How do we all know this will REALLY work?

[Pinkbetty25 1]

Hello!

I am hell-bent on getting this surgery. My friends and mother think I am insane. EVERYONE has basically told me I will fail. If I couldn't diet properly in the FIRST place, what makes me think surgery will be any better? I know this is a TOOL to help you eat correctly, and that slider foods and empty calories are bad. But didn't we all know this prior to even thinking about surgery? Then I just read in another post that 50 percent of weight loss surgery people fail. I mean, I'm sure if I lived on the South Beach diet for the rest of my life, I'd lose weight and would stay there. But that is just not realistic.

I hope this post makes sense. I just keeping hearing over and over that I'll fail. I know I need to change my eating habits. But what if the old habits die hard, ya know? Mom's theory is, " well, surgery is just eating less, right? So, just diet and eat less!"

I just am afraid I'll be on this board in 5, 10 , 20 yrs (since this surgery is SO new) saying how I failed AFTER surgery.

And yes, am totally in everyone's same boat. Can diet fine, but I regain the weight, and end up gaining MORE. Especially after my baby was born. Yikesers!

[juliarh 35]

Ok, yes you will need to eat differently. BUT 65 - 85 % of your stomach will be removed, removing the part that produces ghrelin, the hunger producing hormone. The stomach that is left is a tougher, not-as-elastic part that will not stretch out, will not allow you to eat more. Ok those are the facts.

Now, here's my experience. I started this at 303.6 -- I'm currently 247 -- I was a binge eater -- eating to soothe my emotions, good or bad. I had a SERIOUS eating problem - a true addiction (some don't have an addiction, I did). Here's what's happened to me - I'm almost 11 weeks out (tomorrow) and I FORGET to eat. Yep. I FORGET to eat. I am NEVER hungry. I don't think about food. I don't crave food, etc.

Yeah, when I'm watching TV and a pizza Hut commercial comes on, I wish I could still binge (yep, I WISH I could still binge), but I can't and I won't - there's just NOOOOO room. And if I did try, I would vomit. So what's the point?

Don't let people tell you that the surgery won't help, because it does -- from my perusal of all the weight loss surgeries, the VSG is, in my opinion, by far the best choice -- it allows you to absorb needed nutrients, you can still eat a variety of food, and live a VERY normal life. But you will not be able to overeat again in your life. Oh well.

Do your research, ask us questions, but don't let people tell you you don't know what you're talking about!! This surgery has saved my life and so many other lives on this board and it makes me mad when people pooh pooh it -- this is a medical necessity!!

I hope this helps . . .

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Right... What Julie said.

[Butrcupz622 1]

This surgery is meant to change your way of life.. of how you think in regards to food. Sure, it's not a permanenet solution.. it's a tool. Before I started this process, I focused on changing myself and my eating habits. I have this surgery and while I'm not on a diet, I am watching what I eat. I don't eat fried foods anymore, most sugar foods (but I don't deny myself either) You can't think of this as surgery with a diet. Pick the foods you like and cook them healthy. Bake, steam, broil. Cut out the greasy middle man. The more you continue changing the more natural it will be for you. And with the smaller portions you'll be eating the weight will fall off. Have faith. Don't listen to others. Just listen to you. Good luck on your journey!

[Tiffykins 673]

I'll just ditto what Julie shared as well. I can tell you it works because it has worked in more ways than one for me. I've changed my relationship with food, I am skinny, I'm more active, I'm positive I'll never get back to where I was pre-op(not just physically, but mentally/emotionally as well).

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'll never regain any substantial amount of my weight back. I might see a 10lb regain, big whoopity do, that puts me at 135-137, and I can live with that number. Right now being in maintenance is a lot different than being in the losing stage. I still have to be mindful of what I eat, but I'm not dieting. I'm not depriving myself, and I am living a normal life.

Do not allow nay-sayers to sway you, or change your mind. Do this for you and you alone. At the end of the day, you are the only one that has to wake up with the co-morbidities, and disappointments that come with obesity! ! !

[KathyM 14]

I had this surgery 4 months ago and am almost to the halfway point of my weightloss (woo-hoo!), but even if I didn't lose another pound the surgery has worked! I feel better, I move better, and I AM HEALTHIER!! The choices I make are now and have always been mine. The consequences are a little different now - as said in an earlier post - if I eat too much I will throw up. Do that a few times and you will figure out how to stop before that point. The consequences before - HUGE! None that I could see while I was stuffing my face then lazily laying around on my couch in that warm stupor that followed a good binge, but I was silently shaving off years of my life. Arthritis, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, facing an indeniable future of diabetes. I was tired and miserable all the time. It will work! Yes it's a tool, but you can do it! Take your life back, it's a wonderful feeling.

Kathy

[BZButterfly79 19]

I get my sleeve on Dec.8, and the only thing I can tell you is that if I had to listened to what everybody said or says or thinks then I would continue killing myself slowly with this drug called food. I decided when I told my husband that I did not need his or anyone else's opinion to finally ask for help to finally admit that my lifestyle was going to give me as a gift a possible heart attack, being a diabetic, and worse of all feeling trapped in this body when the smaller person inside is suffocating...literally. You have to decide whether you want to live your life based on the opinions of others or on what is best for you. So research says 50% fail...well that gives me 50% chance to succeed and by myself without medical intervention...100% failure, so I am willing to take the 50% and do everything in my power to get that smaller person dying on the inside to come out and have a fighting chance in this life, a chance to be who she was meant to be and a chance to give those who love me the best of me. None of us choose this based on vanity, we are not going in for a face lift, our lives are or were in jeopardy. I was drowning and someone has thrown a rope and I am grabbing it whether people around me think I should live or drown. Good luck to you and last I want to share with you that I made a life list(things I want to do in my life still) and there were almost none that my weight didn't keep me from doing...some very basic things. Good Luck.

Headed for change finally!

[Pinkbetty25 1]

Wonderful feedback, ladies! I needed that! Thank you all!! All of it is SO TRUE.

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Hello!

I am hell-bent on getting this surgery. My friends and mother think I am insane. EVERYONE has basically told me I will fail. If I couldn't diet properly in the FIRST place, what makes me think surgery will be any better? I know this is a TOOL to help you eat correctly, and that slider foods and empty calories are bad. But didn't we all know this prior to even thinking about surgery? Then I just read in another post that 50 percent of weight loss surgery people fail. I mean, I'm sure if I lived on the South Beach diet for the rest of my life, I'd lose weight and would stay there. But that is just not realistic.

I hope this post makes sense. I just keeping hearing over and over that I'll fail. I know I need to change my eating habits. But what if the old habits die hard, ya know? Mom's theory is, " well, surgery is just eating less, right? So, just diet and eat less!"

I just am afraid I'll be on this board in 5, 10 , 20 yrs (since this surgery is SO new) saying how I failed AFTER surgery.

And yes, am totally in everyone's same boat. Can diet fine, but I regain the weight, and end up gaining MORE. Especially after my baby was born. Yikesers!

One question....are the nay sayers FAT???!!! OMG, you need some cheerleaders in your life!! Most of mine are my thin friends....who were all cheering for me, NOBODY said I would fail!!! You need to tell these people to STFU!! Excuse my language!! First of all, unless you have real "food issues" and you eat and drink your way around your sleeve, you will not fail....this have been disgustingly easy! They remove 85% of your stomach!! It isn't "easy" as far as you are undergoing major surgery....going under the 'knife' and you need to know you need to make major life changes mentally....but if you do that, this is a great tool. I love my sleeve, it is THE BEST thing I've ever done for myself. It is NOT a diet.....I am not hungry, I eat because it tastes good but mainly because I know I NEED to...and because I do like the social aspect, but I cannot possibly eat much. I have not been hungry since surgery. I feel empty now.....it sounds like there are folks in your life that feel threatened. My THIN doctor who is about my age, 51....told me that losing this amount of weight would be difficult if not impossible, keeping it off WOULD be impossible. We'd have to eat grass and weeds for the rest of our lives. That was my family doctor who said this. Do this for YOURSELF....you'll do great!!!! I have zero regrets, no buyers remorse.....I was at goal in just under five months. I am wearing a size 8....I am being called thin and even skinny for the first time in my life. It's wonderful.....and it's possible!!! Good luck!!!

[thinoneday 445]

Yup and here is my experience as well. . . I started off at 350 lbs (a big mother!!) 4XL clothing ok. . i was always told i'd fail, that i wasn't good enough for anything. . emotional abuse was the norm in my family ok. . . i got the surgery and yup it's a tool alright but let me tell you it's a damn good tool !!! Best that i've ever owned. . . best investment i ever made. . .I'm 10 1/2 months out and have lost over 140 lbs . . I don't stay on any kind of "diet" I eat what i want to eat but i don't pig out all the time and i don't snack/graze all day long either. . . the stomach was removed (I have a 28/32F sleeve) but my hormone must have been produced in the pancreas cause my hunger was/is still there, but not as bad. . . i don't watch what i put in my mouth, but i'm aware of what i'm doing and it's easier to make choices. . .i still drink my rum and coke EVERY weekend (can only drink 1 or 2 but that is it) i still eat the odd chocolate and goodie . . girl I'm alive and living and have never looked back, I love this tool . . in the beginning I major hated it and wished i would have never had gotten it, but that was because I couldn't eat like swine and grunt and groan anymore. . . nope now i actually have to be a lady about it all. . . Good luck in all your decision making

[Pinkbetty25 1]

Wow, love it!!! And yes, I have to have my wine once and a while.. Err, Ok, like a couple times a week. You guys have made me feel SO much better. Txn- no, my friends are all range from about size 0 to size 4. They're all thin and work out every day. Mom was thin as well but ate NOTHING to maintain... She's now a little heavier, but she's older. Yeah, just gotta scrimp and save and pay for this puppy! Thanks again!

[NinaX 6]

My husband had the attitude that "all you have to eat less and exercise more, why do you need surgery to loose weight?"

I don't!!!

I have stopped calling my sleeve a "weight loss surgery", it's not for me. What I needed and what I feel I've got is a "weight maintenance surgery"

I've lost weight loads of times, no problem, never managed to maintain it however. My goal with this surgery is to have the tool to remind me to eat like a normal weight person once I shifted the overweight once and for all!

I got some statistics (showing successrates with people on diet/exercise regims versus people who had surgery) from my surgeons office which I showed my husband. It gave him an understanding of how difficult it is to loose the weight once you've yo-yo dieted loads of times and your body is struggling against you.

Good luck and best wishes!