Bizarre trend?

[JerseyGirl68 1,172]

I feel the same Jane. I also feel Insurance companies are getting more and more on board with the sleeve and are lessening the requirements. I first started my research in January of last year, and it was June before I made up my mind. At that time my insurance company required a 6 month supervised diet. I really appreciated that, I wanted to get in the right frame of mind for what was to come and planned on Surgery in February, 2013. A month later, they dropped that requirement and I could move forward faster. I chose to move a little faster, but not immediately. I wanted to take it in and really be ready before getting operated on. It would not ever cross my mind to advance my diet faster or not follow my doctors orders as laid out. This was a very big deal to me, and I dont' think that I'm exaggerating about that.

This surgery is becoming more mainstream and I think the notion of a quick fix trumps the fact that getting our minds straight is still necessary for overall success. It is still major surgery, there will be pain, to what degree is individual. Thankfully those that came before me on the boards really were honest about it and I felt I was very prepared. This is not to diminish the feelings of those that have had complications, did it all right and have regrets. I cannot imagine going through some of what others have had to endure and I respect them for keeping everyone posted and informed - good and bad.

Good topic Laura!

[AmandaRaeLeo 2,145]

As you would say "punny"

Could it be all the advertising?? I mean I see commercials for it all the time now...

It could also be food addiction' date=' but I will tell you,

My name is Laura and I'm a food addict.

[/quote']

My name is Amanda, and I am a food addict.

[Strangefruit 179]

I am one of the posters who have said in the past that I have regrets...Not all of the time, but yes - I have. I *did* do my research...I had psychological counseling... my entire preparation time was over a year. I KNEW what I was getting in to.

I have had a love/hate relationship with food for over 40 years. So yes - it IS hard to adjust to a different style of eating. I WANTED to lose weight...I STILL want to lose weight. I am down almost 70lbs in six months. I am healthier... I exercise EVERY day. But. This is still the hardest thing I have ever done. And I can't say for sure that if I had to do it over again, I would. The last 6 months have been the hardest 6 mos of the last 30 years of my life... So, it hasn't all been rainbows and unicorns.

People who think that weight loss surgery is an "easy way out" or a short cut? I want to punch them smack in the mouth. It was VERY hard. For me. Some folks seem to have the surgery and bounce right back and go to work the next day, run a 5k, etc, etc... ~shrug~ Flame away, but that is how *I* feel.

[Georgia 2,908]

What I'VE noticed, is the trend for more and more people with a smaller amount of weight, no health issues etc, getting sleeved. Maybe some of the problem with regrets. If you have not faced a lifetime of being overweight, severe health issues, etc, it might be tougher to not have some regret.

As for me, I don't have a SINGLE regret. I am 2 months from being 3 years out. Lost 100 lbs in about 8 mos with little effort on my part. I did not have hunger, stalls of any kind during that time and only suffered some hypoglycemia/lightheadedness.

Now, I'm trying to lose the 15 lbs Ive regained over the last year or so; which means YES, you can regain, yes, you DO experience hunger later on (even though they said that magic grehlin was gone! lol) and yes, junk food literally SLIDES down the throat very easily and quickly! lol

That said, it is NOT a magic bullet - there is work involved in keeping it off long-term and there is definitely a life change for the old way of eating for enjoyment. Because unless you are downing a bag of powdered donuts (which I can VERY EASILYD0) you still have great restriction and usually I only eat a few bites before I'm "done!"

I had a great surgeon but that was about it. I didn't have any support afterward except offered a support group through a hospital once a month. No nutrition follow-up (one pre visit) etc. What I found is that I easily reached goal - I easily handled the changes - but after a period of time, I realized that "head wise" that junk food addict was still there! Ha!

Again, I have NO REGRETS! I have been at the same weight basically for three years now - no sleep apnea, no High blood pressure, no medications at all. Still wear size 10 and happy with it.

It's what you make it!!! Good luck to all.

[Strangefruit 179]

"What I'VE noticed, is the trend for more and more people with a smaller amount of weight, no health issues etc, getting sleeved. Maybe some of the problem with regrets. If you have not faced a lifetime of being overweight, severe health issues, etc, it might be tougher to not have some regret.

As for me, I don't have a SINGLE regret. I am 2 months from being 3 years out. Lost 100 lbs in about 8 mos with little effort on my part. I did not have hunger, stalls of any kind during that time and only suffered some hypoglycemia/lightheadedness."

See, I hear this a lot... I was 100lbs overweight, had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and other co-morbidities... I was not one of the people who did this to lose 30-40lbs... NannieG's quote above about losing 100lbs in 8 mos with little effort is NOT me... I am 6 mos out, 70lbs down...and the ONLY way I can lose weight is by exercising EVERY DAY and by strict calorie counting... I eat primarily Protein based meals, very slowly, I *do* get hungry AND have had lots of stalls...I work HARD at losing weight... Eating is a slow, time consuming chore...eating just a little too fast or too much ALWAYS results in hurling and pain. So, it does get a little frustrating when I have to eat 900-1000 calories and exercise like a gym rat daily to see the scale move AND get sick eating...because if I ate like that and exercised like that without surgery, I would have lost weight too.

[bigsleeve56 266]

The docs. are part to blame it's fast money and they are dropping standards to make it "easy". if you are not in bad enough shape that you do not care about the pain because it will be no worse than everyday is fat then you should think hard about walking away. This is not easy and should be a last resort not a face lift.

[JerseyGirl68 1,172]

"What I'VE noticed, is the trend for more and more people with a smaller amount of weight, no health issues etc, getting sleeved. Maybe some of the problem with regrets. If you have not faced a lifetime of being overweight, severe health issues, etc, it might be tougher to not have some regret.

As for me, I don't have a SINGLE regret. I am 2 months from being 3 years out. Lost 100 lbs in about 8 mos with little effort on my part. I did not have hunger, stalls of any kind during that time and only suffered some hypoglycemia/lightheadedness."

See, I hear this a lot... I was 100lbs overweight, had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and other co-morbidities... I was not one of the people who did this to lose 30-40lbs... NannieG's quote above about losing 100lbs in 8 mos with little effort is NOT me... I am 6 mos out, 70lbs down...and the ONLY way I can lose weight is by exercising EVERY DAY and by strict calorie counting... I eat primarily Protein based meals, very slowly, I *do* get hungry AND have had lots of stalls...I work HARD at losing weight... Eating is a slow, time consuming chore...eating just a little too fast or too much ALWAYS results in hurling and pain. So, it does get a little frustrating when I have to eat 900-1000 calories and exercise like a gym rat daily to see the scale move AND get sick eating...because if I ate like that and exercised like that without surgery, I would have lost weight too.

I can absolutely understand what you are saying. It is hard, and some people absolutely have an easier time than others. I'm like you where I have to watch what I eat strictly and exercise every day to lose, and I have weeks where I drop nothing. I did expect it to be hard to lose the weight, I'm looking forward to after I lose it, that maintaining the loss will hopefully be an easier task because of the restriction. I don't think anyone here is trying to paint any one group of people with a single brush.

[PdxMan 4,292]

I am one of the posters who have said in the past that I have regrets...Not all of the time, but yes - I have. I *did* do my research...I had psychological counseling... my entire preparation time was over a year. I KNEW what I was getting in to.

So then, help those of us who don't get it, because this is where I struggle with understanding. You knew you had a bad relationship with food and knew you wanted to change that. You knew you had obesity related health issues which were doing you harm and wanted to be healthier. You knew that your eating habits were going to change and you would most likely need to start an exercise regimen to be successful. You knew this was not going to be easy.

You knew all of this prior to surgery and all of this has come true. It sounds like you set your expectations correctly. So, then, what is your regrets?

Early on, I mourned the loss of food as a comfort item, which, after going through it, made me realize how sick my addiction to food was. But I find that a blessing, not a regret.

[NORCALRN 60]

I do not regret my sleeve...7-24-12. and i had major complications. still on tube feeding pump. i can eat a tiny bit fluids a tiny bit but 95% of nutrition is formula. I do not have a food addiction and no health issues except being about 65# over weight. I think people get scared b/c lifestyle changes are necessary. i cannot wait until i can hit the eliptical and get some cardio in. The formula is high in calories and it bothers me. I am stuck at 150 with 10-15# left BUT i need to rid of the malnutrition and get stronger. If the posts are alerting you i think that is good. that means you are smart and are taking in all the info out there. I hope that if you choose wls, it is with good intentions b/c yep, it can be difficult, but we need to remind ourselves how amazing each of us are.....we want to be healthy! as a nurse, i can be a good role model if the topic arises. good luck on your journey!!!!!!!!!!!!

[No game 14,436]

I am over four months out and weight loss is slow and hard! It doesn't just fall off of most of us..

I just needed to get that out there (right John)

I have a secret....

I did not have to wait any amount of time to have my surgery (great insurance policy) in fact I have a bigger secret.. I had never heard of the sleeve until my first appointment in September my surgery was in November.. So I don't know if waiting longer for surgery is the only answer, except for the ones that say "f**k that! my insurance wants me to wait six months I'm going to Mexico because I want it NOW!NOW!NOW!" Oh and nothing wrong with Mexico.

As far as low bmi maybe for some... I really do think its has something to do with the quick fix McDonalds type mentality that we have here..

I mean lapband was shoved down our throats via advertising. And I see it happening with this now.

Commercials I went LA not to long ago BILLBOARDS!

It's not that easy it should not be a big business but it is now? I think... "Move em in move em out"

This is MAJOR SURGERY! Not "oh how fun would that be to be skinny"

This was/is my last hope. I was on high blood pressure meds and really in my heart of hearts knew it was only a matter of time before I had a heart attack.

[AmandaRaeLeo 2,145]

When I read about major complications, like with Iggychic, I can understand the regrets. If the regrets are, I wanna binge but I can't. I don't quite get it. I mean, that's the point of the surgery, right?

[Strangefruit 179]

So then, help those of us who don't get it, because this is where I struggle with understanding. You knew you had a bad relationship with food and knew you wanted to change that. You knew you had obesity related health issues which were doing you harm and wanted to be healthier. You knew that your eating habits were going to change and you would most likely need to start an exercise regimen to be successful. You knew this was not going to be easy.

You knew all of this prior to surgery and all of this has come true. It sounds like you set your expectations correctly. So, then, what is your regrets?

Early on, I mourned the loss of food as a comfort item, which, after going through it, made me realize how sick my addiction to food was. But I find that a blessing, not a regret.

PdxMan - I guess what is hard for me is that even when I eat the RIGHT types of food... and eat a lot less...it is still not ... easy? comfortable? Not sure... I guess I could take exercising every day, logging calories (professional dieter - used to that) but I expected that I would eat LESS and eat healthier... what I did NOT expect was difficulty eating PERIOD. Eating skinless chicken or turkey, eating Protein, I don't even miss carbs as much as I thought I would... but I still feel physical discomfort eating. So. Perhaps that is just me. I did not expect a lifetime of dreading food...just LESS food and healthier food.

[AmandaRaeLeo 2,145]

I am over four months out and weight loss is slow and hard! It doesn't just fall off of most of us..

I just needed to get that out there (right John)

I have a secret....

I did not have to wait any amount of time to have my surgery (great insurance policy) in fact I have a bigger secret.. I had never heard of the sleeve until my first appointment in September had my surgery was in November.. So I don't know if waiting longer for surgery is the only answer' date=' except for the ones that say "f**k that my insurance wants me to wait six months I'm going to Mexico because I want it NOW!NOW!NOW!" Oh and nothing wrong with Mexico.

As far as low bmi maybe for some... I really do think its has something to do with the quick fix McDonalds type mentality that we have here..

I mean lapband was shoved down our throats via advertising. And I see it happening with this now.

Commercials I went LA not to long ago BILLBOARDS!

It's not that easy it should not be a big business but it is now? I think... "Move em in move em out"

This is MAJOR SURGERY! Not "oh how fun would that be to be skinny"

This was/is my last hope. I was on high blood pressure meds and really in my heart of hearts knew it was only a matter of time before I had a heart attack.

[/quote']

You mean the instant gratification/entitlement mentality right now? I want it all. I want it now. I want it delivered. And I want it to be easy.

*Disclaimer* I'm not applying this to anyone in particular.

[JerseyGirl68 1,172]

I have a secret....

I did not have to wait any amount of time to have my surgery (great insurance policy) in fact I have a bigger secret.. I had never heard of the sleeve until my first appointment in September my surgery was in November.. So I don't know if waiting longer for surgery is the only answer, except for the ones that say "f**k that my insurance wants me to wait six months I'm going to Mexico because I want it NOW!NOW!NOW!" Oh and nothing wrong with Mexico.

As far as low bmi maybe for some... I really do think its has something to do with the quick fix McDonalds type mentality that we have here..

I mean lapband was shoved down our throats via advertising. And I see it happening with this now.

Commercials I went LA not to long ago BILLBOARDS!

It's not that easy it should not be a big business but it is now? I think... "Move em in move em out"

This is MAJOR SURGERY! Not "oh how fun would that be to be skinny"

This was/is my last hope. I was on high blood pressure meds and really in my heart of hearts knew it was only a matter of time before I had a heart attack.

I'm a big chicken medically, so easing into it helped me mentally prepare. I believe this was my last hope too, and nothing, not even having a complication during my first attempt at surgery was going to stop me. Went right back in a month later and never looked back.

[PdxMan 4,292]

PdxMan - I guess what is hard for me is that even when I eat the RIGHT types of food... and eat a lot less...it is still not ... easy? comfortable? Not sure... I guess I could take exercising every day, logging calories (professional dieter - used to that) but I expected that I would eat LESS and eat healthier... what I did NOT expect was difficulty eating PERIOD. Eating skinless chicken or turkey, eating Protein, I don't even miss carbs as much as I thought I would... but I still feel physical discomfort eating. So. Perhaps that is just me. I did not expect a lifetime of dreading food...just LESS food and healthier food.

Well, I have good news for you. I see that you are at the 6 month post-op mark. For me, this was the point when things just started to get *easier*. It was when I caught the first glimmer of hope that one day my life might return to some form of normalcy, as far as food went. At 6 months I could eat one piece of red meat (tenderloin) and it didn't hurt. If I tried a second bite, it did hurt, but knowing that I could have one bite let me know that I was progressing. I was also able to eat salads comfortably, too, at 6 months, which I loved and still do. Up to this point, eating was a chore, but it isn't anymore.

I think the most remarkable unexpected thing about this whole thing was I had an expectation that I would no longer be obsessed with food. Funny thing is, I probably am even more obsessed with it, but for different reasons. Before, I was obsessed with what I was going to eat next. Now, I am obsessed with the nutritional value of what I am eating. I think about food even more now, but for far better reasons.