Little Green

I went to my first WLS information seminar today at a hospital in a city about 90 minutes from me. My husband had extensive inpatient treatment there after a bad accident, so we are familiar with and trust the hospital, plus they are an ASMBS certified center. I liked the surgeon and I gave them my contact info to set up an initial appointment.

However, I am now feeling like I should speak with another surgeon/center near to where I live before I decide to move forward with this hospital. Based on the information I received today about preop screenings, the visits seem like they will be multiple times monthly by the time you do the dietitian, psychologist, labs, sleep study, etc. I wouldn't not choose the hospital I visited with today solely because of the distance, but if I found another reputable surgeon nearby that I liked, the distance might cause them to win out.

What do you think? How many surgeons did you see before choosing one?

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts, good and bad, on this thread. It really helps people like me who are in the planning phase of things.

I agree with @@HurricaneU that the weight loss is usually the easier part, but it's the weight maintenance that's difficult. I would see WLS as a tool to help maintain a loss. I do have to admit I would be upset if I lost slowly, though. So I understand why that's so frustrating. I guess that is something I should get prepared for in case it happens to me.

As for people who look "tired" or older after losing a lot of weight... I guess I figure I'm getting this surgery as a way to be fitter and do things I can't do right now. Shovel snow, climb up into the attic, set up/break down during camping, help my friends move, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. So maybe I will look like a tired, saggy old hag afterward but as long as I get strong enough to live the way I want to live physically I will be OK with that.

@@suzzzzz Nothing at all. I could tell stories, but it would tarnish my lily white reputation. My coffee cup was made of glass. Besides, if I filled a red Solo cup up with wine, it might not be a good idea. We used to observe a phenomenon on a board where I was a moderator which we termed "posting while drunk". I would hate to get into that.

I'm not a moderator there, but I lurk on a board where the term is "PWP" - "Posting While Plastered." Makes for some very interesting posts!

Thank you so much for sharing! As someone learning about surgery I really need to hear about success stories like yours. (Women who start the process at over 350 lbs can be hard to find.) Thanks for sharing your progress and positivity! Your pictures are lovely, too.

Anyone experiencing Snowmageddon this weekend?

I'm in Virginia and got blanketed with 10.5 inches of snow. Might as well be 3 feet for this part of the country! I did my best to shovel this morning but it was definitely tough work. In my future "fit" life I hope to shovel snow with the best & strongest of them!

We don't need no stinkin' beaches! LOL!

I just googled "weight loss" and picked an image. I can't work up the courage to post my face yet. Even though I doubt anyone I know would be on a bariatric forum! Maybe it feels too "real" and I'm not there yet!

ETA: My ticker is a girl running through a lovely meadow, and not a beach, at least! Or maybe she is a beach, who knows?!

Thank you to everyone for the new replies! I don't want to quote all as it will be excessively long!

I consider things like tracking food (I use MFP) and planning out macros and all that to be part of the package and not a part of the excessive craziness. I will probably track my food forever. My dietitian (not part of a surgery team, so I will probably have to see a different one for pre-surgery purposes) told me that people who track their food in a journal lose literally 2x the weight as those who don't. And I also saw a study that said obese people are worse at estimating calories than normal-weight people. So I figure, weigh/measure/track is the way to go.

@@catwoman7 What activities do you do daily/weekly that make you feel obsessed? Similar to the things I mentioned in my post (books, bingeing on weight loss shows, constantly going to forums, etc.) or something else? If you don't mind sharing.

I really appreciate all the replies to this post!

Lol you sound like a former professional dieter like I was. Short answer is no. If you want to keep the weight off in the long term you need to have good eating habits. In the short term (1st year) most people will lose a significant amount no matter what. Beyond that it is healthy eating but does not need to be obsessive. So sounds like it could be a fit for you. Dr weiner has some great videos on YouTube about rates of weight loss and long term results

I'm glad you haven't found it necessary to continue with the craziness! That is my hope for having WLS. Thanks for the recommendation; I'm a YouTube freak so I would to see those!

I really like this question.

The first 3 months I was obsessed. I slacked off months 3 to 6, then months 6-12 I was semi-obsessed. Now I am 1/2 through year 2 and it isn't obsession it is just normal life. I like to weigh all my food, at first that seemed obsessive, now it just seems normal. I read all the labels on everything. I dodge bad food and trigger foods like the plague.

I needed the time to focus on myself and adjust to a new lifestyle and habits. Now that it is a lifestyle, I am more back to my normal habits.

I don't think like a fat person anymore, I think like a thin person, without having to force myself to think like a thin person.

I do think people that really dedicate themselves to the process and learning will have better long term success. If you treat WLS just like another diet, you will squander the benefits of it.

I think the bolded is super key for me. Not having to "force" it by maintaining an obsessive, exclusive focus. I'm really glad to hear you've been successful!

This is truly a lifestyle change and not a diet. The adjustments required become 2nd nature. I choose to live a full life and always have. The only time I was obsessive after surgery was about following my post op plan. However, I still enjoyed my life by going out with friends and had a kitchen remodel start on day 4 after surgery. Being sleeved is forever just as how each one of us decides our compliance.

Wow! You are very brave haha. I'm currently a full-time student and taking care of my husband who is disabled, and I'm trying to plan everything around school so that I don't have anything else on my plate during the time of WLS. Thank you for the words of encouragement, and definitely appreciate the idea of things becoming a lifestyle/second nature instead of "This is my short-term focus."

Wow! I'm very ignorant about WLS approvals (though very familiar with dealing with health insurance for long-term disabilities) so forgive me for speculating but it seems strange they would hold an application submitted in 2016 to standards that were not in effect until 2017. Maybe they held onto it so they could deny it for that reason... or maybe I am just skeptical of insco's! I hope you get a good result from the P2P with your doctor.

Hello all, I am a newbie who is still in the research phase of things. I have lost a lot of weight in the past, up to about 80 pounds, but have regained most of it. I am going to a seminar on Jan. 28 at a bariatric Center of Excellence surgeon/hospital to begin the "non-anonymous" learning process.

One of my concerns is that in order to make weight loss work I have to be completely obsessed with it. Not just the normal food prep, weighing/measuring food, meal plans, etc. but even the books I read, the movies/TV I watch, anything I do on the internet... it was all weight-related. Like I would binge-watch Biggest Loser and if I went online it would be to a weight-loss forum to discuss more stuff about eating and weight loss. And if I read a book it would be a diet memoir or a "why sugar is terrible for you" or other science journalism type book. And I joined a support group and took nutrition classes. Basically anything to do with weight/nutrition became my hobby.

And then, any time I found a new interest or had an event in my life - like when I got engaged and started planning a wedding or when I took up a new craft - I would switch my energy to that and lose my focus. It was like as soon as the obsession with weight loss stuff went, so did the eating habits.

In your experience, post-WLS, do you find that you have to maintain that intense focus to the exclusion of all other hobbies? And if so, for how long? Forever? Or have you reached a place where you can (just for example) take up knitting and binge-watch Orange is the New Black without it affecting your meal planning and eating habits?

I have a somewhat addictive/obsessive personality so I know it will likely be unavoidable for the year or two surrounding the WLS if I decide to have it. But, long term, I'd like to live a somewhat normal life - eating small to moderate portions, tracking my food intake, getting in physical activity every day, yes of course to all of that - but also be able to enjoy other hobbies, books, movies, etc. that don't have to do with weight or fitness.

Sorry for the lengthy post; succinct is not a word frequently used to describe me! Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Hey, I'm a newbie here. Has anyone had surgery at VCU?