At what age would you have Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) if you had a do-over?

[MichiganChic 3,262]

Here's another reason I supported my 26 year old daughter's choice to get a sleeve: In addition to a better quality of life with her growing family, it also has the ability to improve the quality of her baby's life. He'll grow up in a house where food isn't the focus, and where he parent's eat for nutrition, not fun/sorrow/boredom/whatever. Also, I've seen studies that children will have a better chance of a normal weight if born to normal weight mothers, so that impacts her future, unborn children.

[Luvin_Life125 558]

I am 37 and had surgery 3 months ago and I wish I would have done it a few years ago. I don't think I would have done it any younger though. I had to hit bottom and realize how much being obese limited my life. I had to feel how poor I felt and how much I could no longer do before I could commit myself entirely to the necessary lifestyle changes.

If my children need and decide to have WLS once they are adults, I would support them all the way. I hope my boys won't have to fight obesity. The lifestyle changes I am making due to WLS are changes we are making as a family. I am hoping the healthy habits we are establishing will follow them into adulthood. The boys are only 8 & 11 now. I am trying to lay a good foundation for them.

Very interesting questions and responses!

[amponder 396]

That's a tough question, I remember weight loss surgery being new when I was 27 years old and weighed 211 lbs. I wanted it then, but the safety risks were a bit higher 12 years ago and laproscopic surgery wasn't being used. So I a going to go with age 32 that's a year after my 3rd and last child, 10 years after many failed dieting attempts and when the surgery had really been proven and the mortaility rate was going down. As far as my child I hope to God above that they are watching me now and saying to themselves, let's adopt healthier eating habits, and keep active so we won't have surgery like mom, I hope this is teaching them something, but if one of mine just can't shake obesity, I feel partly to blame, and they will have my full support no matter what age they choose to do it.

[onmywaytobeingfound 163]

18! & same goes for my daughter. As a parent, I want what's best for her. This has been one of the best things I've done for myself.

Edited February 21, 2015 by onmywaytobeingfound

[esskay77 785]

I don't think I would think in terms of age, but I would think back to my weight. If I had done this when I was so much smaller yet overweight enough by BMI terms, I would have done it then if I knew how much more I was going to gain!! I think a person's history of weight also plays a factor. Were they always overweight? How overweight? What kind of problems does it cause, etc. I would consider those over the age factor.

But, personally, I wouldn't want to wait as long as I did. All that weight did a job on me mentally that I wish I could have done without!

Edited February 21, 2015 by esskay77

[Cupcake 801]

If I had to do it all over again i would have had my procedure at 26 when I started gaining weight after my second child and could not get it off. But i am happy that I was able to get it done now better late than never.

[Miss Meg 199]

What a great question... Like a lot of others, I clearly was not ready mentally and emotionally for it until recently (I was 41 when I had the surgery in November). I do find myself wishing I had taken the step at around the age of 33-35, and the reason I say that is because I am still single with no children. Being severely overweight really affected my confidence when it came to meeting Men and I really believed that I wasn't worthy of meeting someone. It has taken a bit of maturity for me to realise that isn't the case and there should be no reason for me to meet a partner. I'm now in the position of being 42 and the clock is seriously ticking, and I may not have the time to meet a partner and create a family. So I'm considering options of doing it alone - I'm okay with that because I have an amazing support network and I know it would be okay - but I realise that time may not be on my side. That is really the only reason that I wish I had have made the decision earlier...

[finediva 979]

16 years old!!!!

[Elizabeth21 175]

I do not know how I would have been able to eat enough when I was pregnant with my children with the sleeve. (I was overweight when I was pregnant and still lost weight.) Personally, I would advise women to wait until they are finished having children before having this surgery.

I also needed to know that "everything else" diet/exercise was not going to be effective without surgery. I only considered and then decided to do the sleeve because it addresses the hormonal and hunger signal issues. These are the characteristics that make me believe that THIS approach will be maintainable for me.

So, I would not have been ready much before 40. However, age is a number. Everyone's path is going to be unique. Bottom line I think mental preparedness is the most important factor.

Good luck!

[MichelleTN 169]

18! Maybe..but definitely after I had my son, I was 33. I've gained weight nonstop since. I'll be 41 in may ,having my surgery April 21st.

[Stevehud 1,790]

is 15 years old too young lol?

[cdenney123 103]

I would have liked to have had it done 10 years ago as I was struggling to lose weight and tried it all from exercise to weight watchers to diet pills. But, timing is everything and there is a reason why now and not then.

[Keeper 218]

This is a tough question. I am 34 now. I believe we walk the paths we are meant to. I don't know that I would want surgery younger, necessarily, but I desperately wish I had not been overweight my entire life. My children are 11 and 7 now. They have never seen me at a healthy weight. They are very healthy active boys, and I hope that as they see the healthy changes in my life, that they will remember it as they grow. I want them to want to be healthy and I want to be that example for them. I really don't want them to have to go down the same path that I have. But as many have stated, I would support them in whatever decisions they would need to make. I just don't want them to have to make this one.

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

Like others have said great question. I would have had the surgery at 25 I had the surgery at 48. Being obese has had a negative effect on my entire life. I often wonder what it would have been like if I was of a normal weight. I am glad that I had the opportunity now as I can live the rest of my life at a normal weight.

[onmywaytobeingfound 163]

I said age 18 previously, and I thought I'd elaborate. For me I was a size 28ish bride at 1mo past 19. I quickly got to a size 32 after marriage. There's soo much more that I wanted to do before having my first child at 21. Being obese held me back from doing those things. Being obese made me not have a beautiful baby bump. Being obese also resulted in 3 high risk pregnancies. If I would've went through this wls journey as a young adult I might've had better pregnancies, a social life and beautiful baby bumps.

I'm sure some may disagree, but these are just my feelings, for what it's worth.

Edited February 23, 2015 by onmywaytobeingfound