Onyx999

I have my first appt to discuss WLS next week, but I have to ask: Am I the only one worried about the aftermath? Im 20 yrs old and im wondering what effect it would have on the rest on my life. Obviously we all want surgery to lose the weight for whatever reasons, and so do I. I know i want the fat gone, and ive tried other methods to no avail. So i question surgery, is it for me? I decide to go for it and now im wondering what life will be like afterwards (im not even afraid of the surgery itself) Can i still get drunk with friends and act my age while im in my 20's? When im 30, can i eat dinner or cake at my friends wedding? These things I wonder about almost constantly (im a natural worrywart by the way) Granted losing the weight is more important to me, What if when these kind of "Life Experiences" pop up I regret it all? Definately something to think about right? Can someone please give me some advice? Id appreciate it very much.

Where?

That depends on your overall history. How long have you been overweight, by how much, and what have you tried so far? If you've only been this heavy a few years, I would strongly encourage you to try other things first, or if your BMI is less than 40. OTOH, if you've been on multiple diets, have been significantly overweight since childhood, then this might be an excellent opportunity for you. No healthy eating plan, with or without WLS, is going to say going out drinking frequently is a good thing. Most healthy plans allow things like that once you reach goal, occasionally, but that's not what my college days were like LOL! You do say you're tired of wasting your life being unhealthy, but I believe you have no co-morbidities yet, right? So who says you are unhealthy? You may be very different from me, but when I was that age, it was all about looking good, not health. And while I'm not judging you at all for that, it's understandable, but it can definitely affect your commitment to something this huge. I really don't think I was emotionally mature enough then to really take on something lifelong. Maybe you could commit to trying 3-6 months of low carb, high Protein meals, without the very low calorie counts and portion sizes required by WLS, to see how committed you could be with this. If you do something like Atkins, you can also eat high fat and it keeps you full, while still losing weight due to the extremely low carbs. I was successful at that several years ago, but could not sustain it longer than 8 months in the end. So even I am worried about how I will do post-op, just counting on the hope of not wanting sweets and possible dumping. I've been overweight my entire life, and was getting close to 200's about three years ago (making me still 60-70 lbs overweight for my height/bone structure) with a BMI of 32-34 at that time. Im now 267 lbs putting my BMI at 40-41. I don't take offense easily so no worries there and I appreciate your advice. I tried montignac for a year about 5 years ago, atkins for about 6-8 months about 4 years ago, nutrisystem for 2-3 months 2 years ago (only a short time because 1 i couldn't afford 300 dollars a month for it, and 2 I gained 15 lbs the first month and another 10 lbs the second month despite following the plan to a T) Plus other methods that I had heard about from one source or another. But i've never been able to keep the weight off, and I thankfully don't lack conviction. But I want to be healthy. I don't care what others think of me, I care what I think of myself. I don't want to be skinny, I want to be able to walk around with my friends and not feel dizzy and winded like im going to pass out. I want to dance without feeling disgusting like I don't have a right to do so and without any of the above mentioned things. I have contemplated surgery for the last 2 years and finally decided to go for it when it occurred to me that I couldn't breathe when i bent down to tie my shoes, and when I realized that I weigh less than 100lbs less than my 47 y/o mom who is morbidly obese with sleep apnea and a slew of other things. It was a slap in the face that said if i didnt do something soon then i would be looking at my not so distant future. Like she was my reflection only id get it 20 years earlier, because her and I have very similar stats. Needless to say I cracked amd cried like a baby. She is 5'7" and weighs 360, i'm 5'6" and weigh 267. That is entirely too close for comfort, and I want to be better. P.S TO ALL: I'm not really in to alcohol, and didn't realize that a lot of people turn to alcohol to replace food after surgery. So if that could be cleared up that would be cool haha thank you

I am 20, 5'6", and weigh 267 or so. I go to Curves (gym for women) with my grandmother and I was wondering if thats a good workout for post op? You do an hour long workout, 2 circles around and its half cardio half equipment stuff? I want to make sure that it is enough exercise

I hope so, I love english breakfast tea with cream But it can always be an occasional treat or something

Thanks for replying I'm not sure what all the stuff at the gym counts as lol

Awesome!! My first consult is on friday the 13th Luckily i'm not superstitious haha Good luck with all the tests and keep us posted on how its going!!

Yeah i'm not really big on bread as it is. i do love cheese though lol and how long after surgery before you can drink coffee or tea? Can you have either?

Hopefully I dont have to go 6 months, i was on nutrisystem for 2-3 months and gained 15 lbs (i still dont know how that happened) but i have been contemplating surgery for 2 years before mentioning it to anyone. But i can wait 6 months if need be, ive already waited this long and post op ill have all the time in the world to enjoy having the waiting period over haha

Thank you! ive been scouring the site for all the info i can find and for me it will be a lifestyle change, and i know i will miss some things but to me it will be well worth it and who is to say that you can never eat bread again? Obviously you want to wait til youre closer to goal weight i imagine, but i doubt anything horrible will happen for one bite of bread. Honestly i know right now as a pre op the main (if not only) thing i will miss, unless i cant drink tea.. That would suck lol i love brittish style tea I would miss my Monster energy drinks. I've quit them before, and chose to go back to them, so i know i can do it i just wont start up again haha Do you guys think 20 is too young for WLS? Im tired of wasting my life being unhealthy, but ppl seem to think im too young to have tried other methods.

I'll be 21 next month so its nice to see someone close to my age Im leaning towards the VSG what about you?

Yeah Ive just been going back and forth with worrying and then being excited lol

I exercise regularly now, make sure I get my 70+g Protein, all supplements and weigh once per week, (no more). I can't over eat anymore period. If I eat too much sugar, (it has to be WAY too much), I'll dump painfully, (just not worth it). My relationship with food is forever changed. available when I was in MY 20's. What do you mean dumping? Not sure what that is

I too am brutally honest, so thank you for not sugar coating. But i didnt realize last night that a lot of post op ppl have a problem with alcoholism so i wish now that id used better examples. No ive had drinks in the past and never been a "drinker". I was worrying about limitations that WLS would give me, simply so that i would know about them. I already have limitations from being fat! Haha so naturally this isnt really a problem for me, but if id have to be vegan bcuz of WLS id want to know. Ya know? I don't watch TV, so i'm not sure what a dear me is?

Thank you all for replying! I just wana say that im not an alcoholic lol i didnt realize last night that ppl had probs with alcoholism post op. I probably couldve used better examples, but what i meant was that i was worried about irreversible effects that WLS will have because to me, despite the fact that this weight issue is so important to me, long term effects are something to think about. They should be considered, especially since im a natural worry wart But one thing ppl could not say is that im rushing into it or not considering the rest of my life and potential limitations.

@@lele yeah im bouncing between bypass and vsg so far but i havent even spoken to a doctor yet. My appr is next week, and I just want to have my own opinion and my own knowledge of pros/cons of surgery before i talk to him. and i totally understand the roller coaster! Last night i felt all dark and cryptic wondering what effect WLS would have later in life (the bummer ones) and right now im happy and excited

Thank you for this! This answered a lot of my questions Im bouncing between bypass and VSG

Thats definately comforting Thank you Im not an alcoholic or anything, but i turn 21 next month and the thought of not being able to go out drinking like a normal girl my age seemed like id be missing out on life experiences that maybe one day id regret not doing. But as of right now im missing out on everything because im too self conscious to really enjoy anything, and i know it probably sounds crazy but half the time i dont even want to leave my room. Part of my reasons for surgery is because im tired of being the fat girl and tired of missing out on my life just because im too imcomfortable to live it. Does that sound nuts? Lol plus im not sure which WLS to get. Thinking either RNY bypass, or that gastrectomy where they just remove excess stomach without bypassing anything. What are you getting and why did you pick that one? Thank you for Replying by the way maybe its a self conscious thing, but i always feel like i annoy ppl or talk to much cuz im paranoid about everything haha

Similar question. I was diagnosed with a stomach condition in early january of last year (not weight related condition) but was put on a special "no acids" diet similar to the diet used for acid reflux, and I went and saw the nutritionist about weight loss once or twice after that, and like 2 months ago saw the doctor for a weight loss pill or something more effective than a diet and exercise plan that didnt work. So im also wondering if any of that time wasted will count as the "waiting period" cuz the receptionist acheduled that DR specifically becuz id seen him a few months ago about weight loss.

Not sure if this is where Im supposed to post this, but after reading several of the posts I hope this is an on spot Im new to this app so here goes... Im going to be 21 in april, I weigh 267 lbs and im 5'6". Im not sure if loose skin will be too much of a problem for me cuz im more interested in loosing weight and being able to be even remotely comfortable with myself again. But anyhoo, I have been thinking about getting the surgery for awhile now, but at 20 years old im a little worried about what THE REST OF MY LIFE will be like if I go for it. I want to be healthy, but I would also like to have some wine on my 21st bday or go to a bar with friends after work when im 30, you know? I don't drink soda, i love tea and coffee, i have a questionably unfortunate addiction to monster energy drinks, I cant drink tap Water because it makes me vomit (plus im anti tap because it infected me with a stomach disease) but when i buy bottled water i often legitimately forget to drink any before its gone, i don't really eat a lot i dont think? But i have some very serious self esteem issues (always have) that have gotten drastically worse as i gain weight, i get so depressed that i just want to stay in my room and hide from everyone (including my boyfriend of 2 years cuz he doesnt understand that telling me how "beautiful" and "perfect" i am just makes me want to cry and crawl under a rock) So enough about me cuz thats a little much to burst out with from the start lol the bottom line is: I don't want to be overweight anymore, I want to see myself as beautiful as he does or even a fraction of that is fine i guess, i want to be better, i want to dance and go for walks and hang with friends without feeling disgusting and paranoid. Im not sure which surgery to go for so any help on that would be awesome. So yeah... Any advice from anyone would be very much appreciated