Okay, so I have been lurking around on the boards for about three months...researched, researched, etc. (however, I still am finding out little things). I realize my pre-surgery jitters are normal for many. I realize the majority of us have issues with poor eating, exercise habits, and depression and that is why we became obese. I realize this is not a magic bullet and that I will have to learn to incorporate better eating habits (types of food and portion control), along with working out AND creating a support system for the eating,working out and for general mental health (handling everyday life stressors). What I am not sure "I get" is the usage over and over of as WLS being "a tool". Because ALL OF THE ABOVE "things we need to do" are all things we needed to do BEFORE deciding to get the surgery to lose weight. So, when WLS is said to be used as "a tool"does that mean because the first three months it somewhat forces you to have very low calorie intake and hopefully gives your body and mind time to work on readjusting and working on better habits? Please explain.

A tool is anything that helps you. The smaller stomach will help you lose weight, but it is not a magic bullet like you will wake up skinny after your surgery. You still have to do the work (eat right and exercise) but it just makes it physically easier for you to do. I've observed skinny people eat and I would think to myself, man I wish I could be satisfied with only eating half a sandwich for lunch. Now that I am sleeved, one day I will be able to

Thanks for your point and example!

VERY GOOD QUESTION! I was sleeved almost 4 months ago and never realized what everyone meant by it's a "tool". Well, I certainly know now what it means. The sleeve does not allow you to eat very much thereby lowering your weight. What it also does NOT do is correct your mental and emotional attachment to food. An it also does NOT change your feelings about exercise and getting off the couch. I've had quite a struggle with this but am slowly adjusting. It is up to you whether you put the sleeve to work or not. If you don't change your eating and exercise habits then you will not lose all the excess weight and you can gain whatever you lose back. The sleeve is for people that are willing to change their lifestyle and want a "tool" to help. I didn't realize that I would still have to do all the work that I should have done prior to the surgery. Now that I understand what I must do, I am conquering my demons and will WIN! Good luck to you!

It means (to me) that it is not a ticket to easy street. You still need to work at it, make good choices, etc. It does not come attached to a time frame or a number of pounds.

The sleeve is a restrictive procedure, but if you want to suck on milkshakes all day, you're probably not going to lose weight.

You will still have to commit to changing your mental and physical behaviors around food.

A tool is something that helps you get a task done. This will certainly help, but you have to use it properly.

I feel that the sleeve gives me great restriction i.e. I cant hold much food. I still eat what I love but I have to put Protein first or I will not feel my best. Sure, I can eat cheetos now and ice cream and other slider foods with no nutritional value but you will learn that you dont feel very good after eating that type of food. I have the occasional snack and maybe a small icecream at the zoo but I dont eat it every day. Before surgery it seemed I never got full. I would eat the things I loved until I couldnt move because I liked the full feeling and i wanted to keep tasting it. Now, I cant eat but a few bites, its still just as delicious and i get that really full feeling, I used to love. I dont love it anymore. I try not to eat that extra bite that will take me there. I like being satisfied but not overfull. I like the way I feel when I eat lean protein and I only pick the reallly good tasting meats, etc. If you arent eating much, you might as well have the best of the best!

What I am saying is it is really the best of both worlds. You still get to eat the good foods you always loved, its just much smaller portions. You can have a small snack here and there of cheetos or icecream or whatever and you will still be fine as far as weight loss goes. I dont mean get a big full fat latte at starbucks everyday and milkshakes and all that crap. You will not feel very good if you drink all your calories and you wont have any energy (kinda like you feel now when you overeat and are sluggish). So, the word Tool is there to remind us that although it helps tremendously, think hammer and nail, you stilll have to swing the hammer to get the nail to go in, but the job is so much easier than if you had to get the nail in the wall with your fingers... I hope this helps. T

I agree with all that has been said, and would like to add.... like someone said, the sleeve will not "fix" the depression, anxiety, and the many other things that might had started the whole rollercoaster of unhealthy eating, so is super important that whatever that might had been for you, you figure it out and find other healthier ways to deal with it. After talking to many doctors and nutritionists, I have heard many times that if we do not work on that, we will just find a different unhealthy way of coping (such as alcohol). So keep in mind that the worst thing that can happen is not gaining the weight back (I know none of us want that). This is a journey in which we need to do more than just eat healthy and exercise, we need to find ways of dealing with our emotions and other things which do not include food. The sleeve allows us to concentrate in those things since we don't have to worry about all the bad food we are eating and the stress of being fat and doing the many unsuccessful diets we have all done. I go to keep reminding myself of this. Good luck!

VERY GOOD QUESTION! I was sleeved almost 4 months ago and never realized what everyone meant by it's a "tool". Well, I certainly know now what it means. The sleeve does not allow you to eat very much thereby lowering your weight. What it also does NOT do is correct your mental and emotional attachment to food. An it also does NOT change your feelings about exercise and getting off the couch. I've had quite a struggle with this but am slowly adjusting. It is up to you whether you put the sleeve to work or not. If you don't change your eating and exercise habits then you will not lose all the excess weight and you can gain whatever you lose back. The sleeve is for people that are willing to change their lifestyle and want a "tool" to help. I didn't realize that I would still have to do all the work that I should have done prior to the surgery. Now that I understand what I must do, I am conquering my demons and will WIN! Good luck to you!

Good point, frumpynomore--I so fear my demons but hope that the initial weight loss will help motivate me. I have felt so unmotivated and defeated for so long. Also, I am definitely going to have to find a support group!

I agree with all that has been said, and would like to add.... like someone said, the sleeve will not "fix" the depression, anxiety, and the many other things that might had started the whole rollercoaster of unhealthy eating, so is super important that whatever that might had been for you, you figure it out and find other healthier ways to deal with it. After talking to many doctors and nutritionists, I have heard many times that if we do not work on that, we will just find a different unhealthy way of coping (such as alcohol). So keep in mind that the worst thing that can happen is not gaining the weight back (I know none of us want that). This is a journey in which we need to do more than just eat healthy and exercise, we need to find ways of dealing with our emotions and other things which do not include food. The sleeve allows us to concentrate in those things since we don't have to worry about all the bad food we are eating and the stress of being fat and doing the many unsuccessful diets we have all done. I go to keep reminding myself of this. Good luck!

Lbeauty--Thanks for your input...I will most likely find an Over Eaters Anonymous and a WLS support group