JoeyDNJ

I did a search to see if there was a thread like this and didn't find one, so I apologize in advance if there is one. I'm pre-op and I've read all I can from "official" sources in terms of what problems can occur due to the procedure. This forum is filled with a lot of positive stories because lets face it, problems are pretty rare statistically, but they do happen. I'd like for everyone who had any issue, even if it was a minor one, to post about it briefly here and what happened after and how your doing now. It would greatly help someone like me know all the risks.

I am a few months pre-op and it is threads like these that most interest me.. Like most i've read all the "official" info I can find about side effects and stuff that can go wrong, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Thank you for telling your story and I hope it all gets better.

thats your problem right there.. "dieting" is not going to do it, you need to SERIOUSLY dedicate yourself to eating properly as a lifestyle change AND working out at least 3 times a week. believe me I know how you feel, I'm right there with you, I've only lost about 30 pounds in the 3 and a half months I started my 6 month weight loss plan, I got bronchitis, went on vacation, and hurt my leg overdoing myself in the gym so I let myself slack and behind on my weight loss goals. But now in the last few months i'm dedicated to losing as much as I can before my surgery. You NEEEEED to do that cardio in the gym... that first month I really tried I ended up losing 17 pounds, I did the gym 3-4 days a week and really ate what people are normally supposed to eat in terms of the food pyramid etc. about your fear of the gym... think of it this way.. even if you WERE skinny and in shape.. there would always be more people there who are in better shape or better looking or richer lol.. screw what everyone else thinks... I take pride in being a fat guy going to the gym, I know why i'm there and do what I need to do and feel proud of myself when I do it.

Welcome, I just joined today myself and I'm in your same boat.. I originally looked at the lap-band but now i'm about 95% sleeve in my choice, I wont be having my operation until the end of the year and I'm on a 6 month weight loss monitoring program with my doc. I'm 32 and have been battling real obesity since I was an adult(although I was a "larger" kid then normal.. just not really fat)... however the habits I formed in my Italian family " your to skinny have a 3rd helping!" , contributed to my perception of food lol. im here in New Jersey and going with Dr. Sadek.

misspatrice, if you really feel you can do it I applaud you. I hold up in such high esteem people who were able to lose weight on their own. I am 32 , 346lbs in pre op. I've lost 27 pounds(started at 373) since really starting to lose weight for the surgery. I often think to myself.. now if I just kept this going... and I know that I can look back at the last 8 years or so and see how I failed to really lose weight, and even though there were times I was a workout-a-holic and lost 20-30 pounds.. I could never change my life forever on my own... I tried myself and I was of the mindset that I would continue to try myself even if it killed me.. but my therapist helped me realize that it is ok for me to accept help.. and this is when I looked into WLS. In all honesty I don't even think just the WLS would really help me change forever.. I'm counting on my own determination, plus therapy, plus the sleeve as a multi-faceted approach to fully and completely changing my life and my life-long habits forever. I realize now that I don't have the discipline to do it on my own.. and statistics seem to prove that the far majority of us don't.. apparently only 5% of people lose weight and keep it off on their own.. I'm sad to say that I'm not in that 5%, but i've come to terms with that and come to terms with the fact that the surgery will save my life, and my body from further destruction. P.S - I'm like you, just morbidly obese.. bloodwork shows otherwise i'm basically perfectly healthy other then sleep apnea and low HDL... but I'm afraid that I'm just biding my time before diabetes and who knows what else. so anyways.. if you have never really REALLY tried to do it yourself before... or you know deep down you can.. then I say why the hell not try it yourself.. but if not..then you decide what you want to do.