*Jade*

Welcome Jade! This is a very caring community and you will find people who are here to help you. When we encounter Negative Nancie's and Pitiful Petes we usually bash them until they leave, so it keeps the forum pretty clean, kind and gentle. We are all fighting the same battle, there's no need for wars amongst each other.

Welcome to the forum and good luck on making a decision as to what type of surgery you will undergo. Best wishes.

Choosing to have weight loss surgery was incredibly empowering for me -- I showed up for myself and my healthy future and I haven't looked back since. It has been a very exciting process. Be prepared for a lot of appointments and hoops galore, but it's all worth it. I started my research in June of 2013 and had surgery in November. Those months of reading posts, asking questions and sorting through which information was applicable to me or resonated for my situation, etc., is what gave me the confidence to go forward into the unknown. I got way more information here than I did through my hospital. Even though I love my surgeon and they have been great, this is the place where I can get my questions answered. Welcome aboard!

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

I apologize if this has been gone ove a million times but I would like some real world experienced weight losers to chime in on this. (I am going to a seminar next month and will be getting an appointment with a surgeon as soon as I find one that I am comfortable with.)
If I have the sleeve surgery I can expect to lose 50% of my "excess body weight in 2 years" or if I have RNY surgery I can expect to lose 60% "excess body weight in 2 years". So that is a difference of 10% excess body weight in 2 years which is not a lot of difference, in my opinion, for the increased complications that you can have with the RNY surgery.
I know everyone loses differently but I am a very motiviated woman at this point. I will be turning 50 later this year and I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and borderline hypertension. I also have a diagnosis of major depression.
The statistics I am reading are telling me that if I want need to lose a total of 116 lbs to be in a "healthy normal BMI range" that the surgeries will only help me to lose approximately 57.5 - 69.6 lbs? And I may only have 6-9 months to lose this weight?
I will ask my surgeon (when I find one) these questions also but I am curious about the answers you all will have for me.
Thank you very much for your time and your knowledge,
Jade

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

This is my first post but I have been reading on here since April. I thought it was time to sign up to start talking and stop hiding. You all seem like a genuinely caring community. Not like some of the other sites I have been on so I took a leap and signed up here today.
I have been heavy - no lets call it what it is - I have been obese for at least the past 10 years. Now I need a change. Weight Watchers, HCG, Atkins diet, and going to a personal trainer has done nothing lasting for me. I know most of you have been trhough the same thing and then some so I won't spend a lot of time dwelling on this.
Someone told me at the beginning of the year that weight loss surgery might be a good option for me. At first I was very hurt, then I was mad, and now I think they might have been on to something. So i have been researching all 3 and I have learned a ton. I have decided not to go with the lap band but other than that I am still in limbo.
I recently talked to my PCP and she said that in her experience people that decide to have weight loss surgery usually go through with it. I am unsure if that was suppose to be negativity on her part or some kind of encouragement? She had no preference on which surgery, just told me she would sign a medically necessary form if that is what I really want.
This has gotten longer than I intended but I wanted to say hello and good luck to the people still waiting for surgery. The post-surgery people - I am in awe of you all.

Just got the call 5 minutes ago that insurance said "YES"! Forgive the exclamation points, but I'm so excited!
I hope you all receive the same great news very soon.

Hi all,
I'm brand new to the forum (though I've been lurking and reading the past month or so). I'm 38 and 339 pounds. I've been heavy my whole life, since childhood, and 10+ years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I also have poor circulation and edema in my legs that necessitates wearing medical compression stockings all the time. I've successfully lost 75 lbs (on a low carb diet of my own design) in 2002 and 60 pounds (on Weight Watchers in 2012) in the past, but eventually gained back all of the weight plus the first time and most of the weight the second time around. I'm finding it harder to keep my fasting blood sugar numbers under control and I know it will only continue to get even more difficult as I age.
My PCP recommended I look into WLS two months ago. I've been researching since then and attended the seminar on April 9. I've learned a lot, and rationally, I know the surgery is my best chance at a healthier future. I have a good friend who was about the same weight (less health issues but knew they were coming) and had bypass surgery 3 years ago and has been the picture of success -- lost half her body weight and has kept it off, has had zero complications, has no food restrictions, looks and feels great. She's been a big inspiration.
But...the dreaded butt...I fear that I will be that person who has horrible, life-threatening complications. I also fear that I won't be able to conquer the emotional attachments I have to food and will feel deprived and restricted eventually after the honeymoon stage wears off. (I'm also looking into ways to recognize and break down those emotional ties and triggers now.) It even makes me a little sad to think that I won't if I wanted to be able to eat a huge meal on a holiday or a special occasion. The idea that the rest of my life will not be the same is both exhilarating AND frightening.
Before I saw my friend's success with my own eyes, I don't think I would've even considered surgery. It still scares me sometimes to think about the long-term possibilities of basically chopping off more than half my stomach. I've read that people who have an easy time for it for the first five or even ten years, sometimes have terrible problems after that.
I know a lot of people say the risks are worth the misery of being fat. I don't know that I've ever considered myself to be miserable though. I've certainly had many terrible moments because of my size over the years, but overall, I've always been a fairly confident person, I'm happily married. I feel I've lived a pretty happy, successful life thus far. I dieted off and on over the years but mostly off to be honest, and only with any real conviction on two occasions (mentioned above)--both of which were prompted by bad medical news that scared me. Part of me feels like maybe I should have struggled more/tried harder before attempting surgery, despite intellectually knowing that dieting is a losing game for most obese and esp. super obese folks. I wonder if I need to want this more to be really successful at it.
I'd say I'm about 85%, maybe 90% on the best days, convinced that I need to do this. How do I get to 100%? Do I even need to get there? Or do you just have to recognize that this is the best option you can take to ensure better health and push the remaining fear aside and take that leap of faith?
I'd love to hear your stories of how you finally made the decision to do this. Thanks.

compassion for others begins with compassion for ourselves. many of us dont have any experience treating ourselves with compassion and loving kindness. hence our difficulty in taking care of our health, eating right exercising, making good decisions.
beginning with compassion for ourselves is a great place to start with this surgery. you can't hate yourself into being healthy.

Breaking Red: Thank you so much for your post. And like Bufflehead said, it could have been written by hundreds+ of us here.
I too decided at the start of this process that I was going to throw out everything I knew, or thought I knew, about weight loss, exercise, nutrition, etc… and actually seek out the best team I could and listen to them for a change.
I'm early in the process, but I am continuing to work hard at seeking out positive, like-minded people to support me.
Be well, everyone…

I think a lot of us could have written this post . . . or at least we could have if we were this well-spoken
So many of us have spent a long time dealing with various emotional issues with food, and thinking we knew how to solve our food-related problems at the same time. That we knew better than other people. At least I did. It was humbling to come to the conclusion that I am NOT smart about food or health and I do NOT have the answers. I need to find experts and listen to them and not make assumptions and judgments. That was a bitter pill for me!
I do think you hit the nail on the head at the end there when you call yourself out for not being kind to yourself. I can see you are an incredibly bright, thoughtful, and caring person just from what you've written here. Be good to yourself and patient with yourself, forgive yourself for what you see as your past errors -- you deserve it!

https://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/fitness-blogger-takes-bmi-standards-to-task-185549538.html
Thought this article was interesting and helps reassure me (and maybe others as well) about my rather high BMI of 29 and still being overweight and borderline obese......even after losing close to 80 pounds. Personal opinion.....I wouldn't stop at just changing BMI charts, I would eliminate it entirely since it in no way takes into account a person's body composition percentage (fat vs muscle).

I chose:
You are not sure which type of weight loss surgery is best for you. You are afraid of complications or side effects from weight loss surgery. Other - thought my BMI wasn't high enough at 37 It was primarily fear of complications, though.

I chose "Other."
For me, it is just darned ornery-ness. I would get going on a weight loss program, lose a pile of fat, feel all good about myself, fall off the rails, gain it back, invite a whole bunch of that fat's friends to the party and start looking at new diet programs. And WLS. The more I dieted, the more seriously I looked into surgery. Then I would get p*ssed, get back to work and start the whole stupid cycle all over, again.
In 2010, I lost 130 pounds through hard work and diet. Over the next few years, I gained almost all of it back. And I knew that I had hit my breaking point. I had to get off of that idiotic roller coaster, once and for all. I Googled Lap Band discussion forums, landed here, lurked, read for a day or so, saw an ad for True Results in Scottsdale, hooked up with them online, registered an account here and the rest is history.

I actually didn't consider it until a couple of months before attending the information session. Prior to, I had heard that many people actually hated people that got the surgery because they thought it was a cheat and they thought that it was for extremely obese people.
Before I dove in, I had tried at least 2-3 diets and they worked only to have regained it back. I knew that I didn't have the willpower to prevent me from overeating. That was half the battle. Now the only other conscious battle (the other half) is in keeping the carbs in perspective.
I encourage people to do them and not worry about the naysayers. They don't live in our skins!