helenah

Helena,
Wow you sound like me. I am older (55) though. I have always just wanted to be around the 200lb mark also. I am 5'9. My weight hovered around 275 for most of my adult life. I was able to get down to 230 on my own several times, but then hit a wall, and gained it all back. As i got older, I started having blood sugar issues and was told I needed a total knee replacement. I was too heavy for that surgery. I decide to do a gastric sleeve two years ago. I had my knee replaced two months ago. I have maintained my weight loss for 2 years. This was a Godsend for me. This is a personal choice, but worked wonders for me. It is not the magic wand. You still need to watch what you eat and do the right thing everyday. Hoping this helps.
~Lisa

Yes. I love how my sleeve won't let me cheat. I occasionally give in to temptation and try to eat too much, and my sleeve be like "What we're not going to do today..." LOL

That's kind of why surgery works: you don't really get a day off. You can't get lazy and eat too much.

Yes, you most definitely can! But it is all about mindset and what you feel you are deserving of. You must feel "worthy" and trust that your body loves you and is always working in your favor, not against you. Even when our bodies gain weight it is because it is protecting us in some way. Understanding that is key! You can do this!!!
Much love, Steph

You're swimming upstream fighting against a heavy current.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4539812/
"In simple obesity (body mass index = 30.0–34.9 kg/m2), the annual probability of attaining normal weight was 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women, increasing to 1 in 1290 for men and 1 in 677 for women with morbid obesity (body mass index = 40.0–44.9 kg/m2)"
"At least 50% of patients who achieved 5% weight loss were shown to have regained this weight within 2 years. It has previously been reported that approximately 80% of people who intentionally achieve weight loss of 10% or more of their body weight will regain that weight within a year."

Firstly hi all, I'm new here. My name is Helena.
Just a little backdrop - I'm 37 years old, from the UK. I'm 5'9 and weigh 270lbs/20 stone.
I talked to my local doctor recently about getting weight loss surgery and then I few weeks later I suddenly get a letter through telling me that an appointment has been booked with a bariatric surgeon in a few months time! If I'm approved I will be getting the surgery done on the NHS which means I essentially don't have to pay for it.
That sounds like a blessing. But of course now I'm freaking out, being the massive coward I am I have been binge watching vlogs and from everything I'm hearing - whilst the end result is great - I don't know if I want to or even if I CAN go through the operation. For many reasons.
Firstly I have never been operated on. I've never had children so don't know what childbirth or a c section feels like. I've been pretty blessed, aside from a herniated disc I had a few years ago, I've managed to live a pretty pain free life.
The second thing might sound a little bit selfish but in my 30s I grew to accept myself as a bigger person. Whilst I hate the size that I am I feel like I don't really care about getting down to my ideal bmi and that I would be perfectly happy being 220lbs or if I'm really lucky 200lbs (I told you, thats gonna sound selfish). I can live with a heavier me.
Ideally I just want to lose some weight. But by some I don't mean 10lbs, enough so that I can lose a few dress sizes. Many years ago I lost just one dress size and felt amazing, so much more confident. But that was in my 20s and achieved from pretty much a starvation diet (about 700-800 calories a day, only lasted a few weeks and of course eventually put it all back on). I won't be able to do a starvation diet in my 30s, don't have the willpower now.
So I want to keep the surgery option as my last, last, LAST option (without sounding ungrateful) but so far all the success stories I've heard of people who have lost roughly 50lbs-70lbs or more is that it was achieved through some sort of surgery.
Do you honestly think its achievable to lose the weight naturally within a year (I need to lose it within a year) or do you think I should just prepare myself for the surgery??
Sorry if you think its a stupid question, I'm just kinda lonely with no one else to really turn to so I kinda need to get this off my chest. If you think it can be achieved naturally could you tell me what diet/weight loss plan I should opt for?
Thank you for listening x

Thank you! I’m definitely not ruling it out completely.

My only regret was that this surgery was not available years ago. I had my VSG 12 years ago, in my mid 50's. I am now 67 years old ( next week !) and lost and gained back weight my entire life. I weigh less now what I weighed in graduate school, which was in 1980. I have lost half of myself. I started at 320 before my pre surgery weight loss. I am not skinny by any means. But I went from super morbidly obese to now in the (high) but NORMAL range of BMI - but more than that, I have learned how to maintain my weight loss.
Can you lose 70 pounds without Weight loss surgery ? I don't know. Will you lose 70 pounds with surgery ? YES. Is it scary to have surgery ? Yes, especially thinking about it ahead of time. But having surgery in your 30's is easier than in your 50's !!!
And By the way, having bariatric surgery helps us to lose weight NATURALLY. There is nothing un-natural about surgical intervention for a medical problem. Don't think of yourself as being broken. Think of this surgical intervention as a medical necessity for your future.

High protein, low carb calorie deficit with low impact excersices! I was just consistent with it

You absolutely CAN. I lost 95lbs pre-op. However, I have a history of keeping weight loss off long term. I got the surgery & it's helping me keep weight off & continue to lose. I only regret not getting it sooner.
From WebMD:
"Only around 5% of people who fall in the morbidly obese range are successful at losing weight without surgical assistance."

All of these responses are great and right on point! I believe we have had all had the same type thoughts and questions. I finally asked myself, after many times of losing and gaining: "Well how did that work out for ya?" Apparently not well! LOL Surgery was the best decision ever!!!! Best Wishes!

Thank you so much for all the answers.
catwoman 7 - you’re totally right. So much more goes into it than imagined. Over the years I would lose 20lbs and then regain it. No idea why I never stick to the diet that’s working for me
Summerset - haha you’re right, a WLS forum was probably a weird choice for my question but it was the only forum I could think of at the time.
Jeanniebug - yes I am planning on still going to the appointment. You’re right I’ve also heard that the waiting list could be up to two years and that they might put you on a weight loss program first. That would be so ideal.

pintsizedmallrat - two things did work for me in the past. Kettlebell workouts and intermittent fasting (mainly OMAD) but I just very stupidly gave up after a month of trying. I think my bigger problem is I get lazy and stop. No idea why. I’m gonna try combining the two soon!
Summerseeker - Wow that’s amazing, 10 stone on slimming world! Perhaps I should join them.

thank you so much!!

Hi Helena- welcome. Do i think you could lose the weight in a year? Yes, I have done that several times in my lifetime. But the weight always came back once I returned to eating carbs with no restraint. I am 52 now and just had the surgery in early March— with a goal to lose 65 lbs. I just couldn’t stand being that heavy again- and am tired of fighting it alone. I see the VSG as a tool to help me get to my health goals. While it may be a bit quicker, I still think it will be tougher to reach those lower ranges again— but my health will be better for it. No more “A1C1 markers being close to pre-diabetes”, no more (or hopefully less) strain on my feet and knees due to extra weight, no more feeling like a penguin. Surgery is NOT fun, but it wasn’t terrible. I have had many, this was my fourth in a year. I missed one day of work- that’s it. Ive already lost close to 25lbs- 12 before surgery and the rest since 3/3. This was a jump start on a healthier life— you can take a different path, and I know you could get there either way. Just make the right decision for you and your body. Good luck!

Some people can do it without surgery. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. Like the others, I would lose weight, only to regain it, and more each time. One thing that you will see in these threads are people saying they wish they did it sooner. I am one of those as well. I wish I didn't put it off. I wish I did it in my 30s, it would have saved me years of frustration and pain, mentally, emotionally and physically. I guess that's why I am sharing my thoughts with you. I wish someone sat me down then and told me that I needed help, that it was only going to get worse. Instead, they just kept telling me "just don't eat so much". No one in my family understood overweight people. To them, it was simple but not to me. It still isn't. I still have to work on it every day. WLS saved my life in so many ways.

If you do decide to do it without surgery, it would probably be helpful getting a therapist to help you with your relationship to food and to be successful.

I too have lost weight many, many times but every single time I put the weight back on. So can you lose weight without surgery? Yes. The real question is can you keep it off. I always went back to eating the same way as soon as a diet was over so of course I put the weight back on. I also messed up my metabolic rate by doing those very low calorie diets too many times & practising meal skipping to ‘manage’ my weight. The surgery gave me time to change everything about what, why & when I ate, my habits & whole relationship with food.
It was the best thing I ever did. I lost all my weight & more & have pretty much maintained that weight. Has it restricted my life in any way? No.
Now some truths about weight loss surgery. The average weight loss after bypass or sleeve surgery is about 65% of the weight you have to lose to put you in a healthier weight range. Some lose less & some more. A lot of this is because of the new set point the surgery gives you (the new weight your body is happiest at & is easiest to maintain). Everyones set point is different & it may not be a low weight. Some lose less because a higher weight & new eating style better complements them & how they want to live their life. It may be because of age, gender, genetics, health issues, medications, personal choices, complacency, life events, bounce back regain, etc.
The long term success of the surgery depends upon you & the changes you make to your eating, relationship with food & the head work you need to do to understand & manage those factors.
It certainly is worth a conversation with the surgeon & then you will be better informed to make your decision. In the end, you are the only one who truely knows your self, your situation & lifestyle & your weight loss/gain history. All the best whatever you decide.