Hello all,.

I'm all sorts of "messed up in the head" right now. I hope one of you can help me with my struggles. It's all I can think about.

I'm about 1.5 months pre-op. I have an appointment with my surgeon next Monday and I'm pretty certain insurance will approve me. I meet all the criteria and then some, including hypertension at age 31. My bmi is at 44ish and I have high cholesterol, sleep apnea and orthopedic problems.

Anyways, I'm so worried that this is just going to be another yo-yo experience for me. Going under the knife doesn't phase me. I've had a cesarean and appendectomy with great success and recovery.

I feel as though I'm not taking this journey very seriously. I lost about 20 pounds for the 6 month diet that my insurance requires and have been eating like crazy ever since my final weigh-in. I'm out of control and pretty much just lost the weight to qualify for surgery. I feel that I don't have the mental part needed for sustained weight loss. Part of my approval involves seeing a counselor for a year after surgery, but who knows how well that will keep me grounded?

I know surgery is just a "tool" but will I be physically changed enough afterwards to really take off weight? Perhaps I'm over-analyzing or just hyper-critical of myself. This is my last chance at having a healthy life and all I can think about it "blowing" this opportunity.

HELP! :/

Hello all,. I'm all sorts of "messed up in the head" right now. I hope one of you can help me with my struggles. It's all I can think about. I'm about 1.5 months pre-op. I have an appointment with my surgeon next Monday and I'm pretty certain insurance will approve me. I meet all the criteria and then some, including hypertension at age 31. My bmi is at 44ish and I have high cholesterol, sleep apnea and orthopedic problems. Anyways, I'm so worried that this is just going to be another yo-yo experience for me. Going under the knife doesn't phase me. I've had a cesarean and appendectomy with great success and recovery. I feel as though I'm not taking this journey very seriously. I lost about 20 pounds for the 6 month diet that my insurance requires and have been eating like crazy ever since my final weigh-in. I'm out of control and pretty much just lost the weight to qualify for surgery. I feel that I don't have the mental part needed for sustained weight loss. Part of my approval involves seeing a counselor for a year after surgery, but who knows how well that will keep me grounded? I know surgery is just a "tool" but will I be physically changed enough afterwards to really take off weight? Perhaps I'm over-analyzing or just hyper-critical of myself. This is my last chance at having a healthy life and all I can think about it "blowing" this opportunity. HELP! :/

I can say for me it was reality once I had the sleeve........ I had surgery 11/20 lost 20lbs so far........

I am having surgery 12/9 so I can't speak from experience yet but I do feel your pain and respect your honesty. I am on day four of my pre op diet and have cheated in some small way almost every day. I wonder if that just means I should give up and won't be able to do this even with surgery! However, I read the stuff on this forum and it gives me the confidence and strength! We CAN do this! I will be glad to share with you everything I do and feel along the way since my surgery is so soon. When do you start your pre op diet and what does it consist of?

I've said it here before , I think your mindset going into surgery is crucial to long-term success. That being said-- To answer your question, physically you will not be able to eat as much as you did before, and some folks cannot tolerate certain foods as they used to. It will be all about the choices you make. You can choose to eat chips and other 'slider' type foods all day and not lose. You have shown yourself you have the discipline to maintain a diet plan, you've done it. The biggest change for me after surgery was that food was no longer my focus, I still don't feel hunger, and when I do , a few ounces fills me up. It makes staying on track easier in that aspect. I cannot over indulge like I once did. I am tempted, but I have to remind myself how far I've come and what I did to get here. I also believed this was my last (best) chance at sustained weight loss. Having the surgery for me was a big deal. I had never had an operation, and never even been admitted to the hospital before. I made sure I was committed before I decided to proceed.

I think the fear of hurting yourself post-op will be strong enough to keep you on track while you're healing, but you really do need to be ready for the changes that come after. Sometimes just coming to terms with why we fail over and over again and forming a new relationship with food can make all the difference. Seeing a counselor will most likely help there.

No one can answer the question if you are ready but you. I really admire your ability to honestly question your if you are ready. . You may not be and that's ok. There is no rush for surgery if you're not. Maybe you need to take a little more time.

But if you feel you are ready, then do all you can to get the best outcome. Start fresh and commit. Are you able to speak to the counselor prior to surgery? We are always here to listen if you are struggling. I can honestly say that this time, my attempt to lose was not the same as the other times. I felt very much in control and never felt deprived. The scale didn't always move when I wanted it too or as much, but I am ok with slow and steady loss.

Just because everything else has failed does not mean that this will. YOU have it in you to do what you need to do, embrace it.

Best of luck in whatever you decide.

At first, physically your stomach will be tight and swollen and you won't be able to get a lot in so you will lose weight. After a while, for some it's around six months, for me it was over a year, you will find that your stomach can hold more, especially sliders. You can learn to eat around your sleeve and fill it with junk and lots of it. If you go that route you will stop losing weight and eventually start to gain weight back.

A lot of people go through a "food funeral" before surgery and eat everything in site because they are afraid they won't be able to eat the things they love ever again. This isn't the case. Eventually you will be able to eat most of the things you enjoy now just in smaller portions.

Now is the time, before surgery and after surgery, to start getting things figured out mentally. Why did you become obese? Do you use food to cover up your emotions? Ask yourself these questions and figure out how to stop using food in a way that made you obese and this will ensure success in the future. Also, learning how to live a healthy life style and eat in a healthy manner for the rest of your life is what makes this surgery work.

I've said it here before , I think your mindset going into surgery is crucial to long-term success. That being said-- To answer your question, physically you will not be able to eat as much as you did before, and some folks cannot tolerate certain foods as they used to. It will be all about the choices you make. You can choose to eat chips and other 'slider' type foods all day and not lose. You have shown yourself you have the discipline to maintain a diet plan, you've done it. The biggest change for me after surgery was that food was no longer my focus, I still don't feel hunger, and when I do , a few ounces fills me up. It makes staying on track easier in that aspect. I cannot over indulge like I once did. I am tempted, but I have to remind myself how far I've come and what I did to get here. I also believed this was my last (best) chance at sustained weight loss. Having the surgery for me was a big deal. I had never had an operation, and never even been admitted to the hospital before. I made sure I was committed before I decided to proceed.

I think the fear of hurting yourself post-op will be strong enough to keep you on track while you're healing, but you really do need to be ready for the changes that come after. Sometimes just coming to terms with why we fail over and over again and forming a new relationship with food can make all the difference. Seeing a counselor will most likely help there.

No one can answer the question if you are ready but you. I really admire your ability to honestly question your if you are ready. . You may not be and that's ok. There is no rush for surgery if you're not. Maybe you need to take a little more time.

But if you feel you are ready, then do all you can to get the best outcome. Start fresh and commit. Are you able to speak to the counselor prior to surgery? We are always here to listen if you are struggling. I can honestly say that this time, my attempt to lose was not the same as the other times. I felt very much in control and never felt deprived. The scale didn't always move when I wanted it too or as much, but I am ok with slow and steady loss.

Just because everything else has failed does not mean that this will. YOU have it in you to do what you need to do, embrace it.

Best of luck in whatever you decide.

Very nicely said

I really appreciate all of the feedback from everyone. I feel a little better now.