Anyone had WLS or considering it?

no, not me. my aunt did, she got the lap band, and then had to have it removed because she kept throwing up rotten food into her mouth from it not going past the band and just sitting there...

I have had weight loss surgery and it was the best thing I ever did for my life. I was VERY large though, weighing in at over 600 lbs. I am proud to say that I have lose over 300 lbs to date!!! I had the Roux-N-Y Gastric Bypass. In my opinion the superior surgery. I have seen a few people have real problems with the gastric band.
Here is the deal...it is hard. VERY hard. You MUST do what they tell you. If you don't you won't be successful. THis is NOT THE EASY WAY OUT! What is IS is an invaluable tool. You can drink on your weight and you will have problems if you eat what you are not supposed to eat. I have to exercise to lose my weight now that I have gotten smaller. I am pretty much like everyone else. That being said: it is worth it if you are to the point that you know you are going to have a hard time losing a large amount of weight. Another thing: I Had mine in 2001... and they have improved that surgery so so so much since then. Now you don't have the big cut like I had. you can add me as a friend if you like and I can answer questions for you as best I can. Who is your surgeon? Best Wishes. Tara

I've considered it, but I don't think it would work long term for me. I know of 5 people that have had the bypass surgery, and all of them gained some if not all of their weight back eventually. Only one I know of kept most of it off, but she would still be considered overweight even now. There are a lot of online forums for people who have had the surgery or are considering having it. I read a lot of posts on those forums, and like everything, some people are doing great and some aren't. Maybe reading posts on those forums would help you make up your mind. I was watching a documentary last week about weight loss surgery. One of the surgeons said that almost all patients will regain their weight within ten years if they don't do the necessary psychological work that needs to be done to address how you got obese in the first place. It also said that the patients who were the most successful were the ones who regularly attended the support meetings after their surgery.

I know that the key to my obesity is mostly psychological and some genetic predisposition. I don't know if having surgery is the only way to get the psychological aspect addressed. I know getting my stomach operated on isn't going to make me suddenly gung ho to exercise. LOL

I have had three close friends that have had weight loss surgery. For one of them it was very successful, one had severe issues and almost died but once she got past that did very well, and the third person did pass away during the surgery... I miss him greatly. I'm sure the two people in my life that had problems are extreme examples, but it would make me cautious and really want to look into the risks.

I had a sleeve gastrectomy in December 2012. I had a lot of complications, initially, but at this point am very happy with my decision. I would suggest you look for feedback within the WLS groups rather than the open forum. Some have the idea that surgery is an "easy" way out which is in no way true.

I tried, really, really, tried to do this through diet and exercise. I lost 30 pounds in six months which, with 175 pounds to lose, would've been impossible (especially if you consider that a person loses even more slowly as their weight loss continues).

Surgery wasn't an easy decision for me and even a harder result. In the end, it's highly personal. It's about taking control of your own destiny which also means taking ownership of your own decisions.

Yes, I had VSG four months ago... (don't let my ticker fool you, I didn't lose 110 pounds in four months.. 70 of those pounds were lost prior to surgery) I'm really happy with my decision. It's still HARD it's still a struggle... but with the surgery it's slightly less hard... and that seems to be just enough relief to help keep me on the path. You'll hear a lot of comments about my neighbor's aunt's mailman had it and she throws up everything and gained back all the weight.... people LOVE to share anecdotal stories but the truth is that WLS can be a fantastic tool to HELP you stick with eating at a caloric deficit sufficient to lose the excess weight.

@lilbear, that is a misconception about it being the "easy way". 1) It's major surgery; nothing easy about that! 2) Yes, one absolutely still has to work their *kitten* off if they want to be successful. Not to mention how little you can eat for months after. If you're used to eating 1800-2500 calories a day, you're going to feel bad in all sorts of ways until your body adjusts to 1 oz of food every few hours building up to 600-800 calories a day as the ultimate daily goal in future months. I also heard most people have to keep their calories around 1,000 to maintain their weight loss. None of it sounds like the "easy way" to me!

Thanks for replying lilbear!

Looks like you've done your homework on the procedures!!! For the record, at almost a year out, 1/2 cup of food is good and filling and there are times I can eat more. Never once did I feel weak or bad from the small amount of food. You're right, though that it is NOT the easy way. The easy way would be not having to struggle to lose weight in the first place. I can't say that there aren't times that I don't wish I could still sit down and eat a whole juicy cheeseburger with a side of onion rings...or for heaven's sake, drink a huge diet coke!!!! But, I'll take the weight loss and having my life back over that any day. And....if I want to splurge and eat a junior burger, it's not out of the question. It just means I have to be diligent and mindful of what goes into my body so that I don't wind up big again--or I don't wind up in pain from eating too much! I don't think wls is for everyone, but there are those of us that it is right for. I know people who have had success with every surgery--and those who have failed or had major complications too with each. Just be educated about what you choose and when or if you choose to have the surgery, stick with the plan and learn what works best for you.

Hi there, Yes I had it done over 14 years ago and I started out at 370 lbs and lost 100 lbs with it and I struggle every day....here I am 14 years later at 257 lbs and still working hard to lose weight...I have anywhere between a 650- 1000 calorie diet everyday I have gone all this time on little calories until I found mfp not losing any more weight and couldn't understand why until I saw it was my triple amount of sodium I was eating everyday......I can not eat more than that or I will be sick... I cant eat very much meat, breads, pastas, corn,fruit without bringing it up no matter how much of it I eat....I walk every day up hill for 20 mins and then back. My job I am on my feet moving all the time and work at 3 different places, so no time to be lazy.... .Your doing great now why go through so much pain, and there is a lot of it for years..... Just keep doing what your doing now. I do realize its a lot different now but I have talked so several different people and they have had the same kind of experience as I have...This was mine. Good luck in whatever you choose to do....