SpartanMaker

@Arabesque and @liveaboard15 already mentioned the issue with Calcium interfering with Iron absorption, but I wanted to make sure you knew that even dietary calcium like milk or yogurt will cause this. I think sometimes people forget about what they're eating and just think about supplemental calcium like chews.

This is an interesting question. I've read quite a lot of the scientific literature on Intermittent Fasting (IF) and I think it can be summarized as follows:
IF has similar and many times better results vs. daily calorie restriction if the goal is weight loss. A lot of this additional benefit is due to the inherent ketogenic nature of IF. Compliance with IF is typically better than daily calorie restriction. If weight loss is the goal, IF can fail spectacularly if the subject overeats when not fasting. This is problematic for some people because they feel like IF gives them an excuse to eat badly on refeed days/times. IF really only works if you eat "normally" when not actually fasting. While there are numerous studies showing improved biomarkers with IF, almost all of those were done with either animals, or with overweight subjects. When compared to daily calorie restriction, many, if not most of the benefits are explained simply by underfeeding, not by IF specifically. (I should note here that IF can be extremely beneficial for certain specific medical conditions. I'm excluding a discussion on that subject and assuming we're talking about otherwise healthy adults.) Taken as a whole, the conclusion I've personally come to is that IF can be beneficial for the right people, but it's not for everyone. Which leads me to your question:
Is Intermittent Fasting good for maintenance after WLS?
Assuming by "maintenance" you mean you'd be at or under a normal body weight, I'm not sure how beneficial IF would be? After all, IF is typically talked about as a diet or weight loss strategy. My point being that if instead, you are worried about or are actually seeing weight regain in "maintenance" then IF may work for you. Keep in mind however that IF & daily caloric restriction should both technically work. The question I can't answer is which is best for you. Only you know which eating pattern you can best comply with. Also, there are genetic and epigenetic factors at play here as well. Some people just do better with different eating patterns. The best advice may just be to try IF and see how you like it. Don't forget there are lots of different IF eating patterns and while 16/8 may work great for one person, someone else may need 5:2 or even alternate day to be successful.
If gaining weight is not an issue and you're looking more for the potential health benefits, I'll point out again that most of the scientific literature seems to support that both IF and underfeeding in general have the same benefits. This means it really comes down to you again. Can you avoid overeating when refeeding? Do you struggle with compliance on a "normal" diet? Your answers will determine your success with IF.

It can be difficult at first to get the full 64ozs in. Swelling from the surgery & a sensitive tummy can’t make it more challenging. As long as you’re making an effort & getting closer to the full 64ozs you’ll be ok. And don’t forget your Protein Shakes, Soups, broths, all count to your Fluid intake.
Often warm drinks are more soothing & easier to drink: try adding green or herbal tea to your daily fluid intake. Protein waters are great addition as well. Some find it helpful to set a timer so they sip every 5+/- minutes. I also drink during the night.
64ozs or 8 cups of liquids is actually the recommended intake goal for all adults not just those who’ve had weight loss surgery. It’s necessary for your body to function effectively.

I found this to be true for me, as well.
One other thing that has helped a lot is finding the "right" drink. As far as cool drinks go, I was struggling really badly for a while, but found that drinking iced tea actually helped a lot. I tried plain Water and water flavorings, but just could not get them down fast enough. For some reason, the tea (I drink decaf), really helped me. YMMV, but it wouldn't hurt to try other beverages and see if something else is easier on your tummy?

If snacking &/or overeating are your concerns, IF may not work for you. As @SpartanMaker said, its success depends upon compliance. If you’re drawn to snacking &/or overeating now, you’ll likely still do it in the smaller eating window of IF. It doesn’t stop you from eating or stop you from making not the best food choices.
If these are your areas of struggle, you’re half way there because you’ve identified the problem. Go back to measuring & monitoring your portions to get back on track. What are you snacking on & why are you snacking? Habit, boredom, craving, etc.? Look for something to distract you instead of snacking. We’ve years of thinking we need to go on a ‘diet’ when we put on some weight. When some simple changes of behaviour might be all we need.

With a few minor differences, I probably could have written your post. In addition to the back pain from multiple herniated disks, I was having sciatica so bad that I needed a walker to even walk at all. This was a chronic condition that I lived with for over 30 years. It tended to get a bit better for a while, but I could go downhill really fast. When it was at its worst, I retreated into the bottle to make it through the day.
I agree with @The Greater Fool that if you have not worked with a Pain Management Specialist, it's worth a try. That said, they tend to focus on medical treatments (such as different pain medications, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, etc.). Those may help you, but didn't do all that much for me. Before anyone asks, I tried 3 different pain management docs and over 25 different treatments and never got any lasting relief.
I don't say that to be discouraging! I mention it because I held out high hopes for pain management to be the "fix" for my pain. When it wasn't, I retreated even more into the bottle. I'd hate to see you have the same experience.
Because of that, in addition to pain management, I would encourage you to look into physical therapy, especially physical aquatic therapy, which should be available in most major population centers. I found this really made a big difference in my sciatica frequency, even if it didn't exactly eliminate the pain.
Other things to try include massage therapy (which I recommend via a physical therapy office, not a massage therapist as they will have more experience working with chronic pain patients), acupuncture & chiropractic care. Finally, don't neglect psychological therapy. Among other techniques, "Cognitive Behavior Therapy" can really help. Many people don't realize that pain is simply a sensation. It's our brains that actually determine how we respond to that sensation and CBT can help tremendously.
Bottom line, don't give up! There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, so you have to be your own advocate and continue to try things until you find what works for you.
I'm living proof it can be done.

With a few minor differences, I probably could have written your post. In addition to the back pain from multiple herniated disks, I was having sciatica so bad that I needed a walker to even walk at all. This was a chronic condition that I lived with for over 30 years. It tended to get a bit better for a while, but I could go downhill really fast. When it was at its worst, I retreated into the bottle to make it through the day.
I agree with @The Greater Fool that if you have not worked with a Pain Management Specialist, it's worth a try. That said, they tend to focus on medical treatments (such as different pain medications, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, etc.). Those may help you, but didn't do all that much for me. Before anyone asks, I tried 3 different pain management docs and over 25 different treatments and never got any lasting relief.
I don't say that to be discouraging! I mention it because I held out high hopes for pain management to be the "fix" for my pain. When it wasn't, I retreated even more into the bottle. I'd hate to see you have the same experience.
Because of that, in addition to pain management, I would encourage you to look into physical therapy, especially physical aquatic therapy, which should be available in most major population centers. I found this really made a big difference in my sciatica frequency, even if it didn't exactly eliminate the pain.
Other things to try include massage therapy (which I recommend via a physical therapy office, not a massage therapist as they will have more experience working with chronic pain patients), acupuncture & chiropractic care. Finally, don't neglect psychological therapy. Among other techniques, "Cognitive Behavior Therapy" can really help. Many people don't realize that pain is simply a sensation. It's our brains that actually determine how we respond to that sensation and CBT can help tremendously.
Bottom line, don't give up! There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, so you have to be your own advocate and continue to try things until you find what works for you.
I'm living proof it can be done.

With a few minor differences, I probably could have written your post. In addition to the back pain from multiple herniated disks, I was having sciatica so bad that I needed a walker to even walk at all. This was a chronic condition that I lived with for over 30 years. It tended to get a bit better for a while, but I could go downhill really fast. When it was at its worst, I retreated into the bottle to make it through the day.
I agree with @The Greater Fool that if you have not worked with a Pain Management Specialist, it's worth a try. That said, they tend to focus on medical treatments (such as different pain medications, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, etc.). Those may help you, but didn't do all that much for me. Before anyone asks, I tried 3 different pain management docs and over 25 different treatments and never got any lasting relief.
I don't say that to be discouraging! I mention it because I held out high hopes for pain management to be the "fix" for my pain. When it wasn't, I retreated even more into the bottle. I'd hate to see you have the same experience.
Because of that, in addition to pain management, I would encourage you to look into physical therapy, especially physical aquatic therapy, which should be available in most major population centers. I found this really made a big difference in my sciatica frequency, even if it didn't exactly eliminate the pain.
Other things to try include massage therapy (which I recommend via a physical therapy office, not a massage therapist as they will have more experience working with chronic pain patients), acupuncture & chiropractic care. Finally, don't neglect psychological therapy. Among other techniques, "Cognitive Behavior Therapy" can really help. Many people don't realize that pain is simply a sensation. It's our brains that actually determine how we respond to that sensation and CBT can help tremendously.
Bottom line, don't give up! There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, so you have to be your own advocate and continue to try things until you find what works for you.
I'm living proof it can be done.

With a few minor differences, I probably could have written your post. In addition to the back pain from multiple herniated disks, I was having sciatica so bad that I needed a walker to even walk at all. This was a chronic condition that I lived with for over 30 years. It tended to get a bit better for a while, but I could go downhill really fast. When it was at its worst, I retreated into the bottle to make it through the day.
I agree with @The Greater Fool that if you have not worked with a Pain Management Specialist, it's worth a try. That said, they tend to focus on medical treatments (such as different pain medications, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, etc.). Those may help you, but didn't do all that much for me. Before anyone asks, I tried 3 different pain management docs and over 25 different treatments and never got any lasting relief.
I don't say that to be discouraging! I mention it because I held out high hopes for pain management to be the "fix" for my pain. When it wasn't, I retreated even more into the bottle. I'd hate to see you have the same experience.
Because of that, in addition to pain management, I would encourage you to look into physical therapy, especially physical aquatic therapy, which should be available in most major population centers. I found this really made a big difference in my sciatica frequency, even if it didn't exactly eliminate the pain.
Other things to try include massage therapy (which I recommend via a physical therapy office, not a massage therapist as they will have more experience working with chronic pain patients), acupuncture & chiropractic care. Finally, don't neglect psychological therapy. Among other techniques, "Cognitive Behavior Therapy" can really help. Many people don't realize that pain is simply a sensation. It's our brains that actually determine how we respond to that sensation and CBT can help tremendously.
Bottom line, don't give up! There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, so you have to be your own advocate and continue to try things until you find what works for you.
I'm living proof it can be done.

With a few minor differences, I probably could have written your post. In addition to the back pain from multiple herniated disks, I was having sciatica so bad that I needed a walker to even walk at all. This was a chronic condition that I lived with for over 30 years. It tended to get a bit better for a while, but I could go downhill really fast. When it was at its worst, I retreated into the bottle to make it through the day.
I agree with @The Greater Fool that if you have not worked with a Pain Management Specialist, it's worth a try. That said, they tend to focus on medical treatments (such as different pain medications, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, etc.). Those may help you, but didn't do all that much for me. Before anyone asks, I tried 3 different pain management docs and over 25 different treatments and never got any lasting relief.
I don't say that to be discouraging! I mention it because I held out high hopes for pain management to be the "fix" for my pain. When it wasn't, I retreated even more into the bottle. I'd hate to see you have the same experience.
Because of that, in addition to pain management, I would encourage you to look into physical therapy, especially physical aquatic therapy, which should be available in most major population centers. I found this really made a big difference in my sciatica frequency, even if it didn't exactly eliminate the pain.
Other things to try include massage therapy (which I recommend via a physical therapy office, not a massage therapist as they will have more experience working with chronic pain patients), acupuncture & chiropractic care. Finally, don't neglect psychological therapy. Among other techniques, "Cognitive Behavior Therapy" can really help. Many people don't realize that pain is simply a sensation. It's our brains that actually determine how we respond to that sensation and CBT can help tremendously.
Bottom line, don't give up! There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, so you have to be your own advocate and continue to try things until you find what works for you.
I'm living proof it can be done.

With a few minor differences, I probably could have written your post. In addition to the back pain from multiple herniated disks, I was having sciatica so bad that I needed a walker to even walk at all. This was a chronic condition that I lived with for over 30 years. It tended to get a bit better for a while, but I could go downhill really fast. When it was at its worst, I retreated into the bottle to make it through the day.
I agree with @The Greater Fool that if you have not worked with a Pain Management Specialist, it's worth a try. That said, they tend to focus on medical treatments (such as different pain medications, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, etc.). Those may help you, but didn't do all that much for me. Before anyone asks, I tried 3 different pain management docs and over 25 different treatments and never got any lasting relief.
I don't say that to be discouraging! I mention it because I held out high hopes for pain management to be the "fix" for my pain. When it wasn't, I retreated even more into the bottle. I'd hate to see you have the same experience.
Because of that, in addition to pain management, I would encourage you to look into physical therapy, especially physical aquatic therapy, which should be available in most major population centers. I found this really made a big difference in my sciatica frequency, even if it didn't exactly eliminate the pain.
Other things to try include massage therapy (which I recommend via a physical therapy office, not a massage therapist as they will have more experience working with chronic pain patients), acupuncture & chiropractic care. Finally, don't neglect psychological therapy. Among other techniques, "Cognitive Behavior Therapy" can really help. Many people don't realize that pain is simply a sensation. It's our brains that actually determine how we respond to that sensation and CBT can help tremendously.
Bottom line, don't give up! There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, so you have to be your own advocate and continue to try things until you find what works for you.
I'm living proof it can be done.

With a few minor differences, I probably could have written your post. In addition to the back pain from multiple herniated disks, I was having sciatica so bad that I needed a walker to even walk at all. This was a chronic condition that I lived with for over 30 years. It tended to get a bit better for a while, but I could go downhill really fast. When it was at its worst, I retreated into the bottle to make it through the day.
I agree with @The Greater Fool that if you have not worked with a Pain Management Specialist, it's worth a try. That said, they tend to focus on medical treatments (such as different pain medications, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, etc.). Those may help you, but didn't do all that much for me. Before anyone asks, I tried 3 different pain management docs and over 25 different treatments and never got any lasting relief.
I don't say that to be discouraging! I mention it because I held out high hopes for pain management to be the "fix" for my pain. When it wasn't, I retreated even more into the bottle. I'd hate to see you have the same experience.
Because of that, in addition to pain management, I would encourage you to look into physical therapy, especially physical aquatic therapy, which should be available in most major population centers. I found this really made a big difference in my sciatica frequency, even if it didn't exactly eliminate the pain.
Other things to try include massage therapy (which I recommend via a physical therapy office, not a massage therapist as they will have more experience working with chronic pain patients), acupuncture & chiropractic care. Finally, don't neglect psychological therapy. Among other techniques, "Cognitive Behavior Therapy" can really help. Many people don't realize that pain is simply a sensation. It's our brains that actually determine how we respond to that sensation and CBT can help tremendously.
Bottom line, don't give up! There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, so you have to be your own advocate and continue to try things until you find what works for you.
I'm living proof it can be done.

For sure! I learned that one the hard way!
The other trick I found works well is to do like you would if you were adding cornstarch to a recipe. Basically make a slurry with a tiny bit of cold Water & the Isopure, then stir that into your Soup, broth, etc. Really helps to keep it from having lumps.

Make sure you check it when you're actually having a dizzy spell. It may be dropping temporarily and then going back up. Also pay attention to your pulse rate when this happens. If it's really low (below 60), that too can cause fatigue and lightheadedness.
Some other common reasons post WLS:
Dehydration Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) Anemia If it's happening a lot, it's definitely worth talking to your medical team.

Do you have a way to check your blood pressure? This sounds to me like it could be low blood pressure (hypotension). It's not uncommon post WLS surgery.
There are of course other possible causes of your symptoms, but I'd start here since it's easy to check.

I'll be honest. I cringed when I read this. I become concerned when I see people using ankle weights to do cardo. There are a number of reasons I would recommend avoiding this:
They change your gait mechanics, which can make you more prone to injury. For any impact movements like walking or running, you are increasing the impact on your joints, again making you more likely to injure yourself. These are not a substitute for weight training. You are mostly moving them along a horizontal plane, so they do very little to actually strengthen your muscles. (It's a bit of an oversimplification, but you'd likely need to move them along a vertical plane for that and you'd need to use a lot more weight.) While studies on this are a bit inconclusive, some studies suggest that there is very little to no actual benefit when used for cardiovascular exercises like running, walking or biking. The reason is that while it does increase the effort required, it tends to make you move slower to compensate. In other words, you'd burn roughly the same number of calories just by picking up the pace. (And by doing that you wouldn't have the increased injury risk.) You do you, but I think you'll find most reputable trainers, exercise physiologists and physical therapists would also advise avoiding them.
The other thing that I saw here that concerned me is the risk of overtraining. 2.5 hours of exercise in one day may be too much for you if you're not used to this? Overtraining can also lead to injuries, fatigue and burnout, all of which are the enemies of consistency. The single best thing we all can do to improve our health is ensure we are consistently exercising. Consistent, slow increases in your overall exercise workload are important to long-term health and fitness.

As a vet, I'd like to kindly suggest you reframe your thinking. There's no cheating, there are no bad foods. You're still allowed to eat and enjoy food. It's all about balance. You don't need to feel guilty or do an extreme work out to make up for anything. You're going to need to find a sustainable way of eating and relating to food.
Realistically, you likely ate under 1500 calories0 calories

I'm like you, I'd much rather "play" for fitness. I created a list of sports I want to try. Now this is my list and some you may hate the idea of, but perhaps some of them might appeal to you:
Archery Backpacking Boxing Disk Golf Fencing Golf Hang Gliding Kayaking Kitesurfing Martial arts Mountain biking Mud runs Orienteering Parkour Pilates Powerlifting Racquetball Repelling Rock climbing Rowing Sailing Scuba Diving Skiing – cross country Skiing – downhill Snorkeling Snowboarding Snowkiting Snowmobiling Squash Stand-up Paddle Boarding Swimming Tennis Trail Running Ultimate Frisbee Volleyball Windsurfing Yoga

For sure! I learned that one the hard way!
The other trick I found works well is to do like you would if you were adding cornstarch to a recipe. Basically make a slurry with a tiny bit of cold Water & the Isopure, then stir that into your Soup, broth, etc. Really helps to keep it from having lumps.

This made me realize that I planned for EVERYTHING except for my Water intake. Thanks for the reminder!!

I just got back from a 5 day "mini-vacation" and the one thing I can say is that I way, way over prepared. I was so worried about having food I could eat that I put together multiple bento boxes (one per day), that I never touched. I also had Protein Bars, Protein Drinks, Protein Snacks, etc. I hardly touched any of that either. Mostly I just ate what everyone else was eating, just a lot less.
I think in the end it was good for me to learn to eat "in the real world".
The one thing I did struggle with was getting my liquids in. We were pretty active most of the time and I kept falling behind on my Fluid intake. In retrospect, I think I actually should have focused a lot more on how to get my fluids in, and a lot less on the food part.

this is part two… part one brought me to surgery with my weight loss adventure ..
(quick warning, i tried not to be graphic but an infection is referenced)
now I am someone who weighs almost every day for several months but i have trained my brain to be chill about the number… just watch for trends because bodies are sometimes heavier for non fat related reasons… i have seen my body go up, down and drop drastically and rise rapidly all while loosing weight as a trend…
now i am in my early post op and start with my surgery weight of 351.4 on 11/3/22
sat, 11/5/2022 - day 2 post op after first night home - i dropped to 349.4 - considering swelling and fluids I was satisfied because I thought that I would have been up..
sun, 11/6 - 348.4 - spent lots of time walking in my yard gathering pecans with my picker upper stick for a few days - more than 5 gallons worth
mon, 11/7 - 347.6 struggling with fluids, slight pull feeing while sitting and standing but otherwise good!
tues, 11/8 - 349.2 - more sore but not really in pain.. i attributed this to walking a bit much the day before and trying to get more fluids… tried to power through and keep being as active as i could… (today i also had bathroom success lol)
Wednesday, 11/9 - 349.2 - incision area hurting more and thought that I truly overdid it and took a lazy day… mild temp of barely 99
Thursday 11/10 - 347 - more pain in big incision area and it was warmer, mild fever 99.8 degrees- still blaming myself for pushing myself to be so active post op. took a super lazy day (even made someone get a birthday cake for my son who turned 19)
friday 11/11 - 345.4 - something was wrong. pain was so much worse getting up and down and even sometimes moving. temp went to 100.8 in morning and i was feeing off. called dr and waited for call back. incision area looked ok but felt warm and kinda harder than it did.. not much redness… by 1 pm temp spiked to 101.7 even with tylenol. called again to dr and said something was wrong … they called in antibiotics and made appt for monday to see how i would respond.
11/11 - trip to town going to antibiotics- my husband drove .. we went into aldi to pick up a couple items before going to kroger to get meds and another grocery order ( we were feeding guests on saturday playing a game) and i actually have little memory or the store trip just bits and pieces … i told my husband i had a big problem and my pants were wet.... my infection, well, ruptured while in store.. we went to kroger to get antibiotics where i took one in the parking lot then i fell asleep immediately in the car for the ride home (unusual).. when finally hope after another stop i slept through, i groggily made my way in the house, cleaned myself up with hibclens and stumbled into bed without bandaging my still seeping wound and wrapped up shivering … and immediately went back to sleep… my mom called an hour or two later and i answers on my watch.. groggy and not very coherent.. hard to love, hard to talk, slurring words.. she called my husband who was doing another errand and he eventually came home and checked on me .. i was not medicated as he thought and still seeping a lot and he bundled me up and brought me to the er despite my slurring attempts to protest that i was perfectly fine and just wanted to sleep..
the er had a full waiting room, but when the staff talked to me and saw the state of the towel against my incision area - i was not only taken back but in a room immediately… my bad veins were acting up.. 7 different iv attempts and had to get an arterial pull for blood.. multiple bags of Fluid, potassium iv, multiple antibiotics, a ct with contrast, .. in other words a long long night..
11/12 - 7 am my surgeon came to er and i was more coherent than most of the night… i had a large infection and was a little dehydrated … but with the treatment already received and the iv antibiotics combined with oral, he thought i would be ok and i could go home with a bandages wound and see him monday morning. i slept for a few hours when i got home, then woke up sore and still hurting some but better than i had felt in a few days. bandages changed every couple hours due to drainage.
when i got home before 9 am i weighed myself out of curiosity and i was 352. it made me laugh because they really did pump me full of fluids!!

every day after got better. less pain, discharge stopped monday and slowly the fluids started to come off.
i am now 17 days post op and i am down to 335.6 for the second day in a row. might be that famous 3 week stall early. but i am fine with that because it usually means good healing is finally taking place and the scale with catch up eventually.

i can move better than pre surgery and 100% better than six months or a year ago.
my stamina still sucks but is improving
even with the infection (two types of streptococcal bacteria) I am doing good and on my way to the life that i keep telling myself I deserve to live. i want to make plans and do things for the first time in a few years. i am no longer afraid to go to a store because it hurt my back so badly and turned my face from pale white to Tomato red due to the physical effort… i can actually go in without the immediate pain!

so far even with the setback this is one of the best things i ever did for me

I completely agree with you. I'm 57 and had my sleeve 11 weeks ago. How I wish I had done this when I was in my 30s or 40s as I also feel like I missed out on so much due to my weight! Already feel its the best thing I've done and down 17kg (38 lb).
I say go for it! It's a great tool to help with our weight loss journey

I hate that "it's taking the easy way out" line. There's nothing easy about this. Plus, why in the world would that even matter? It's like some people think if we use a tool like surgery, we didn't pay our "penance" for being fat.
"Nope, sorry, you're not worthy of being healthy, because you cheated your way to health. Do it the right way or not at all"
Really?
I sympathize with the position you're in as my wife was and still is very anti weight-loss surgery. Her line was always why would you permanently alter your anatomy when it's possible to do this without making so drastic a change? My response is I never had a problem losing weight, what I always struggled with was maintaining. After way too many yo-yo diets, I needed to do something else. Dieting alone was not working for me. I needed a better tool.
That's what it is, by the way, a tool. The analogy I like to use is that WLS is like a shovel. I know that sounds odd, but bear with me...
I've dug quite a number of holes on my property to plant trees. Most of those trees will be here longer than I will, but It's still worth it to plant them. I suppose technically I could have tried to dig those holes with my hands but wow, that would have been a challenge and I'm not sure I would have been able to finish the job.
With a shovel, it became doable. The shovel still was a lot of work, but it made an almost impossible job, possible. No one thinks using a shovel is "cheating", we just think of it as a better tool.
At the end of the day, the risk of early death for me was extremely high with cardiac issues, diabetes, liver and kidney problems, etc. I began to feel that I was living on borrowed time. WLS for me was life-changing and life saving. It immediately reversed my diabetes and high-blood pressure. I used the tool because I had reached the point where all I saw in front of me was an early death.
For what it's worth, it would also seem that the medical community takes your side here based on the available medical evidence:
https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/442260-after-30-years-new-guidelines-for-weight-loss-surgery/
Best of luck whatever you decide.

Hmm, I look at it completely the other way around. How I wish I'd done this when I was 44, or even better 34, instead of waiting to my late 50's.
I think of all the opportunities to enjoy life I passed up on because I was too fat. How many opportunities to do things as a family did I pass up on because I was to heavy to do them. How many times did I stay home instead of go out because of my weight.
I also think of the fact that I lived decades in pain that probably could have been avoided had I been healthier when I was younger. How many of the 15 plus surgeries that I've had could have been avoided? How many of the conditions like diabetes, coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure could I have avoided entirely had I done this decades ago?
I think of the fact that I now see the same patterns of disordered eating showing up in my grown children and have to wonder if I'd addressed this obesity disease when I was younger, could I have modeled healthy living for them and perhaps have broken the cycle? I have to wonder if now it's too late for them to see me making health changes and make their own changes as a result.
So yes, how I wish I'd done this while I was "awfully young".