I’m still a few weeks away from getting my sleeve and I’m already wondering if I will be a failure. I hear so much about how I will be on a sleeve diet for the rest of my life, and I wonder how I can do that when every other diet has failed. I’m starting to worry if I can do it.

That's a natural worry/fear. I would guess most of us have it as well. But the sleeve makes it easier to follow a diet program because the surgery resets the ghrelin hormone and makes us less hungry plus we can only eat a small amount due to our stomach restrictions, so it gives us an opportunity to be able to eat healthy for the rest of our lives. Good luck!

Worrying is normal - this is a big step you are taking in life. Once you get through the actual procedure, I think it will only go up from there. I have faith in you! Just read up, make sure you fully know what you are getting yourself into, and as far as the diet goes it isn't necessarily forever. Yes, the goal of all of this is to get you to eat significantly smaller portions, and you should want to keep self control as far as what you eat goes, but eventually you can eat almost anything you want again. Bets of luck! You will do great! xo

We all failed losing weight with the traditional methods or we wouldn't have 80% of our stomachs removed. After failing enough times to consider this surgery, we all have that little voice in the back of our heads wondering if we are going to fail again---and if we do, what does that say about us??? While we all have that voice to one degree or another, it really isn't a rational fear. The surgery works--not by itself though. You will have to diet and exercise after the surgery per your surgeon's instructions. If you commit to following those instructions to the letter, you will succeed and lose that excess weight. It's not a question of if, only a question of when. Some people may be slow losers, but they are still LOSERS (in the best sense of that word!).

I am now 7 weeks out from surgery and I have already lost 66% of my excess body weight (some of that was from the pre-surgery and pre-op diet, but I lost it all because of the program I am on). I have lost 34 pounds since surgery (54 pounds overall). I have another 30 pounds to go to get to my goal, but I am already a success in my view. I am finally off all of my T2DM medications and I feel great!!! I had a 48.5" inch natural waist to 40" natural waist ( the equates to going from pants that were a size 44 pants to a loose 36" (not quite ready for 34" pants, but I can actually put them on and get them buttoned!!!). I haven't been this thin in over 15 years and I am easily 17 pounds lower than my lowest weight on my strictest pre-WLS diet. I attribute half of this loss to the surgery and the other half to my diet and exercise. I am 100% committed to making this work for the long term and you have to believe you will feel this way too.

Losing weight is never easy, nor is having this surgery. However, the challenges of surgery and weight loss are nothing compared to the challenges of being obese and, in my case, suffering from virtually of the co-morbidities that came with it. This is the first time in my life I am actually looking forward to seeing my cardiologist in March and not having him discuss my need to lose weight (at least not in that "oh, not that again!" sort of way. In short, you're going to be just fine!!!