric bypass mainly for reflux / acid heartburn

I would say the sleeve is more restrictive than the bypass and you lose more weight with it initially but the bypass is better for keeping you at a stable weight

I had mine done abroad privately as I wasn’t nowhere near “big enough “ in the uk to have it done

I eat very little now and off a side plate
someone even commented about how little I ate on holiday 😂
breakfast protein shake
lunch soup
dinner scrambled eggs or omelette
snack fage yogurt with a tiny bit of honey
protein shake
water
if my husband has a McDonald’s I will have a small bite of his burger but that’s about it 😂

Yes you still need to diet. I had a gastric bypass in 2014. It has ruined my life.

@DoesItMakeYouFeelBetter
can I ask how it ruined your life
no problems if you don’t want to post though

Pain, constant stomach and digestion issues, needing to always be near a toilet. The surgery is still very much experimental and long-term effects are not really known.

I don't have nay of this.

My thyroid levels are down from double to normal. No pain. No digestive issues. No toilet runs UNLESS I eat a load of sugar so that's easy to avoid, I just don't do it.

I'm so, so, so much happier.

My only issue is low iron but I've always suffered from that so I just need to make sure I eat veg and take a supplement.

I'm so much healthier than before.

I'm 2 years post gastric sleeve, have gone from 18st 6lb to 11st 2lb and healthy BMI. It's changed my life. I can eat what I like but in moderation and portions are significantly limited. I struggle with takeaways as the grease/saturated fats make me feel queasy but this isn't a bad thing, and I actually prefer homemade versions of takeaways now. Would highly recommend

@RipWheelersBeard. Yes they remove the hormone I think it’s Ghrelin
my experience- I’ve had a sleave and a bypass
the sleave is much more restrictive so you lose more weight quickly
the Gastric bypass I think while you lose weight it’s much more steady and more likely to keep the weight off

I would not do it if your overeating is due to a psycological/emotional issue you haven't sorted out first. Especially if you have compulsive eating.

If only because of the three people I know of who have had it done, one has complications and two are now approcahing the weight they were 8 and 3 years ago (when they respectively had their surgeries).

The one with complications is because she doesn't eat food that would be good for her, she says fruit and vegetables make her feel sick now. She's only gained around half the weight back. She is seriously deficient in nearly everything and constantly has to go for blood tests/injection.

Of the other two ladies, one is a close relation. She wil always, without fail, go to the toilet to vomit two to three times during a meal out. Then will come back to see how much more she can get in before having to be sick again. She has regained all of the weight back but is still in denial, still saying thinsg like 'oh, I can't have that because of the surgery' and will then eat a family sized pie (with a bout of vomiting in between).

If that sounds like I'm being catty, I'm not. I feel desperately sad for her because her weight problems started when she lost a baby, but the operation doesn't seem to have improved her life or health.

The third woman is a colleague who says that the impulse to binge on biscuits etc. is so strong, that she nearly seriously injured herself shortly after the surgery, she says that she didn't tell the weight management team the truth about her binge eating behaviour. She has nearly regained all of the weight back.

@Newtonsnipple
I agree there is plenty of “slider food “ you can eat that can put on the weight without you even realizing it .
I weigh myself everyday for the past 6-7 years and write it down I have scales that I can take on holiday with me 😂

when I told my surgeon he actually agreed that in that he said that it’s much easier to lose a 1lb than a stone and it is for me

I had mine done 6 years ago .
gone from 19st5lb to 8st8lb . No problems since apart from sometimes I need to have extra vit d or iron . My fatty liver disease has completely gone - liver function tests are now normal . I no longer need a new hip and knee . I’m a size 8 and can go upstairs without feeling like I’m being asphyxiated when I get to the top . Yes I can now eat a lot more than when I first had it done but I think I’ve got into the habit of eating small and often . Only need to be near a toilet if I eat lots of sugar or anything fatty/greasy . I think it cured my binging and overeating problem as it’s physically impossible for me to do that now. My weight fluctuates but I never put more than half a stone on then it comes off depending on time of year .