One member asked the question: Is sleeve surgery “taking the easy way out”? This question really got my juices flowing and thinking. For all of us who endured the agony and anguish of bariatric surgery, we recognize there is nothing easy about this most important matter.

Let see, how easy this is? 25 intelligent reasons for making our choice.

1. Exercising and working out with little or no results (life long)

2. Yo-yo dieting with little or no results (life long)

3. Heart disease

4. Respiratory problems

5. Stroke

6. High blood pressure

7. Elevated cholesterol

8. Diabetes

9. sleep disorders

10. Gout

11. Discrimination (on the job, in public, airline seats, etc)

12. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

13. Amenorrhea - absence of menstrual bleeding (gals)

14. Impotence (guys)

15. Cancer

16. Psychological problems

17. Kidney disease

18. Liver disorders

19. Economic factors (cost of associated illnesses, food, clothes etc)

20. Insurance issues

21. Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)

22. Social problems – (family, friends, dating etc)

23 Gallbladder disease

24. Pregnancy complications

25. DEATH

The dictionary defines “easy” as:

1. Not hard or difficult; requiring no great labor or effort:

2. Free from pain, discomfort, worry, or care:

Our lives have been anything but easy.

As always, comments welcome.

Lash

may i add a couple more, . . .

embarrassment

profuse sweating when its cool outside

Wait until you slip up a bit and gain 21 lbs like I did because of stupidity. . then having to lose it. . . want to talk about easy? It's everything but easy! Actually once you gain weight, it's just as hard to lose as if you never had the sleeve if not harder. . . .

thinoneday,

Very wise words, but its not stupidity, at times stuff happens. The best thing is you are doing something about it.

Lash

may i add a couple more, . . .

embarrassment

profuse sweating when its cool outside

Wait until you slip up a bit and gain 21 lbs like I did because of stupidity. . then having to lose it. . . want to talk about easy? It's everything but easy! Actually once you gain weight, it's just as hard to lose as if you never had the sleeve if not harder. . . .

One member asked the question: Is sleeve surgery “taking the easy way out”? This question really got my juices flowing and thinking. For all of us who endured the agony and anguish of bariatric surgery, we recognize there is nothing easy about this most important matter.

Let see, how easy this is? 25 intelligent reasons for making our choice.

1. Exercising and working out with little or no results (life long)

2. Yo-yo dieting with little or no results (life long)

3. Heart disease

4. Respiratory problems

5. Stroke

6. High blood pressure

7. Elevated cholesterol

8. Diabetes

9. sleep disorders

10. Gout

11. Discrimination (on the job, in public, airline seats, etc)

12. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

13. Amenorrhea - absence of menstrual bleeding (gals)

14. Impotence (guys)

15. Cancer

16. Psychological problems

17. Kidney disease

18. Liver disorders

19. Economic factors (cost of associated illnesses, food, clothes etc)

20. Insurance issues

21. Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)

22. Social problems – (family, friends, dating etc)

23 Gallbladder disease

24. Pregnancy complications

25. DEATH

The dictionary defines “easy” as:

1. Not hard or difficult; requiring no great labor or effort:

2. Free from pain, discomfort, worry, or care:

Our lives have been anything but easy.

As always, comments welcome.

Lash

Awesome --

Sometimes I feel like I took the "easy" way out because it HAS been disgustingly easy for me.....BUT, I, like the rest of you, had major surgery; I had 85% of my stomach removed; like many of you, paid thousands of dollars out of my own pocket; like all of you, have chosen to make life changes to make this tool work - to any of the nay sayers who want to put a negitive spin on what I chose to do, SO WHAT if you think this is the easy way out after a life time of trying alternative ways to lose weight that failed.

Not easy at all, apart from what everybody else said I'd like to say that I still feel bad sometimes and even guilty of having put my family through this ordeal of having 85% of my stomach taken out. We put on hold buying our house for me to have this operation, and my mum flew halfway round the world to come and look after my children while my husband was with me when I had the operation. I actually think it was one the best desicions of my life and I have never had any regrets!

chilol

Your response is special to me, please do not feel guilty, feel fortunate you have the love and support from people who love and care about you, to them you are special enough to donate their time to. They want to see you around for some time. Please see that's want love and family is all about. And don't worry, we see, in this world as every thing is on the wheel, your turn will come around to offer your love to them.

Take care and be well,

Lash

Not easy at all, apart from what everybody else said I'd like to say that I still feel bad sometimes and even guilty of having put my family through this ordeal of having 85% of my stomach taken out. We put on hold buying our house for me to have this operation, and my mum flew halfway round the world to come and look after my children while my husband was with me when I had the operation. I actually think it was one the best desicions of my life and I have never had any regrets!

and what's wrong with "taking the easy way out"? Do you get a special prize if you do it "the hard way"? A lot of people who thinks having the surgery is an easy way out have had it easy themselves (they can eat whatever they want and not get fat), so whatever. I say do what's best for you.

Very well put, I get so mad when people say I took the easy way out, easy is far from it. I work my butt off everyday and when people around you are eating hamburgers and pizza and all you can eat is apple sauce, how is that easy??

This is the hardest sh* I've ever done. I expected it to be a lot easier. Im only 2weeks out so I'm still healing.I've lost weight other ways over the years but it always came back and brought more with it.the sleeve is a tool that will hopefully stop us from cheating ourselves.

So no nothing's easy about this path

'tweety26ay'

You are on the right track, keep the faith and all will be fine.

It really get's my hair on edge when people say surgery is the easy way out. It’s SURGERY, very delicate SURGERY!!!, the pain, the gas, the thirst and that was only the first week. Then let’s take into account the kidney stone and the constipation and let's not forget the acid reflux and my favorite….eating without being hungry. No, it's not easy. You have to make a decision, continue with yo-yo dieting or have the surgery and start enjoying your life.

I think us sleevers appreciate more this weight loss because we go through the pain and then have to work out just as hard as anyone else who is trying to lose weight without surgery.

I made this decision thinking about myself but mainly thinking about my family. Now we all enjoy ourselves more, we do more things together and my kids love it. Best of all is the sparkle in hubby's eyes when he looks at me.

Great, its family, the support structure that help us the life saving changes.