Speaking only for myself, it kept the weight off beyond 5 years. Like 95% of overweight dieters, I was unable to maintain my weight loss for a long period.
Experiences with GBP and dieting and exercise programs vary so much for person to person that it is really unfair to make blanket statements about what works or is worthwhile.
Abbie, I admire your courage and determination. I know that carbohydrate addiction was part of my problem.
Good surgeons won’t perform this surgery unless you have tried everything to lose weight. Alcoholics give up alcohol altogether. Heroin addicts get clean. The problem with eating addictions is that you can’t give up food altogether. So everyday, three times a day, you have a little of your poison.
There are medications out now that help to treat the eating disorder of compulsive overeating. The anti-convulsive medication topamax was found to have the side effect of affecting the appetite.
I had my GBS six years ago. I lost more than half my body weight – 155 pounds. I call the person that I lost “Chuck.” I regained about 30 pounds and then levelled off.
I was in the process of eating a chocolate chip cookie when I read above that I couldn’t eat sweets! I have no problem with sweets at all. I do have a problem with dry foods such as chicken and rice. But I eat beef, seafood and pork. Just smaller amounts satisfy me.
Others who have had the surgery find chicken easier to digest. So who knows?
I had no emotional problems with not being able to eat large amounts of food after the surgery and I have been surprised that others have.
One of my friends and also a psychiatrist that I have known have gained all of their weight back after the surgery. I have no idea why it worked for me and not for them. There are days when I simply forget to eat.
No one should go into this without thoroughly researching the subject and the surgeon who would be doing the procedure. A woman should be at least 100 pounds overweight. For a man, it should be more than that.
Those of you who think that solutions are simple – eat right and exercise – might consider reading up on the latest bariatric research. When hormones and endocrines are involved, complexities abound. What may be true for you is not true for everyone.