BMI 32 pre- op. Any thoughts?

[regner 3]

I have struggled with my weight ever since I was 5 years old (scary). I have close relatives who are very obese. I know there is a chance that I can develop diabetes. I have now decided to go for a sleeve. My surgery date is 21st of June 2013. Is it too drastic? Should I try diet and exercise one more time? The kilos are constantly coming... on average 4-5 lbs a year. I have 3 small kids and the only medication I take is levaxin. How much weight can I expect to loose in one year? Appreciate all answers :-)

[Ree 215]

Your BMI is 32? I wouldn't get the surgery unless you just lost a lot of weight and are struggling to keep it off and you are looking for something permanent to help keep it off. Otherwise I would not do it. What was your highest weight? or BMI?

[Ree 215]

Also, you already have a surgery date? I thought that a surgeon wouldn't do the surgery unless someone has a BMI over 35 w/ a condition or a BMI of 40?

[MichiganChic 3,262]

Personally, I would not have a major, potentially life threatening surgery for a BMI that low, especially with no associated health risks. If you lost 10% of your weight, that would probably be enough to move you out of obesity and into overweight. I know people here with low BMI who have done this surgery, succeeded, and are fine, but you asked for opinions. My opinion is that the risk far outweighs the benefit in this circumstance. The statistical risk of complication is low....until YOU become the one with the complication, then it's 100% you...and your three little kids. Not sure if you've looked on this site for complications, but I'd suggest you research that. Whatever you decide, good luck!

[regner 3]

Your BMI is 32? I wouldn't get the surgery unless you just lost a lot of weight and are struggling to keep it off and you are looking for something permanent to help keep it off. Otherwise I would not do it. What was your highest weight? or BMI?

Thank you, Ree. Can you list up a few reasons? Are they related to the risk of having surgery? Or other Things?

[regner 3]

Personally, I would not have a major, potentially life threatening surgery for a BMI that low, especially with no associated health risks. If you lost 10% of your weight, that would probably be enough to move you out of obesity and into overweight. I know people here with low BMI who have done this surgery, succeeded, and are fine, but you asked for opinions. My opinion is that the risk far outweighs the benefit in this circumstance. The statistical risk of complication is low....until YOU become the one with the complication, then it's 100% you...and your three little kids. Not sure if you've looked on this site for complications, but I'd suggest you research that. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Thank you MichiganChic! I will have a look at the site for complications.

[regner 3]

ps: 32 is my highest BMI.

[NtvTxn 1,262]

I have struggled with my weight ever since I was 5 years old (scary). I have close relatives who are very obese. I know there is a chance that I can develop diabetes. I have now decided to go for a sleeve. My surgery date is 21st of June 2013. Is it too drastic? Should I try diet and exercise one more time? The kilos are constantly coming... on average 4-5 lbs a year. I have 3 small kids and the only medication I take is levaxin. How much weight can I expect to loose in one year? Appreciate all answers :-)

My two cents worth. I WISH I'd done it when my BMI was 32, I wish it had been around and perfected 20 years before my surgery 3 years ago!!! I was off and on a diet for 30 years. I have ALWAYS been able to lose weight. I've lost 5o lbs on three different occasions and lesser amounts, ranging from 15 - 30 on more occasions than I can count. I've been on WW's three different times, I've taken phen/fen, Alli, regular ol' prescription diet pills, Medifast, I've seen a nutritionist and then we have the South Beach, Adkins and the ones I've forgotten about. I lost weight on every single one, every time. That is not the problem, as most of us know, as soon as you get OFF the diet, the weight comes back and so many times with it comes an additional few pounds. I had NO health issues, blood pressure, cholesterol, all ok. No diabetes, sleep apnea or any of the other weight related problems. I'd do it, without hesitation. I don't know how tall you are, but unless I miss my guess, you do not have a huge amount to lose, I went into this 'wanting' to lose about 50 lbs, it came off SOOOOOo quickly that I soon realized two things. I underestimated what I could do with this new little tummy and two, I was fatter than I'd thought. I've lost 84 lbs, I wear 4's and 6's, which is very exciting and a "first" ever!!! I am pretty sure I went from children's size 6X to a jr 13 overnight when I was a kid!!! I was very 'rigid' during the time I was losing, and I have made some of my habits part of my new life and love it. I lost 23 lbs prior to surgery and reached my physician's goal in five months, my goal of five lbs less, a month later. This morning I am 6.5 lbs under HIS goal, I've lost two pounds this week and I'm not sure how! If Portion Control is what you need, look no further, this has been by far the easiest thing I've ever done to lose weight. I do not think it is the 'easy way out' for a few reasons. One, when you go under the knife to have 85% of your stomach removed, it is not 'easy'. Two, it isn't a cure all, having the digestive tract of a hummingbird or field mouse, like my husband likes to say.....will NOT prevent you from eating poorly, but having the hunger hormone substantially reduced makes it much easier to walk away, to resist when you need or want to....heck, to even throw food away. I know ** gasp ** I made home made pizza last weekend......I DO eat pizza now that I am at goal and easily maintaining, but rather than split a large with my husband I eat one slice, maybe two if it is a small pizza, and there are small pieces. I ate my one piece, he ate several and there were three pieces left over. I did NOT put them into the frig, actually, I put them into baggies, just habit, that is what I've always done. I asked if he'd want them for lunch on Monday, when he said no.....I took the baggies and threw them away. Pizza IS a temptation for me, one that I could probably resist, but why risk it. I seldom eat pizza, once a month or less. My point is.....prior to surgery I'd have NEVER thrown pizza away!!! LOL I still don't get hungry, I have what I call my 'new hunger', it's more of an empty feeling, when I know it's time to put something there. I hope it stays like this forever, I still eat because I like to, it's social and I must, I just eat much, much less. Good luck to you, I hope this helps, there will be some who think your BMI is tooooo low to even consider sleeve surgery, but keep in mind, all of us had YOUR BMI at one time. Why would you wait until it is 40 or 50? Mine was under 36 and I wanted to have fun shopping, mission accomplished. I love it my husband can pick me up......and when I NEED to sound less shallow and vain, I say it was preventive maintenance. All my dad's deceased sisters were heavy....over 300 lbs heavy and none were as tall as me. I fought to stay at 225, a constant "diet" - I knew the older I got, the harder it would be. I haven't regretted my decision at all, it's been a wild ride and I've loved every minute of it. If you do it, enjoy it all. I suspect if you are as 'rigid' as I was during the honeymoon period, you'll reach your goal and beyond in under a year, that is just MY guess because of MY experience. Everyone's is different.

[regner 3]

Thank you SO much for Your answer NtvTxn! The way you describe it is the way I hope it's going to be!! I am so happy for you!! I am ready to do some Lifelong changes to my eating and exercise habits. But I do need help to Reach my goal! And I am hoping that the sleeve will help me to remove some of my excess fat AND to help me from gaining weight in the future . I am just so tired of spending all this energy thinking of food , body and excess kilos..... I want to spend the remaining years of my life thinking of something else..... something more interesting. I do realise this is potentially dangerous. But, from what I have been Reading it's more risk in being over-weight. And if I follow my curve it will leave me With an bmi of 40 in 10 years time..... and it looks like I am definitly heading in that direction..... Like you I have tried all the different diets- lost lbs and gained afterwards . My height is 171 cm (or 5,6 feet - I believe..I normally relate to centimeters and kilos .)

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Thank you SO much for Your answer NtvTxn! The way you describe it is the way I hope it's going to be!! I am so happy for you!! I am ready to do some Lifelong changes to my eating and exercise habits. But I do need help to Reach my goal! And I am hoping that the sleeve will help me to remove some of my excess fat AND to help me from gaining weight in the future . I am just so tired of spending all this energy thinking of food , body and excess kilos..... I want to spend the remaining years of my life thinking of something else..... something more interesting. I do realise this is potentially dangerous. But, from what I have been Reading it's more risk in being over-weight. And if I follow my curve it will leave me With an bmi of 40 in 10 years time..... and it looks like I am definitly heading in that direction..... Like you I have tried all the different diets- lost lbs and gained afterwards . My height is 171 cm (or 5,6 feet - I believe..I normally relate to centimeters and kilos .)

I predict you'll do GREAT!!! I attended a support group a few months ago and the speaker was the PhD that does the psyc eval for this group. He said something that sticks with me and I like to repeat it every chance I get because this is how I got to where I was.....100 additional calories a day, every day for a year, equals 10 lbs a year. OMG - it was like a light went on. You know how LITTLE 100 calories is, it is ONE tablespoon of Peanut Butter, one of those little 100 calorie packs of WHATEVER.....it takes very little, just tasting food when you're cooking. This is what happened to me, 3 lbs one year, 5 the next, 4 one year.....of course I'm making up numbers, but the number, 3, 4, 5 is so "little" that when we weigh 4 lbs more in June of this year, than we did June of last year, we accept it and go on. It creeps up on us!!!! Again, good luck, if/when you do this......you will NOT believe how your life has changed one year later!

[celine 12]

Hello, I had a low IBM(32) to and i had the sleeve in april. This is ths best decision i took (prevention for later) i dint want to wate and to be like my mother at 300 pounds at 79 years old. This is very hard to take care of her because of her wheight. No regrets to have it done. I was tired of yoyo dieting. You have the chance to do it, well dont hesitated!

Céline

[Teachamy 1,042]

Sleeve Guru, you are AWESOME! I love your attitude!

Amy

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Sleeve Guru, you are AWESOME! I love your attitude!

Amy

Thanks Amy! Have a nice afternoon!

[Bos123 221]

I have struggled with my weight ever since I was 5 years old (scary). I have close relatives who are very obese. I know there is a chance that I can develop diabetes. I have now decided to go for a sleeve. My surgery date is 21st of June 2013. Is it too drastic? Should I try diet and exercise one more time? The kilos are constantly coming... on average 4-5 lbs a year. I have 3 small kids and the only medication I take is levaxin. How much weight can I expect to loose in one year? Appreciate all answers :-)

I have three small children too. I struggled with being overweight too. I also had a bmi of 32. I am six months out and down 50 pounds from my heaviest, 42 PDD from surgery day. Best decision ever for me. It's a scary decision, weigh the pros and cons and the rest was in gods hands;) good luck with what you choose!

[regner 3]

Hello, I had a low IBM(32) to and i had the sleeve in april. This is ths best decision i took (prevention for later) i dint want to wate and to be like my mother at 300 pounds at 79 years old. This is very hard to take care of her because of her wheight. No regrets to have it done. I was tired of yoyo dieting. You have the chance to do it, well dont hesitated!

Céline

Thank you! It's so good to hear! I believe prevention is a good thing. And if we are lucky we will not need that much plastic surgery ?? I am thinking about the skin etc... but, it's hard to predict..... we are all different.