Vertical Sleeve saved my life and i am NOT ashamed!!!

Never be ashamed of who you are! I'm so happy to know you and now even more so you have overcome so much and this is just part of the journey. you know that!!! Never forget life is about living so get out there and live!!!!

I know your struggle as I have lived it even though I did not have the added burden of drug addicted parents. I had WLS (gastric bypass surgery) in Nov.2010 and i also am not ashamed to tell others as it has saved my life.

For nearly 50 years I have tried every diet and exercise program around and could only lose about 50lbs of my 325lbs and keep it off. My attempts to exercise usually left me injured. My body struggled under the weight and the many drugs I had to take to try to manage my health problems (high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, joint problems, etc.) My thyroid was removed when i was 18 y/o, and I had strong genetic link to obesity in my family as well. But, i never used those things as excuses to quit trying to lose weight.

For more than 40 yrs I tried to lose weight the conventional way with only a minimal improvement in my health. Finally, I had a doctor tell me the truth, that if I did not try something new that i would die of obesity sooner rather than later. He laid out my odds--he showed me that metabolically it was very unlikely that I would ever lose the weight and keep it off without changing the way my metabolism functions. He told me that >90% of people who have the specific hormonal and metabolic problems that I had might lose the weight, but will gain the majority if not more back. That is what I had experience for >40 yrs. He asked me why i keep trying the same solution and expecting a different outcome. This was not a surgeon and he had nothing to gain by my decision to have WLS. He just showed me the fact that at 50 yrs old my chances for living were better with WLS than if I continued with the medical problems I had as a result of obesity.

So, after much prayer and self evaluation, I took the drastic step of WLS. Only ONE DAY after my operation, I no longer had high blood pressure, no longer had high blood sugar, high cholesterol or high triglycerides. And to this day (more than a year later), I have never had those problems again. I have lost nearly 160lbs. I can now do cardio 4 days a week and strength training 2 days a week without injury. I am not, nor never have been lazy or failed to care about my weight, health and appearance i was just unable to beat the strikes I had against me with conventional diet and exercise.

Don't get me wrong, I have known people who choose WLS are looking for a quick fix. They are not looking to make the hard changes in their lives to have lasting health and fitness. Those WLS patients may lose weight initially, but because they were not committed to a lifestyle change they will still regain the weight eventually even after WLS. I do not recommend WLS to everyone I know who is overweight. It is hard and it is not a quick fix as many believe. There are those of us that are truly committed to a healthy lifestyle and have legitamate reasons why traditional weightloss programs have not worked for us. And for us, I am grateful that science has discovered a way for us to find success in weightloss and live full and happy lives.

NGORY07... keep up the good work! I know how hard you have worked to get where you are today as i have walked that walk as well this last year. Don't let anyone tell you that you took the easy way out. You were FIGHTING FOR YOUR VERY LIFE--and you WON! I am so very proud of you.