Cody's mom

What a great topic. I don't think this only happens with weight loss. When I quit smoking, I would hear people brag that they just put those cigarettes down one day and never looked back. Well, that did not work for me because I was addicted to smoking. I used the tools out there to increase my chances of success and guess what, I haven't smoked for two years and that's really what matters. I heard the same thing of mothers that would brag about natural child birth as if they are superior because they opted out of the drugs. We all get the same thing in the end, a baby. What does it matter how we get to our goals as long as we get there?
At this point I would sell my soul for sustained weight loss. But no one's in the soul buying business so I'm going to do whatever it takes to make me successful. And when I am successful, it won't matter how I got there. It'll only matter than I met and maintained my goal.

When I told my mom I was going to get surgery she just looked at me and said "your crazy, all you have to do is diet and exercise", really, wow problem solved, and an alcoholic should just stop drinking and a smoker just stop smoking. If only it were all that easy! Lets see, in my 53 years of life all but a few have been spent dieting and exercising and obsessing over my weight (0-10 were okay).

Funny you should post this. I just had the exact conversation with my hubby last night.
I have been dieting for the past 35 years. My first diet was an egg and grapefruit diet that I successfully lost 30 lbs and proceeded to gain it all back. I was 12.....
I have drank Optifast for 4 months, successfully lost then gained 50 lbs.....
My stepdad lost over 100 lbs last year, got off all meds for diabetics and is now gaining it back.
A close friend of mine lost 50 lbs 2 years ago and every time I see her now she's gained a bit more back....
As I get older I feel the excess 60 lbs more and more. I cannot kneel down, I'm having a tough time painting my nails, I am short of breath, I have sleep apnea and I'm overall feeling aweful!
My goal with WLS is to lose the excess and then train myself to keep it off. My hope is that the sleeve will be a tool to help me. I don't feel like it's any different than going to another weight loss program, just hoping it is the tool that will work!

I chose gastric sleeve for maintenance more than for weight loss. I know I can lose weight "on my own". I've been losing and gaining weight most of my life. In 2010/2011 I had my biggest weight loss. I went from 270 down to 176. But you know what happened? I regained ~50 of that. Then I re-lost 25-30. Then I gained 40. The I re-lost 40. Then I gained 60. And by the end of June of this year, I was all the way back up to 260. Only 10 pounds shy of my highest weight!
I decided to work to lose weight yet again. In the past month I've lost 10.2 pounds. But this time will be the last time. I don't want to get back down into the 170s or lower just to gain it all back AGAIN! They don't perform weight loss surgery on people who are a healthy weight. So if I were to lose the weight "on my own" again, the chances are very high that I'd be right back here in a couple of years.
The time is now for me. I will have the surgery and use it as a tool for weight loss this time around. But the big difference is, with my smaller stomach and the things I learn along THIS journey, I will be able to MAINTAIN a healthy weight and never be back here again.
The research I've done shows a fairly low "failure" rate for gastric sleeve. "Failure" meaning regaining the weight after the initial loss. One study showed a failure rate of roughly 20% (1 in 5), but they defined "failure" as regaining 22 pounds or more. I figure, even if I'm in that 20%, if I lose 100+ pounds and regain 20, I'm still down 80+ pounds. That's a hell of a lot better than my own personal failure rate with diet and exercise where 100% of the time I've regained 80-100% of the weight I had lost!

So I have been thinking about this for a while now. Prior to accepting the fact that I need bariatric surgery, I was of the mindset that surgery was the "easy way out". Yes, a 140 pounds overweight person thought this - a traitor in your midst!! JK. As I started this process, during orientation I had thoughts like "I can lose weight, I've done it before and I can do it again, so why am I here" and "I don't have any serious co-morbities so why am I here?" Then, after more thought I came to the conclusion that I have been overweight for most of my life, so if I could have/would have done it, I wouldn't be even contemplating such things. If I stay the way I am I WILL develop serious co-morbidities - it's not a question of "IF" it's a question of "WHEN".
Now that I have accepted this to be fact, I am starting to look around at other people who have lost weight, whether they are a celebrity or just someone I know or someone who has put themselves out there on the internet. I came to the revelation that no one I know that had significant weight to lose has (1) lost all of their weight or (2) kept it off. The results of those people on the web are mixed, but I admit, I have not done a thorough search for really obese people that have chronicled their weight lose through a blog. Back in 2007-2008 I became familiar with David Smith (through his BodySpace blog) on Bodybuildingdotcom before he was famous for losing like 400 pounds with the help of Chris Powell (from Extreme Weight Loss fame). In fact, that is how Chris became famous, because of David. A few years after his tremendous success, David eventually gained about 300-350 pounds back and is now trying to get back to his lowest weight. I sincerely wish him the best of luck - I had a chance to PM him a few times through his BodySpace blog and he seems like a really nice guy. Check out his Facebook page if you are curious - it's David Ellmore Smith.
My former gynecologist is overweight and has been for the entire time I have known her, which is about 14 years. A few years ago, she went on a liquid diet and lost like 100 or so pounds. I gave her a nickname "skinny" and we'd joke about it whenever I came in for an appointment. Unfortunately, she has gained back almost all she has lost and is morbidly obese again. She was always down on bariatric surgery - she felt it was too invasive. When I saw that she had gained back the weight, I felt sad for her and then thought, "if my own doctor can't keep it off with her advanced knowledge of the body and how it works, what hope is there for me?"
Yesterday, I got wind of the whole Star Jones/Mo'nique controversy where supposedly Star said that there was no way that Mo'nique lost weight without surgery..bla..bla...bla. Turns out Star never said that but you know how the media loves controversy. What surprised me was Mo'nique's response that she had lost it through hard work and sweat and sent a message to other big women that they didn't have to resort to surgery. She said during an interview:
"I tweet every morning about my workouts because I want women to see – especially us big women – that you don’t have to let them cut you and suck it out, you don’t have to let them staple you up, you don’t have to let them give you a pill, you don’t have to let them put a band around your organs,” Mo’Nique said in an interview."
I thought it was interesting that she framed the issue in terms of women being "made" to have surgery, or take pills, as if they don't have a choice whether or not to have a bariatric procedure. Her comment appear to propogate a victim mentality to make it seem like what she is doing is so much more fabulous than merely losing weight - she is this extraordinary woman fighting against some invisible villian by losing the weight through traditional methods. In approaching the issue this way she demonizes bariatric surgery at the same time. So that got me thinking - why do we see bariatric surgery as the "unnatural" or the "bad" way to lose weight? It's really not true at all.
Losing weight can be done by anyone - everyone on this site and other sites like it have lost weight. The issue is KEEPING IT OFF and changing to behaviors that support healthy habits and a healthy body weight.
Why does it matter HOW someone loses weight? I would argue that it DOESN'T.
1. The person that loses weight through diet and exercises uses the diet and exercise as a TOOL to be healthy and achieve their goal
2. The person that uses the surgery and diet uses these as a TOOL to be healthy and achieve their goal
3. BOTH types of people have to STRUGGLE each and every day to keep the weight off and maintain healthy habits
The difference between the two (at least from what I understand since I have not yet had the surgery) is that having surgery makes it EASIER to be successful. Two of my relatives have had bariatric surgery have both said that the surgery "levels the playing field", meaning that it is so much easier for them to be successful, post surgery, at maintaining healthy habits and keeping the weight off.
Maybe that is where this comes from, the idea that it is easier for people than before their surgery is a huge cop-out. Maybe it's jealousy on many different levels. I however, don't think that way. However someone can lose weight is great - surgery or not. It's never a cake-walk.

I would have this surgery every year for the rest of my life if I needed to. I still enjoy great food, just my concept of what great food is has changed. Sure I can't eat as much as others, so I go slowly and really take in the taste, texture, and aroma of my food instead of just cramming it down. I am actually much more satisfied after a meal now than I was when I could eat ten times as much.
Your relationship with food will change, and for some that is a hard thing to cope with. This is why I whole heartedly recommend therapy before and after your surgery. You are going to mourn the loss of food to some extent, and its so vital you learn to put new coping strategies in place so when the food cannot be your comfort, you have other things to turn to.

Well, not really.
My name is Brandy and I'm 46 years old. I have been overweight my entire adult life and severely obese for the majority of it. I've been over 300 lbs. for at least 10 years now. This weight caused very little physiological issues - sleep apnea being the only major one - but I have pain in my joints and back every day and difficulty walking long distances. I can't be as active as I want to be. I can't go into any store I want and buy clothing off the racks. I have to buy the same clothing as every other fat person out there because I'm so large. I can't buy bottoms in the store because I don't fit any of the sizes.
Two years ago my 41 year old husband had a massive heart attack. He died 6 times before they were able to stent his heart in 3 places and bring him back. That was my first wake up call. I never consider weight loss surgery because I never wanted my intestines messed with. You see, my mother had a ruptured appendicitis when I was a baby and the ensuing year long infection and various surgeries to remove sections of her intestines and reroute them has caused her life long debilitating diarrhea. I didn't want to even risk that. Then my friend told me about the sleeve. Finally I was able to see a chance for me to get control of my eating. Here was a tool to help me finally lose the weight I need to to gain back my mobility and my figure.
I researched my insurance for months to see if I qualified. A discussion with my doctor proved that I indeed qualified 100% for the surgery. Of course there were hoops - I had to attended about a bazillion classes and I had to lose 10% of my body weight. The classes were easy. The weight loss was not. It took me almost a year (6 months of serious work) to lose that 10%. Along the way I began building the habits I would need to be successful at this surgery. I sought out a therapist outside of my insurance plan because those that were covered were only for group therapy (which doesn't work for me) and I began to go to her every 2 weeks. For the first time in my life I began to see real progress with my issues around food and my family. I'm so grateful for her and all she has done and continues to do for me!
I am now at the end of the beginning journey and the beginning of my new journey. My pre-op is scheduled for August 1st and surgery is scheduled for August 13th. I am not scared at all. I'm sure that will change once I get closer to the date but right now I am happy, optimistic and excited to start this new chapter off my journey. I'm looking forward to discovering who I am without all off this fat to hide behind. I'm already awesome, I can't imagine how much more awesome I'm going to be!!

Do it!! Do it, and not look back, food is intended to sustain us, but you will find much more pleasure in so many other new things, a new body, and different outlook! Go go go! Forget the food thoughts!! When you are slimmer and agile and start having a different outlook on fashion and outside fun , believe me food is the last thing you will b worried about. Do it for yourself, your marriage, self image, HEALTHY, and sooo many other great outcomes with weightloss. Been there...done that. Had a Lap band after being g the size of a fridge, then lost 170 pounds, had Tummy Tuck, breast implants...and lots of exercise...I was so much better!! After a decade the band failed n slippage occurred. Had it removed and in one year... "started eating my life away again and packed on 70 pounds, I was terribly overweight again, so I did the sleeve in Tijuana Mexico with a great team and very cost effective result. I'm angry at myself for going back to the food addiction and pleasures it gave me, it did nothing but ruin my body again. Did the sleeve and already planning next year's body reconstruction. Bought a new cruiser bike in Wal-Mart and ready to ride 3 miles daily and get my self back in the saddle and in control of my life, don't give it another middle thought.....go for the surgery and give it all you got! I'm here to support u in any way I can. Mother of two, RN. Orlando FL.
Laura

Only you know the answer to your question as it pertains to you. For myself, although I also love the taste of good food, I don't miss being tempted to overeat because the food tastes good. I'm still only two months out and no sweets or starches are currently allowed, but I'm looking forward to the future when I hope to enjoy healthy food choices 99% of the time and have a taste of cake on my birthday without the urge to have seconds. There are many on this site who advocate 100% compliance with the program 100% of the time. They say that most people who keep the weight off for the long term adhere to that policy. I don't think that would work for me. I enjoy family celebrations that include fabulous foods. I don't want to be so strict that I don't ever allow myself any indulgences. I just want to be mindful and accountable, not a food nazi. I believe the sleeve will help me achieve that goal.

I just had this talk with my daughter tonight. I recently had Sleeve surgery and she is considering the same surgery in the near future. We were in the restaurant tonight on vacation. We ordered the most delicious tuna steak I have ever seen. She thoroughly enjoyed it while I could only take a few bites and was too uncomfortable to continue. I told her that the joy of eating great food, for me, may be gone forever. She asked me if I would recommend her to still have the surgery. I honestly was torn. Not sure how to answer. I know the weight loss may likely be the best trade off in the end, but like you, I have always enjoyed great food! I think as time goes on and I actually see and feel the weight loss the trade off may be totally worth it. But for now I am honestly not there yet with that thought. Been 5 weeks since surgery and I've been in a stall for over a week. I ask myself daily if it will all be worth it. Food is now simply a means of survival and body nourishment and no longer a source of enjoyment. I need to find other enjoyment and move away from the focus if food. It will take some time to get there.

Hi all ,
I'm a sleeve candidate and I'm struggling with the decision to go ahead. I REALLY want to have the op as I've struggled with weight my whole life but I'm extremely scared that my 'life' will end. (I do love food)
It's a bad place to be I know, but can anyone help with this fear? Does your attitude towards food change over time??? Or will I grieve the loss of a painful but comforting 'friend'?
I appreciate any help or guidance you can give
Marie

Oh--you are so not alone. I thought they had gotten smaller, but truth be told, they just got lower. It takes an extra-super dooper strong over- the- shoulder -boulder -holder to hoist those things up. 36 DD (long) is my new size.