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Would U Do It With Bmi Of 38?



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If I had a STABLE BMI of 38 and I wasn't afraid of going higher then No, I would not even consider this procedure. BUT my situation is much different than yours. When I was in the low 200s, my shape was very much a pear shape. I held most of my weight in my thighs and hips and very little in my abdomen. I had no comorbidities(and still don't even at 40 years old and 330 pounds) I had no joint pain at that weight. I could do everything I wanted to do.... I could even jog and I could hike for 20 miles in a single day! so no. I would not have had the surgery at a 38 BMI unless it was to prevent future weight gain...

NOW, If I was YOU, I would DEFINITELY have the surgery. If you have comorbidities, then your body is begging you to lose the weight. No two bodies are the same so it's really not fair to compare. I was in a way "blessed" genetically. Yeah, I do have some thyroid issues.. and I have a propensity to gain and hold on to weight and compounded with a healthy appetite and not always the best choices I wound up at 330 pounds... BUT I have low cholesterol, no signs of heart disease, normal liver profile, normal blood sugar.. etc. I am fortunate. Not everyone can be so lucky, so I say take advantage of this surgery in order to combat against your genetic predisposition!

Best wishes to you!

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Absolutely, no question.

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Absolutely. My BMI was 39-something with a long list of comorbidities. Even without the comorbidities I would have done it. Not one regret. But then, I am one of the lucky ones who had no complications and can eat almost anything, and in slightly larger quantities than most. I still enjoy food, some don't.

But, yes, absolutely, I would do it.

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THANK YOU ALL for your kind words and helping suggestions! I meet with my surgeon on Dec 17th. these responses have really helped me to see that Yes, I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDD to do this surgery. i am very fortunate that a close friend and person I see throughout my day is also having it, we will be on the table around the same time so that's super helpful too....wow, i wish i'd come here sooner. so many wonderful responses!! much of my anxiety about the surgery is simply denial- 'maybe i could just lose 25 lbs on my own' my brain often says to me...well, if i COULD, i WOULD! but...can't...AND, well let's face it. 25 lbs is a start, but at 5'2" i REALLY need at least 50 off before my health comes back.

I'm super excited about getting off all meds. at 36 yrs old there is absolutely no other reason for any of my meds other than my weight. my former doctor often told me that. he was a kind man, so don't misinterpret, but he really cared about me and my future. he's retired now but what a treat if i could see him post op!

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I did it with a BMI of 36 and I would make the same decision again........:) I love my sleeve!

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Absolutely! I'm 5'2 and had a lower BMI. I fought the weight battle for more than 10 years and decided VSG was the best weapon in my fight against obesity. It isn't always easy, but it's worth it!

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I am 5 ft 2, and my heaviest I was 218, started at 213.6. Today I weighed in at 173.1. 40 lb loss & I feel better than ever. Except my gallbladder. Getting rid of that next month. I say do it & you will feel amazing!

Sent from my iPhone using VST

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Heck yes. I did it with a BMI of 35 and a lifetime history of diets' date=' yo-yo weight losses and gains. Exercise before surgery was impossible for me to sick to because it was such a huge effort out of breath, discouraged, not significant enough change to encourage me to continue.

I wish I would have been able to do this for myself 10 or 20 years ago. Can't imagine what I would have done with all the time, energy, effort and lost money I have spent on the futile effort over the years.

My stats are a little different than yours 5'8" surgery weight of 236. Anyway that's my two cents...you're well on your way to getting a bucket of pennies[/quote']

Wow those are my stats! I am having surgery in 3 weeks. May I ask how far out are u? & how much have you lost??

And as for the original question, If you are unhappy and unhealthy then you should do what is best to get you to a happy and healthy state. I have been yo-yo dieting 20 out of my 38 years and yes I have had some moments of weightloss but a hell of a lot more time fat! Within the last couple of years each time I have lost I have gained back extra. I honestly feel if I don't do something to stop this now, who knows how much worse I will be. I won't push you towards surgery as that has to be your decision but don't decide against it because someone doesn't feel you are heavy enough.

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I probably would of gotten the surgery sooner if I knew that my heighest weight would reach 255 lbs! If I had known about the sleeve surgery or would of been open to weight loss surgery when I was 195 lbs I would of considered flying to Mexico to have it done to prevent me from being as heavy as I was the day of surgery.

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My BMI was lower than yours and I had no comorbidities. Add to that that my family has a history of weight issues, but even at 300 no comorbidities...we live far longer than anyone wants us to :P

So I normally post on posts like this that I don't recommend the surgery to lower BMI people. It nearly killed me and took me from my little boy for two months. The pain and suffering was horrific. This surgery was hell for me and not something I recommend to low BMI prospects WHO DON"T HAVE COMORBIDITIES!

You have shared that your life is already somewhat a life of suffering. You can't breath well, your heart is an issue, etc. And you're just a kid :P Unlike me, this isn't a cosmetic issue for you, it's life and death either way.

Understand that you could have significant issues because of the surgery due to complications during the surgery or afterwards, but you could fall over with a heart attack tomorrow as well given your first post...so you have to do something! You owe it to your babies :)

I highly recommend you look at the risks, and prepare for them. I had to have additional child care for two months. I couldn't do anything for three months due to weight restrictions (awwww no laundry lol). Someone had to take up the slack. You want to be prepared for that, and then hopefully never need it! Also, I like to tell all mom's with young kids....write them a letter, "just in case". They don't ever need to see it, and it will be the hardest letter you write. Don't tell them that you did this for them...because they don't need that guilt (and don't we do everything for them in many ways?) but do tell them the stuff you would want to say if you aren't there when they're ten, fifteen, twenty, etc.

I bawled like a baby when I wrote that...it took me two days, but when things went seriously bad, I felt some peace knowing that it was there for him, just in case!

I wish you all the best! It sounds like this is the right move for you dear. Embrace it if it's the direction you want to go and move on with determination and courage!

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My BMI was 38 and I had co-morbidities. The day after surgery my sleep apnea was gone! I am 11 weeks out and my BMI is now 29.8 which I think means I am now just overweight instead of obese...lol. And yes, it has been a life style change for me but well worth it! Best of luck.

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My bmi was 32 however I had several comorbidities. Even if I didnt i think I would have done the surgery because i wm worth it! The way I feel about myself does matter, i just wish that at 43 i could have done it when I was younger. : )

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Hell yeah! Mine was 36.. Best thing I've done in a long time! Love my tool!!!

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Without a shadow of a doubt! I did it with a BMI of 40 and no comorbidities. I had tried every diet out there and I would lose the weight and gain it back and more. It only became harder with every year that passed. I have three daughters and I wanted to set an example about being healthy. Mostly I wanted to be around for them. Even though I didn't have any comorbidities, it was only a matter of time before I did.

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I wish I would have got this done when my high weight was 200 something. I waited until I was 312 lbs... My regret is not doing it earlier

Sent from my iPhone using VST

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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