Hello everyone,

I am 20 years old, 255 lbs and 5'1. I am obese but never had any health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes. I am lucky.

I am contemplating the idea to have a gastric sleeve but people keep telling i should try to lose the weight by my own first. But I am 100 pounds overweight and i'm pretty sure if i lose it I would gain it back.

Do you guys think i should have surgery or that I should wait?

Thanks!

I think only you can make that decision for yourself. That being said, I think a lot of us are here because we couldn't do it without the help of surgery. However, I'm sure there are people out there who have done it and who had been successful at keeping it off.

Best of luck to you in whatever you decide.

~Amy

I was overweight untill my 20's. To quote Jimmy Buffett," Losing weight without speed eating sunflower seeds" I lost weight. It required about 2 hours a day of exercise and a healthy diet. I worked more and more as I aged and regained the weight plus some. I have tried and have lost weight since only to regain it. A friend of mine talked about losing weight and he stated that ,"going to club med for a year to lose weight only to regain is not a realistic goal". He also asked who would provide for my family while I was away? I enjoy eating and have a habit of stress eating as well. For me having the surgery is the right answer at this point in my life. If you have doubts give weight loss a shot. I think you need to be ready for the surgery. A year and a half ago I lost weight and regained it. I am now mentally ready for surgery and am set for april the 10th. This is a great site and I am sure people on it would support either decision you made.

I gained 100 lbs in my 20's and over the decade that followed, I contemplated the surgeries available, but ultimately decided against them. In 20 years, I've not been able to get the weight off, let alone keeping it off. My only co-morbidity is severe sleep apnea, and yet I am here because I now hurt when I stand, I assume from carrying 100 extra lbs for 20 years... and I am concerned for what the next 20 years may hold.

This is absolutely a personal decision. At such a young age, you might consider dedicating the next year of your life to diet and exercise and see what happens. If your body is willing to let go of the weight and you find that adding the things into your life, that you'd have to add into a post-sleeve life, like excluding carbs and increasing exercise bring the success you seek, then you have the answer. If, like many of us, you go through the motions and your body, for reasons of genetics or metabolism, won't release the weight... then surgery may be a good option, if it feels right to you.

Wishing you all the best on your journey!

I think a lot depends upon why you eat. If you eat for emotional comfort, then you probably won't be able to lose on your own and keep it off without addressing those issues. If you just went through a phase where you put on weight by eating with friends or whatever, then I think you owe it to yourself to try to lose without surgery. However, you can go through half your life thinking you'll lose it, and then half your life is gone! I was a lot heavier and older than you, and I gave myself one year to lose on my own. At the end of that year, I weighed more than ever. I was kicking and screaming, but I did begin the process and had the surgery in January. You're very young, and while I hesitate to say you should do it so you can live the life you really want to, I also think you're at an age where your body might really respond to a serious weight loss program. This is a procedure where it really helps to know yourself going in. Good luck with your decision!

I have been on so many diets over the years and gained and lost literally thousands of pounds. I just finally decided I needed the tool of being sleeved. But it's not for everyone. And it's not easy either. That said, I am happily sleeved three months tomorrow and haven't regretted it.

I've been keeping a blog for my family and friends to be able to check up on me and I wrote a blogpost that might help you out: "Dieting is Hard Work" on Takin' a Load Off. Some friends had suggested that getting sleeved was taking the easy way out. You can tell I had a full head of steam when I wrote the post, but they were very real emotions.

Good luck on whatever path you take!!

Carol

I am the same age as you and decided that I needed the sleeve to move on and become healthy. I have tried everything from Atkins to Nutri-system to juice fasts since I was in 8th grade. Nothing ever kept the weight off. I also went to cycling twice a week and yoga twice a week so it wasn't like I just sat around.

This decision is a hard one, so take your time. I just knew that I didn't want to spend another 20 years of my life unhappy and feeling like I was missing out on something. If I am like this now, what would happen when I had kids? My family has a history of Diabetes so I didn't want to let it get that far. Ir you read enough posts on here you will see that many people say they wish they had done this years ago and that no diet/exercise routine ever worked for them.

You will figure it out soon Don't worry we will support you no matter what.

Thanks everyone

I have lost hundreds of pounds since my teenage years, the problem was I would always gain it back. I am currently 10 months in maintenance and it's a miracle!!! Just sayin...

I, much like a few of the posters in here, was not always overweight until a long stretch in my late 20s and early 30's at which time I packed on a little over 100 lbs. Now, over that time frame I have lost a few times, once in the 50+ range and another in the 70+ range (when my wife and I were having a beach wedding). And, each time I lost, I gained it all back plus some. I can still to this day lose weight at will but as Disney posted, I have to work out with both weights and cardio for about 1-2 hours EVERY DAY! I begin to gain almost immediately following breaking my routine....which to this day is not a realistic workout schedule! I have a family to support and a 9 month old that I would like to spend s much time with as possible before she grows up and I missed out! This last reason is my main reason for electing to go with surgery, I need to have some semblence of a life outside of the gym if I dont want my family life to pass me by.... I have learned that whil I can do it on my own, I cant maintain w/o losing major family time (because I have to work, no choice there).

All that said and done, you need to evaluate your own reasons for wanting/needing the sleeve because if you are not comfortable in your own skin, no amount of advice given here will help you!