Gastric Sleeve Weight Loss

About 6 years ago in 2015, I learned details about a bariatric weight loss surgery called “gastric sleeve” when my boyfriend Andy’s sister underwent the process and the procedure. He and I discussed it quite a bit as his sister went through the process and we both thought it would probably be a good option for each of us as well for weight loss, since we both had struggled with our weight through the years. Over time I did further research and reading about the surgery itself and became convinced it was definitely a path forward that I wanted to pursue. It was just so difficult to manage to plan for it in my life and way too easy to keep putting off!

Then Andy passed away in September of 2019 due to an obesity-related disease. Though we had broken up prior to this happening, it was a pretty devastating loss. In January of 2020 I finally managed to start looking into my health insurance plan and trying to figure out where I might go to to get the process started for a gastric sleeve. But then came the COVID pandemic and lockdowns soon after, which of course slowed things down.

I finally managed to find and visit a surgeon to get the process started later on in 2020. It was upsetting when I told the surgeon the story of Andy & I, and the surgeon said something along the lines of: “If he’d had this surgery, he would still be alive”…. that was a kicker. There were several requirements that needed to be met before surgery such as a psychological evaluation and nutritionist consultations along with diet and exercise changes and a lot of preparation for handling pre and post surgery.

Another great motivator for me during this time has been my current boyfriend – who also took the opportunity in 2020 to embark on a new diet and exercise plan of his own and lost over 100 pounds. He has been an inspiration and it’s been wonderful to share diet and fitness tips with each other on our own respective journeys.

My surgery was at last scheduled and took place on October 5th 2020. I believe it’s always nerve-wracking to undergo surgery, but I feel like I had an excellent surgeon and surgical team and overall it went quite well with just minor side effects. Now of course I had to start the healing process and the process of changing my diet and adjusting to an entirely new way of eating compared to my previous decades of life!

Protein, Protein, Protein!

From the nutritionist consultations, other provided pre-surgery planning videos, and my own research – there was a large emphasis on sticking with a high protein diet once back on solid foods after surgery. The intent was to help reduce any muscle loss when losing the weight quickly and emphasize fat loss instead.

One very very helpful formula I picked up from one of the pre-ops videos was this: divide the number of calories in a serving by the number of protein grams and try to aim to eat foods that are a “15” or less, or at the very least stick to a ratio of 20 or less. For example, a serving of low fat cottage cheese at 120 calories and 19 grams of protein is 120/19 = 6.3 (good!). A serving of pizza at 380 calories and 16 grams of protein is 380/16 = 23.75 (not so good). This formula is something I stuck to religiously for at least the first 6-8 months along with portion control, cutting out added sugars, and adding more fresh fruits and vegetables (regardless of protein ratio), and I feel it helped change my eating habits for good.

The calculation is basically the number of non-protein calories you’re consuming per protein gram in whatever you’re eating. So you want to keep the number lower – therefore the amount and ratio of protein in all those calories is highest vs. calories coming from anything that’s not protein.

A second protein number that goes very well with this ratio calculation is I was told to aim for 50+ grams of protein per day. Basically: 50 or more grams of protein per day, try to stick to foods only with that protein ratio (calories / protein grams = 15-20 or less) and keep the overall calories low. It was fairly easy to roughly track all of this with a calorie tracking program (I have been using MyFitnessPal).

Results So Far

Before surgery and all my diet, lifestyle and exercise changes that went with it, my BMI was around 48. As of Fall 2021 a little over a year later I had lost 125 pounds and my BMI was about 29. I was thrilled to recently get OUT of the “obese” category (BMI 30+) and am continuing on my weight loss journey. I hope to eventually lose at least 150 pounds total and get my BMI back below 25 in a “normal” weight range.

It is absolutely helpful when you feel full after just a few bites, which is what my new smaller stomach (pouch) allows me to do. Pre-surgery I ALWAYS felt so hungry no matter what and it felt impossible to lose weight. But on the other hand, the gastric sleeve surgery is also just a tool you can use to achieve greater weight loss – it does not do the research, preparation or work for you. I have also completely changed my way of eating and now exercise in order to get and feel fit. It feels like a whole new lifestyle but it was not terrible to change because I was totally mentally prepared for it, it fits, and I feel great!

I don’t want to drag this post out too long, so I plan on writing some more posts with details about what I personally do for diet, exercise, supplements that have worked for me, in case it helps anyone else! Meanwhile I did write up these quick bullet points about what I think has worked best for me with food while losing weight after gastric sleeve:

• Cut out “Added Sugars” (check nutrition labels)…. be extremely strict about this with only very occasional exceptions as a treat – you will feel so much better after getting sugar out of your system!
• Cut way DOWN on carbohydrates. I wouldn’t say I’ve been “keto” strict – just be aware of carbs and keep them low. Keto food items are good candidates though because often high protein, just watch the calories and fats.
• Emphasize Protein – lean protein is best – for example sirloin steak instead of ribeye, chicken instead of hamburger. This will also help keep the carbs, fats, and sugars low.
• Use the protein “ratio” calculation mentioned as a good guide: <calories> / <protein grams> = ideally 15 or less, at least 20 or less.
• 50+ grams of protein per day.
• Track your food using a diary or app (like MyFitnessPal) it helps to get a good grasp on your general rough calorie and protein totals.
• Eat lots of non-starchy veggies (low calorie) – starchy vegetables to limit are things like: potatoes, corn, peas.
• Fruits & fruit sugars are ok in moderation as well.
• If you’re ok with using them, utilize artificial sweeteners to satisfy your sweet tooth… consider things like sugar-free candies.
• If you can afford it, there are lots of high protein “alternative” snacks out there like protein bars, cookies, chips, that you can substitute for those times you might feel like snacking (because it happens!).
• Substitute healthier snacks and alternatives in general – for example I am using some whole wheat “keto” branded tortillas for quesadillas instead of a full on “regular” tortilla, since the wheat tortilla is about half the calories of the regular one and has higher protein… Just invest some time thinking about & searching for such alternatives that will work for you. Look for keywords like “protein”, “low carb” or “keto” because these often fit the profile and the calories / protein grams calculation.

Finally, a disclaimer – I am, of course not a doctor or even a licensed nutritionist! I am simply an individual who has been through the gastric sleeve surgery and weight loss process and am giving my opinions & views on how things have worked for me. None of this should be taken as medical advice.