Anyone have regrets?

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Yes, I have regrets.

It sucks that I don't enjoy food anymore. I'm sorry that I can't eat even half a normal amount of food without feeling sick or even vomiting.

But I don't regret the surgery overall.

If you're considering the surgery, you can think of it like I did: a variety of sucky options. Option A: you work your ass off, feel hungry and cranky all the time, lose weight, and probably gain it back plus more (statistically). Option B: surgery. It hurts, you still have to do exercise, you don't enjoy food as much (if at all), and it's easy to make yourself sick, but the weight will come off with a much higher likelihood of staying off. Option C: Stay fat, enjoy food.

There is no choice where you get to enjoy as much as you want of all the foods you love and read books all day in your chair and be thin.

You have to pick which sucky thing you can put up with -- being fat in a society that really hates fat people (never mind if they're the majority) and accepting the possible health detriments that seem to go along with that, being sick sometimes and not being able to enjoy food, or being hungry and grouchy all the time and working out hard for the rest of your life.

Sorry if that sounds negative. I feel like it's realistic. And I really don't regret having the surgery. I couldn't succeed long-term with regular dieting and exercise, and I didn't want to be fat anymore. To me, making myself sick by accident a few times a month and never really enjoying my food seems a small price to pay.

WOW! So sorry this was the lessor of evils for you. I couldn't be more opposite. I had zero pain, zero negative effects. I eat whole foods so Constipation has never been an issue for me. I like working out. In fact I was a regular at the gym for 3 years prior to surgery. I LOVE that totally unexpectedly my chronic uterica is in remission. I eat pretty much what I want. Enjoy EVERYTHING I eat and really don't mind eating small portions. I view every meal as my own special version of tapas.

[BeagleLover 1,020]

@@mnmlst, I hear you. I'm sorry to hear you say you don't enjoy food. Maybe you need better recipes!!!

[mnmlst 249]

I think my post came off sounding really negative. I didn't mean it that way. I'm really happy with my results, and I'm very glad I did the surgery. I just think you have to take the bad with the good. I worry that people looking into surgery read how few people regret having the surgery and think it's not going to be hard. And it might not be, since everyone is different, but for me there are definitely some minor struggles. I think it's good to go in eyes open.

I'm glad there's essentially no bad effects for some of you! I'm still only a few months out of surgery so things might change, but there are lots of foods I just can't seem to tolerate, and when I eat what my stomach can handle, it just tends to be foods that don't really do it for me.

That's fine. There's plenty of other things in life to enjoy! It was totally worth it for me, overall.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

In my opinion (just that - I know nothing beyond my own experiences) you are EXACTLY where you should be at this stage. I went through a period where I felt somewhat... not quite human - ha! food was a chore, it tasted weird, it was hard, it took planning etc. For me, the transition to solid food was slow and difficult - going back to work at the same time I was transitioning food was up there with childbirth in terms of challenging life experiences. When i hear about crazy ass stuff people are eating within weeks of surgery I wonder at times because I followed my instructions exactly and it was still hard. Seriously, it was hard but oh so worth it!

I tell people - the early weeks were rugged. Really they were, but i viewed it as life or death so I didn't complain even though I was painfully ill, for example, because I stupidly put Peanut Butter in my Protein drink to "celebrate" Christmas - i was still thinking that celebrate=food. Stupid girl. Ah what I have learned over the last few years.

It took me probably 12 weeks before I felt fully human. That is a hard statement to explain, but I really felt quite odd those early months and it was a little scary. Everything.. Water... eating... everything was hard.

I was a lifetime obese person - I had the lapband but never moved out of obese catagory. As my wonderful sleeve surgeon said - I had an advanced stage obesity disease. It is true and it changes your body and mind.

I view this horrible time as the chance to change the relationship with food. I knew food was the "bad boyfriend" who always, always let you down but you came back for more.... but use that time to break that addiction. There is so much more to life than overeating. We all know that, but I want to sing it from the rooftops. Trust me, nothing, absolutley nothing, tastes as good as being normal, thin, whatever you wanna call it feels.

So... let me fast forward to life down the road. I am 3 years out. I can eat ANYTHING. I have to work it, just like most of the trim/thin/fit women I know - crap, you cant just eat what you want and maintain a good weight! Life is good, i feel amazing, I look pretty hot for a 50 Year old and I love life. I don't want to say there aren't challenges - there are big ones, but my biggest worries these days are stuff like... will my knees hold up doing intense hikes? Should i really wear that hot dress at my age? Is that guy really into me or ? Lets just say things change.

Anyway, its very hard. and, very worth it. mnmist - I am so with you! I am often shocked by people who don't understand this. This is a big deal.

I think my post came off sounding really negative. I didn't mean it that way. I'm really happy with my results, and I'm very glad I did the surgery. I just think you have to take the bad with the good. I worry that people looking into surgery read how few people regret having the surgery and think it's not going to be hard. And it might not be, since everyone is different, but for me there are definitely some minor struggles. I think it's good to go in eyes open.

I'm glad there's essentially no bad effects for some of you! I'm still only a few months out of surgery so things might change, but there are lots of foods I just can't seem to tolerate, and when I eat what my stomach can handle, it just tends to be foods that don't really do it for me.

That's fine. There's plenty of other things in life to enjoy! It was totally worth it for me, overall.

[sothere 15]

Wow.... I am nearing the end of week 1 and your super experience parallels what i experienced.

Tell me about your drinking and eating weeks 2 - 4.

No prob getting my liquids and Protein but my mind is messing w me and i keep craving food.

[Debbieduck4 399]

The regrets I have are in my head and related to food addiction... period. I miss being able to pig out on oh-so-yummy but horrible-for-me food that I used to love... for example this weekend is the Superbowl and our team is going to WIN.. GO HAWKS! My hubby will be making his famous nachos and I would love to chow down on some of those with everyone, along with all the other things that will be available but it can't happen because I will eat a tiny taste of a couple of things and feel completely full. Not to mention, no alcohol... so it kind of leaves me feeling left out sometimes I guess. But this feeling feels WAY BETTER than the feeling of being the fat girl in the room and self conscious and embarrassed and sick and tired and in pain and all of the medical conditions I dealt with so... that is what I remind that food addict when she creeps into my consciousness because I am going to look so cute in my new smaller size Seahawks Jersey and feel great while I watch my team take the Superbowl 2 years in a row! The regrets I do have are much smaller than the joys I have every day. I feel so blessed to have had this surgery and would do it again in a heartbeat!