Ellisa

I think some of us speak different languages when we use the terms "carb" or "low carb." For example I consider what Jackut recommends to be low carb. She is describing the Adkins "Ongoing Weight Loss" plan to a T not to mention other low carb diets. The language barrier seems to be that some see "low carb" and think "NO carb" huge difference.
Most of us are told following WLS to concentrate mainly on Protein for the first few weeks. Much like Atkins "induction phase" (which is a two week plan according to the book). Then we gradually add low glycemic carbs. We need to avoid EXCESS/empty carbs. Our bodies can do only two things with carbs, burn them for fuel immediately or store them as fat for later use. Our carb intake has to be lower than our energy needs to force it to give up those fat cells which it converts to carb (sugar) and keeps our blood sugar levels where they need to be. Once we run out of excess fat cells our need for carbs increases or we would begin breaking down muscle to meet our energy needs. Not good.
We need carbs that are high in nutrition, they contain Vitamins, minerals, Fiber that aren't available in protein/dairy alone. Though I eat what I call low carb, MOST of the time, (hey if I were perfect I wouldn't have needed WLS) I don't concern myself with counting them with WLS, it's not hard to keep them under control if you eat your protein/dairy and high nutrient carbs. Eating the same number of carbs in a sweet potato as a small serving of cake, is not the same thing. LOL

I'm not a doctor or a lawyer, but I'm sick of medical malpractice lawsuits. The result is higher health care! You our doctors explain the risks, ask us to sign papers acknowledging the risks, then something goes wrong and we have to sue for millions. The doctor's goal was to help us.
You drive on the highway, get hit by a drunk driver and he has no insurance and you have serious injuries and you're lucky if he gets a slap on the wrist and your insurance pays your bills and that's the end of it. Been there done that!
I say if the physician did something criminal, he/she should be punished by the law. End of story, just like the drunk driver. Why should "deeper pockets" result in a better financial outcome to a serious injury? I've had situations where I could have sued a physician for a bad outcome. But my surgeon was not attempting to harm me, did not act in a reckless way. Still I probably could have gotten some big bucks for the bad result... but the drunk driver did act in a reckless way... had priors and didn't care about my injuries... but there was no money to be had. If there was justice he would have become my slave for 40 years to make up for it. LOL

Looking for your opinions. My BMI hovers around 40, no comorbids, although family history of all them. I'm going through all the pre-op steps. This morning at upper GI the radiology tech said he didn't think I was big enough to go through "all that", meaning wls. My surgeon, who is obviously on board with me getting surgery, also mentioned that I was "skinny" which was very weird to hear. Maybe he meant in relation to other patients? He was talking about how that makes me a good candidate for easier recovery, I think.
I feel very fat. Can't walk more than a couple of blocks. Wear 2x clothes. I don't feel small by any stretch of the imagination. I have at least 80 lbs to lose to be in the "normal" range. I know I could do it through diet/exercise. Well, maybe not all of it, but probably 40-50, and I'd still be pretty overweight. I've done it many times. I've been on phentermine four times, each time for about a year. Even that isnt' working anymore. Whatever weight I get to -it's not sustainable. My mother died last year from so many things related to/made worse by her obesity I know where I am headed and don't want that life.
I've done a lot of research and know what is involved with surgery. I want the sleeve because I want this tool to help me get to and stay at a good weight. I know that most of the work will be mine (not the sleeve's) and that psychologically it's a big change as well. But now that I've heard these two comments I am questioning my judgement.
No one in my life knows I am going to do this. I think I know what the general public thinks of weight loss surgery. I want to ask this generally pro-sleeve community what it thinks. Are some people "too small" for everything involved in the sleeve surgery to be worth it? Is there a chance this is a bad idea and I'll regret it in the long term? Knowing what you know, are there people in your life who are very overweight that you think should not do surgery even if they want to? What is your opinion? Any input welcome!
Thank you in advance.

Isnt funny how everyone wants to tell us how small we are and that we dont need it. Yet we have family that has gone down this road of obesity and bad health so the history is there and by all means you do not want to repeat it. I say do what is right for you! Continue to see your doctor and go through all the hoops to get the surgery! Good luck to ya.

I started at a 40 BMI. On my admitting paperwork to the hospital for surgery it said 40 BMI "morbidly obese" enough said

I started right around 40 too. I simply couldn't get under 200 lbs after years of trying, including Weight Watchers in person, Weight Watchers online, hypnotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy, 3x per week with a personal trainer, and a brief stint with Alli pills. This surgery was my "hail mary" to regain my health.
Lots of people told me I was too small. I told them "My doctor and I have decided this is the best option for my health."
This surgery forces you to change the way you eat for a while. It carries very real risks. It can be expensive. Only you can decide if it is the right option for you.
Lynda

I am also a 40 BMI with family history of all the co- morbids. I was approaching that same fate. I tried diets, pills, training but nothing stuck. Do it for YOUR health....not what others think.

My highest BMI was 60 and I'm ALMOST down to a 40 BMI... Personally YES I would definitely get this done at a 40 BMI,... Even when my BMI was 40 in the past I was still yo-yo'ing up and down and eventually went all the way up to 360! Also, everyone has a different tolerance for their weight. At my current weight I can work on my feet all day, do an hour Zumba class and then 30 minutes on the elliptical... but for others they can't make it a few blocks.. and still others can climb mountains at 400 pounds. The point is.. when you reach the point where your weight feels like too large of a burden and you recognize that you need a little extra help to lose it, then it's time to consider WLS.. It doesn't matter if that is at 80pounds over weight or 300 pounds overweight!

Search out the low BMIers we have here. A lot of folks self-pay for BMI as low as 35 - some even lower than that!
I was 45 day of surgery, so I was larger but heard many of the same things you are hearing. Is it possible you'll regret surgery? Sure. It's possible that could happen if your BMI was higher or lower, too. Most regrets don't stem from actual complications or problems - they stem from your mindset.
Have you tried to diet and failed? I'm not sure about you but I didn't go from skinny one night to being morbidly obese the next morning. I struggled with my weight for more than a decade before having surgery.
Dieting wasn't cutting it. If it worked for me, the first one I tried as a teen would have been the miracle cure and I'd still have a whole stomach. Even with a sleeve I've had to fight for most of my pounds to come off. It has not been easy.
People that shouldn't get a sleeve:
Are unwilling or unable to change disordered eating behaviors that have contributed to their obesity
Are expecting a fast, effortless trip from fat to goal in just a few months
Expect to see loss every single time on the scale
Plan to treat the sleeve like part two of a special diet
Aren't prepared for the real possibility (though remote) of complications or the accompanying pain and expense
Are not able to tolerate pain or discomfort for the brief healing period
Are not able to accept lifestyle changes as necessary for success
Are unwilling to follow doctor or surgeon's orders post op, or adhere to the special post op dietary guidelines
The sleeve will change your life. I would do mine again in a heartbeat. Had the opportunity and knowledge come to me at 41 or 40 or even in the high 30s BMI range I would have done it then, too. I regret that I waited until I was diabetic and had so much more weight to shed.
But that's just my experience. You'll need to think on this and if you're ready for the changes it entails. If you are prepared, this process is much easier.
~Cheri

I'm 40 BMI. I gain weight evenly and because of it, people think I don't need the surgery. I feel I do because I know that my body is starting to suffer from my weight. It's a choice that I'm making. You have to make the choice or the tool that it is will fail you. I think everyone here would say that it's a great choice. I'm doing it because I feel the same, but it is your choice.

My BMI was between 35-40. 97 lbs overweight. When I went for my sleep study & preadmission bloodwork, the folks there thought I was too small for WLS. What's funny was, neither of them were the doctors, nor did they know my medical history. One of the main reasons I didn't tell too many folks. Everyone didn't need to know I had GERD, had sleep apnea since i was a kid but progressed as i got older & heavier. borderline diabetic for the past 3 yrs along with elevating HP & cholesterol levels, low back pain from being rear ended in car accidents 3x.
I didn't tell my family because I was certain they'd say I was too small & didn't need it.
8 mons post op & so glad for my sleeve. No longer in obesity category & other medical concerns gone.

I self-paid in Mexico. The actual day of the surgery, my BMI was 29.75. It was 32 when I decided to do the surgery, after 6 months of painstakingly chasing the same 10 lbs up and down. (I guess my highest BMI ever was 37.)
The cardiologist who cleared me for surgery told me I "wasn't that big" -- 45 minutes before I went to the OR! Not a helpful time to be planting doubt.
You have to decide for you if it's worth it. There are risks to any surgery, and it is a hard adjustment to make...every once in a while, I suddenly realize how permanently and profoundly I have changed my eating habits. It's great on a Tuesday when you're losing weight hanging out by yourself drinking Protein shakes, but I'm guessing Christmas dinner is going to suck, or my birthday when I really truly do not have room left for a piece of cake, and everyone around me is trying to force me to eat it, because they think I'm just being coy, instead of actually being afraid of vomiting.
But, on the other hand, I watch people struggle every day with both the big and little repercussions of being obese: heart disease, cancers, leg cellulitis and edema, not being able to fit in a booth at a restaurant, not being able to enjoy a day out with your family because you know you walk so slow that it will hold them back. I could see exactly where my weight gain journey was going, and I decided to head it off at the pass.
And, as a doc said to me, you so often see people wait till they're old and super-obese before they get surgery, and then the damage is done, and they don't get the full enjoyment of being skinny, because theirs knees and feet etc. are permanently damaged. (Please don't flame me for this...it may be the particularly Canadian viewpoint, where you have to be SO obese to qualify for surgery...and then you have to wait 6 more years to get in the OR. And in the meantime, socialized medicine lets the rest of you go to pot too.)
And, just a note, a radiology tech could lose their job and their license for expressing such a medical opinion to you. Totally inappropriate.

I was at a 40 BMI going into surgery. My surgeon's office said that, relatively speaking, I was one of their smallest patients. However, they still felt it was a good idea and I was a great fit. My PCP totally agreed that it was a great option. I told myself for years that I was too small for surgery. I thought you had to be 500 pounds and on your death bed to make WLS worth the risk. However, after much research, and many more attempts to lose - and keep off - the weight, I finally realized that 40 BMI (along with my sleep apnea and high blood pressure) was NOT healthy, and I was not able to lose the weight on my own. I realized that the surgery was less risky than my remaining at 40 BMI. Best decision ever. Wish I would have done it sooner.

I was under 40 on surgery day. I was told by the ultrasound tech and several nurses I didn't seem large enough to go, through the surgery. I knew they were wrong. I have lived in my own blubbery world all of my life. The undertones of the comment is
"you could do this on your own" but I know I can't. I could lose a few but I can not keep it off. They were welcome to their opinion but it held no weight with me. I will take the opinion of the surgeons and the insurance companies over all of them.

My BMI was 36-37. I'm 5'10" and weighed 252. Diagnosed with sleep apnea. My insurance covered it so that's my proof that I was big enough!! Surgery was 4/12 and today I am down to 202.8. I only told immediate family. No friends, no co-workers. Tired of the negativity from them!

I was just sleeved on Monday, also with no co-morbidities but at a high BMI (57) after a literal lifetime of dieting and exercise (first diet started at 6 mos old when my mother was ordered to stop breastfeeding as I was gaining too much weight; my first WWers meeting was when I was 5 years old). I'd just like to make two points:
1) "Society" is in love with hypocrisy: according to the "general view", we're all supposed to be thin. If we aren't naturally thin, and we diet and exercise, we're often made fun of at the checkout line of the grocery store for being fatties buying healthy food and at the gym for being fatties on treadmills, bikes, etc. When those same diets don't work long term, we're derided as failures. However, if we try to accept our weight and live as healthfully as possible, we're chastized for being fat, lazy slobs. Then, after years of this nonsensical Catch-22, some of us seek out a surgical intervention, and are rebuffed yet again for not having done Step 1 adequately, and accused of not having enough willpower. Call me crazy, but I think that "society" can shove it.
2) So who isn't subjected to the above scenario? People who are naturally thin (whether they eat healthfully or exercise or not) and people who maybe had a little weight to lose at one point, and were fortunate enough to have metabolisms that toed the party line and got them down to where they wanted to be with small diet changes and exercise. Once in awhile, you have the "unicorns" (as I call them) who do it all with diet and exercise and lose substantial amounts of weight (in my book, >40-50 lbs) and keep it off. You know what? Those people are literally less than 3-4% (depending on which research you're reading) of the number of people who lose weight. And they're generally only accepted by the former groups if they constantly proclaim how they're a changed person and finally saw the light, etc. etc. (i.e. divesting themselves of who they were before).
Thus, for whatever it's worth, after a lifetime of observation, I've arrived at the following conclusion: Do what YOU think is right for you, and to hell with everyone else's opinions, suggestions, comments, etc. no matter how well-intentioned (or not) they may be. Only you know what your journey has been, and only you can decide what your journey will be. Surgery has risks, possible complications, is kinda scary, and will be a lot of work, and that's just the first part. It all comes down to really weighing the pros and cons in your situation and making the decision that you feel is right.
Good luck and be well!

I am a BMI of 40. On my chart it says morbidly obese. I have about 90 lbs. to lose. I did lose 37 lbs. on my six month supervised for insurance. That leaves me with the 90. As I was going through the various tests, they kept saying I was small. If you are listed as morbidly obese, you are definitely NOT small. I am 5'2" and weigh 220. Surgery is Monday, July 22. I can't wait!
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I love when people tell me "o your not that big" as im pushing almost 300lbs..I just smile and say you want my body for a few days?
When you can no longer take the weight mentally or physically and you know you have tried your best and worst (unsafe measures) to lose it, its time. Only you live in your body and know when your ready BMI is only a number.
Good luck!

When I was banded in 2007 my BMI was over 40 and I heard the same arguments. But people are funny. They judge you for being overweight, but every weight loss plan I was on "wasn't healthy" in someone's opinion. LOL I was sleeved in 2010. My band had to be unfilled for several months due to reflux and removed due to a hiatal hernia. During that time I regained 20 lbs. and my BMI was over 30. Insurance would pay for the removal of the band, but not the sleeve because I didn't meet the BMI requirement. I have no regrets! I lost more than the 20 I regained and would still like to lose a bit more. Until this month I haven't really "dieted" but I want to get an additional 20 off. That's going to take effort, but not nearly what it did before being sleeved!

I actually forgot about this... but early on the only thing I could tolerate was liquid vitamins. I used highly concentrated infant Vitamins. I figured out how much I had to take based on adult vitamins. I think it was less than a tsp. I had to take that with food. That was also less expensive than some of the designer vitamins out there.

When I was banded in 2007 my BMI was over 40 and I heard the same arguments. But people are funny. They judge you for being overweight, but every weight loss plan I was on "wasn't healthy" in someone's opinion. LOL I was sleeved in 2010. My band had to be unfilled for several months due to reflux and removed due to a hiatal hernia. During that time I regained 20 lbs. and my BMI was over 30. Insurance would pay for the removal of the band, but not the sleeve because I didn't meet the BMI requirement. I have no regrets! I lost more than the 20 I regained and would still like to lose a bit more. Until this month I haven't really "dieted" but I want to get an additional 20 off. That's going to take effort, but not nearly what it did before being sleeved!

When I was banded in 2007 my BMI was over 40 and I heard the same arguments. But people are funny. They judge you for being overweight, but every weight loss plan I was on "wasn't healthy" in someone's opinion. LOL I was sleeved in 2010. My band had to be unfilled for several months due to reflux and removed due to a hiatal hernia. During that time I regained 20 lbs. and my BMI was over 30. Insurance would pay for the removal of the band, but not the sleeve because I didn't meet the BMI requirement. I have no regrets! I lost more than the 20 I regained and would still like to lose a bit more. Until this month I haven't really "dieted" but I want to get an additional 20 off. That's going to take effort, but not nearly what it did before being sleeved!