I've had weight issues all my life and have been encouraged since I was 19 to consider weight loss surgery... I refused it at the time and pretty much have refused to do it up until now. I kept think of it as a cheating and that it would make me a quitter if I resorted to it. So like pretty much everyone else here, I tried everything else - all sorts of diets, I worked with a personal trainer... I would do really well for a while, then something would set me back, I'd give up, gain it all back (plus some).

Then a few months ago, I was reading something about Einstein, and his definition of insanity popped into my head, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." I realized that all the diets, fads, etc. were a form of insanity.

After some research, I decided that gastric sleeve was the best option for me, and finally informed family and close friends of my decision, because I knew telling people would force me to actually go through with it. People asked when I was going to do it, and I said I was still researching finances and surgeons... so they pretty much figured it was a "someday" thing.

But, after a good bit of research, I decided to go with dr. verboonen in Cancun. I still didn't commit right away...and finally realized that I had already made my decision and was only putting off the inevitable... So yesterday, I booked the date and put down my deposit... I'm still in a bit of a daze, and it feels a little unreal, even though I've actually started to make it happen.

However, I've realized that I wasn't only putting off surgery, but I was putting off a lot of things I didn't need to, until "after surgery". Has anyone else found themselves doing this?

I think the "putting things off" thing is probably true of most of us to varying degrees...

But that's for another day...

Today you can focus on the decision you've made...

Congratulations to you...

And welcome!!

Thank you :-)

Congratulations on your decision and your commitment. I find it so unfortunate that the societal stigma against WLS prevents some people from doing it for so long if ever. This ridiculous notion that it's the "easy way out" reminds me of when we were kids playing sports and parents or coaches would tell us to "walk it off" or "rub a little dirt on it". I can't think of any other medical condition where the surgical treatment is considered the "easy way out". If I needed a knee or hip replacement, would people think I was taking the easy way out by getting it instead of just enduring pain and immobility for the rest of my life? Of course not!

Plus, there's nothing easy about it. It's major surgery, requires drastic lifelong lifestyle changes, and still requires you to exercise and eat right.

I absolutely agree! Once I really started researching and seeing was required, I realized this wasn't going to be a simple thing. But then again, weight loss never is.

People trot out the "simple" formula of basically eating right and exercising so that you burn off more calories than you take in... While that may be a big part of it, if that was truly all that mattered, far fewer people would be considering surgery. They forget that everything from the quality of the food we eat to to our emotional/mental state plays a tremendous role.

Regardless of how you lose weight, there are some basic truths you have to face: 1) That you have to change your habits, 2) That you have be be prepared to follow through even when it gets hard, because the world around us is not going to make it easy.

Thank you