Joe Brown

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I very much appreciate it

I can really only share what the experience has been like for me, and the positives that have come into my life. I was in a very similar spot as you, both mentally and physically. The doubts and fear doubled, trebled, quadrupled to an infinity even as I was being rolled into the OR for surgery.
I am now six months and two weeks post-op. I can pop off for a 2 mile run if I feel like it. A 10 mile hike. A long yoga session. I am signed up for getting an open-water SCUBA certification. My cholesterol is normal for the first time in my adult life. My mental health has improved. I've also enjoying seeing my physical transformation.
Attaining a high level of fitness remains a strong motivation for me. But eating small portions, managing supplements, timing my Water intake, and tracking food? It has gotten easier and easier. I truly wish you well on your journey, no matter which path you decide to take.

Nerves & feeling anxious before surgery isn’t unusual. You are doing something that requires many changes to you physically, psychologically & emotionally. And you don’t have any experience with any of it.
I didn’t have any co morbidities at all before my surgery but I knew they would be in my future simply because I was obese. Being generally in good health bedside surgery puts you in a stronger place for your surgery & recovery so a plus.
The very small portions are only in the beginning during the staged return to eating. As you progress you are able to eat more until you are eating what is a recommended & appropriate serving size. Not those large servings that are two, three or more times we been acclimatised to think of as normal but the portion size we should be eating. Doesn’t mean you won’t ever eat your favourite foods ever again either. In time you work out how much you can eat of that food & how often. Or you may make changes to the ingredients or the cooking method to make it a healthier & more nutritious choice.
We talk about having to do the head work while we are losing. This is the most important step. Working out the why, what, when you eat & changing your relationship with food. Reflecting on what drives you to eat & the food choices you make so you can mange those cravings & work out a way of eating for the future that is sustainable, doesn’t restrict or limit you & allows you to enjoy your life as you want. This is the difference between the surgery and every other diet I’ve been on (& I was almost 54 when I had the surgery & had been on a lot of diets). I’ve never been able to lose weight & maintain it for any length of time like I have after the surgery. Yes, I work on it every day but it doesn’t mean I don’t or can’t enjoy my life or miss out on anything. A lot of it is routine & I look at it as not being on a continuous diet (so many negative connotations) but this is just my way of eating. Like how people who have food allergies or may be vegan or vegetarian eat & the food choices they make.
Ensure you have access to a supportive therapist you can call on if needed & a helpful dietician who listens. This isn’t something you can really do completely on your own.
Best decision I ever made.
All the best whatever you choose to do.

Hi Joe! My surgery is in 4 days. I am 5'6" and at my highest weight, I was 250 pounds, which gave me a BMI of 40.3. Since starting the nutrition program and pre-op liquid diet, I am down to 228 pounds, so a BMI of 36.8. I have high blood pressure, prediabetes, and high cholesterol. Like you, I've dieted countless times. In fact, I was enrolled in the nonsurgical program at my hospital for 7 years, starting when I was 42.
I found it relatively easy to lose up to about 15% of my total body weight, around 40 lbs, by counting calories, exercising religiously, and not letting my guard down for a minute. After that, I would stall. Then the weight would creep back up. My doctor would prescribe meds (including Wegovy for a while, but it's too expensive for longterm use for me), and I'd lose 10 pounds. Then I would stall, followed by regain. Or the nutritionist would suggest a new approach, and I would lose a few pounds again, followed by regain. A little more each time. After 7 years of trying, I was back to my highest weight ever. I feel like I wasted a whole lot of time with nothing to show for it.
And now I'm nearly 50. My blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol all have gotten worse. My feet hurt. My joints ache. I feel older than I am, and I don't want to be old before my time. I know from reading the latest studies in weight loss science that my chance of long term success in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight without the metabolic reset of bariatric surgery is around 5%.
I'm fortunate because I've seen my brother go through sleeve surgery 15 years ago. He lost a huge amount of weight (about half his body weight) and though he has regained a fair amount of that, it's nowhere near where he used to be. His appetite is now what I would call the smaller side of normal. Nobody looks at him having dinner and would guess he had surgery. So I know that the most drastic parts of this (like a liquid diet!) are phases you have to get through to get somewhere better.
I feel nervous, too. I've never had surgery. I worry about complications. I'm hardly ever sick, so I sometimes think what if I'm trading decent health for problems? But realistically, problems are in my future. I've seen it in countless family members. The writing is on the wall. And the surgery is very safe. So for me, the risk is worth it. I've tried on my own long enough to know it isn't going to happen for me without this. And a BMI of 40 might not be as big as some people, but it's big enough to rob me of good health in my future.
I really hope this helps at least give you some things to think about to help you make your decision. Wishing you all the best!

Thank you very much all this helps

Thank you very much for your reply it will help me decide

Thank you very much for your reply it will help me decide