SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING SLEEVE OR BYPASS SURGERY

keep in mind, if you get surgery, you will still have to change your eating habits and you will still have to workout (after the surgery to make the surgery effective). the surgery is merely a tool that guides you along the way. you still have to put in the hard work.

I have no thyroid (hypothyroidism - had thyroid cancer), anemia, sleep apnea, had high blood pressure, have kidney disease (caused by the high bp), high anxiety, and other complications. I was still able to lose 110 pounds with changing my eating habits and working out alone. (gained 10 back but losing it and more)

surgery is a huge decision. if you can make the changes (healthy eating & working out) ahead of time, you'll be far better off in the long run going into the surgery and perhaps not even need it.

ps. i started off weighing 284. not even close to your weight. 5'6.5" so we're about the same height.

First of all if you are considering it you have to go into a weight loss clinic. They don't just set you up for surgery the next day. They will most likely set you up with a healthy diet, and monitor you closely and if you are still not losing weight then MAYBE consider surgery. You are on the low end of what they would even consider. I have been going to a clinic for help with my diet, and the monitoring really helps me keep on track. I started off at 225, this morning my scale hit 202. If you honestly need help, talk to them but don't start demanding surgery because you can do it without that, you just have to be dedicated to a program.

I am very pro these surgeries. I am 5'7" and 130 pounds.

I have 4 friends, under the age of 40, that have had these surgeries. They are now healthy, active, eat well and exercise regularly. They have lost 60, 80, 100 and 150 (ish) pounds. I see what a difference it has made in all aspects of their lives and they literally saved their own lives. So yes, I say get it. My only concern is that you are not actually obese. Overweight yes, but I have read that you have to be a solid 100 pounds overweight. Other than that, go for it!!

I had the gastric sleeve surgery 2 years ago. I had lost 114 pounds and unfortunately have regained about 15 pounds. It is not a magic cure you have to change what and how much you eat. But if you vary from what you are told you can and should eat the weight will come back. If you have any other questions or just need to talk I am here for you.

Make sure you really think through this. Unless you change your issues with food (addiction and secret eating as you put it)… WLS won't do you any good. And unless you change your eating habits… chances are WLS won't do much for your health either, considering you really aren't obese. But chances are great that if you can change your issues with food and your eating habits… you can lose weight and help with a lot of those health problems.

If you've lost weight before… you can do it on your own. The weight comes back because you didn't stick with it and change your eating habits. And the same will apply even with WLS. It isn't a guaranteed fix. It's a major deal and still has to be accompanied with a lifestyle change if it's going to be effective.

No judgement on people who go this route. WLS has a place and can be very helpful for many people. But from what you've said, with all your health problems and food issues, and your current weight… I would think very carefully before you go this route. It may not be in your best interest.

I take a strong stand against those surgeries. And won't rely on awful stories about how it can wreck your body and mind.
What you have to consider here is not what surgery offers you but what you'll have to do to make it a success. To lose weight, at any rate, by any means, you'll have to reduce your calories intake to a more or less small deficit.
Reading your post, it seems like that it's the part your struggling with. The emotional eating. This DO NOT go away with anesthesia.
It is still possible to overeat with a stappled stomach. It's painful and counter productive but one can do it.
I haven't had the surgery, never even considered it an option for me.
Because I know I could have filled up my stappled stomack with the tiny chocolate candies I used to binge on and go over the calories limits daily.
I'm pretty sure that I could have GAIN weight after bypass.
What's at stake here is your relationship with food, emotions and your own body.

I get that your health requires drastic measures ASAP but you have no idea of what you're able to do, yet. Without risks, after effects, recovery time induced by surgery.

Basically, bypass surgery is a way to extort huge amount of money from people to make them do what they're already capable to do.
Instead of educating them.

I'm pretty sure you can reclaim your life and body and mind and hapiness without this surgery.

Here if you need me

Vanessa

If you couldn't stick with following MFP, the surgery won't be any better. MFP, weight loss surgery, they are tools. You make them work. I've heard of so many people who had lost a lot of weight, only to gain it back because they have a bad relationship with food.

At 227, you may qualify by the Mayo Clinic's standard, but an actual doctor may say no. Actually, they SHOULD say no.

I was where you are. I started at 228, and at 5'3, that doesn't look good. I was desperate. I tried SparkPeople many times. I did fad diet after fad diet. I took supplements. "nothing" worked. But actually, it was me. I wasn't ready for it, even though I wanted it. I had considered gaining weight to be better qualified for a lap band. But then reality kicked in and I figured if I had to gain weight for something and further complicate my health, it wasn't worth the surgery.

I went on vacation one summer. It was hot, disgusting, we did a lot of walking, and I was a big girl. I hated shorts but I had to wear them. It was 20 degrees more than I'm used to there. It was HOT. I was hot, cranky and I hated life.

When I got home, I found MFP. It wasn't a Monday, it wasn't the beginning of a new month. I just did it. And I'm still here over 2 years later and over 60lbs lost. I could have lost more I'm sure, I've been stuck in my own way for a year now. BUT I'm happy now. I have a great relationship with food.

I was ready, and it worked.

I've done bypass surgery a year ago and let me tell you the hard cold truth: IT'S NOT A MAGICAL TREATMENT.
Now, let me tell you why I said that. You said you have addiction to food and likes to secret eating. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc are nothing if you don't treat these compulsions. Believe me, been there, done that. Hell, sometimes I still do.
You WILL gain weight again, doesnt matter if you are eating tiny portions ou large portions if all you eat is junk food.

It's not the easy path. You're not going to have the surgery and BAM! Thin and healthy. You're going to have the most awful food you have ever tasted for around 2 months (depends on the doctors and the person, can be less) then, slowly, you're gonna start eating solids and normal food. Forget soda, foget cake, forget chicken nuggets, sweets and fried food mostly. If you're part of the lucky ones then after a year more or less you might eat those things again without feeling like you're dying (the infamous Dumping Syndrome).
After a year, in my personal experience, I can eat mostly everything. From time to time I find a kind of food or a dish that makes me want to puke my insides out but hey, i signed up for that.

Now that's part of the truth about food, a doctor is better trained to explain all that, I'm just telling my personal exprience. The second part is... guess what?!
YES! You still have to exercise.
A. LOT.
I started like everybody after 2 months: walks around the block and easy stuff. On 3rd month I tried the gym, I thought I was ready. I blacked out. Literally.
Too much exercise and not enough food. Learned the hard way. Then I tried aqua aerobics, it worked great. On 5th month I tried muay thai 5 days/week for 1h. I never blacked out during the classes but I came really damn close. First 2 months I had to stop every 5 minutes because I kept seeing black dots. On 6th month, the doctor changed my diet and it became a little bit better.

After a year I had to quit my beloved one because I lost too much weight and was about to go underweight. That's because when you have this kind of surgery you don't get to choose if you lose fat or muscle because the weightloss is insane you lose both of them. In fact, you might lose more muscle than fat. And that keeps you in the risky zone. You still might have a heart attack being thin.
And that was me 4 months ago. A "false" thin. I don't know the name in english but there's an exam that check the % of fat, water and muscle on your body. That thing I have to do every 6 months. Then, back to the gym, I go!
That's where I am now. I gained around 4lbs which made me cry in my room for about a week (oh yeah. Have I mentioned that this surgery messes up with your head? Because I was too scared of gaining weight again. Except it was muscle and not fat. All cool now.)

That's just what happened to me. Talk to people who has done the surgery, lots of them. Talk to the doctors. Just do it if you're 1005% sure. There's no coming back and the side effects are many, you're the one who is going to face them.
I did not tell you all that to make you give up. Hell, if you ask me I'd have done it all over again. But, PLEASE, take care of yourself if you choose this path. For everything you hold dear, do exactly as your doctors say. Not a portion of food more or a portion less. EXACTLY as they say.