PLS POST SUCCESS WITH BARIATRIC SURGERY

wrenegade64

HOW EXCITING FOR YOU!!! My wife is having hers done late in March and I will possibly have mine done late in June. If you have a Facebook account, you may want to consider the "Bariactri Friendly" site.

NYCNika

In reply to Kakes80:

I am sorry. I mean no disrespect for you either, but apparently your are not in the same situation. If other options have worked for you, that is great, but not every situation is the same. Besides, it seems like you are thinking that she is taking an easy way out, but that is not correct. Getting a vertical sleeve or any other bariatric surgery just gives you a tool to help you lose weight. You still have to work very hard to reach your goal by watching what you eat and exercising.

I keep reading this but I don't get it. If you are capable of watching what you eat and exersizing from now and for the rest of your life, than why do you need someone to cut into your organs to physically restrain you from eating?

jennielou75

I was not capable of making sure my portion size was what it needed to be for the rest of my life. Now my reduced stoamch size does that for me I just make sure what I out in is as food as possible. At my biggest walking caused me pain and damage, now I can run in comfort and I enjoy it. Now I can do all the things and take care of myself where I couldn't before. I was being swallwed up in fat.

Oh and a few numbers. I was medically supervised to lose weight before my op. I reduced my calories every 2 weeks by a 100 cals starting at 1500. I did not start losing weight until I reached the 1200 and below mark.

I now eat around 1000/1100 cals a day. I walk 5 miles every day and run 3 times a week. I never eat back my excercise calories and now I am maintaining at these numbers. Yes it would have been better for me to be able to do this without the op but that would have required a doc ready to refer for professional dietry advice and monitoring over a long period of time to train my thinking as well as reduce my body size. Couselling to deal with the food issues that I had etc. I am grateful for this chance I have to lead a normal life just with a small stomach. I will do all I can to make sure this works for me.

ellabell2140

Thank you I could not of said it better myself. I am less than a year out from RNY surgery and have lost 138 pounds I still have a long way to go but I will get there.

dmcclashie

I am about 8 years post op gastric bypass. This is the most honest andscarily accurate account I have ever read. I was 304lbs pright before my surgery. I lost approximately 126lbs in the first year. I never did reach my goal and I have started to gain weight again becasue I have fallen into bad habits. Your post reminds me what it was like in the beginning and is inspiring me to get back to where I should be.

zaellany

I read through the thread because I go back and forth a LOT with WLS. I am in a weird place because my BMI doesn't qualify me on its own for the surgery - it's not high enough. I actually don't have the kinds of comorbidities that would qualify me for surgery at my BMI (for real, I have been to two different bariatric surgeons for a consult. One doctor wouldn't do the surgery and told me to try harder to lose weight without it; one submitted to my insurance and the insurance denied coverage).

I have PCOS and hypothyroidism and have been trying to lose weight since I was 6. I had an eating disorder in high school, and still never got below a size 10. So I definitely get the appeal of surgery. Big time.

The thing is, the people I know who have had surgery, it didn't fix their life, even if they did lose weight. One became an alcoholic and is still relatively small, but she drinks way more than is healthy for her. One person gained all the weight back and then some. One person kept the weight off but ended up getting divorced, moving to a different town, finding a completely new job, etc. I like my life the way it is and don't want to have to "reinvent myself," as someone said, to lose weight or keep weight off.

I do know two people who had the surgery, lost the weight, kept it off, and say it was the best thing that ever happened to them.

For me, the big sticking point are the "nevers," with WLS. You can NEVER have a carbonated beverage again. You can NEVER drink with your meals. You can NEVER have more than two drinks without getting sloppy drunk. You can NEVER eat corn or celery again. In the aggregate, I realize those are small things, but I have trouble with NEVER. (I have problems with people telling me "YOU CAN'T, also, if you hadn't figured that out.

I actually appreciate all points made in this thread as I think it is important to talk about both sides of the story. I don't think WLS is a cop-out, from what I have seen. It takes a lot of work. But I don't think it's for me, either.