I am so curious to know how you all came to the decision for surgery. I want to know, was it a single day ? a light bulb clicked on over your head ? a careless comment ? a photo ? or like me, the end of a long long journey.

I'm going to be brutally honest with you. I always felt that wls was for everyone else, definitely not for me because I could lose weight on my own and to get surgery to lose weight was absolutely NUTS and truly it NEVER entered my head. So with this mindset the last 20 years have been an endless stream of different diets. pills, potions, contraptions, books, videos - well you get the idea. And the grand result is, I am almost back to my heaviest weight ever and the only thing I lost was money and hope.

But throughout all of this I still always firmly believed that the next new thing was really going to work. I am by nature an optimist, I usually choose to see the glass half full and so I absolutely astonished myself one morning as I got out of bed, stiff sore and fed up. My mind immediately saying "I really need to lose this damn weight so what do we try now" and as I went to answer my own question, I realized I was done - I was FINALLY dieted out , the well was dry, the tank was empty. I could not have started another diet if Dr Oz himself had ran in and held a gun to my head (I know he wouldn't do that)

And there you have it - that morning I sat down at my laptop and started researching surgery. I had never heard of the sleeve and immediately knew that was my choice. I found all you fabulous people on the amazing forum (thank you Susan) and realized this wasn't a crazy choice, it was a valid, sane decision, I just had to get to it in my own time.

I truly do know that the sleeve is a tool, it is your friend, it is on your side, it has your back.

My day is coming up - October 5th (I found some sleeve buddies too yay)

So please share with me and everyone your story

how you all came to the decision for surgery.

leslie1958

since i was 20, i was very aware of being obese

like others i did the many diets....WW, nutrisystem et al

these past few years, i kept seeing a dr advertising bariatric surgery on tv

i just looked at the tube - watched this overweight couple "walking into the sunset" talking about how happy they were to be getting WLS

I looked at this commercial, kindof laughing, yeah right, i'm gonna do this???

one day that "light bulb" did hit me at my PCP's office

without thinking i asked him his opinion about WLS

he smiled and told me he thought i would be a very good candidate

we talked, the rest is history

2 years PO

GOAL

maintaining past year+, and counting success for the rest of my healthier, happier life

life is good

good luck

kathy

leslie1958

since i was 20, i was very aware of being obese

like others i did the many diets....WW, nutrisystem et al

these past few years, i kept seeing a dr advertising bariatric surgery on tv

i just looked at the tube - watched this overweight couple "walking into the sunset" talking about how happy they were to be getting WLS

I looked at this commercial, kindof laughing, yeah right, i'm gonna do this???

one day that "light bulb" did hit me at my PCP's office

without thinking i asked him his opinion about WLS

he smiled and told me he thought i would be a very good candidate

we talked, the rest is history

2 years PO - past year - goal, down 105 lbs

life is good

good luck

kathy

Kathy ! LOVE LOVE LOVE that !!! thank you !!

HI I have been considering WLS for about a year. After pitiful attempts at dieting, working out and other, not so healthy methods at losing weight, I decided that I would look into gastric bypass. My Dr. referred me to a specialist and I attended a seminar. They had three options, gastric bypass, the vertical sleeve and the lap band. They went over each option very thoroughly. I chose the vertical sleeve and my doctor agreed. My breaking point wasn’t when I couldn’t fit on the rides at the amusement park or into my clothes. It was when I looked through all my pictures and I only had a handful of myself and my son because I avoided cameras like the plague. My health (according to my labs) are fine but, I don’t feel fine. I don’t care what anyone says. We live in a world that discriminates against fat (fluffy) people. People judge you and stare at you. I have to admit I self-sabotage myself because I don’t feel comfortable in crowds. I don’t like being the odd ball out I know once I lose all this weight myself perception will change and so will my attitude :ph34r: !!!

Like you I had tried for 15 years to get my eating and weight under control. I always said "the deck was stacked against me" because I have had multiple injuries that prevented me from exercising over the past 15 years. I seem to take FOREVER to heal from an injury that others can bounce back from in a month or two. In 2011 I changed jobs and moved to a rural area, and I thought this was finally my time to get the weight under control. In 2012 I was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome and needed to get my pre-diabetes under control so I started the low carb diet recommended by my doctor. Two months later, I had lost only 7 pounds but my gall bladder was inflamed and I had surgery to remove it. Another couple of months to heal from that, and I got "serious" about losing weight again. This time I tried Medifast. Three weeks on it and I had a major allergic reaction to the soy in the food! In the meantime an acquaintance from my old job had bypass and kept posting on facebook about her terrific weight loss. I reached out to her and for the first time heard the truth about WLS, it had always scared me before. It got me thinking and then my employer sponsored insurance announced they would cover WLS starting in 2013 and I got even more serious about researching my options and educating myself about the surgeries. The first week of January 2013 I was contacting my insurance and getting the ball rolling. I had an up hill battle because the insurance didn't update their computer system with the new details of the coverage so I kept getting told "it isn't covered". That nightmare took 3 months to resolve! On April 15th I was approved for surgery, and had my sleeve on May 23rd. I had another rough recovery from the surgery and was off work for 7 weeks, but I'm 4 months out, and I've lost a total of 62 pounds! I never could have done it on my own! Now if I could just get the insurance company to pay the bills correctly, and I can lose the $9,000 bill that is hanging over my head, life will be really wonderful. At this pace I will lose 100 pounds by my 50th birthday at the end of January! That is a huge life changing number!! I'm glad I had the surgery and am looking forward to the day when I can do all the physical things that I used to enjoy. Good luck with your surgery, I'm sure you will be thrilled with the results too!

I am so curious to know how you all came to the decision for surgery.

Great question Leslie. I have not one great answer but many good reasons. I have lost 100 plus lbs twice in life (i'm 35 yrs. old) and I too was just TIRED! I was tired of dieting & dieting, & dieting and watching every single calorie, exercising for TWO hours a day because that's what my body type needs to maintain weight off and actually do something to change my physic. Then I would go through these very bad phase of just not giving a **** anymore and put on some weight. My highest weight 329lbs my lowest 180 lbs/ size 8 and then again 212 lbs size 12 (I'm tall thank God!) My breaking point was when I recently hit 295 lbs and said, "That's it"! I knew I had to do something (I'm currently 283 lbs). And yes, it was like a light bulb going on and a gun firing. In one second I took a leap of faith and decided to have the VSG. I researched my doctor for just a week and pulled the trigger. My surgery will be Nov 5th. I'm a weird type of person, the phrase you have to crawl before you run comes into mind; I do exactly that in life I crawl a lot, I MEAN A LOT, but when I decide to do something I RUN and get out the way!

My top five reasons why I decided WLS...

1. I promised myself I would never hit 300 lbs in life again.

2. I'm shallow and vain and I do not mind this about myself.

3. My health and or, future health problems.

4. I'm shallow and vain. (i really mean it)

5. I love myself and have a lust for life!

Leslie, I wish you the best. I know you will be very successful with your WLS. God bless you and again great question; you made me really think. I know we both made the best and correct decision.

My mother passed away at the age of 67. She was 5'2" and weighed 320 pounds. You wouldn't recognize her wedding photo when she was a petite raven-haired beauty and could have been a pin-up girl of her day. She died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Anyway, I am 61 and already had one stroke in 2010 and have gained another 45 pounds since then. My waist is now 53" and I weighed 235 when I first asked my primary doctor if I could have weight loss surgery because I am concerned that I am turning into my mother physically, and I showed him her pictures. He recommended the Bariatric Clinic at Loyola and the rest is becoming history. My date is coming up in November. I just don't want another stroke, so it was time to give up and ask for help.

I also said WLS was for other people and not me. That was before I knew about the sleeve. I have been overweight all my life and over 200 since the early 80s though I was also 250 when I was 18. Whenever I lost 60 or 80 lbs I could never go further. Then after keeping a 60 lb loss for 4 years I started gaining and nothing I did would stop it. I researched for most of a year and then the money became available and I had a vacation , so things just seemed meant to be.

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I remember thinking, "Maybe I should GAIN 30 more pounds so I'd qualify for a bypass!" I've carried too much extra weight since my second child was born, with more added as I got older, but not so "big" that I could justify surgery! and I knew the Gastric Bypass is a radical often-dangerous surgery with long-term side effects, so I wanted no part of it.

I tried various diets and pills and exercise plans over the years, but any loss never lasted -- I was always hungry. I always just wished I had a smaller stomach!

Then... [drum roll] my daughter told me about the Sleeve, which she is planning after her last pregnancy. Really? Nothing more than removing a lot of my stomach? Tell me more!

I wondered about getting the Sleeve at the old age of 60, at my 32 BMI, and paying for it myself. I may be 60 now, but I want to stay HEALTHY as I turn 65 & 70 & 80 & 90! and without the Sleeve, my 32 BMI would be 33...34...35...etc. Lastly, I'm not used to doing something "just for ME", but I AM doing this! (had to gently convince my darlin' husband that I want/need it -- dear guy loves me as I am -- and convince him I'll be safe going to Mexico... but I would do it with or without his approval. Luckily, he's supporting me 100%, tho he still says I don't need to do it!)

My sleeve is now scheduled October 14th with Dr Garcia in Tj. Part of me is excited, part of me is very nervous -- not about the surgery (I've had ceseareans & others) but hoping it'll work like nothing else has!. I don't care if I get 'skinny', if I lost half my excess weight I'd be happy! I just want to stay healthy.and hope this does the trick. :-)

There are a lot of us in this forum who are around your age. I am 61. We all want the same thing....better health and a bigger bucket for our bucket list. It's all I can do now to walk through the drug store with a cane. I want to go to my ancient homeland of the Scotland, but won't be able to do it without losing weight. I am sure we all have goals that can't be realized in our present condition. If you feel you need the surgery, then go for it. We're all rooting for you.

I'm 55 years old. I have been a big girl all of my life. I have lost and gained I bet 1000 pounds over my life time. I'd lose 60 pounds and swear I'd keep it off but then it was back on and more....over and over again. I had read where you had to be 100 pounds over weight so this time when I went back up I looked into it. My parents are 75 and 80 and both big people. they have such a hard time walking and doing anything. I didn't want the end of my life being like that. It's getting close to the hubbies retirement and we both want to live and be healthy and enjoy the rest of our lives.

My friend and I went on a cruise. I needed new clothes and 3x was starting to get too small or 24 jeans too tight. My hubby was shopping with me and he knew how frustrated I was.....that was last March. The beginning of May I called our local hospital and it cost about 22,000...Yikes! I can't afford that and my insurance wouldn't pay. I started doing a little research and it took me to this site, which inturn gave me some other ideas to research. It took about 2 weeks of searching, then I went to hubby and presented him with the info. I made a dr appointment and he gave me his blessing, went home, scheduled the surgery and bought plane tix for 2 weeks, enough time to do a 2 week liquid diet.

I am now down about 60 pounds and am feeling pretty darn good. Off meds and am walking every morning....I love this!!!!!

I want to add since I have lost this weight, my hubby and I's relation ship is so much better. I knew he loved me, but I think he was a little ashamed of me. He walked in front or behind me, never opened the door etc, but now he's like a new man too. He's lost 10 pounds, he holds my hand, the sex is better, he opens doors for me...it's put the spark back in our marriage. He even tells me how nice I look. I love that!!! He's my 2nd marriage but we've been together for 22 years now. I love that man.