Hi,

I am a 26 year old man and I have been obese for as long as I can remember. I also suffer from pretty severe gynecomastia (man breasts) so I am extremely shy about exercising or even being seen outside. Almost my entire family is obese as well and I can tell that we are on the fast track to an early grave. I often have pains in my chest and frequently suffer from acid reflux. My grandfather and aunt both died of heart attacks. I do not want to keep living this way and as far as I can tell, bariatric surgery is the only way to change. I do tend to eat a lot of sweets and greasy fast food, which I know is wrong but I cant seem to help it. I don't like to go outside for fear of people seeing me, and I don't want to see good friends because of how much weight I may have gained since I last saw them :smile2: . I want to see a doctor but I am extremely shy and nervous about it. I don't have a lot of money and I live in Canada where the public waiting list for this kind of surgery has been up to four years (according to some reports). I don't really know what I am expecting to hear from this website but I just wanted to get these feelings (and breasts) off my chest.

Thanks for listening :

Edited June 22, 201016 yr by Ringchu

The lapband will not keep you from eating sweets and greasy garbage. The lapband will limit how much you eat but you will have to modify your lifestyle and eat right in order for it to work.

If you are not ready to reconsider what your eat, you may want to look at an alternate surgery.

In order to have bariatric surgery...you have to take the first step. The surgeon is not going to come to you, you need to make an appointment with a bariatric surgeon, or attend a seminar to find out your options. If you decide that this is what will work for you, then go for it. It was about a 6 month process for me but I finally got banded on June 7. I can't wait to start using my new tool.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do!! There are a lot of people on this site, that are very supportive....do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have....:biggrin:

I've been terribly shy all my life. I don't even call my friends because I'm too shy to pick up the phone. It was beyond difficult to make that first call, but I knew I was the only one who could do this for myself. I got to the point where I knew something had to change. I know my body image is a big reason why I've always been so shy and I'm hoping this surgery will make me feel more comfortable with myself and become more outgoing. Once you make that call you'll be in contact with people who will lead you through the whole process. You're never really on your own. I don't know about the medical process in Canada or how long it will take you to get this done, but at least start the process. It took me a year to get approved and there were so many times I wanted to give up. Making phone calls, seeing doctors, it's all stressful, but it will be worth it.