Hi there, my first time on a bariatric site still pretty new to this but i had some questions/concerns. I'm "6'1' and 505 lbs at 21 almost 22 years old. I'm nervous about starting the surgery as i have heard so many issues about them from doctors. I'm beginning the start to my never ending battle of weight loss and reading some posts on here has given me some hope. The only thing i haven't seen (or if i haven't looked deep enough) is that men around my age have not gotten the surgery so as i cry for help for some support has anyone in their 20s gotten the surgery as heavy as me? I have never been a "normal weight" and looking up anything about it for men is hard. Please please help

thank you

5 minutes ago, JoeB67 said:

Hi there, my first time on a bariatric site still pretty new to this but i had some questions/concerns. I'm "6'1' and 505 lbs at 21 almost 22 years old. I'm nervous about starting the surgery as i have heard so many issues about them from doctors. I'm beginning the start to my never ending battle of weight loss and reading some posts on here has given me some hope. The only thing i haven't seen (or if i haven't looked deep enough) is that men around my age have not gotten the surgery so as i cry for help for some support has anyone in their 20s gotten the surgery as heavy as me? I have never been a "normal weight" and looking up anything about it for men is hard. Please please help

thank you

Hi,

When I met with my surgeon's NP for the first of six monthly pre-op diet program visits in March 2016, she told me that I would likely be a model patient because I was healthy, young, and male. I'm 41 years old (40 at the time she said that), so the "young" is relative. But there is a lot of truth in what she said. It gets pointed out a lot on this site that men have an easier time of it than women when it comes to surgery and weight loss. Some people who comment on here really piss me off a lot with their lamenting about it because I feel like they act as though men who are successful aren't really busting their ass to be successful, but regardless, there is some truth to the fact that being young and male gives you an edge in this game. I say all of this to say that since you are young (as in 22 young) and male, this will likely work to your advantage.

Also keep in mind that the vast majority of WLS patients are women. I'm not sure of the number, but I want to say that it is in the 80% range (but I could be wrong). So, you're going to read way more about WLS and women than WLS and men.

I can tell you that the whole surgery process was a piece of cake for me. My recovery was swift and rather uneventful (other than experiencing some serious fatigue for a couple of months), and the weight has come off steadily pre- and post-op.

At your age, you'll kill this if you are willing to devote yourself 100% to doing what you need to do at all times. I weighed almost 400 pounds when I started this journey 13 months ago. I'm almost below 200 pounds now, and I only have about 20ish pounds to get to my goal. The same thing can happen for you if you work hard and want it bad enough

Good luck as you decide how to move forward!

Thank you Blizair09 that did inspire me a little bit more.

7 hours ago, JoeB67 said:

Hi there, my first time on a bariatric site still pretty new to this but i had some questions/concerns. I'm "6'1' and 505 lbs at 21 almost 22 years old. I'm nervous about starting the surgery as i have heard so many issues about them from doctors. I'm beginning the start to my never ending battle of weight loss and reading some posts on here has given me some hope. The only thing i haven't seen (or if i haven't looked deep enough) is that men around my age have not gotten the surgery so as i cry for help for some support has anyone in their 20s gotten the surgery as heavy as me? I have never been a "normal weight" and looking up anything about it for men is hard. Please please help

thank you

Hi Joe I know being healthy is what I want in life and you want to make that healthy journey for yourself as well so young man you are successful because you made notice of your concerns. I'm proud to be reading your fight and men and women can be of support you on your journey. I am in support of you. Keeping fighting. God bless!

Hi there, my first time on a bariatric site still pretty new to this but i had some questions/concerns. I'm "6'1' and 505 lbs at 21 almost 22 years old. I'm nervous about starting the surgery as i have heard so many issues about them from doctors. I'm beginning the start to my never ending battle of weight loss and reading some posts on here has given me some hope. The only thing i haven't seen (or if i haven't looked deep enough) is that men around my age have not gotten the surgery so as i cry for help for some support has anyone in their 20s gotten the surgery as heavy as me? I have never been a "normal weight" and looking up anything about it for men is hard. Please please help
thank you

I belive in the fact that you are younger then your a better candidate. The higher weight would be more concerning, but that's were the pre op comes in. I believe if you truly follow your surgeon and nutrionist advice you will be successful. I am 46, Male, started at 344 before pre op, surgery weight 334 on April 25, today 318-315, it's hard to tell with a cheap scale.

When I met my surgeon and nutrionist 6 mos ago, I started taking multi vitamins, started being more conscious about how fast I eat and drink, basically trying to prepare myself. Just educate yourself ask alot of questions and you will be fine.

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Welcome!! It sounds like this path will be a very good one for you

Your surgeon will likely want you to lose some weight before surgery. Don't get discouraged by the prospect, even if it turns out to be lengthier than you thought.

Just keep in mind, every pound you lose before surgery is one that will NEVER return. This is a huge realization for most patients that have yoyo dieted for years. Also, every pound lost will make the surgery that much safer, and your recovery that much easier.

Please keep posting as your journey unfolds!

When I graduated high school, I weighed 350 pounds. I ended up losing 100 pounds and weighed 250 pounds by the time I was 22. I started to gain it back and before I knew it, I got up to 470 pounds. I ended up gaining back twice as much as I lost. I then had the surgery at 31 and am now 218 at 32. I wish I would have done it at 21. I feel like I missed out on the best years of my life and it was so hard to get restarted after gaining over 200 pounds.

Dude, get it now.
Enjoy the best years of your life.
The amount of weight you need to lose, while not impossible, will be incredibly difficult.
I am 38, I currently weigh 420 pounds.
When I was 21 I weighed 225
I now suffer from high blood pressure and sleep apnea and fatty liver disease.
My body hurts constantly.
My back hurts constantly.
I have depression issues.
I can't be active with my kids.
I am on track to get surgery in July or August.
Get it done now and enjoy your life.

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It was a great decision for me. I was 49 on the day of my surgery and weighed 489. I'm 14 months post op and now weigh 295 and I'm still losing slow and steady now. I've lost 194 lbs in 14 months. The diabetes, HBP, sleep apnea, bloodwork issues and basically every ache and pain I had are now gone. I have great energy and feel wonderful. Good luck to you.

Aggietop

It was a great decision for me. I was 49 on the day of my surgery and weighed 489. I'm 14 months post op and now weigh 295 and I'm still losing slow and steady now. I've lost 194 lbs in 14 months. The diabetes, HBP, sleep apnea, bloodwork issues and basically every ache and pain I had are now gone. I have great energy and feel wonderful. Good luck to you.
Aggietop

That's awesome.
I am glad to hear it.
I am hoping for similar results.

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Joe, I wish that I had done the surgery when I was your age. I did my surgery in November 2015 at a pre-op weight of 518 lbs (I was 44 then). Waiting so long caused me to miss out on a lot of things that I regret. Fast forward to now, I am down 300 lbs and my experience is similar to blizair09's. Recovery went pretty smoothly and sticking to the plan has caused the weight to come off at a pretty steady clip. I do work my butt off, however. I have religiously followed my nutrition plan, even this far out, and I have completely embraced being active. This has forced me to re-prioritize things to make time to keep up the exercise. The payoff is well worth it. I can do things now that I never could have imagined before surgery. It is sad to say, but I also get treated very differently now than at my old weight. The only downside that I have seen is that buying new clothes has been expensive!

You can do this. It is normal to be nervous. I was. If you can commit yourself to make the changes called for, the rewards are enormous. Best of luck!

@Thucydides

Great post! Thank you for being a model of hard work and great success!!

I echo @sgc. I graduated college at 450 pounds, lost two hundred pounds over the next two years, and then gained it all back, and then some. Ten years later (six months ago), I had the VSG. I'm now around 353 and continuing to lose. Wish I would have done this at your age.

Hey, I'm 27 and have just gotten my approval for surgery today. I'm freaking stoked about it. I've been overweight since I was like 8. I've been trying for the past few years to combat this and it's difficult. I currently weigh 455-460 depending on the scale used, and my highest recorded weight was 471. I wish I had done this last year when I first thought of it, after reading your post I wish I had done it at 21 when I was in the 380s. You've got a journey ahead of you if you're serious and while I've not had mine yet I will help in anyway I can and post op I'm more than willing to talk about my experience with you, seeing as how were close in weight and age.

Good luck!

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Hey bud, just checking back in on this thread. Have you made a decision on getting the surgery? I'm at a week post-op and have gone from 427 day of surgery to 413 this morning! Yesterday I went out and hung out with friends for quite a few hours. Let me know if you've still got any questions.

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NVM

Edited June 12, 20179 yr by sgc