I’m in the early stages of seriously considering gastric sleeve surgery. I thought I was too old for bariatric surgery until I started looking into it. I’m 68 years old and other than osteoarthritis exacerbated by the weight I’m relatively healthy, tho have mild hypertension (also exacerbated by weight).
I’ve had a weight problem my entire life. I’ve lost 50-120# at lease 4 times —mostly on WW—and gained it all back each time. I’m currently a over 300#, having gained some 30# in 2020 due to the pandemic. I want to live long enough to see grandchildren and my goal is to be halfway normal by age 70.
I’ve been looking for some answers to a couple of questions and would appreciate any help any of you could offer.
1) Experiences of anybody my age would be most welcomed.
I'm not your age, but I have have some things to share, probably similar to others. You definitely aren't too old for the surgery!
2) After the surgeon removes 80% of the stomach, is there a subsequent decrease in your appetite? I can’t imagine feeling starved on 3-4 ounces of food/meal for the rest of my life.
The surgery impacts your biology in several ways. Obviously your stomach will be smaller. Over time, the stomach does relax, not necessarily stretch out, but it relaxes and over time you can eat a bit more. As long as you aren't really continuously overeating, your stomach will not stretch out much, if at all, but like I said, you will be able to eat a bit more over time.
Beside a smaller stomach, a significant portion of the stomach that is removed is an area that produces the hormone ghrelin, which is a hunger stimulating hormone. The reduction in ghrelin can create some reduction in overall hunger signals (you'll still get hungry, though, but it will most likely be different).
The surgery also affects how your brain reacts to the hormone leptin. Leptin is stored in fat cells. Prior to surgery, if you try to lose weight, the amount of leptin decreases and that change makes your brain send out signals to make you hungrier and it also slows your metabolism. This leptin reaction is one of the major reasons it is so hard for obese people to lose weight without surgery.
There are some other hunger and satiety hormones in the intestines that are affected as well. The hormonal changes are at their maximum during the first 12-24 months after surgery, so that is a great time to really focus on developing lifelong habits that will help you maintain your weight loss for years to come.
The surgery also seems to have a positive effect on the microbiome giving you the opportunity to feed it well with your new diet and develop great immunity and many other positive effect of having a health microbiome..
3) How did you “sell” this to your family? I am my husband’s food partner. He loves to eat out and he eats a lot. He likes to eat with me. I know he’s going to disapprove, as is my son who is an athlete and very much into nutrition.
You can still go out to eat with your husband, you can still try all kinds of foods, you just won't eat as much. He should be able to accept that. I would hope he'd value your health and how you feel over food, likewise with your son. Most people who think negatively of the surgery just don't understand why it is so often the only way for people to regain their health because they don't know the facts. They think losing weight is just "willpower" when it has nothing to do with that. People with extreme willpower still fail to lose weight and keep it off. There are very strong biological reasons it is difficult to lose weight and why most people put it back on. The surgery actually gives us a chance to bypass some of that. It still takes dedication and willpower, but the benefits of the surgery help you keep it off. The only people in my family who know are my wife and daughter. My parents don't know, my brothers' families don't know. That was my choice, I'm not saying you shouldn't tell your family. Everyone's family situation is different, so there's no one way to approach it, but sometimes you've got to make choices that only benefit you, regardless of what others think. Again, only you know your family dynamics, I'm not trying to say what's right or wrong for you.
4) (stupid question) Once you heal, are you ever able to eat things like Mexican food or an occasional treat again? (I’m aware of the nutritional needs.)
Everyone's experience is a bit different, but I eat Mexican, Thai, Indian, Italian, etc., etc. from mild to super spicy. Some people may not stomach spicy anymore. Some people's tastes change and they eat completely differently. While I eat many of the same cuisines that I did before, I don't slather things with cheese or high fat stuff, and I eat mostly vegetarian, with some occasional meat or eggs here or there. I stay away from sugar, artificial sweeteners, and simple carbs, but I don't miss anything from my old food life, and I still feel very satisfied with the variety of food that I eat. For the most part, you will be able to enjoy food, but obviously, to maintain the weight loss you'll experience, you'll need to change some things about your relationship with food.
Best of luck! This experience can do wonders for your life!
I’d appreciate any and all responses. Thanks so much.
