Is WLS successful in the long run?

It sure is successful IF WE DO THE WORK. I'm five years out. I was 314 at my highest recorded weight, probably higher, who knows? Now I fluctuate between 163-166. I am 5'4". For some people, this would still be fat and horrible, but **** 'em. I'm fine with me.

Surgery, for me, was like a wallop on the back of the head with a 2×4. It was my last chance to get my feces consolidated and stop eating like a linebacker. There is no magic. My surgeon is a good cutter; controlling my intake and eating protein forward are up to me. No one follows me around slapping cookies out of my hands.

I've been reading your posts for years. You have to take responsibility for your choices and choose every day to do what you need to do to lose and keep it off.

Life is always going to happen:death, illness, traffic, general ****tiness, etc. There will never be a lovely bubble in which to exist while you magically lose weight with no effort.

You can do this. 

Eta spelling

I just wanted to say that I would like to hire the Cookie Slapper to follow me around.  

How much do you think a service like that would cost?  

Do you think there's a Groupon for that?  

I would SO be on that service...

Right?! Although rather than a cookie slapper,  I could use someone following me and saying things like " are you sure that's a teaspoon? You just gonna guesstimate that?" And "sure, looks like 3oz, but is it??" And always with a raised judging eyebrow haha

Let me know when you get the 1-800 number of this Cookie Slapper and I am totally down with hiring them as well, maybe we can get an OH group discount! ha ha ha

I have been looking for a good return to the workforce, but just did not know how to use my best skills and knowledge.  BUT!  I know cookies!  I know slapping!  (At least, I imagine slapping.  I am super duper good at verbal slapping.)

Now my path is clear!  I. Am.  The.  Cookie.  Slapper!! 

Hire me.

Sadly, it might turn into me just a-slappin' those cookies right into my mouth.  Slap slap slap.

I will pay you if you let me follow you around and slap stuff out of your hand.

I am 4-1/2 years out, at a BMI of 23. I reached goal at just under a year, and haven't fluctuated more than a few pounds since.

I can eat a lot. A ton in the course of a day, if I let myself. I can eat 8 ounces of steak in one sitting. So I could easily gain, but I log everything, and keep a close eye on myself.

But, I disagree that the definition of success is a 25 BMI or less. Maintaining any kind of significant loss is a success. Getting rid of diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol are huge successes. Being able to walk up stairs without wondering if it will kill me is a big success.

PLUS, if I hadn't had surgery, I would have kept GAINING. I could have been 600 pounds by now.

There are a lot of yardsticks to measure success.

And you should forget about using the yardstick of stoma size, pouch size, or sleeve size as an indicator of success. They aren't. Restriction has proven to be one of the least significant reasons that WLS works. If it were, those with the band would have greater success.

It's not the surgery that fails. When you allow yourself to eat bad YOU fail, not the surgery. Regain happens because of what you eat. So yes, the surgery is successful. 

I am 8 years post op RNY. and it is still working for me.  Today I am 141 lbs, 24 BMI, size 4-8

My goal was not BMI because I think that number is stupid, it doesn't tell anything about person body composition - bones + muscles +fat.

Instead - my goal was size 12 or below and body fat% 25-30.   One year after RNY not only I met and passed my goal -wearing size 4-8 , body fat% at 18% but also got at BMI at 24.  That weight for my body build was too low and not healthy... eventually I was able to gain 10 lbs... 

unfortunately - app 3 years post op - because I relaxed my eating and drinking, and I started drinking alcohol, often with my food.,, - I gained an an additional 25 lbs... that was not cool.. but I still was well within my personal goal - size 8-10, body fat % at 28%.. 

But my back did not like it and my doc told me to lose 15-20 lbs. I went back on the strict program - low carbs, proteins and healthy fat,, skipped desserts, protein bars, grains... starchy carbs and I lost 15 lbs in a matter of 3 months.  Was that easy? no way... was I hungry - You bet... but it was doable for me. I was determined. I ate real food - cooked mostly by me - and if I went out - i made sure to order things that I knew was done with minimum additives. i.e. grilled chicken, fish or red meat.  I also stopped drinking my calories - like protein drinks. . 
That 3 months I also exercised - walked a lot - went hiking...skiing.. etc.   I got more active than I was before.

I maintained that weight for additional 2-3 years...  fluctuating within 5 lbs..

over 2 years ago - I decided to get back to my original goal..  and to get back to my goal weight... of 150-155.. with body fat% of 20-25.. it was hard work and  I had to change what when and how much I was eating - but eventually my body let go and I reached my goal. 

since then - more than 6 months - not only I maintain that loss but I lost a few more lbs... reason? my current food choices.  This time when I stopped eating carbs, starchy carbs, grains, and I stopped drinking alcohol - not only I lost the extra10-15 lbs  but I noticed that the keto style eating I was following makes me feel really good... so even though now I can "afford" to eat crappy food - my body does not really like it anymore.  I don't think it is due to RNY or dumping   I can eat a lot of sugar if I chose to  - but if I do, I feel sluggish, tired... Same with alcohol or soda.... I feel better if I don't eat or drink that...

Processed food -people eat -leaves me bloated .. full of gas..I enjoy eating and cooking and going out - but the choices I make now are much better for me. 

added:

When I started following keto style diet - initially I saw a small gain... but over 2 months, once my body got used that way of eating - I started feeling much less hungry.  I did not need to eat very often. and often - a few bites of meat, avocado, and a few bites of veggies  would make me really full.  Slowly - i reduced calories I was taking in... and I started losing weight... but it was a very challenging time...

You have come back on the boards recently and its like you are looking for all of us to validate that WLS is bad or it does not work. Quite the opposite in my opinion. I am 3 years post op RNY. My highest recorded weight was 275, I know it went higher but I didn't want to acknowledge it. I had surgery at 254 lbs and today I weigh 125 at 5'5" which according to the BMI charts is a BMI of 20.8.  I let myself go up to 129, no more than 130 and that would be a BMI of 21.6. But quite frankly I think BMI is bull****  

I am maintaining a BMI of 20.8-21.6 and I have absolutely no "burdens with ongoing negative consequences of surgery." I am 45 years old and in the BEST HEALTH ever in my life.  

Is maintenance hard, OMG its HARD.  I am a sugar addict, I don't dump therefore I can eat sugar and cookies and cakes and goodies but every minute of every day I "talk" to myself to make a good choice. I weigh and measure my food, I use a food scale and measuring cups. I make my breakfast and lunch daily to bring to work, minus the odd day.  I weigh on the scale at home daily.  I log onto MFP daily. I come on to OH daily.  Its a daily struggle to keep the sugar addition in check but I vowed to myself I was NEVER getting back to close to 300 lbs, NEVER.  So I fight daily for my health.  Let me reiterate maitenance is EFFING HARD!!!! This post RNY lifestyle is not easy, but it can be done, lots of hard work and it can be done.

Did it every occur to you that you failed the surgery, not the surgery failed you?  If you have been around for 10 years and you see the "successful" people saying what works for them are you practising that as well or are you looking for someone to pat you on the back and say "there there, go ahead and eat carbs, drink alcohol and throw all the rules out the window?" What exactly are you looking for?

To answer the title of your post "Is WLS successful in the long run?"  Hell Yes if you work hard at it, there is no magic, its all hard work.

I hope you can get back on track.  This is quite possibly the best thing I ever did for myself and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Good Luck