I don't really know why I've been thinking about this but I have been.

I read these boards constantly and it seems that most people say they have been overweight since childhood. Has anyone not? I was not a heavy child, teen or even young adult. In my mid to late twenties, it is like my body just decided it was going to hold on to lots of extra weight no matter what I did. Like everyone here, I tried absolutely everything I could to lose weight---I was never successful. I didn't lose a bunch and regain--I never lost--just got bigger and bigger. I had tons of medical tests and was never dx with any medical reason for the gain.

I am curious as to whether this type of history has any different outcome with the success of surgery. Or, do people who have been heavy forever have more/less/same success than people who just struggled as adults? Again, just a curiosity of mine...

A struggle is a struggle regardless of when you're struggling

Not all of us were over weight or obese as children or even as young adults, but before surgery we were all unhealthy and not happy with it. It's a struggle we don't want to have the rest of our lives.

I know....I am not comparing my struggle as being worse/better, etc....

I was just curious about how people who have different histories have succeeded with the surgery outcomes.

Sorry if the OP sounded rude...I totally didn't mean it that way!!!

Gosh, I really hope my original post didn't sound judgmental!!! I feel bad now. It was really just an open, honest question about weight history being different among people and how it affects us all now.

Nope not at all.. lol, I'm guessing mine did though

I was just saying that I think there lots that haven't struggle long and the outcome is probably comparable. Wait.. Maybe I didn't say that, huh?

Ignore me and carry on, lol

I didn't take it as rude...We have definitely all been through the ringer! Looking back at pictures and hearing other people tell it, I was skinny with nice curves...I never weighed myself back then because I always thought I was fat, even when I was young. I remember being only 12 and allowing myself a lemon drop three times a day, for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner because I thought I was so huge.

I created a self-fulfilling prophecy and when I got a job and moved out of my mom's house, I was free to eat however I wanted and whenever I wanted and I did! My family was very poor and we would sometimes go days without eating, and if we got to eat out, it was a great treat. The dopamine created in youth persisted as I got older and food became a coping mechanism and a treat for me. When I was old enough, I sought that dopamine rush through food all of the time!

I consistently gained weight, but never felt that I was so big until I saw a picture of me that made me realize I had a problem when I was about 23. I started exercising, watching what I ate, and using phentermine to lose weight. I lost about 30 pounds and then steadily gained it back...Thus beginning my yo-yo dieting routine that landed me in sleeveland.

I am grateful every single day when I wake up and don't feel controlled by food. It's amazing!

I didn't gain weight until I was in my 30s. In my teens I weighed 118 and in my 20s I weighed under 130. I weighed 145 when I was full term with my son. I'm 5'6".

I think it has made it easier to adjust to being thin because its not completely alien to me. And the habits I had when I stayed naturally thin have come back to some degree. I do have to struggle still. I would LOVE to overeat, but I am NOT GOING THERE. This surgery was my "hail mary" for getting to a healthy weight after years of diet and exercise.

Lynda

Not my whole life, well, since I was about 6. So, yes, pretty much my whole life. However, I have had times since then that I have been at a healthy weight- for about 5 minutes when I was 21....

When I was a child I wasn't fat but I wasn't skinny either. When I hit puberty I thinned out and was skinny. I stayed skinny until I was in about 24 then I started to gain weight and became obese. Even when I was skinny I had a weight problem though because I thought I was fat and I had anorexic tendencies.

I am now 40, had surgery 2 years ago and am very happy where I'm at. It was hard being obese having grown up thin. I knew what I was missing and I hated myself for being so fat.

I was a very thin child. Finished HS at 115 pounds, and college at 125. Married at 28 at 130 pounds. Then through my 30's I had 3 children. Gained with each of them and I just keep gaining..... Now, in my 50's, I am, obviously, quite heavy! I am ten weeks post sleeve, and down 53 pounds. This includes 17 pounds pre-op.

I think you raise an interesting question. I wonder if any program tracks that info. It makes me wonder if someone is more genetically compromised toward obesity, or whether others make poorer choices. I do know that stress can be a factor. For me it certainly was. And I continue to have stress which may not bode well for my success.

Good luck to you..... may we be thin again. lol

I wanted to add that now being thin is even better because I am a healthy thin. I don't have anorexic tendencies like I did when I was younger. My whole attitude has changed. When I was younger I just wanted to be skinny even though I always thought I was fat. This time around I wanted to be thin but more importantly I wanted to be healthy. I had to deal with a lot of mental issues to get to this point. Still deal with them at times, probably always will but I am healthy!

I was very thin from childhood up until my pregnancies. I managed to lose all my pregnancy weight and was happy with my weight for years. About 7 years ago the scale started to inch up. every year i was gaining an average of 8-10 lbs. Gained about 70-75 lbs in those 7 years. I managed to tip the scale at my highest weight of 228 in Feb of 2012. I had to do a 6 month supervised diet were i lost 25 lbs and had surgery on 1/9/13. I am currently 158 lbs and losing an average of 2 lbs a week.

No, but I thought I was and was told by my parents I was. I was always bigger than my peers. In high school I was around 120 lbs. I'm 4'11". I was very active in matching band and track. My parents always restricted my food. I went to college and the brakes came off. I was 175 by the end of my freshman year. I graduated around 200 lbs. my highest adult weight was 225. My surgery weight was 98 kg which I think is around 215 lbs (I'm in Australia now). The lowest I have been as an adult was around 155 lbs when I lost 75 lbs on Weight Watchers in 2002. I was just on the cusp of overweight, wearing a tight 14.

I actually only started gaining weight about 8 years ago after a serious back injury. I was a healthy weight as a child and in my teens, played ice hockey and soccer for years which kept me in shape growing up. Wrestled in high school and first year of university.

I literally dropped off a 30' cliff and landed on my upper back. I was told to lay off any contact sports or lifting weights for awhile. I slowly started gaining weight once I couldn't do the physical activities I use to love.

A few years went by and gained about 50lbs. I met my wife who is an amazing cook coupled with our love checking out new restaurants and before I knew it I was up another 40-50lbs... around 275.

I have loss about 75lbs 2 times in the last 5 years only to gain in all back and then some. The last straw was when I hadn't weighed myself for a few months and was shocked I had hit 320. All the while I had known and research vsg surgery but always felt it was to extreme. The latest big weight gain caused me to serious consider it and that was history.

I always knew I could lose the weight without the surgery. I did the surgery to keep the weight off for good.

I was dreadfully skinny. It started changing after I got married. I have several theories why that happened but I blame it on marrying a good cook.

I was always thin. I had a 9 lb baby gained 40 lbs and the next day zipped up my size 4/5 like nothing! I did not start to gain weight until I developed several medical problems. Due to all the medical problems I ended up taking 27 pills a day (all prescribed) and started to gain weight. Since 1997 I went from size 8 to 14 in 16 years. I am 6 mos post op and now wearing a loose 6! I did this surgery to get me off all my meds. I was taking prednisone daily for 16 years and I needed to take control of my body. After going to Stanford and speaking to doctors they assured me that my medication would drop and they have! Currently taking 7 but 3 will be dropped next month. Best thing I could have done for family and myself