Just so you know, I have not even met with my WL Doc yet. We meet tomorrow and I am excited to meet him.

I am 36 and have honestly been fighting with my weight for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories of feeling overweight were in 3rd grade. For a long time, due to my participation in weight lifting and athletics, I could maintain a somewhat healthy weight even though my body fat % has always been higher than I wanted.

Fast forward to being married with 2 kids, 36 years old with a desk job. I am at my heaviest weight ever and I have been "meaning to get it together and lose some weight" for the past 5 years (at least).

There is a part of me that would much rather try to lose this weight without such a life changing event like surgery. With that said, why haven't I?

If I am honest with myself, I have gotten to the point where I don't think I will beat this without a tool like weight loss surgery. I don't want to be in this position, but it is what it is.

Did anyone else struggle with these feelings?

It's smart to question such a huge decision, and a lot goes into deciding. Previous comments have mentioned much of what I would say, including that I waited an entire year to give myself that "last chance" to lose weight on my own. I think I ended up gaining weight in that 12 months - almost back to my highest weight ever! Looking back, I think that the gain was actually self-sabotage to finally give myself permission to have surgery...but at the time the struggle to try to win that battle was real and disheartening.

Many say to remember this surgery is a "tool" and that is correct, but also experiences post-op vary so much that we can defy the stereotypes in many ways. I was telling someone the other day that the true weight loss result from my sleeve surgery was losing exactly 40 pounds. That's it. I lost 20 during pre-op. Then I lost that very crucial 40 pounds in the first 4 months post op. After that, my "honeymoon" was over and every single change with my body since that time has been from my own effort and decision making. Yes, I have the benefits of less hunger (only a slight change, as my hunger came back at 6 months), and that helps. But I have the enormous benefit that those 60 total pounds from pre/post op made me brave enough to have another knee surgery that I had been putting off for at least 7 years, and light enough that I could get back to the gym without injury and total embarrassment about how I look. But surgery overall? A 40 pound loss. Sounds strange, right? But it was a 40 pound loss that completely changed my life!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that your experience will have all sorts of commonalities with the people on this site, but you will also have your very personal challenges and victories that are all for you. I believe that it's the day-to-day challenges after the weight stops falling off that really makes or breaks this experience. And without surgery, I know for 100% certain that I would have re-gained ALL my weight and then some by now - so there you go. I've lost 108 pounds from my highest recorded weight, finally hit 90 pounds lost since pre-op (yay!) and have about 50 to go for my first big goal. The surgical results for me personally are not what I would call "typical," but dang was it ever worth the ride!!!! And it still is -- I have this sleeve surgery to thank for everything that has happened since, and would do it over again with the same (sometimes frustrating) results in a heartbeat.

I hope this makes sense, it's the first time I've written this down in any sort of comprehensive way

Edited January 8, 201511 yr by Shells_Almost_There

My primary doctor told me that the co-morbidities heading my way (run in my family: heart attack, diabetes, knee and hip issues) warrant getting surgery because the amount of weight needed to prevent them from happening (100+) is too much to lose and keep off long term. There are studies on how long weight can stay off and long term big amounts of weight are rare to keep away.

It's smart to question such a huge decision, and a lot goes into deciding. Previous comments have mentioned much of what I would say, including that I waited an entire year to give myself that "last chance" to lose weight on my own. I think I ended up gaining weight in that 12 months - almost back to my highest weight ever! Looking back, I think that the gain was actually self-sabotage to finally give myself permission to have surgery...but at the time the struggle to try to win that battle was real and disheartening.

Many say to remember this surgery is a "tool" and that is correct, but also experiences post-op vary so much that we can defy the stereotypes in many ways. I was telling someone the other day that the true weight loss result from my sleeve surgery was losing exactly 40 pounds. That's it. I lost 20 during pre-op. Then I lost that very crucial 40 pounds in the first 4 months post op. After that, my "honeymoon" was over and every single change with my body since that time has been from my own effort and decision making. Yes, I have the benefits of less hunger (only a slight change, as my hunger came back at 6 months), and that helps. But I have the enormous benefit that those 60 total pounds from pre/post op made me brave enough to have another knee surgery that I had been putting off for at least 7 years, and light enough that I could get back to the gym without injury and total embarrassment about how I look. But surgery overall? A 40 pound loss. Sounds strange, right? But it was a 40 pound loss that completely changed my life!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that your experience will have all sorts of commonalities with the people on this site, but you will also have your very personal challenges and victories that are all for you. I believe that it's the day-to-day challenges after the weight stops falling off that really makes or breaks this experience. And without surgery, I know for 100% certain that I would have re-gained ALL my weight and then some by now - so there you go. I've lost 108 pounds from my highest recorded weight, finally hit 90 pounds lost since pre-op (yay!) and have about 50 to go for my first big goal. The surgical results for me personally are not what I would call "typical," but dang was it ever worth the ride!!!! And it still is -- I have this sleeve surgery to thank for everything that has happened since, and would do it over again with the same (sometimes frustrating) results in a heartbeat.

I hope this makes sense, it's the first time I've written this down in any sort of comprehensive way

Perfect and what I needed to read today.

"I believe that it's the day-to-day challenges after the weight stops falling off that really makes or breaks this experience."

Yep.

I lost and gained back more weight than I can count. I have not been able to keep the weight off on my own. This surgery has been fantastic for me! I considered the surgery for over a year before I went to a seminar. I had an epiphany on a weekend trip to Baltimore. I was miserable and so was my family. I knew after this, I had to do something drastic. Best decision ever!

I can lose weight fairly well, I can't maintain, I am hoping the surgery helps me keep the habits I adopt by reminding me to put down the fork.

I certainly tried ....thanks Mom for taking me to get diet pills at 11. Prob 8-10 lbs overweight. That is all she knew and image meant a lot to her Sigh

Fast forward to 2006. Been on Ww,

Horse urine (bizarre), liquid only medifast, keep going. I could lose a bit. But NEVER STAYED OFF.

That is my issue with the million $ diet industry that does not work or we would all be thin after a few attempts. Huh?

This works for YEARS for me. No fighting with my mind and hunger. What a relief????????????

Edited January 9, 201511 yr by Julie norton

If I calculate all the weight I lost and gained back, it would be above 300lbs, in 6 months before surgery I had lost more than lbs, but each time not only did I gain back, I gained 10-20lbs more than my start.

I don't think I could have done it without WLS.

I am choosing to get WLS (on Monday) because I really do know that I CAN NOT do it on my own. I have been overweight my whole life and have lost and gained weight several times with no long term success. So I definitely know from my experiences having tried over and over again that I will no do it on my own..Our bodies will not let us at this point..

No. I have lost 50 pounds this past year thanks to my lap band. I had been on every diet known to mankind and I'd lose 10 or 15 pounds, then gain back. Over and over....for about 20 years. I became severely obese around age 40 and suffered for 10 years. Thank God I had the surgery. Even though I still have 50 pounds to go, and no, this is not always easy (I'm an emotional eater...of course its not easy), it is hands down the best money I've spent on losing weight. I feel satisfied with small portions and I have had very few problems with getting stuck or sliming. I am doing things I haven't done for years. I am more confident. It's great. Go for it. Change your life...you deserve it. Good luck!!

There is no doubt in my mind that I could not have done this without WLS. I have spent my entire life (well since I was about 12, the first time someone pointed out that I was fat) trying to lose weight. There were a few periods where I lost weight and kept it off for a few months, which is how I ended up at 301 lbs at the age of 46, lose some weight, gain it back plus a few more. I yo-yo'd through all types of weight loss programs, homegrown to medically supervised.

What I learned AFTER surgery is that my body/brain was fighting me the whole way. If I missed a meal (which didn't happen often) or ate too lightly when I was presurgery, I used to get really nauseous, like dry heaves nauseous, it was one of my questions to my surgeon - Will this happen when I am eating only a few ounces at a time? She assured me it shouldn't be a problem. My warning signs were usually shaky hands and weak knees. (my blood work showed no signs of diabetes or other blood sugar issues), crankiness and then the gagging. Well I am 6 months out and I have yet to feel true hunger pangs or even a smidgen of that weak kneed, shakiness, bad temper symptoms that would lead to the dry heaves if I didn't get something to eat. This was the battle I was up against - because these symptoms would kick in an hours or so after your standard 200-300 calorie meal. Now, I am totally satisfied with the 3-4 ounces I can eat at a meal these days.

I have lost 88 lbs as of this posting and gone from a size 26W/24W to a size 16W. I have another 60 lbs to lose to get my fighting weight of 150-ish, (I'd be thrilled with 165, over the moon with 155). My weight loss has been toughest - but the easiest I have ever done in my life. I still make the decisions to eat healthy foods and stay away from simple carbs and fast foods - but my body is now on my side. Sometimes it is the emotional want to indulge in a rich food that is the toughest part or maybe the temptation to eat something really carby like Pasta - but my sleeve backs me up and keeps me honest :-D

I am very happy and look back with absolutely zero regrets! In fact if I have a regret it is that I didn't get my sleeve sooner!

Edited January 12, 201511 yr by SnohoGal98296

Before WLS I lost 100s of pounds but they were always the same 5 to 10 pounds but it was always a yo-yo diet. My hunger was so strong I could not control it. Now I don't feel hungry very often and when I do because it's 3 pm and I forgot to have lunch it's gentle and well behaved.

There is no way I could have lost 56 pound on my own and keep them off. Even if I worked out 3 hours per day. I tried but I would end up being even hungrier.

My RNY has saved me.

It's like a broken record at this point in the thread, but I have "successfully" lost weight MANY times over the years... hundreds of pounds at this point. I never had any doubt in my ability to lose weight. I have a very obsessive personality, so when I would get into "weight loss mode", I could be incredibly hard core about tracking everything I ate and exercising every day. But the problem with "dieting" is that you have this idea that you are eventually "done". You get to your goal weight or a weight you're pretty happy with and you think "okay, I'm done now". But as soon as you do that, you stop tracking the food and the exercise slows down or gets to the point where you aren't doing it at all anymore. And you start "rewarding" all of your hard work with a "well earned" pizza or dinner out. And a few months later, you are right back where you started!

Even when I get to my goal weight his time, I can never be "done". The sleeve is permanent. It will always be there, restricting my intake and reminding me of the sacrifices I made to finally be healthy.