Study Confirms It: It's Hard to Avoid Regaining Lost Weight

This article chronicles the success of one person in their weight loss battle, however it also highlights the general consensus of more and more doctors:

"The UCLA researchers analyzed 31 diet studies that followed people two to five years after they went on diets. Between one-third and two-thirds gained back the weight they lost. A small number were able to successfully maintain their weight loss.

...Specialists generally agree that surgery is the only proven method to keep weight off."

Yeah, there's the depressing truth about it. Although the pounds are coming off now, the odds are really stacked against me to keep the pounds off 5 or 10 years later. My experience has been even worse than that, the moment I slip off my diet I start to regain. There is no grace when it comes to my metabolism.

And there's the rub (for me), although I can lose the weight, the process is quite legalistic and all about will power. Now I do admittedly have a stubborn streak and the will power to go with it, but it is not endless. The more stress you pile onto me and the less I'm at home to cook (and have to eat out), the more likely I will let my focus slide off of counting every calorie and patiently documenting every item. Once that happens, there are consequences but they are still not immediate.

WLS does provide immediate feedback (fullness) and immediate consequences (dumping or vomiting) if you make the wrong choices. I feel that this will help me avoid the wrong choices better as the feedback is current, vs the consequences which are very long term in some ways.