janleefran

I'm a fit and active 41 year old, 5'7 weighing 175 lbs. 150 lbs is where I felt great, but that was many years, a couple of kids and one major knee surgery ago. I've never been able to lose more than 2 or 3 lbs, I do crossfit three times a week and eat fairly well - not a big fan of junk food - I just eat more than necessary and as I get older I see the pounds slowly creeping on. So I'm scheduled for surgery on Oct 19, and my BMI is 27.7. My question is.... am I crazy for doing this? I can afford it, I'm happily married and my husband is supportive. I have no health concerns, so truly this is vanity driven only. I just don't want to make a huge mistake..... but I'd really, really like to be slimmer. Thanks for any input.

I definitely DO know what my problem is, and it's that I have less than ideal eating habits. I'm very fortunate that have the means to have a personal trainer, and I do exercise more than most 41 year old women. In fact, I would say that I'm in excellent shape, especially considering I had a major knee reconstruction (soccer injury) not so long ago. I'm not at the point where I'm playing soccer a couple of times a week, and I might not ever be again, but that's only because I don't have the same mobility that I did pre-surgery. But I do have the same eating habits. I eat like a man, fast, big portions, and looking for more. Maybe because I grew up in a household of men and boys, I didn't have a mom to show me how a lady should eat. I realize all of that is mental, and a habit more than anything. Habits are hard to break though, and I've been struggling with it and beating myself up all my life. I was a 5'5 and 130 lbs at 10 years old, I was a competitive swimmer, but the other kids called me "monster" because I was so much bigger than them. I ended up quitting because I felt so uncomfortable about my size being on display in a bathing suit... even though I wasn't really "fat", I am just a thicker, more muscular build.... think soccer player over ballerina. Also, as far as having surgery for cosmetic reasons goes..... I had a breast augmentation over 15 years ago, and quite honestly it was one of the best decisions I made in my entire life. Yes, it hurt and carried some major risks, and it also cost a good bit of money, but I can't tell you how much more self confident I felt because of that surgery. Going from being a bigger girl with floppy misshapen little breasts to a sexy curvy bombshell was wonderful. So my surgery was booked for this coming Friday, Oct 19th. My doctor advised me NOT to do any pre-surgery diet or weightloss. However, mostly due to the feedback I've gotten in this thread, I canceled the surgery, at least for now. I've taken some of the advice that was given, which was to try to eat as though I've been banded.... small portions, tiny bites, chew-chew-chew, Protein first, no liquid with meals, etc...... and two weeks into it I've lost 4 pounds and I feel great. I just hope I can keep it up, and that the weight loss will continue (and I wouldn't mind if it was faster!), but for now I'm quite satisfied with how things are going. I don't WANT to have surgery, but I also don't want to keep gaining weight and feeling like I have no control of my poor eating habits. If I can do it on my own, I'll be so happy! Thank you to everyone for the honest opinions and support..... especially to the people who gave me the idea to eat like I'm banded first, instead of being forced to eat like I'm banded. It's a lot cheaper to pretend after all, and if it works, even better! Wish me luck And thank you again...... you all have helped me more than you'll ever know.

I do appreciate the feedback..... but like anyone, I get a bit defensive and angry when i'm told, YET AGAIN, to just start excercising and eating less. I think we all know it's not that easy, especially when a person already excercises more than the average and eats well. Just because I have less weight to lose doesn't mean I feel less miserable about my inability to lose weight. However, that doesn't mean that I'm not reading what is being said and taking it to heart. Thank you all.

As I said, I'm a fit and active person, which means I hike, bike, swim, jog, take the stairs, play recreational sports, etc. I ALSO do crossfit 3x week. Suggesting that I start doing 2.5 hours of cardio a day is ridiculous.... not only is there not enough hours in a day, I assure you that I burn plenty of calories.... which is part of the reason I have a large appetite. What I eat also isn't that big of an issue.... my problem is that I have bad eating habits, I wolf my food and look for the full feeling. Trust me, I have spent my entire life battling this and I have always used a smaller plate, ate Protein first, limited refined carbohydrates, drank Water..... but I still wolf my food down and get up to get seconds. If this is just an issue of having enough willpower..... why would ANYONE get the surgery? Why doesn't everyone start eating properly and start excercising 2.5 hours a day (ha - I'm being facetious)? I can tell you why.... it's because it's not that easy. It's easy to say it, but it's not that easy to do it. So why is it ok for someone with 100 lbs or 50 lbs to get the surgery to give them a hand, but not for me at 25 lbs? I understand what everyone is trying to say.... but I'd like to know WHY it's ok for you, but not ok for me. Why do I have to rely on excercise and willpower alone (which has been a complete failure my entire life)?