Gastric sleeve is an increasingly common weight loss surgery. It’s particularly popular with young people. It involves surgically removing ¾ of the stomach, so that only a tiny pouch remains. The tiny remaining stomach is referred to as a sleeve. A much smaller stomach can only hold a very small amount of food, so people feel full after eating tiny portions and quickly lose weight. People who have undergone this procedure can lose huge amounts of weight; literally halving their body weight. Such dramatic weight loss can normalise blood sugar in type 2 diabetics, enabling some people to come off their medication. Blood fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides can drop back down into the normal range as well. Unfortunately, not a lot of research has been done on the long term outcomes. We do know that nutrient deficiencies almost always develop, particularly vitamin B12 deficiency. Patients need to take nutritional supplements for life because it becomes impossible to obtain enough just through food. New research is starting to show that a significant number of patients regain much of their weight as time goes by. One year after gastric sleeve surgery approximately 77 percent of patients have lost their excess weight. However, after five years only 56 percent are still at their ideal weight. Similarly, one year after surgery, around 51 percent of type 2 diabetics are in remission. Five years later that figure is only 20 percent. The thing is, weight loss surgery doesn’t teach people healthier eating patterns and it doesn’t help them overcome a sugar addiction. It’s possible to only eat a very small volume of food, yet be overweight if it’s unhealthy food. Studies are also showing that in time the tiny stomach actually expands and can hold a larger volume of food. Losing weight can be extremely difficult and many metabolic or hormonal factors can stand in the way of your goal. I have written about ways to overcome the biggest obstacles in my book, "I Can't Lose Weight!...And I Don't Know Why.     Reference