I have my first appt to discuss WLS next week, but I have to ask: Am I the only one worried about the aftermath? Im 20 yrs old and im wondering what effect it would have on the rest on my life. Obviously we all want surgery to lose the weight for whatever reasons, and so do I. I know i want the fat gone, and ive tried other methods to no avail. So i question surgery, is it for me? I decide to go for it and now im wondering what life will be like afterwards (im not even afraid of the surgery itself) Can i still get drunk with friends and act my age while im in my 20's? When im 30, can i eat dinner or cake at my friends wedding? These things I wonder about almost constantly (im a natural worrywart by the way) Granted losing the weight is more important to me,

What if when these kind of "Life Experiences" pop up I regret it all? Definately something to think about right? Can someone please give me some advice? Id appreciate it very much.

I can't lie, its a sacrifice and you need to ask yourself all of those things. Sit down and " count the cost" and ask yourself what is most important. Are there other alternatives? What's the better plan for you at this stage in your life? Like someone said, if you decide to move ahead, talk over your issues with I your psychologist. Most of us had to. Best wishes on your quality decision!

Yeah Ive just been going back and forth with worrying and then being excited lol

@@Onyx999, I think it's great that you're thinking about long term effects and viewing it as a lifestyle change, not just surgery. I'm a pre-op sleever and I have learned sooo much from spending time on this site. I encourage you to look around in all of the forums and soak up as much information as you can and write down questions for when you meet with your surgeon. I chose the sleeve because I don't have any of the big comorbidities associated with obesity like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. and there tend to be fewer complications down the line than with bypass. Bypass also has the malabsorption component that concerns me.

I am one month post-op VSG. What I miss most is bread. Sitting in a restaurant with the family and eating bread/chips before the meal. But guess what? That's pretty much the only thing I miss. I was a total sugar addict. Candy everywhere, stashes in the cars, at my desk. It is all still there and I haven't touched a bite of it. I have zero desire to eat sweets. My surgery went very well, I had none of the nasty side-effects I was "so certain" I would have. I have lost 35 pounds since Jan. 18, ten on the pre op diet, the rest post op. I am wearing clothes I bought years ago! Down 3 sizes in jeans. Thank goodness I found a great resale shop! My husband noticed that the fat bulges on my back were gone. My old t-shirts are all too long since my fat shoulders aren't taking up so much room! So, I guess what I am saying is, I miss bread. But I don't miss it more than I love the way I feel now. Are there sacrifices? Sure. Are they worth it? TOTALLY! Do this for yourself. It's the best gift you will ever give you.

I had a sweet tooth before i had WLS, i am 4 months post op and have no desires for unhealthy food. I enjoy watching others eat it more than i would actually eat it. After you work for something as hard as you do before and after WLS, you really become a new person and have different perspectives about many things.. Ask far as drinking goes, you should stay away from liquid calories.. So the best option might be vodka and a no calorie mixer.. You also are affected much differently by alcohol after weight loss surgery. Hope this helped!!!

I wish i had wls at 20. Might have really changed the course of life for me.

Thank you! ive been scouring the site for all the info i can find and for me it will be a lifestyle change, and i know i will miss some things but to me it will be well worth it and who is to say that you can never eat bread again? Obviously you want to wait til youre closer to goal weight i imagine, but i doubt anything horrible will happen for one bite of bread. Honestly i know right now as a pre op the main (if not only) thing i will miss, unless i cant drink tea.. That would suck lol i love brittish style tea I would miss my Monster energy drinks. I've quit them before, and chose to go back to them, so i know i can do it i just wont start up again haha Do you guys think 20 is too young for WLS? Im tired of wasting my life being unhealthy, but ppl seem to think im too young to have tried other methods.

and who is to say that you can never eat bread again? Obviously you want to wait til youre closer to goal weight i imagine, but i doubt anything horrible will happen for one bite of bread.

I can only speak for myself, but 6 months out, bread is still not an option. I have been able to eat everything just fine, without getting sick, but bread makes me painfully overfull feeling very quickly. It expands in my stomach and becomes VERY uncomfortable. Toasting it first makes it a little bit better and your surgeon/nutritionist will definitely recommend you toast it. So far, the most I can manage bread-wise is about 3/4 of one slice of Pepperidge Farm Light-Style Whole Wheat toasted. If you are unfamiliar, it is a VERY thinly sliced bread that is about 3 inches square.

I wouldn't dare eat the bread they put out at most restaurants. First of all, it's usually white bread or rolls, and I'm only allowed to eat whole grains. Secondly, it's usually not toasted.

I have my first appt to discuss WLS next week, but I have to ask: Am I the only one worried about the aftermath? Im 20 yrs old and im wondering what effect it would have on the rest on my life. Obviously we all want surgery to lose the weight for whatever reasons, and so do I. I know i want the fat gone, and ive tried other methods to no avail. So i question surgery, is it for me? I decide to go for it and now im wondering what life will be like afterwards (im not even afraid of the surgery itself) Can i still get drunk with friends and act my age while im in my 20's? When im 30, can i eat dinner or cake at my friends wedding? These things I wonder about almost constantly (im a natural worrywart by the way) Granted losing the weight is more important to me,

What if when these kind of "Life Experiences" pop up I regret it all? Definately something to think about right? Can someone please give me some advice? Id appreciate it very much.

You will pretty much everything you ate before but in much smaller portions. I have the tummy made of steel. I can eat bread and white carbs, I choose not to until I hit goal.

Edited March 7, 201511 yr by BLERDgirl

Yeah i'm not really big on bread as it is. i do love cheese though lol and how long after surgery before you can drink coffee or tea? Can you have either?

I think the goal of getting drunk with friends is probably problematic, but just in case you're wondering, you probably will not be able to drink as much if you have a RNY. One, alcohol irritates the heck out of your stomach. Two, you may end up throwing up - also not great for your stomach, throat and teeth. Three, alcohol makes you more likely to make bad food choices.

All that said, you will also likely get a buzz or drunk off much less alcohol. Even a "girly" drink like a margarita may prove too much. - Ask me how I know

Try to focus on what you have to GAIN. The things you have to lose may seem big right now, but write a list and do a comparison. What do you have to GAIN if you are successful? What do you have to lose if you DON'T have the surgery?

And like others have said, this is a great conversation to have with a counselor or therapist.

Yeah i'm not really big on bread as it is. i do love cheese though lol and how long after surgery before you can drink coffee or tea? Can you have either?

Caffienated drinks depends on the person and the program. I started drinking regular coffee again at 6 weeks. I don't drink it everyday, maybe once or twice a week. Check with your nutritionist.

I hope so, I love english breakfast tea with cream But it can always be an occasional treat or something

Yeah i'm not really big on bread as it is. i do love cheese though lol and how long after surgery before you can drink coffee or tea? Can you have either?

Well, you'll definitely get to eat a lot of cheese! During the soft food phase, I practically lived off of cottage cheese and Shelly's Baked Ricotta (Google the recipe). I still have a reduced fat string cheese for my morning snack every day and have cheese at other random times with meals or as a stand-alone snack.

As for coffee and tea, I wasn't allowed caffeine until 30 days post op, but different surgeons and nutritionists have different requirements.

You are getting alot of detailed feedback, but I think it is wise to step back and ask yourself the really big questions about your readiness for this. I too wish I could have achieved lasting weight loss when I was your age, but I have to be honest... I am not sure I was emotionally ready. Who knows?

I think meeting some people in your age range, understanding their situation, discussing with a counselor or other support resources is a really good thing. Most bariatric centers have support groups and preops are welcome to them.

I can't emphasize enough that you need to be "all in" to make this work. I am not talking about whether you can have a piece of bread or occasional alcholic drink (once you are goal etc) I am talking about the day after day, month after month, year after year lifestyle committment this takes.

I think we all need to view WLS as the big huge hairy deal that it is and not imagine that it is just one more diet. I am NOT saying you believe that, I am just trying to get across a point strongly.

I have been maintaining a big weight loss for 2 years and due to my history of ALWAYS regaining, I am still self observing with "guarded optimism" that this is finally it - I can stay trim for a lifetime. That is my dream and I WISH WISH I could have done it in my early 20s and not late 40s but that is MY reality. I just turned 50 and finally I am in single digit sizes and actually maintain the same size month after month - now that is a novel concept for me! I'll take it - beats the crap out of being morbidly obese and middle age..haha