Everyone keeps telling me that the operation will only have an effect on me if I participate in regular weight-loss support meetings, go to a dietician and exercise regularly. Well, if I could do those regularly for the rest of my life and persist on doing them, I wouldn't need the operation anyway, right? Will I regain all the weight I lose from VSGS a few years later?

Thing is I already tried weight-loss support groups and dieticians and I ever exercised 30 mins every day for two years. Whenever I quit I regained the weight I lost. I started the process towards a VSGS because I read it has such huge success rates compared to those other methods I tried. I guess what I want to hear is that while will power, persistence, exercise and healthy eating habits are important, the medical procedure will make the real difference. I know from past experience that if it depends on my willpower to fight the desire for a sandwich by 100%, the chances of success are slim.

I also read that VSGS is a relatively new procedure and that there are no statistics about the success rate after 5-6 years. Is that true?

(My BMI is almost 40 and I'm still battling against my insurance provider to get the operation.

I think from the research I've done once you get your Vitamin D levels back up, you'll see that losing may be a little easier. The connection between Vit D and obesity, inability to lose weight has been well-documented.

Yes, you are probably very right Tiff. . . i go back to the doctor on April 6, I'll be on my 3rd round of 13 weeks of Vitamin D 50,000units plus D3 everyday. . . hopefully it'll be up, cause if not then to the hospital I go!

From what I've read the new "in" Vitamin is D. Most blood tests until recently didn't screen for it or it wasn't considered highly important. Now that it has been linked to strokes, breast cancer, colon cancer and the list goes on. Plus bone health.

See below info

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with obesity, but it is not clear if inadequate vitamin D causes obesity or the other way around," said the study's lead author, Shalamar Sibley, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota.

In this study, the authors attempted to determine whether baseline vitamin D levels before calorie restriction affect subsequent weight loss. They measured circulating blood levels of vitamin D in 38 overweight men and women before and after the subjects followed a diet plan for 11 weeks consisting of 750 calories a day fewer than their estimated total needs. Subjects also had their fat distribution measured with DXA (bone densitometry) scans.

On average, subjects had vitamin D levels that many experts would consider to be in the insufficient range, according to Sibley. However, the authors found that baseline, or pre-diet, vitamin D levels predicted weight loss in a linear relationship. For every increase of 1 ng/mL in level of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol - the precursor form of vitamin D and a commonly used indicator of vitamin D status - subjects ended up losing almost a half pound (0.196 kg) more on their calorie-restricted diet. For each 1-ng/mL increase in the active or "hormonal" form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol), subjects lost nearly one-quarter pound (0.107 kg) more.

Additionally, higher baseline vitamin D levels (both the precursor and active forms) predicted greater loss of abdominal fat.

"Our results suggest the possibility that the addition of vitamin D to a reduced-calorie diet will lead to better weight loss," Sibley said.

She cautioned, however, that more research is needed. "Our findings," she said, "need to be followed up by the right kind of controlled clinical trial to determine if there is a role for vitamin D supplementation in helping people lose weight when they attempt to cut back on what they eat."

The National Institutes of Health, the University of Minnesota, and the Pennock Family Endowment at the University of Minnesota funded this study.

I haven't had surgery, but from what I understand, it doesn't tame "the beast" of our bad impuses, it just hobbles it or reduces it making it easier to overcome.

So you're not wrestling a tiger anymore, just a bobcat. It's much easier to pin down, but you still have to wrestle it.

Great analogy...the cravings will be there, but for some reason people come out of surgery with more will power!!

Best,

Thank you for the replies. For years I tried to get used to being overweight with no success, I'm glad I finally had the guts to do something about it. The three of you were very reassuring. I'm 100% sure I want to go through the surgery, I was and I still am. Unlike others, I have no other options but my healthcare provider, so it takes a lot of patience. I noticed yours tickers, and all of you had higher BMIs than my current number when you went under the knife - if you could do it I think I can too.

The fact that you are 100% sure you want your surgery is the #1 priority. The important thing to realize heare is that this will NOT be an easy task. Those extra pounds you put on took a long time to settle into your body, and as a result they will not magically melt away. It all boils down to input/output of calories. The surgery WILL help with this but you have to be a key element to reach your goals.

Having the surgery done will be drastic change in your life. The success stories do not lie. Try to work it out with your insurance provider and don't forget that Medical Tourism is always an option.

Best,

Nobody here will tell you it's easy... but nobody here will tell you not to do it.

When I was 575 lbs it wasn't easy to get out of bed, get dressed, go to work, walk a flight of stairs etc....

I did have comorbidities (hypertension and sleep apnea) and I had a severely shortened life sentence....

I moved back in with my parents at almost 32 years old started eating right and exercising and trying to get this surgery... It took me a year to get the surgery between insurance companies, my job, and the fact that they didn't want to operate on a 500+ lb or even 400+ lb man.

In that year I lost 200 lbs it wasn't easy...Blood sweat and tears for sure

I got the surgery July 12th at 375 lbs... I was 275 lbs within 6 months 100 lbs lost....

I thought this was great and so easy that I started to reintroduce the crap that got me to the heavy weight I was previously.

For seven weeks my weight fluttered up and down but I gained only 2 lbs and I didn't pay too much attention to what I was eating. I made sure I was eating only 3 times daily and not eating past the limitations of my pouch.

I think the most important parts of the surgery are to eat Protein, drink Water, and don't graze/snack... and of course follow your doctor/nutritionists orders

If you can do these three things you will most likely be successful... If you do a few other things like exercise, and watch your carb count you can really lose quickly but it's all up to you.

Gaining those 2 lbs over 7 weeks was a wake up call at just over 6 months post sleeve... If you don't use the tool properly it will not work.

If you eat protein first you won't want to eat the junk or if you do you won't have that much room for it.

I'm now down 317 lbs and i've eaten some crap let me tell you... Just the other day I had a donut, one day I had a cookie, but i'm not eating one dozen donuts or Cookies every day... The thought of that makes me nauseated I couldn't even imagine eating that much at 8 months out.

Good luck in you decision!!!