gobeit

YES. He basically put it in such a way that suggested if I just did the right things now I could lose... However, my metabolism is dead and my primary care physician that first referred me to my WLSurgeon has worked with me to try to get weight off and seen the issues I'm struggling with. I have and still am trying. I'm simply not seeing progress. He absolutely made the other patients out to be regretful and I feel that is probably misinterpreted on his part.
Of course we would all rewind to a heathy slim body if that was ever an option for us. Some of us, like me, have never really had a thin baseline we trashed. I like many have battled my weight my whole life.

I have also never heard a person who was successful with their wls say they wish they would have just ate better and lost the weight... seriously, like we haven't all tried that before we considered the sugery????
Sounds to me like your doctor was trying to sway you to 'try it on your own'. Like I said before, if you are anything like me, you have tried that dozens of times without results!!
I used to be a person that could easily drop weight when I wanted to. After I had my son at age 35 that all changed. Within a year of his birth I had gained over 100lbs. No matter how hard I tried for the last 5 years, the weight would not come off. Before his birth I maintained a size 8-10 for years and years (since my 20's). After, I ballooned up to a size 24 and tried like crazy to loose the weight the way I always had (very similar to what I am doing now- small portions of high Protein, low carb meals, Protein Shakes
and I excersized 5-6 days a week and walked 7 days a week. It didn't work.
What finally worked is the sleeve surgery! Something about the surgery just kick started the weight loss for my body.

I expect that Dr does not have weight issues. Anyone who has struggled with their weight and yo yo'd for years would see this a little differently. Gaining and losing is not good for ones body either. Surgery helps you not feel as hungry and therefore as tempted to "fall off the bandwagon". It is also "so huge" in your life that I think I really makes you remember all the time what you have done, why you did it and that you need to stick with the plan, the one that will keep you thinner and healthier for life. Just as people have varying opinions about most things Drs have varying opinions about WLS.Do not let this one Drs opinion put you off something you have obviously already researched and decided about. I have spent most of my adult life fighting the weight loss battle. I thought I had won the battle once and stayed at a normal weight for 7-8 yrs but eventually all the weight I lost and more came back. Then age and diabetes kicked in and losing even a pound or two took a huge amount of work let alone 50 or more pounds. I had surgery 2 months ago and though I am losing slowly I am so glad I did it. I have hope now that in a yr or so I will reach a maintainable weight for the rest of my life. Good luck to you.

First, I have had the same issues with some if my doctors. My endocrinologist was all for it but he studies weight/metabolism/hormone issues (not to mention treated me for diabetes). He has been very supportive. My other doctors aren't as educated in that specific area. Second, I was just thinking about the whole "can't u just eat right" comments. And almost 4 months in, here is what I decided. I am eating right now but without the surgery, I just couldn't sustain on this low calories. Iowa's so hungry and would go to bed hungry. (I'm talking my stomach growling hungry). With the surgery, I am not hungry and WHILE I am learning new habits and getting my body out of the heavy carbs cravings, I am able to lose weight which then encourages me to stay on track and lose more. It is a tool and if u do not use it correctly, it will not work but if u treat it as the tool it is and then use that time to get healthy with a NUT and therapist, then it gives u the time u need to get it done and get to the maintenance faster using the tools u learned along the way.

There IS something more than the surgery simply reducing the size of the stomach. There are hormonal changes that help us lose weight rapidly. Doctors aren't 100% sure what causes it, but the surgery seems so reset our body's "weight set point". This explains why I've spent so many years dieting "the right way" and exercising to only lose a few pounds. Or after a month of dieting and exercising I eat one meal off plan and gain 5 pounds.
I was nervous surgery wouldn't work for me since I had PCOS and insulin resistance which made losing weight close to impossible. But it's come off relatively easy. I'm interested to know how the surgery resets the body's set point but it obviously has in my case since I was never successful losing.

In considering weight loss surgery I've never labeled my thinking on the matter, or anyone else's for that matter, as "flawed" - it was more like enlightened!
Sure, if I had found a proven way to keep the weight off long term that didn't involve surgery, AND actually worked, I would have been all over it. But after decades of being a card carrying ticket holder on the yo yo diet merry-go-round, and watching my body and health deteriorate rapidly as I entered my 50's, I was more than ready to try something new.
There is no way I could have made the progress I've made in only two months with surgery, with any other non-surgical option. I have zero regrets, and I'm filled with hope and visions of a more healthy future in my 50's, and well beyond than I ever obtained on my own in my youth.
It was so worth it. So very worth it!
Sometimes you've just got to silence that doomsday voice in your head, close your eyes, and take a blind leap!

YES. He basically put it in such a way that suggested if I just did the right things now I could lose... However, my metabolism is dead and my primary care physician that first referred me to my WLSurgeon has worked with me to try to get weight off and seen the issues I'm struggling with. I have and still am trying. I'm simply not seeing progress. He absolutely made the other patients out to be regretful and I feel that is probably misinterpreted on his part.
Of course we would all rewind to a heathy slim body if that was ever an option for us. Some of us, like me, have never really had a thin baseline we trashed. I like many have battled my weight my whole life.

I thought there were other benefits to the surgery other than simply making us temporarily eat less... Otherwise what assists us from eating through? I know a significant number of folks regain due to not sticking with the lifestyle. What separates the surgery from simply doing it on my own? There HAS to be a difference. Right? Otherwise, why would we do this to our bodies? I'm feeling confused. :-/

I would agree that losing or maintaining a normal weight by means that do not involve surgery would always preferable. WLS is risky in an of itself, both during surgery and long-term.
Having said that, people (like me) who were never successful losing or maintaining, NEED something more. Personally, there is a night and day difference in my ability to lose and maintain. I've been successful for almost three years, which is something I wasn't able to do on my own. Still takes work, but at least I can do it now. I am the same person - I had plenty of will power, desire, and resources before surgery. The ONLY thing that changed was having the surgery.
One thing I find surprising - I've never heard one person who lost and maintained say they were sorry they had the surgery because they could have done it on their own. The only regrets I ever hear are people who have complications, people who don't lose, or those who have psychological problems making them unable to cope with change in lifestyle. I just went back and reread what you wrote - that people "...wish they could have done it without surgery'. I wish that, too. I also wish I'd win the lottery! Wishing you didn't have a disease needing treatment is different than wishing you didn't have the treatment.

If you were my patient I would say the same thing. Your rheumatologist wasn't trying to be insulting, they were simply stating fact. Be honest with yourself...wouldn't you avoid surgery IF you could lose the weight on your own? I know I would have. With that being said, having WLS was the best option for me at the time so I have no regrets.

I had my heart set on the sleeve. When I met with my surgeon he agreed with my decision. Due to the conditions I have he felt it was the best option for me.

For me making the choice to only tell my immediate family and a few close friends was absolutely the right choice. But I never thought of it as a "secret" I'm keeping, as I never once felt obligated to share my personal decision with the world.
At seven weeks out I am still feeling my way, and figuring things out. I enjoy only having to focus on myself for once. Everyday it seems, I find a new thing to get excited about. But since it's such a personal experience, I'm not sure I would have the energy to be constantly explaining it to the outside world. I'd rather focus that energy entirely on getting healthy, especially in the beginning.

I initially wanted the band as the sleeve and bypass sounded pretty darn scary. Very few doctors still perform the band procedure where I am, so after talking to 3 different doctors, I picked the one I felt most comfortable with and choose the sleeve. I asked him what his leak rate was, he told me he has never had one in over 8000 surgeries.

I, too, wanted the band when meeting with my doctor initially.
He was willing to go with that, but strongly recommended the sleeve for my situation.
I'm so glad I followed his lead, as this experience has been life-changing for me. Met my goal in 10 months (down 145 pounds) and am still very close to goal at 21 months out.

I LOVE THIS POINT OF VIEW! Focusing on yourself is really important:)

What are your concerns about the sleeve vs. the band? What was your reasoning for wanting the band?
I personally chose the sleeve because I didn't want a foreign object placed inside me and I didn't want to have the adjustments having to be made on a regular basis. I also had read quite a bit about the slipping that can happen with the band and I only wanted to have surgery once.
Your time out of work will depend on a few things. How quickly you recover from surgery and the type of activity your job requires. I took 11 days but have a desk job where I do walk around at times and really could have returned after a week. I recover pretty quickly and was off pain meds at day 3. I was still in the end grateful for the extra time to rest.
You won't be able to lift and such after surgery for a bit so if you can have help with the kids that would be great but you will be back at it pretty quickly. Rest where you can and don't overdo it, you do need time to heal so take it if you can.
If you have more questions you can always ask! Good luck!

I just talked to my surgeon and he recommended sleeve.. that was my original choice. .than changed my mind to bypass because I deal with reflux. But he suggested sleeve and at a later time if I wanted I could do the whole rny gastric bypass. So this is what I'm going to do

I picked, and my doctor agreed with me. I never considered lap-band as an option as I did not want to have to deal with the fills, etc., because my surgeon is a two hour drive away. So I was looking at sleeve vs. bypass and I just felt more comfortable with the sleeve so that's what I did. I'm one year and one week post-op and have lost 126 pounds so far and still losing slowly. I'm happy with my choice and would make it again in a heartbeat.

@@gobeit - I went to a preliminary seminar with hubby and after listening to the surgeon I felt like I was more comfortable with the sleeve. My adult daughter didn't want me to do anything permanent. Surgeon said I could choose between band or sleeve. So I headed down the lap-band path. I liked the idea of out-patient and being back to work in a day or so....long story short. I did the sleeve and am soooo happy with my choice. My HW was 282 and I am now hovering around 205-203....surgery was 5/6/15.
No regrets.

10 months post op update !
Almost 100 lbs down! Whoop whoop! (97 lb)
Highest weight - 287 lbs, current weight - 190 lbs and I'm 5'9" tall have another 25 lbs to go to meet my surgeon's goal and 35 lb to meet my own personal goal Everyone's looking great, by the way

I just had my first NUT on 9/3. I'm excited, nervous, a little overwhelmed and very hopeful...

I'm keeping mine a secret as well with the exception of my SO and potentially my kids once I get much closer to surgery day. I don't even feel like I can trust my Mom with the information.
As I've matured I find that I need the approval of others less in order to feel validated. That being said, I really don't want/need others opinions regarding my health choices. I don't want others re-telling versions of my health choices either. I think we all know that folks who haven't spent time in our shoes can be quick to judge or comment on something they can't possibly understand. Even those with the best of intentions can hurt or make you second guess yourself.
I've considered this step for two years now. I know what I want. I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping such a private medically founded decision solely your own. I only worry a bit about support at times but I feel like this is my life style change to make, not everyone else's. I have to figure out how to make my way in this new lifestyle. I would love to hear what others are doing for support if they aren't telling family and/or have weak support systems as that will be something I will need to prepare myself to deal with...

I'm keeping mine a secret as well with the exception of my SO and potentially my kids once I get much closer to surgery day. I don't even feel like I can trust my Mom with the information.
As I've matured I find that I need the approval of others less in order to feel validated. That being said, I really don't want/need others opinions regarding my health choices. I don't want others re-telling versions of my health choices either. I think we all know that folks who haven't spent time in our shoes can be quick to judge or comment on something they can't possibly understand. Even those with the best of intentions can hurt or make you second guess yourself.
I've considered this step for two years now. I know what I want. I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping such a private medically founded decision solely your own. I only worry a bit about support at times but I feel like this is my life style change to make, not everyone else's. I have to figure out how to make my way in this new lifestyle. I would love to hear what others are doing for support if they aren't telling family and/or have weak support systems as that will be something I will need to prepare myself to deal with...