Just had my consultation for bariatric surgery...

If you are able to commit to a strict diet for 10 months in order to get surgery why not change your mind set and do it for life and avoid all of the complications of surgery? I am just curious because these surgeries seem to be marketed as the be all end all to lose weight, yet many people gain the weight back because they don't learn the skills to properly feed their bodies.

I had lap band 7 years ago. It has been a love hate relationship at times but I can do things now (like climb aerial silks) that I could NEVER have done at 300 pounds. I could barely get up my stairs at 300 pounds. The best piece of advice I can give you is make sur eyou have a good support system in place, friends family and the like. The actual hardest part of getting used to the new life is that there is NO MORE emotional eating. You can't just sit down with a pack of your favorite cookies and watch tv while you eat the whole thing. Also (I don't know if it is different with the switch than the band) but get used to waiters looking at you funny when you take home more than 1/2 - 3/4 of your meal. Most of them are dead set that you just didn't like it and they will bring you something else. I find that I either say "I actually had a really late *whatever meal cam before this* but I really did love this." Or, becuase I am me and I don't really care, I come right out and say. "I had weightloss surgery so I just can't eat much."

Best of luck to you. The waiting for it to happen is just about the worst of if all. During your 1200 cal diet DRINK LOTS OF WATER AND GREEN TEA to help you feel full.

HUGS.

My mother had her stomach stapled eight years ago. My biggest piece of advice for you is to realize that this is a life-changing and life-long journey that you cannot turn back from. Without the self-confidence and self-respect that she needed, my mother has gained back all the weight she lost. Bariatric surgery is not the answer for every person who is clinically obese, regardless of how overweight you are. Not only has this affected her but the entire family walks on eggshells when we talk about food now- we don't know else to do for her. She needed more psych evaluation prior to getting surgery because she was not ready to love herself and there is nothing we can do to fix that for her.

Well said.

I do understand what people on here are saying and I do feel there is not enough counselling that goes alongside the surgery . But being mobidly obese with a 5 year life expectency is very different from having a smaller amount of weight to lose not that I am in any position to underestimate weight loss at any size.

My consultant is involved in research which is finding that among the morbidly obese population 96% of those who lose weight without surgery regain fully and often extra as it is an illness not a choice to be this size. Yes I put the food in my mouth but I didn't lose weight on any of the diets I tried or when excercising for an hour 5 days a week.

I did lose weight when I started this website, bought myself a fitbit and was really strict. I kept this up for 5 months because I didn't want to die during surgery. I could not have lived like this for the rest of my life because the head hunger was always there. There were times when I did put weight back on because my bad habits were there.

My stomach is now 80% smaller and my priority is protein first then good stuff. I will never be able to overeat again in my life. My op cost the NHS £16,000 and I will not waste it or my life. I am now saving up for plastic surgery because that is not included.

Please do not think this is an easy option, it is not and it is not for eveyone. But for some people it will save their lives where more traditional forms of weight loss have failed.

I had gastric bypass in March of this year. It was the best decision of my life. I know its easy for people to say, "If you can diet for 10 months, then you won't need surgery!" There is more involved than that. I too have been overweight my entire life and have known nothing else. Since my surgery, I have lost 72 lbs and 98% of my medical conditions are improved if not gone completely.

By no means is surgery an easy fix. My doctor put it best. He said, think of being overweight as being stranded in the ocean and the shore is being healthy. Now think of the surgery as a life boat. Even with a life boat, you still need to work at getting to the shore, but you have a great tool. Without the life boat, the struggle is much more difficult. So my surgery is my life boat. It is a tool to help me, but I still have to paddle to get to the shore! I am paddling away and you will too! Good luck and please feel free to add me as a friend (anyone!).

Who said you cant lose weight during the 10 month wait? Let me share a few things with you please. First of all it is not a miracle cure. You will have to do all of the things to lose weight and keep the weight off that people who do not have the surgery do. Do not get it twisted please. All of the foods that you love will not go away and the desire for them will not go away either. maybe at first but the further out from surgery you are the appetite comes back and you will be faced with the same choice you have now. You will have to exercise. After the surgery, not everyone has food intolerance's. You may be able to eat the same foods after the surgery that you could before. You just can't hold as much food. The surgery is a jump start to weight loss but not a cure. It is possible to gain the weight back. soda still has sugar and you body will process it. Some people get dumping syndrome and some people do not. Plus the body adapts and dumping might not bother you after a while. dumping may not happen at all.

I am not trying to talk you out of it. Just see the whole picture. You will be faced with the same decisions you have now. I would suggest take the 10 months and make changes, small changes to a healthier you. You will have to make these changes anyway after the surgery. better choices and become more active. I wish you luck.I know how you feel inside. I get why you are making this decision. Friend me if you want to talk more. not just about the surgery but the weight struggle period. Take care!

I am on the path to bariatric surgery. I have a BMI of 52 and for my height, I am Obese. I have arthris in my knee and have been overweight all of my life, mainly caused by Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which impedes weight loss.
Flippant remarks about it being easy to lose weight if one can 'diet' for a certain duration, is ill thought.

Bariatric surgery is not a 'quick fix'. For all it is a surgical procedure focusing on an AID to weight loss.
For PCO sufferers it is a god send and irradiates the syndrome.

Im 33 and have such low self esteem, its crippling me mentally an physically.
I used to me the life and soul of the party when I weighed (at my lightest) 12st. As the weight has piled on, even with vigorous exercise and careful eating (I am a dedicated cyclist, covering an average of 12miles a day!), exercising has become harder, leading to more weight gain. Over the last year, now, at 19st, I have lost all confidence and do not go out anymore or see my friends as I think "why would anyone want to be seen with me?"

It's a life changing operation and yes, it has many complications and one needs to make HUGE changes in their life, prior and post op - changes which will remain for the rest of the patient's life.
I personally cannot wait! I'm so excited about having the op done. I have reassessed what is happening in my life and have invested in a home gym set up (as I wasnt confident to go and unleash my flab on the public).

I WANT MY LIFE BACK. SURGERY WILL HELP ME TO DO THIS.
(I will upload pics to my profile of what I looked like a year ago and what I look like now.)

It's quick shocking to think that people would be opposed to this, especially here.. in an open forum geared towards motivational weight loss!
Do people think that this is a 'cop out' or 'lazy person's way' of losing weight???
If so, please, do some research as you couldn't be further from the truth.

I'm on the path to surgery as well. I hope to have it in November. I didn't come to this decision lightly. I didn't come to this decision overnight. As a matter of fact I was one of those who said I'd NEVER resort to surgery. I wasn't going to give up on myself. No way. I was going to do it right. Make lifestyle changes, watch my calories, count points, exercise, take charge, take control. And I believed it too.

I did Optifast, lost 60 lbs. Gained it back.

I did NutriSystem, lost over 100 pounds. Gained it back.

I did Weight Watchers, three times, 125 lbs, gained it back. Then 60 lbs, gained it back. The 80 lbs, gained it back.

I did Medifast, lost 150 lbs, gained it back.

In between each of those attempts I did the book of the month diet, you know; Susan Powter and "Stop the Insanity", Jane Fonda, Tony Little, The Pritikan Diet, Richard Simmons Deal a Meal, and on and on.

Each and everyone of these diets have success stories. But I am not one of them. Don't get me wrong...I count myself as successful, just not at weight loss. While all of that craziness was going on, (my weight going up and down, up and down) I got married, lived over seas, had three wonderful children, moved across the country, went back to school and become a registered nurse and have worked at some wonderful places doing very interesting work. I'm still married to the same wonderful guy, all of my children are married, have children of their own and live within walking distance of my home. Talk about SUCCESS! I have it in so many places in my life. I am truly blessed.

I just can't keep the weight off. After much exploration, much contemplation and even more prayer I have decided that this is the avenue I need to explore. I need this tool to add to my arsenal.

Hope this helps you on your journey!!!

My sister worked for University Hospitals in Cleveland and said after seeing all the stats she would NEVER EVER recommend anyone every have any weight loss surgery. The surgical stats scared her so bad she hired a private nutritionist and personal trainer and lost 150lbs, surgery free.

Oh.. and she is 5'4" with a start weight of almost 400 lbs, had been overweight all her life and didn't even do this til she was 45 when most people say they can't lose weight because of their age.

I had lap band surgery 06.15.2006. I don't regret having the surgery at all. My high weight was 335 lbs (I am only 5'2") and I am currently 240 lbs. The year after surgery I lost 85 lbs. I continued with the low calorie and working out for at least an hour 5-6 times a week. I was able to maintain...but still had about 100 lbs to lose. I gained about 20 lbs back over the course of a couple years and then found MFP last Fall. I have lost 28 lbs (of the 20 I gained back!) and I am well on my way slowly but surely to my goal.

This being said....I would do it again but it's not a cure-all. You have to have the right mind-set and know that you aren't going to lose it overnight and if you do you WILL have excess skin issues. If I was 22 (I am almost 42) I would stick with MFP for the 10 months and follow it and get the support you need from this weight loss community. Re-evaluate where you are in 10 months and see if you REALLY want the surgery. It's life changing, some good, some bad. Just a thought...save your money and take a dream vacation when you reach your goal!!!!