Bariatric Seminar changed my mind! (in a good way!)

goaliegirl47

A few weeks ago I went to a bariatric seminar "thinking this is going to be the end of all of my problems-I am going to get surgery to fix this weight problem once and for all." After 3 hours, 4 DVDs, numerous before and after photos I walked out of that room with a totally different attitude then I had expected. I walked out thinking "I CAN DO THIS WITHOUT SURGERY!" Yes the photos and testimonials were exciting and inspirational, but my mind set totally changed. I was in a room FULL of obese people and I looked around thinking that I wasnt so bad off. I am not pre diabetic, have high blood pressure or cholosterol, I can walk up and down the stairs and I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN. I looked around and saw people with obvious health problems and thought to myself "this is THEIR last resort, its not mine." Since that Seminar I am on my way to losing 20 lbs all on my own (with the help of MFP and you guys of course) I weighed 264 that day and now I weigh 250. I realized something about myself that day and it was that I am not ready for sugery and hopefully I never will be. That I have the will power to do this on my own without any crazy diets or gimmicks. My son is 19 months old and every other day I we play outside and I take him for stoller rides (sometimes we are outside walking and playing for over 2 hours!) HE is my motivation! My son is helping me lose weight and he is only 19 months old! Inspiration is everywhere and I had it the whole time!

Decayed

congrats! indeed surgery in my opinion is for EXTREME cases, but you seem like a strong person and are doing great keep it up! nothing beat hard work and dedication!

ellyallen

That is a great story. It is amazing that you came to the realization that you could do it on your own. What a great start too. Keep up the good work!

avaloneternal

YAY!! And just think, you get to still live a normal life as you lose the weight... No surgical recovery and all while eating normal amounts of healthy food. (Not to mention none of the nasty symptoms they have to deal with). You have got this

denisegolden

that is fantastic. i am a post-op roux-en-y gastric bypass patient... dont get me wrong, i am glad i did this, i just wish i would not have had to. it has been great for me, getting rid of 25 prescription pills a day, being able to JOG for the first time in many years, not being diabetic, not having hypertension, having normal cholesterol levels and so on...for me, this was not a vanity thing, this was a health thing! of course getting smaller is a good thing too, but all the other makes all the pain and nausea worth it! i dont know if i could say the same thing if i was only doing this to get smaller and look better! good luck honey!!! you can do this, or should i say, you can keep doing this!!! one year prior to having surgery i lost 88.5 pounds by eating better and walking. and honey, if i can do this...ANYBODY can!

slippymcgee

You can totally do it! You have the right attitude and a great tool with MFP to do it! Best of luck to you!!

Dauntlessness

I went through the same exact thing! I went to the mandatory meeting, did the videos etc etc. After the support group and almost every single person in it said they had some type of complication, I thought "there is no way I am doing this to my body" and "have I really tried to lose weight"? No I hadn't.
After that, It took me around a year to start changing. I started walking 3 times a week for about 6 months and lost around 13lbs. About the 3rd week in December of 2010 I bought myself a year gym membership. I also started being active on the MFP website. I have lost an additional 60 pounds and 6 sizes since then. I didn't record the the 13 because I had kept it off for months before.
My point: You CAN do this without surgery. I have sacroiliac joint dysfunction and psoriatic arthritis to boot. Some days are not easy but I still manage to pull 1500-2000 calories burned at least 5 days a week. The stronger you are, the less you hurt. I like the way I feel and look.
I don't look down on people who have the surgery because there are people out there that truly need it. I just think its become too easy to have. The biggest problem is if people start working out or really changing the things they eat (not just the amount) they will have long term success. If not, eventually be where they were in the first place. My stepfather did that. He is around 400lbs at 6'0 again. Its sad actually.

I admire you! You made such a great choice!