Not Applicable

I have been in you shoes.
My highest starting weight was 255. I am 5feet 7, so that put me around a 40BMI. On the 9 month pre-op plan I lost 55lbs. My family REALLY tried to discourage me from surgery saying that my weight loss was evidence I could do it myself.
The thing is, I have lost weight before, many, many, many times. I have said b4 that I was a great dieter, sucky maintainer, and super regainer (plus more). I knew I had to do something different this time, or I would just end up repeating my old patterns. (Remember that saying about Insanity: doing the same thing over & over and expecting a different outcome).
Upon much reflection / prayer/ counseling, I decided to think of the pre-op weight loss as part of my recovery & beginning of a new life. I had surgery at 198, at a 33 BMI. Many (family included) would call me a crazy person for having WLS at that BMI. But, I know myself and know my history. I have since come to terms with the fact that WLS was simply a last chance scenario for me.
My point is only you know you. I'm certain in time you will make the best choice for you.

I have been in you shoes.
My highest starting weight was 255. I am 5feet 7, so that put me around a 40BMI. On the 9 month pre-op plan I lost 55lbs. My family REALLY tried to discourage me from surgery saying that my weight loss was evidence I could do it myself.
The thing is, I have lost weight before, many, many, many times. I have said b4 that I was a great dieter, sucky maintainer, and super regainer (plus more). I knew I had to do something different this time, or I would just end up repeating my old patterns. (Remember that saying about Insanity: doing the same thing over & over and expecting a different outcome).
Upon much reflection / prayer/ counseling, I decided to think of the pre-op weight loss as part of my recovery & beginning of a new life. I had surgery at 198, at a 33 BMI. Many (family included) would call me a crazy person for having WLS at that BMI. But, I know myself and know my history. I have since come to terms with the fact that WLS was simply a last chance scenario for me.
My point is only you know you. I'm certain in time you will make the best choice for you.

They're a quite a few threads that cover this topic. Just use the search bar and many will come up. It a personal choice just like many thing in life are.

She has been so supportive in all things post op since I first wanted to have surgery. I could not have been successful without her. Soon it will be her turn to be a post op in July and my turn to support her.

Kudos to her for supporting / sharing her love language with you in a healthier way. Kudos to you for staying strong when she shares her love of cooking w/others who are not as diligent about their health.

Part of the reason I'm here, is because of years in the food business. It is tough to be a chef and at the same time, struggle with bad eating decisions. I keep a supply of small tasting spoons in the sleeve of my chef's jacket and try to limit what I taste. I no longer eat the staff meal or I take a few minutes to make my own meal out of the nights menu. It is hard being around food all day and not want to dive in. At home, I cook what I need to eat and that part is easy, it is work that it is the hardest.

This was hilarious!!! When people have said ridiculously insensitive things to me in the past I have silently reminded myself, "Water off a duck's back" now I'll just think they're "pig crap". Thank you!!

So, atheists and other "nonbelievers" make up, I believe, five percent of the population. And sleevers are, what, 1% of the population? Less?
So agnostic/atheist sleevers like me are literally one in a million! I KNEW my momma was right when she said I was "special!"

Heehee, JJ Fad "Supersonic" great blast from the past!

Me too!

I honestly do not think Laura was trying intentionally or unintentionally to be mean. She has a kind heart and has helped many with their post op struggles.
Now let me see if I can offer some advise...
I know where you are coming from losing the 30 lb pre op. I too lost 30 lb pre surgery to drop from 360 to 330 and felt great having done this without surgery. However, not once did I consider I could do it on my own because of past failures.
You feel that with enough will power and determination you could complete the job with diet and exercise. You may be right , but a vast majority of people, including myself, lose and gain the same 30, 50, 100 lbs over their adult lifetime because their resolve wanes either during weight loss or during maintenance. And then they gain and repeat the cycle. Only the next time your starting weight will be higher. I got really depressed because of this insanity of not being able to reach my ideal weight. I have done this 4-5 times in my adult life.
I appreciate the VSG in that it "breaks" me at surgery so I am forced to discover and build good eating habits over the first 6 habits. I am forced to go through the different eating phases and distance myself from the bad eating habits of the past. This change in behavior takes time to stick. It cannot be done overnight or even in a week.
Even if my health-based resolve were to wane in the future, I still have these habits as my foundation and the sleeve as insurance in case I do eat too much. The sleeve will not allow that. I am looking forward to all the positives of enjoying life again...
Keep calm and carry on. You made a good choice. The regrets you are dealing with now will get smaller and smaller as your successes get larger and larger.

I would do this surgery again because I was unable to lose the weight any other way. I had tried and tried and tried. On my 2nd PRE op appt w/ my doctor I discussed w/ my doctor that I should maybe go home and try for another year to lose the weight. He told me to go ahead, do that if I wanted BUT he said I would be back in 2 years with another 50 lbs on. The part that gave me enough nerve to get it was he said "the reason diets fail is we become too hungry & can't sustain the restricted food plan for as long as needed to get 100+ lb's off. It took me 5 yrs to go from "no, I am not ready to give up my food, I will just regain if I have WLS".....to "OK, I am now at my wits end, I am now ready to fight this addiction."
If I could have avoided WLS & been a happy person as I was, that is what I would have done.
I was not happy, my world was getting smaller & smaller. I actually was not aware how small it had become until my world started blossoming.
I am so sorry to the people who have had the horrible physical complications. I am thankful you have the nerve to speak out. Information is power.

I was a 35 BMI w/ high blood pressure at the time they submitted my paperwork to my insurance. I was approved upon appeal.

I Agree!!!!
I was still making up my mind the day of surgery! The morning of surgery my husband and I were standing outside the hospital and he said to me, "You know you don't have to do this. We could go get Breakfast or go for a walk on the beach or something"... And I said, "no, I'm doing this".
Only then did I know I had made my decision.

I had a little trouble figuring out correct forum to place this topic so it goes here in "Rant and Raves" because it is a bit of a rave.
My MIL was an RN before retirement and likes to keep up on medical studies. She and I were talking about (WLS (VSG) last night and she said WLS (VSG) changes the DNA.
My first response was "what....?" and then " how is this possible?"
She explained that there was a medical study done in Iceland where they said WLS (VSG) changes the genetic coding in a person's DNA such that the genes responsible for a predisposition of obesity are no longer present in future generations (read: children).
Wow, that is powerful!
Effectively it means you can expect to have beautiful and athletic children if WLS (VSG) does the same for you. All the genetic precursors like ineffective BMR are effectively reprogrammed.
Now I am wondering if the results of this medical study also apply to alcohol, drugs and other addictive predispositions that are passed through DNA.

Losing less than 40 pounds a month makes you a "slow loser"
You can never have coffee.. ever again.
You can never have soda.. ever again. If you do the bubbles will stretch out your stomach.
You have to take special chewable vitamins and supplements that cost tons of money.
You have to take Protein Drinks for the rest of your life.
If you are stalled it is likely because you are eating too many calories, too few calories, too little Protein, too many carbs, too few carbs, too little Water, too much fat, not enough fat, not enough Gummy bears or whatever.

YESS!! They got him! And he's alive!! I hope we'll have the opportunity at some point to find out why he and his brother did what they did. Huuuge sigh of relief across MA in the meantime!

Nobody understands us. I constantly feel judged for being fat fat but not fat fat fat or just fat. You know?

This was hilarious!!! When people have said ridiculously insensitive things to me in the past I have silently reminded myself, "Water off a duck's back" now I'll just think they're "pig crap". Thank you!!

There was a pig farm next to where I used to live. I had to drive by it. There was nothing I could do about the smell. But I knew it was a pig farm and pig crap stinks.
But that never stopped me from eating pork chops.
Some people are pig crap. They are used to their own smell and see nothing wrong with their behavior. You are not responsible for their actions. You don't have to retaliate. You don't have to reform them. You have to live your life as happy as you can. Don't let their crap get to you. Who cares what they think?
Good work on the weight loss!

Thank you all so much the support is amazing .. I meet with my therapist tomorrow I am going to talk it out with her .. But more than likely I will continue with having surgery !! Thank you all for sharing ! I'd be lost without this group!