It hit me when I saw a friend gain back 50 lbs after WLS. Then I got it- it's not about the size of your stomach. I also has an eye opener when I heard the surg yelling at a pt while I was in the waiting room that if he couldn't get on board with his pre surg apts and weight loss, he would have to find a new surgeon. I felt so bad for that guy, but at the same time I realized that if he couldn't at least do a little now, he was never going to be able to make the changes he would need for life.

This.

When pre-op people blow off their pre-op diets, which happens all the time, I always say, "if you can't do it now, you won't do it later". I feel bad about being so honest.

The surgeon group I went to stresses that they are only changing the size of your stomach, they strongly encourage both nutritional counseling and physiatrist counseling both before and after surgery. I feel without the counseling the chance of being the person people talk about and say "I know someone who gained it all back" is much higher. I don’t want to be that person!

It makes me sad when people come to support group thinking that surgery will fix everything. All surgery does is reduce how much food I can put in my body at one time. I still need to make the choice of what that food will be.

My aha moment was more of a process. I have always been big, but have been an athletic fat guy. I would get serious about eating well for around six months at a time and exercise/run/play basketball/golf and my weight would come down from March until October, when golf season would end, and I would end up the year heavier than I had started.

I figured it would all come together one year and I would stay active through the fall. then my hip started hurting, and slowly I had to stop walking the golf course, couldn't play basketball as often or as well as I had, and I started to see myself at 45 starting the rest of my life as a fat guy who 'used to' play lots of sports. I realized that any chance of losing weight on my own was disappearing if I couldn't do the exercise parts of what had made me successful in the past for short periods of time.

My Doctor, Mother and Wife were all supportive of me heading the surgery route, but I was always the negative one. I had gotten insurance approval once before, but was not in a positive frame of mind about the surgery. My company changed HMOs, so i had to start over with the new insurance. I threw a tantrum and did nothing healthy for about 6 months until I realized no one was being hurt by my tantrum except me and my family. I started the approval process again, not realizing that I should start with the bariatric program, rather than with my PCP for the six month required program. Just as I unsuccessfully finished the six month supervised visits with my PCP, I had gained enough weight to put me at 50 BMI< which made approval automatic.

Now I had approval and I went to the informational session at my Bariatric Program. That day changed my life and I flipped the switch to see the rest of my life as a healthy person. I have been quite diligent at following the pre-surgery program, seeing success in both weight loss and behavioral change. I started to think that maybe I could do it on my own, but have had a few instances recently which proved to me that I still will need the physical help that the surgery provides. What I take from the pre-surgery weight loss is that I *can* do it myself, and that the rest of my life will be *me* doing it by myself, just with the added help of a reduced stomach.

I haven't been going to the support group at my program because it conflicts with my golf league, but will try to make an effort to go more often in the off season.

The folks here have been my support group and I have learned so much, as well as felt so free to be open with my feelings and experiences. My wife is jealous that I talk to you guys much more than I talk with her about my weight stuff.

OK, enough rambling. I am off to my son's first Varsity Football game!

Rob

If there isn't one where you live, I'd encourage you to START ONE! Organize via Facebook or Meetups.Com. There's a group for literally EVERYTHING on Meetups. Taking a leadership role will give back to you more than the others you will be helping along the way!

My city of 700,000 does not have a WLS support group. The Bariatric Program here is only 2-3 years old & resources are already stretched pretty far. It would be unfair for me to complain about this because I would have never dreamed that age 49 I would be receiving the gift of VSG.
I hope that in the future that there is an organized support group. I used to attend OA some years back and I'm considering going to a meeting but I am a little apprehensive. I'm scared that when I say I am having the surgery that some members may feel or say that I am taking the easy way out. I won't know till I go to a meeting and share about the journey I am on.

This forum has been my main support regarding VSG and preparing for this lifelong journey. I can't thank all of you enough for your honest sharing and support. I love that everyone on here is kind, encouraging and do not so non judge others.

I value and appreciate very much the friends I have made on here and I enjoy reading everyone's posts. I know that post op in a few months I will have a great group of people to share concerns and ask for advice and suggestions.

You guys are the best. I can't imagine being on this journey without all of you. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

My surgery center has a support group and despite being 7 months out, I have not attended. I tried going once pre surgery, but was told the wrong date/time and never went back. Now I feel like it is kind of late in the game to go.... but maybe not. I will give it some thought.

Thanks for the reminder about the honeymoon period. I'm only 3 weeks post-op, but I've been looking forward to a time when I can have more than 7 bites of food at a sitting. I need to just relax and take things as they come because I'm sure soon enough I will need more than those 7 bites and long for the time that the greater restriction helped me lose more.