Hi everyone! I'm a 32 year old female. I am 5'2 and 335 lbs. I have been looking into weight loss surgery for awhile. My insurance does not cover it, even it is "medically necessary" so I am a self pay. I have been looking at gastric sleeve, but I watched some videos that the doctor's office sent me, and apparently with gastric sleeve people lose an average of 50-70% of their excess weight. This is not enough! I don't want to get surgery and still be fat! I also don't want to do something as extreme as the duodenal switch. I don't know what to do.

Sarah

It's a really hard decision, I think, and a very personal one. When I first looked into WLS I weighed 370lbs and was considering the duodenal switch because I was so desperate for drastic loss. Then, of course, a patient was admitted to the nursing home I worked out that was suffering serious complications from his own duodenal switch. He ultimately passed away (he had the surgery 10 years earlier, but refused to take his Vitamins and his diet was literally pizza and soda) and it scared me. I decided to lose the weight 'on my own'.

First I tried a low-fat diet. I lost 30 pounds quickly and then stalled for two years. I was looking into the RNY when I found the ketogenic diet and decided that diet would be my last serious attempt before WLS. I lost 50 lbs in five months and then stalled for a year straight. My health dramatically improved and I love the low-carb lifestyle, but I finally decided that I can't keep working so hard at weight loss with no results. Today, I am 5'10" and weigh ~280lbs, and my sleeve surgery is scheduled for August 9th. Losing 50% of my excess weight will get me right around 200lbs and I'm okay with that.

It took me years to decide to go through with WLS but I truly feel that I did the best I could with diet and exercise. Maybe you could do something similar, find a diet and stick with it, see if it works for you? Even if you hate it, the more weight you can get off pre-surgery, the close you will be to your goal. Even though those three years were so frustrating and full of stalls, I'm glad I stuck it out so I can start WLS 90lbs closer to my goal. Nutrition is not one size fits all, if you've tried low-fat with no success, maybe low-carb would be the way to go, etc. Good luck!

(ETA: I'm self pay also. I'm headed to Mexico for my surgery... those three years I spent dieting and failing and crying were pretty helpful because I got to save up the money I needed for the surgery.)

Something to consider: even if you "only" lost 50-75% of your excess weight (many find more success than that), would you honestly ever get to that loss WITHOUT VSG? If you can, then go for it. Maintain it. Rock on with your awesome self!

For me, I couldn't. After failed diet attempts for nearly a decade, it was clear that I needed some help. I tried a LapBand in 2010 and was sleeved in June of this year after my band irreparably slipped (through no fault of mine). My family is rampant with comorbidities, so my future of unhealthy diseases raging through my body was almost certain if I didn't get this weight off.

Almost 7 weeks post-op and losing slowly but surely (that's typical with people who have had a previous WLS), and I'm okay with that!

The success rate, in my opinion, is determined by your effort in the kitchen and in the gym. It's definitely possible to reach 100%!

Short answer, it's up to you. No one can answer it for you, they can only give advice and their own personal opinion and successes/regrets etc.

Hi everyone! I'm a 32 year old female. I am 5'2 and 335 lbs. I have been looking into weight loss surgery for awhile. My insurance does not cover it, even it is "medically necessary" so I am a self pay. I have been looking at gastric sleeve, but I watched some videos that the doctor's office sent me, and apparently with gastric sleeve people lose an average of 50-70% of their excess weight. This is not enough! I don't want to get surgery and still be fat! I also don't want to do something as extreme as the duodenal switch. I don't know what to do.

Sarah

Hi Sarah it took me years to decide on the sleeve... when I first considered wls surgery only the bypass was available.. when I heard about the sleeve it took me another couple years to have it done. This is a big decision... to give you some encouragement at my 5 month post op I had lost over 40 % of my weight.now at close to 9 months I am 47 lbs from my goal. I wanted to lose 163 lbs.... So if my math is correct Iam just 7 lbs shy of 75 % already. My surgeon says their expectations are 50 to 70 % loss In a 2 year time frame. Really the results are up to us and how we use the sleeve as a tool. I am not do extreme amounts of exercise either. I just make sure I get in 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week..... mostly brisk walking. Trust

me it's worth it... my life has completely changed.... it's really beyond words... best wishes on your journey..

I am 10 weeks out tomorrow and have already lost 50% of my excess weight. I have no doubts I am still losing.

I chose sleeve over bypass because I wanted more flexibility in my life and I don't regret it for a minute. I've gone from a 20w pant, 2x shirt to a 14/16r pant and an XL top. I can shop in regular stores. I can fit in theatre seats with room for my handbag next to me. I no longer turn sideways when going through turnstiles or down tight aisles, I look chubby instead of FAT and S-E-X is so much better.

Only you can decide which surgery, but YOU determine your success, not the statistics.

It's not up to the doctors to say how much you can lose. They are giving you a number based on statistics. Everyone is individually going to have different results. People that put more into this are going to get more out of it usually. I know my doctor only expected me to get down to about 190's and I am happily settled in the 170's. Vsg was the best decision I have ever made for my health! good luck!

I appreciate everyone's input. I am going to go ahead with the vertical sleeve. I think this is the right surgery for me. I still have to meet with my surgeon, but I feel good about my decision.

Sarah