Hello all I'm new to this and was trying to not talk about it because of the judgement I may receive from friends and family, so I decided to reach out to a diverse community.

I'm about 5'6 230 pounds and decided to speak with my doctor about the gastric sleeve. Since having a hysterectomy I have not been able to lose weight. I now have HBP, pre diabetic, arthritis in my back and joint pain. I wear my weight well many say however the sickness and meds says otherwise. Any tips for those who have less than 100 pounds to lose ?

For many years I've tried to lose weight and will succeed but it comes back with vengeance. I've done meds that lead to anxiety in my life and depression. This is definitely not a cosmetic decision but a change of life decision. I must be an example for my babies...

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You might find some useful information in threads about having WLS with low / lower BMI. If you do a keyword search you should be able to find a few, including some recent ones. One challenge more people with lower BMIs often face is obtaining insurance coverage or self-paying. My highest BMI was a 32, and since my PCOS which was the main reason I wanted WLS didn't count as a qualifying condition, insurance wouldn't provide any coverage. I went the self-pay route and had surgery in Mexico, and it was an extremely positive experience. The other fairly common challenge is that you'll likely lose weight at a slower pace than those starting off at a higher BMI. It took me about a year to lose 70 pounds, which was my initial goal, and then I another ten. Losing a bit more slowly did have some perks; I have no loose skin and lost a minimal amount of hair. Most people have stalls at week three, and again at other points along the way. Making sure you're not having too many or too few (not eating enough can cause a stall) calories by keeping track of what you eat, drinking plenty of Water, and staying active will help. Be sure to follow the rules your surgeon gives you, especially during the first month when you're healing.

Best wishes!

Thank you so much you shared a wealth of knowledge and I love the lose weight slow method. Not that I'm ashamed I'm just not sharing it with many people. However I'm glad to hear your testimony it's so encouraging!!! I will do exactly what you stated I'm going to do a search on low BMI

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Hi! I started at about the same stats - which puts us in the 35-40 BMI range. And same for me - many years of trying to lose weight. With the comorbidity diseases stacking up, I then considered surgery after discussing with my doctors. I'd say it was about a year before I took action and went to the required information session and kicked off the process. Move a head 4 months and I had the sleeve done on Jan 12, and no regrets so far. Want to be here for my kids, and grandkids someday!!!