Hello everyone!

I was hoping to get some information from those who have had the gastric sleeve. I have not had the surgery done myself. I am 23 , 284lbs and have struggled with weight my whole life. I have been on Jenny craig a number of times, dr.bernstenes, hypnosis, nutrionist, doctors, psychologists you name it, I have done it. I just can not seem to succeeded, or if I do, I gain it right back. I am currently working with a weight management team who can help me with the journey of a sleeve, but I m yet to make a decision. I would love any advice or stories for those of you who have it done. How did you make the decision? what is it like living with the sleeve? thanks in advance

---Danielle

Hi Danielle,

My name is Judy I am 25 yrs old I have struggled with my weight all my life. I can relate to your story I have also tried everything and nothing seem to work. I made an appointment with a surgeon in February and he recommend the sleeve. I decided to get the sleeve cause it feels like the best choice for me specially with all my past failures. I know once I get sleeved I'll have a better chance to live a healthy life. My insurance denied my surgery twice so that made me doubt the surgery cause I will be self pay. I am sticking to my decision to get the surgery I really want to be healthy. I am in my mid 20s but I feel like I am older cause of my diabetes. I still don't get sleeved, my surgery is November 5 and I am so excited about the surgery. I recommend you look at all your past experiences and make a decision based on that. I would love to share my experience with you once I get sleeved.

For me, I realized that I was ready for a real and permanent solution. I had dieted so many times for so long, since the age of 15. Lost and regained probably hundreds of pounds over the years. I just couldn't do another "diet" and I couldn't stay the weight I was and continue to gain. My health was starting to suffer.

Three years ago I briefly thought about surgery. I remember googling it and seeing a diagram explaining the gastric sleeve. I took one look and was like Yikes! No way! and that was that. Turns out I wasn't ready then. Now I was.

Monday I'll be 7 weeks out. So far doing great and haven't regretted it for even a minute.

Hello everyone!

I was hoping to get some information from those who have had the gastric sleeve. I have not had the surgery done myself. I am 23 , 284lbs and have struggled with weight my whole life. I have been on Jenny craig a number of times, dr.bernstenes, hypnosis, nutrionist, doctors, psychologists you name it, I have done it. I just can not seem to succeeded, or if I do, I gain it right back. I am currently working with a weight management team who can help me with the journey of a sleeve, but I m yet to make a decision. I would love any advice or stories for those of you who have it done. How did you make the decision? what is it like living with the sleeve? thanks in advance

---Danielle

Hi Danielle,

Making the WLS decision is among one of the biggest decisions you will make in your lifetime--right up there with decisions about your career, your education, marriage, childen, buying a home, etc etc etc. THIS DECISION IS FOR LIFE. Those who succeed with weight loss surgery for the long-term (meaning the rest of your life) go into this knowing that the operation is just 10% of the process; the other 90% is your READINESS to truly change. That means being totally honest with yourself that you are READY to change your old, unhealthy habits and lifestyle FOREVER. This is SO not about just losing the weight. You must change your relationship with food, your attitude about ditching junk food and replacing it with REAL food (not processed and fast food) to give your body the fuel it needs. Committing to an overall healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise is what spells lifelong success. All of this does not happen overnight. It is a long and gradual process, but the rewards are hard to put into words on how it changes lives. It is NOT the easy way out to losing your weight. It is hard to let go of those old habits. You will get frustrated. That is when you remember -- It's not that you CAN'T have the old, unhealthy junk -- it's that you are CHOOSING not to eat it. Because telling yourself you CAN'T have something makes you want it all the more. When you tell yourself you are CHOOSING not to eat it, YOU ARE PUTTING YOURSELF IN CONTROL--ONLY YOU!

When I think of myself 3-1/2 years ago, right where you are today, I could not imagine I was capable of making such drastic eating and lifestyle changes. Junk food was my very best friend. I ate fast food Breakfast, lunch, & dinner. The house was full of ice cream, cakes, pies, Cookies, chips, candy ALWAYS. I even mourned its loss; I felt so alone without it at first. After surgery, though, when I started feeding my body what it was designed to have put in it, neither my body nor my brain cared much anymore about the junk. It craved the healthy food, not the junk. Now I love looking at all the junk I have CHOSEN to eliminate from my life and just say to myself "I don't eat that anymore." None of that stuff lives in my house anymore, but I run across it constantly out in my world (it's everywhere, right???). I am so glad it does not have power over me any more. You asked what it is like living with the sleeve--it is freedom--especially when I think about all the time I wasted in my life over so many issues about food. I wish that same kind of freedom for you and anyone else just beginning to think about WLS.

There are some people who have the surgery who WERE NOT REALLY READY to quit eating their junk and they go back to eating all the unhealthy stuff, and start regaining it all back a year or two or five years out. It does not have to happen that way! This works for life if you make the commitment. The sleeve helps you, but does not do the work for you. Sometimes you'll hear people say that their SLEEVE DIDN'T WORK. The sleeve surgeries work--it's just the OWNER of the sleeve that is responsible for MAKING IT WORK!

Good luck with your decision!