I just wanted to start particpating in this forum, as I have been lurking since early August.

I'm a happily married mom of two wonderful daughters (ages 8 & 9). I have been jumping through the insurance hoops to get WLS, and was originally focused on getting the band. I needed 6 months of monitored "diet" (in quotes yes, because I can hardly call what I've been doing a diet) basically meeting with a nutritionist to mentally and physically prepare for WLS. My wonderful husband is looking to lose about 80lbs and after a few months of indecision, decided to do this with me (yay!). He is, however, about 2 months behind me in the "hoop jumping". As we continued to research all options, it was at his insistence that I do some thorough research on the sleeve vs. the band. And what do you know, we decided that the sleeve was what we wanted! And I actually have to give some credit to this forum as part of my research, and especially CraftyChristie and her blog. She and I live near each other and share a surgeon. We hope to meet this week in person!

I'm planning on being sleeved sometime in Oct...I don't have a date yet. I'm looking to lose 125lbs give or take.

Okay, here is my question. How many people here have been sleeved and don't have any co-morbidities? My husband has a few, and I have absolutely none. As I'm getting closer and closer to my surgery, I keep running thoughts through my mind about the fact that I am perfectly healthy now. Except for being morbidly obese. I'm 38, my BMI is about 44 and while I feel as if youth in general has helped me beat the odds so far by not having any weight-related issues, I keep wondering "for how long?" Diabetes and high blood pressure run in my family, and I am trying to focus on being able to dodge some bullets that the next 10, 20, 30+ years might bring, if I choose to stay obese. I just wondered about anyone else, and if they struggled also with being a healthy obese person (sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it?)

Thanks again this forum has been incredibly helpful to me!:thumbup1:

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your decision. It is wonderful that you and Crafty are local and can meet. That will be a great support.

I had surgery at a lower BMI and had no comorbidities. I just constantly yo'yo dieted and could easily have gained more and more. I knew I was torturing myself and my body by the abuse of diet pills and up and down weight fluctuations. Plus I was just damn tired of getting to a certain spot and not pushing forward. I felt like I was running in place.

125 pounds is a pretty good amount of weight to be carrying. I think it is inevitable that you would probably gain more and some comorbidities but I am no doctor.

I also challenge you to ask yourself. Would losing this weight improve the quality of your life? Would you have more energy. Are there things that your weight prevents you from doing physically. Or perhaps you don't allow yourself to do them because of your weight. Camping, swim parks, amusement parks, picnics, doing things with your children? Yard work. Are there some projects that you would like to do but just don't have the extra energy.

Just some food for thought.

I was that same oxymoron of the "healthy fat chick". I had absolutely no co-morbidities, and my labs were pretty fabulous pre-op. My bp ran in the 110-120/60ish. The only thing I really dealt was joint pain, and fatigue.

Losing weight wasn't an issue for me, but keeping it off was pure hell. With VSG, I lost my hunger completely, still at almost 16 months out I never experience physical hunger, I don't battle the volume eating that led me to 270lbs. I love being able to eat small portions, and being able to be satisfied with less a cup of food is absolutely amazing. The best thing about VSG has been the sheer loss of desire to binge. I still have cravings, but what skinny chick do you know that doesn't have a crazy craving for Thai food? I don't know any skinny person that doesn't have an occasional craving. The best thing about the VSG is that it's easier to make the "best" choice. I'm not 100% "good" all the time. I eat junk food, I still eat Snacks, but I'm not scouring the pantry for junk food every day.

I dodge a lot of bullets by having VSG before any of the co-morbidities set in.

Welcome. It's good to know that you have someone nearby with whom you'll be able to comapre notes and gain on hand information. At 33, my BMI was 58. Way more than what I had ever expected it to be and rather depressing. Even so, I was relatively "healthy" but due to my family's medical history, I'm pre-disposed to getting diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. Add to that infertility as well. All of which I'm trying to avoid by having gotten this surgery. It seems that only myself and my other sister are the only ones who haven't been diagnosed with diabetes and it's pretty scary. The rest of my family's rotten with the stuff and a few family members have died from it's complications. For me, losing weight is not an option I can ignore. With the weight loss, I'll be significantly reducing those chances and I'm all for it. Not to mention any aches and pains I'll be prone to getting when I'm older and overweight. I hope this has helped somewhat. And congrats on your decision!

Thank you so much for your replies!

Yes, like any obese person, I will opt out of going down the slide at the swim park, or opt out of getting in the canoe with my girls for fear of it taking on Water, etc. For the most part I feel like a healthy young-ish person. I exercise regularly (I do Curves religiously 3x a week, and walk 30 mins 2x week <albiet less regularly on the walking part> but have exercised religiously for the last 6+ years <huge accomplishment for me>!!!), don't eat tons and tons of food, make healthy whole-grain choices, like salad, veggies, fruit, etc. I do like sugar too, dessert after diner, don't always make healthy snack choices, etc. I do not binge on food, or go without eating. Just even typing that out ...seems like a disconnect, doesn't it...exercise, eat ok (not stellar, but ok) but why do I need to lose 125lbs to have a normal BMI?

I too, have yo-yo'd in all of my dieting years (probably the last 15 years) and I seem to be a good "dieter" but am terrible at keeping it off (I'm sure most everyone can relate). And when I lose, and regain, (as most do) I regain MORE than what I originally lost. Very frustrating.

I think just all the swirling thoughts are hard to control. And I know for every success story, there is one of failure too. :thumbup1: As I'm getting more and more comfortable "sharing" the fact that I'm having WLS, I'm getting more and more stories, of "well, so and so gained it all back after surgery, or my SIL died after having that bypass, etc." and I know everyone is well-meaning, but it is hard to filter that stuff out.

So I was just wondering, and everyone here is so supportive, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I am very committed to this surgery, I KNOW it is the right choice for me, and I am really working on turning "doubts" into positive...i.e. healthy going into surgery, better recovery coming out, etc., that type of thing.

Mommy2Girls -

First of all - kudos to you for your exercise. That is still a stumbling block for me & honestly, will always be. It is so encouraging to see people who can make the lifetime committment to exercise.

I would like to ask you about the "I don't eat tons and tons" ... Have you ever tracked your food intake? I thought I knew what I was putting in my mouth, but was SHOCKED when I really tracked it. :crying:

If you've never tracked, try going to myfitnesspal.com and track what you put in your mouth over the course of a few days. Don't try to diet or "be good" - just track what you are eating. You may be in for a surprise. If it's not excess calories, you may seen some spikes like carbs that are causing you to hold onto the weight. It's also good practice for post surgery. While not everyone is asked to count calories and carbs, you will need to track your Water and Protein intake.

Welcome and best of luck with your journey!

Mini-Me, I actually did join caloriecount.about.com earlier this year and loved it (for a while, lol). I set a daily goal of 1,800 cals a day and was usually able to meet that goal. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I did it for about 2 months. I also logged all my exercise, because they have an "eat meter" and a "burn meter" and it is fun to see your burn meter go higher when you log your exercise. But, to be honest, I sort of got bored with inputing everything that I ate on a daily (logging in everytime I ate something) basis, and even though you can tag items to retrieve quickly, it is frustrating looking through lists (sometimes 5 pages of one type of food) and then not find what you are looking for. They will let you add a recipe with ingredients, portions, etc. and calculate nutrition info (cool!) but it still just got to be, well, boring. And the days when I got busy, it was hard to go back and "remember" what I ate, and log it, etc. You miss a meal, a day, and then it feels like that familiar falling off the wagon type stuff. At the WLS seminar, the dr. was talking about how there are just missing pieces in the obesity puzzle, and I truly feel like I fit that description well. It's not just about putting down the cookie and picking up some exercise. There is something MORE to it. That missing piece...totally clicked with me. There is just not one or even several reasons for obesity...it is a very frustrating disease, that is certain.

As for exercise...I'm not sure what happened, but at some point it occurred to me that since I'm a morning person (always up about 4:45am, first one up everyday in the house) that I should USE that time to exercise. It was an epiphany. I joined Curves, and was hesitatant because I honestly didn't think I would stick with it. I had done some types here and there but never exercised more than 1 year at a gym regularly, and walking as exercise for 2 years (lunch hour walking) prior to having kids. And at first I treated it like a "chore" you know, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc. It was just another thing on my To Do list. However, once I got in the groove, it became more like "me" time, and I was NOT about to give up on ME time, ya know?

As for exercise...I'm not sure what happened, but at some point it occurred to me that since I'm a morning person (always up about 4:45am, first one up everyday in the house) that I should USE that time to exercise. It was an epiphany. I joined Curves, and was hesitatant because I honestly didn't think I would stick with it. I had done some types here and there but never exercised more than 1 year at a gym regularly, and walking as exercise for 2 years (lunch hour walking) prior to having kids. And at first I treated it like a "chore" you know, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc. It was just another thing on my To Do list. However, once I got in the groove, it became more like "me" time, and I was NOT about to give up on ME time, ya know?

Good for you!

I am another one of those who was severely obese, but had no comorbidities. But...I was headed there. One of the biggest reasons for me to get surgery was to prevent diabetes and any of the other diseases that can come from obesity (which by the way every major disease has its risk increased by obesity.)

Why wait? The sleeve has been amazing, there were health issues that I wasn't even recognizing where related to my obesity. My energy was crap! After those first 50 lbs it was night and day. I have been on a low dose of an antidepressant for about 5 yrs. I don't need it anymore, and not because I am a happier person, because the hormonal changes (we store estrogen in our fat) have allowed me to not need additional help chemically to feel like me.

And what a huge blessing that you will be able to do this as a team. I am so excited for you!!!!

Anna

Thank you so much for your replies!

Yes, like any obese person, I will opt out of going down the slide at the swim park, or opt out of getting in the canoe with my girls for fear of it taking on Water, etc. For the most part I feel like a healthy young-ish person. I exercise regularly (I do Curves religiously 3x a week, and walk 30 mins 2x week <albiet less regularly on the walking part> but have exercised religiously for the last 6+ years <huge accomplishment for me>!!!), don't eat tons and tons of food, make healthy whole-grain choices, like salad, veggies, fruit, etc. I do like sugar too, dessert after diner, don't always make healthy snack choices, etc. I do not binge on food, or go without eating. Just even typing that out ...seems like a disconnect, doesn't it...exercise, eat ok (not stellar, but ok) but why do I need to lose 125lbs to have a normal BMI?

I too, have yo-yo'd in all of my dieting years (probably the last 15 years) and I seem to be a good "dieter" but am terrible at keeping it off (I'm sure most everyone can relate). And when I lose, and regain, (as most do) I regain MORE than what I originally lost. Very frustrating.

I think just all the swirling thoughts are hard to control. And I know for every success story, there is one of failure too. As I'm getting more and more comfortable "sharing" the fact that I'm having WLS, I'm getting more and more stories, of "well, so and so gained it all back after surgery, or my SIL died after having that bypass, etc." and I know everyone is well-meaning, but it is hard to filter that stuff out.

So I was just wondering, and everyone here is so supportive, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I am very committed to this surgery, I KNOW it is the right choice for me, and I am really working on turning "doubts" into positive...i.e. healthy going into surgery, better recovery coming out, etc., that type of thing.

I don't really understand your post - how did you get 125 lbs overweight if you eat well and exercise?

If that's correct, don't get the sleeve - all it can do is reduce the amount you eat and is intended for high volume eaters who need physical restriction.

But check if you're deceiving yourself because if there's any time to get real and get honest with at least yourself, this is it.

I used to tell myself I didn't eat "that badly" but I did. And a binge or two would push you way up there. And gradually I did less and less elective exercise.

I'm not trying to be rude. I just really think you should examine HOW you got where you are, because that's the only way to get back.

EmilyGrace,

Thanks for your input. I am committed to this surgery, just worried, as I expect MANY people who are going through the decision to have elective surgery would be. When you hear ALL the stories, good, bad, and ugly, you can't help but to play the "what if" game in your mind (I seriously doubt I am the ONLY one who has ever had a doubt about this surgery). What if something goes wrong. What if I'm the 1% of people who have _______________? So yeah, it's a pretty big decision, and as I stated I'm very committed to this.

My question was simply put to those who have no co-morbidities, like myself, and what their reasons were for having surgery. I'm not saying that anyone's reasons are more important than others, as that is only a question you can answer for yourself.

I know you didn't mean to sound rude, in reference to "check myself"...I know WHO I am and where I'm going (and actually where I've come from), but came here for support about this major life decision from people going through the same thing. I have been overweight most of my life, and it is pretty easy to gain an extra 125 lbs when every single diet you have ever done, you gain the weight you LOST back PLUS more. Actually it is pretty easy to do over the span of 20+ adult years, without binge eating, or having an eating disorder. The last time I weighed 150lbs (my goal weight) I was probably 14 years old.

But I digress...hopefully it doesn't sound rude to you, when I say that YOUR type of thinking is exactly why people in general (this includes drs.) JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND all of the facets of obesity. If it was just eating right and exercise, then there would be no obesity in this world, right? Because like gay people always say they don't "choose" to be gay, they are born that way, why would anyone "choose" to be obese? There is a lot more to it that an oversimplified view of calories in, calories out. I do appreciate feedback, but I didn't come here to ask "should I have surgery or not" in case you were wondering.

Edited September 24, 201015 yr by Mommy2Girls

wowaweewa!!!!

I am choosing to have this surgery because I do not want to be that angry person who is not satisfied with themself because of excess weight and lack of energy and gusto for life... I am extremely healthy as an obese person... I never get the flu shot I have never had the flu.. I'm never sick or ailing and I recently had blood work done and I do not have diabetes or any other co mobidity... BUT I am 85 lbs from my goal weight!. I have struggled with my weigt my whole life and even though physically I can out run a bunch of skinny broads... Its a hell of alot harder carrying around all of this weight! I don't believe the others were ridiculing your lifestyle but merely trying to offer some get real advice! I hope you journey is great!

Hi, I'm new here too. I just went to my seminar on Tuesday. I'm so excited and I'm in the same boat as Mommy2girls, no co-morbidities, however, I have server back pain and knee pain. I have migraines that would kill a horse and I stay tired all the time. I have always been athletic and strong but over the last 7 yrs I have gained over 100 lbs. I'm so happy I have made the decision to get sleeved. I choose the sleeve over the band because of this site. I see that a lot of people have decided to convert and besides that my insurance covers the sleeve and not the band. I don't have my surgery date yet but I can't wait!!! I can only hope to see results in my own journey as all of you here have.

I too am obese with no co-morbidities YET. Well hopefully their won't be any because on on my way to a healthier thinner me. I know can understand where you are all coming from, I used to eat very healthily, or so I thought, now I realise just how MUCH i was eating! Obesity and healthy don't go together, because being obese we are at much higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes etc etc. But being skinny isn't synonymous of being healthy. A lot of skinny people can be alcoholics, drug addicts, so that's not healthy either! But I do agree w Emily Grace, we need to be honest with ourselves to be able to address our problems but as mommyoftwo says, obesity is a complicated and multifaceted disease, cause it is one, and it's not as simple as 1+1=2, that's why obesity is such a big problem! Good luck to all of you in your journey!

okay, i am one of those who are overweight with few (if any) co-morbidities. in all honesty i am bout 125 pounds over my ideal weight. And like everyone else here, i just wanna be healthy again, and not get to the point where i have to deal with morbidities.

so here is my question....those of you like me, with none, did you have a difficult time getting your insurance to cover your procedure?

i am quite exhausted from the yo-yo diets and diet failure depression. it was very hard for me to say, "i cant do this without help" and surgery was always a last resort for me, but i am ready now, to do it, and start the road to a healthier me.

Welcome JC and Jamie...thanks for sharing your thoughts too. This is a huge decision, and I think we are all right to give this lots of thought, and lots of consideration. I too, feel like this is a last resort. Obviously, working out on a consistent basis was not a magic bullet for me (don't get me wrong, I KNOW it has been really good for me, and I plan on always finding a way to make it part of my life), and obviously the healthy eating choices that I am making are not a magic bullet either. Which has brought me to surgery.

And thank you Chilo too, for your thoughts. I do agree with you about being honest. And I am being honest about never having binged or purged in my life. That is the simple truth. Yes, I have over-eaten, gotten that TOO FULL feeling, eaten too much of the wrong food, had dessert twice in one day, etc. But to me bingeing is eating an entire box of Cookies, or carton of ice cream or whole pizze all in ONE sitting and have never done that. Purging is throwing up the food you've eaten to lose weight, and well, honestly the fact that I personally hate to throw up, is part of the reason that I'm choosing the sleeve over the band. You are right that obese and healthy don't go together, just as skinny and healthy aren't equal either. We all have our own personal struggle, and there is no one reason FOR obesity, likewise there is no one answer to solve it. It is different for everyone.

What I have learned as I'm moving through this process of surgery, is that there is a LOT of judgement surrounding weight loss. We judge ourselves harshly, we are judged by others but yet offended at someone else judging us. This is when you really have to listen to that inner voice and intuition about what is right for you.

Jamie, as for getting insurance to cover this I'm sure you will find a million different ways that it can be covered or denied. I will just share my experience so far to give you one exmple. Our plan is a high deductible plan, so after we meet our deductible $5,500, then our insurance will cover the leftover amount at 90%, and we pay 10%. We have to do an entire list of requirements both from the insurance and from the surgeon (minimum of 6 months worth of nutritional counseling is just one of the requirements, but its the requirement that takes the longest to complete) and once everything on the list has been completed, THEN all paperwork will be submitted and we just cross our fingers that we will be approved. I haven't prepared myself for denial yet (being optimistic!) but I do have a bariatric case manager and a baratric nurse FROM my insurance company that have helped me the whole time that I've been completing things, so I can call them with questions and they have both been wonderful about answering all my questions. So that is why I'm doing the positive mental attitude that I will be approved!

Hope that helps!