I definitely consider myself a "success story" thus far. I am down about 115 pounds in 7 months. I look and feel better than I have in my entire adult life. I have no regrets and I know that having the VSG was the right decision for me at the right time in my life.

Here's the thing -- there are moments when I have guilt over taking the "easy way out" by having this surgery. Intellectually, I know that it was not really easy at all and I know that if I didn't do it I was headed for disaster in terms of my health, but there is some part of me that wonders if I could/should have done it the old fashioned way with diet and exercise (even though I know that was pretty unrealistic for me).

Again, I really have no regrets, but I am just wondering if any other sleevers out there have had these feelings. I guess my biggest concern is that feeling like I cheated or took the easy way out will cause me to sabotage my weight loss maintenance.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

Brian

Nothing about this has been easy. I am a slow loser and I fight for every pound while eating tiny portions. I spent hours learning about nutrition and incorporating the right foods into my life. I have to exercize even though I had surgery.

I think the guilt we retain is from years of feeling guilty about something, usually the food we ate and the fact we were fat from it. We are so condtioned to feel bad about ourselves that when we do good we still find a reason to feel bad about it.

If regular diet and exercise were the answer for everyone, then no one would be fat.

Would you feel guilty if you had found an easy way to make more money if it doesn't hurt others? Would you feel guilty if you found a faster way to work that only takes half the time? Would you feel guilty if you found the thing you have been looking for for many years at half off?

No?

Then why feel guilty now? It is not the EASY way but lets all admit it, it is an EASIER way, but there is no shame in this especially if you have tried every other way.

A definition of insanity is to try the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome - well, you have tried something else now, and you got the different outcome you were hoping for, weight loss.

Be happy, be proud and forget about those who think this is cheating.

Well... did you hear about that guy that had a bolder fall on his arm, while hiking and he could not get it to budge (true story- making a movie about his ordeal) .. so he cut off his arm to save his life..... easy way out?

We all know someone who can eat everything in sight and not gain weight, don't we? Well the sleeve just levels the playing field. We may not be able to eat that much, but at least we aren't controlled by slow metabolisms and overeating anymore. I really feel lucky when I hear one of my friends talking about going on a diet again (and again.) My diet is hardwired in now, and I don't have to really think about it. And when I lose all this weight, I don't have to worry about gaining it all back, and more. No easy way out, just the permanent way out.

It took me a year & a half to lose 90 lbs with a doctor-assisted plan as 6 mos was required to get pre-approved. My biggest regret was not having surgery to lose the other 40 lbs. I ended up slowly gaining 20 and then in 3 mos gained 45 ~ That's when I said I AM DOING IT, AND NOW. I went to Mexico. I feel it is and will be a wonderful lifetime tool. I was a "guzzler & shoveler" so now it's chew chew chew, sip sip sip.

I am considering WLS for the first time in....ever. I don't consider it the "easy way" out so much as coming to the realization that in the battle for weight loss, I always lose and will continue to lose. It's a battle that seems rigged for failure. I'm tired of fighting fair. I'm ready to fight dirty. I'm ready to stack the deck against weight loss (instead of the other way around).

I don't know yet exactly what I'm going to do, but I'm going to do something.

Yeah, major surgery and eating 600-1000 calories per day... the easy way out! *wink*

And you are saying that it is not easier than without surgery?

It certainly is easier for me than ANY other attempt at weight loss I have done in the past 20 years, that's for sure.

I am surprised people are claiming it is not. If you don't think so, I think it was a crazy decision to spend all the money and have major surgery without the advantage of much easier weight loss

For me, it was the only POSSIBLE way out. But not EASY... It takes a fair amount of work.

It's just that for me, without the sleeve, serious weight loss was pretty much impossible.

It is so much easier than the SURE-FAILURE of dieting my whole life, especially bc I'm not a good dieter.

I think it is easier/more productive than dieting, and I'm proud of that. Why in the heck should our lives be hard? What is more respectful about doing something the "hard" way...especially when the "hard" way is generally a temporary fix, at best.

I don't understand that thought although I've had plenty of people compare my weight loss to people that did it the 'hard' way. Whatever.....I think it is important to measure RESULTS, not effort.

Being overweight was such a handicap on my life all my life. There are so many things I couldn't or wouldn't do because I was overweight. It was so sad. I mean we only live once, apparently, so why should we not live our lives to the fullest? For the first time I am optimistic about my future years/future health.

Nothing respectable about dying young from a heart attack either. Leaving our kids for others to raise, leaving our future grandchildren for others to spoil. Our families need us, and I'm proud of each person here who has made such a great decision in this lifetime. We deserve to have a great life, to anticipate great things, to live life feeling vibrant!

I had an aunt that had the first lap band years and years ago, which it was initially a success but later, probably because it slipped, a failure. Without that solution, she died in her late 50's of a heart attack. I know that she is rejoicing in heaven that some of us have found an answer to never ending weight problems - Includng her own daughter, who now has the sleeve. It was my aunt's wish when I knew her that she could find a way to lose weight. And even though it didn't happen in her lifetime, I know she would be dang proud that we all found a way, a healthy way, to make a weight loss surgery work well.\\\

The person that gave me the hardest time about my surgery, which it wasn't a horrible lecture but wasn't pleasant either, she continues to gain weight. What is it like to be MORALLY RIGHT but be morbidly obese and unhealthy because of the obesity. What is more respectable about that? I don't think that Jesus would want us to live our lives suffering when there was a fairly simple solution. He himself healed people so they could live better lives. To me this is a modern day miracle that we found a solution that was so simple and accesible without creating other critical health problems!!

Amen to it being easier. That said, I just gained 4 lbs. AGH. This may be where the true work begins for me....because up until now it has literally been a PIECE OF CAKE.

Brian66 - First of all, I don't think major surgery to have approx. 85% of our stomachs removed is the "easy way out" - but I know there are some who do think that. I say.....so what!! My husband, for years told our children when they'd say so 'n so said such and such about me...."as long as you know the truth, so what, they can say or think whatever they want, you cannot change what somebody else thinks" That is true!! I really think that people who DO think that are ones that are envious....that is just my humble opinion!

<br />I definitely consider myself a "success story" thus far. I am down about 115 pounds in 7 months. I look and feel better than I have in my entire adult life. I have no regrets and I know that having the VSG was the right decision for me at the right time in my life.<br /><br />Here's the thing -- there are moments when I have guilt over taking the "easy way out" by having this surgery. Intellectually, I know that it was not really easy at all and I know that if I didn't do it I was headed for disaster in terms of my health, but there is some part of me that wonders if I could/should have done it the old fashioned way with diet and exercise (even though I know that was pretty unrealistic for me).<br /><br />Again, I really have no regrets, but I am just wondering if any other sleevers out there have had these feelings. I guess my biggest concern is that feeling like I cheated or took the easy way out will cause me to sabotage my weight loss maintenance.<br /><br />Thanks for any input you can provide.<br /><br />Brian<br />

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Myrori, I love this response! "If regular diet and exercise were the answer for everyone, then no one would be fat."

Nothing about this has been easy. I am a slow loser and I fight for every pound while eating tiny portions. I spent hours learning about nutrition and incorporating the right foods into my life. I have to exercize even though I had surgery.

I think the guilt we retain is from years of feeling guilty about something, usually the food we ate and the fact we were fat from it. We are so condtioned to feel bad about ourselves that when we do good we still find a reason to feel bad about it.

If regular diet and exercise were the answer for everyone, then no one would be fat.

I've struggled with this question as well. If we ate foods that were bad for us and had heart, cholesterol or high blood pressure we would take medicine or have heart surgery to fix them, right? This really isn't that much different. If we consider obesity a disease and we are going to the doctor to get help with it, isn't that similar? (I wont be so bold as to claim it's the same thing exactly) .

Another point, aren't we technically doing it with diet and exercise? We can't just eat crackers, cheesecake & milkshakes all day and lose weight. We have to make a conscious and concerted effort to change our lifestyle or it will not work.

That being said, some of us will lose weight easier with the sleeve than others just like some of the "naturally skinny" people do in real life - or so it seems. This is not an automatic cure for us but it does help - just like living on a ranch with a fridge stocked with healthy foods and our own personal trainer would most certainly help. This isn't the easy way out - but it is (for MOST of us) going to be easier.

I haven't had my sleeve yet but I struggled initially with the same thoughts that I "should" be able to lose the weight on my own and I shouldn't have surgery. But my wonderful husband said something that made me think about it in a totally different light. He pointed out that I had Lasik surgery several years ago to correct my poor vision without second guessing myself. My vision was easily correctable to 20/20 with contact lens or glasses but I wanted the surgery (and am thrilled with the results). He pointed out to me that I NEED the weight loss surgery because of diabetes and I actually have more of a medical indication to have the sleeve to get the weight off quickly and to prevent further damage from the diabetes.... than I did to have Lasik surgery. Thinking about it that way made all of the difference in the world to me and I was able to take the steps to get on the path to this surgery. Being overweight for most of us is NOT healthy and taking the weight off in the quickest and most permanent way is a healthy choice...not an "easy out". My humble opinion!

I decided that I need to have my weight problem fixed. I also decided that 20 years from now, when I'm 65, I won't care how I did it. This was great decision for me and no guilt what so ever.