Mattymatt

This is not easy but you've the right attitude: you can do it! Sometimes something as challenging as this is made all the easier when you know it's a hard requirement. This is something you must do.

It is amazing how skinny people see heavy people with such disdain. People look at me with disdain, like there is some sort of character flaw in me. It makes me uneasy around the opposite sex. I could get upset about it, but I won't be able to change their perception. Instead I can change myself and that I sure will do.

I cannot wait for people I know to pass me by because they do not recognize me. Then I will know that I have achieved something!

I am going the RNY route because of the lap band horrors (I knew someone that became seriously ill as a result of it slipping) and that the average amount of weight loss is lower on the sleeve. My surgeon says that if I take the vitamins and follow the recommended diet, I should not have a problem with malnutrition. Perhaps you would seriously consider going the RNY route. You don't want to have to go through three surgeries because you discover that the sleeve is not working as well as possible. I certainly don't want to put myself through that so RNY here we come!

These are all such good goals. May everyone achieve then and more.

That should be loads of fun! Multi-day trip?

Where will you be going?

I will NEVER like the middle seat.

Loose skin is the least of my problems. If I have some once I get to post surgery, so be it. I'm not doing this to look like I should be on the cover of people magazine. I just don't want to be a walking profit model for Big Pharma!

I just use those stupid remarks and questions to brag on myself a bit :-P

You got this!!

Good god! I remember those days in Information Technology. I worked for an airline, traveled constantly, and never knew what kind of cluster fsck I would run into. I do not miss those days. I burnt out on it! Information Technology is really stressful because you're only noticed when things go bad or you cannot fix a problem right away. The constant stress will definitely cause panic attacks and anxiety. I never had any aircraft delay that fell on my shoulders but I constantly worried because I could cause a delay that might mean someone dies because they don't get their organ transplant on time or some other critical matter. Best thing I ever did was completely walk away from it. Of course, all that stress took its toll on my body. I've got a lot of weight to lose. So now, I am in training to work as an Armed Security Officer because my undergrad is in Criminal Justice and the unemployment office is paying for the certification. There is a shortage of people willing to work security so it's easy to find jobs and I will do a lot of walking .... a lot of walking! I will miss the bigger paychecks but I will not miss the stress that reaches mortal levels. Is there any way you can change careers? Believe me, your body will thank you. I am now just a Type 2 Diabetic with Sleep Apnea and Morbid Obesity instead of being stressed out beyond reason. I would advise you to take a deep look at yourself and ask if sacrificing your health for your career is worth it. It certainly is not for me!

You're absolutely right! Diabetes is no joke at all. Your blood sugar is very well controlled and after a very short period of time. Mine is starting to come down now that I am, at least, eating much better and less. It's still higher than I want. I have neuropathy in my feet but since I am a newer diabetic, the doctors seem to think all of this will reverse as I lose weight. I don't want to die. I wish I had started this process earlier in my life too. :-(

LOL! You're all good. One of the nice things about bariatric surgery is the instant gratification (or almost anyway.) When I hear of people losing like 100 pounds in 3 months and even getting to goal weight in 6-8, I am getting eager to get going.

I've got 176 to lose

Being as heavy as I am, I miss my two loves: backpacking and cycling. I've been heavy all of my life, but at the times that I've been less heavy, I was able to ride 100 miles and backpack about that same distance. So, I'd really like to be able to shake the dust off of these hobbies. What do you miss doing that you would like to be able to do?

The lap band can slip causing damage to the stomach and even bleeding. There is a markedly higher complication rate and it is not nearly effective as getting gastric bypass out sleeve.

I am hoping that by telling myself sweets will make me sick, it will become the self-fulfilling prophecy.

That's awesome! I wish the two of you continued success.

The doctors are very serious and sober about the diet and lifestyle rules that you must abide by in order to avoid or lessen the complications. This procedure is not for the faint of heart. I believe you need to be 100% committed to it. I am struggling badly right now so I have great hope that when it becomes my turn on the surgeon's table, the journey to life long health will begin.

Your chances of a speed and easy recovery when you reach the phase that I am in are far less. Just keep that in mind.

Interesting .... no answer from the OP. I took the time to write a really supportive piece too. I sure wish I had it done earlier too.

Not even a full month has gone by and you're almost 40 pounds lighter! That's just incredible! Keep up the great work. You had your surgery when I had my first appointment with the surgeon.

Initially things started out looking like I would go the sleeve route but I want to go the traditional Roux-en-Y simply because I believe that I might have a bit of a sweet tooth and it would be better if sweets just were not an option. Plus, my Primary Care Physician is recommending the Roux-en-Y because she said that patients lose more weight and keep more of it off when compared to the sleeve. So, I am sold.

Human beings tend to be incredibly judgmental and the worse we feel about ourselves, the more we tend to pass harsher judgement on others. I thought about re-joining MyFitnessPal to track my food intake and for the supporting forums but they're all anti-Weight Loss Surgery and almost religiously so. How many of the MyFitnessPal members have managed to lose and keep the weight off? My guess is only about the national average of 10-15%. We are all here because yo-yo and fad dieting has not worked. The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I feel very empathetic for people in my shoes. I am even more empathetic towards the people with curmudgeon insurance companies that want to find every way to deny a patient access to weight loss surgery yet brag that they offer such coverage. My only regret is that I did not consider this earlier in my life. I feel sad that I did not pursue this option five or so years ago.