Potential young sleever -- help deciding what to do? I need advice...

[annagene12 4]

Hey everyone,

I am super new to this, in fact, this is my first post. Forgive the length...

I am still at the point where I am leaning towards the sleeve, but not sure.

The thing is, I am 22. I have a BMI of 39.4, and have pretty much been overweight/obese my ENTIRE life. I don't remember a time when I could feel my ribs or hipbones...but in this past year, I have hit an all-time high. I had a miserable year last year, and a combination of binge eating and a medication that made me gain weight...I gained 70 pounds. In 12 months...which was beyond devastating.

I am off the meds and I have already lost about 35 pounds, but I need to lose at least 100 more, if not 120...and I am terrified of the prospect of failure. Everyday is a struggle and I feel like my daily thoughts are dominated by food, and trying to keep my impulses in check...I am doing much better than I used to, but there are still nights when I binge...My weight has been a source sense of shame and guilt since I was young enough to realize I was overweight. Maybe kindergarten?

Frankly, I am done with it. I am done feeling this negativity about myself, and I don't want to incur any major health problems in the future. I also don't want this to be an issue for the rest of my life, I want to move on, be a normal weight and be healthy. BUT, in the same token, I have a lifetime ahead of me. Do I wait for surgery? Do I just do it and realize that my entire life, and my obsessive relationship with food is over? Do I accept that there will be no more Thanksgiving dinners, or pizza and beer with friends, or the comfort of eating terrible food? This is silly that I hold on to this, its killing me...but I have been an emotional eater from a very, very young age. I feel like a drug addict, and I'm starting to panic.

Do I give myself more of a chance and attempt to lose more weight dieting? But then insurance won't cover my operation...I am pretty sure I could lose more weight, but my fear is being stuck around 70-80 pounds away from my goal. Forever. Or yo-yoing, forever.

I know there are plenty of forums on 'regrets'...but anyone get a sleeve in their early twenties? Or maybe wish they did? Anyone with a sleeve for 5+ years that has maintained the weight? Anyone with comments on long term sleevers? I plan on living at least another 60 years, and that's a long time to live with this.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated, and thanks for reading.

[mrsreyes 24]

Hi, Im kinda in the same place. I am 24 years old, and have been overweight/obese ALL of my life. I am scared and nervous too, but I think that it is time for me to get my life back. I am a mommy of 3 and I am tired all the time and I have no energy... that is so hard when you have little ones. like I said, I have always been big, but I have gained about 100 lbs in the last 8 years. I am currently pre op and losing weight on my own. I think that I may be able to lose the weight alone... without the surgery... MAYBE, but I have no doubt that I will most likely gain it back without the sleeve to help me. As far as I have read so far this surgery doesn't mean that you can never have treats again... they will just be in much smaller amounts, and of coarse not until much later in your journey. This surgery isn't a death sentence... if anything I is going to allow you to live the life that you should have been living all this time. I am here to talk if you want, we are pretty close in age and it sounds like we have some of the same thoughts and concerns.

[Beckh86 40]

Hello ladies.... I'm 26 years old and I was just Sleeved today after having the lap band for 2 years. I will not bash the band but I for the most part followed all the rules with the band ... I started at 278lbs when banded and at today's weigh in I was 214. I was still losing with the band but I was also throwing up and my port was very uncomfortable. There were times that I couldn't even swallow coffee. My husband and I started talking about having a family and I was terrified of getting pregnant and having morning sickness and throwing up my own stomach through the band, hence my decision for a revision. I'm currently about 14 hours post op and I feel great! I can not tell you about the weight loss part as I was just sleeved but my abdomen is already more comfortable with out the port. I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on gym memberships, personal trainers, weight watchers and weight loss pills with no success. Even through my complications with the band I have managed to maintain my weight loss. Sorry for the long post. I hope this helps.

[SleeveNZ 219]

I'm had VSG at 25. Down 87lbs in 6 months and nearly at goal. I wish I had it done at 22! Being sleeved doesnt mean u miss out drinking beer and eating pizza with friends - u can do all that, just in moderation

[OnlyDownFromHere 6]

I'm pre op too. I'm 23 with a BMI of 43. I was not heavy my whole life. It all began to come on when I was 11 and snowballed. I have PCOS. I would like to get back to a normal weight and be healthy again.

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[MrsG 329]

My not regret is I didn't do it Sooner. I'm 39 and have been overweight my whole life. I wouldve loved to have had it around your age, it couldve saved me years of more yo yo dieting and getting no where. I've dieted since age 11. I agree with the poster who said by having this surgery it doesn't mean you can never do pizza or drinking with friends, it's just done in moderation. It is a lifestyle change for sure, you will have to change how you eat and view food for the most part. If you feel ready to do that I think it's great! It's a great tool, but one you have to decide to either use to the best of your abilities or not. Good luck!

[MandaPanda 173]

I am 33 and have been thinking about this for at least 9 years as I recall. I wish I took the plunge sooner. I feel like I missed out on so much because of my weight. I am planning on having surgery in June. I have had several consultations over the years and was told each time that I am a good candidate. I am at my highest weight ever at 249 and feel like hell. You only get to live once, so I'm going for it!!!

[Gregory Donlin 7]

Of course getting surgery is a personal decision I'm 38 I have always been overweight. I have done all the diets and the money spent on dieting is astronomical. I met with my surgeon on a consultation and he was very informative on what was involved with the different kind of surgeries and also some hard core numbers on how dieting just doesn't work. 90% of diets fail! By failing I mean you lose weight but end up gaining it back sometimes even more than before. As a young person you are taking a step now to take control of your life before major health problems set in. If I can be a help to anybody just add me as a friend! My name is Greg I am 6 months post op I have lost 100 lbs since then.

[SeriouslyChange 319]

I'm 24, was 23 when I was sleeved. In the 5.5 months since surgery, my life has changed for the better. My weight held me back and was always my go to excuse for why I couldn't do something.

I would have the sleeve again in a heartbeat. I miss eating a full meal, but my confidence is up, I'm motivated to try new things, and I'm not scared of the world anymore. Today I am wearing a dress. I haven't worn a dress since senior year graduation when I was 18.

I am very thankful for my sleeve.

[O.T.R. sleever 3,386]

Well, I hope that you don't take this wrong, but before you decide on the sleeve, I'd highly recommend some pretty heavy self analyzation. You really need to understand why it is that you turn to food for comfort. And yes, a counselor/therapist would be helpful. I am in no way calling you crazy, or even suggesting that you have problems that most of us don't deal with. Knowledge is power, and knowledge about yourself & your own habits is the greatest power to have.

Once you have a solid understanding of your triggers & your reaction to your triggers, by all means, I think being sleeved young will save you a ton of heartache & likely some health problems.

GOOD LUCK.

[*susan* 1,709]

You know, had the sleeve been around when I was your age, I absolutely would have done it. I would have loved to save myself years of heartache, feeling like the odd one out, always the biggest girl in the room, too out of shape to do much of anything. I was overweight from about ten years of age. No psychoanalysis needed, sometimes, believe it or not, there are those of us who just love food and don't have the willpower to quit when we should. I didn't eat because I was sad, depressed, happy, repressing feelings or anything else. I just plain loved food, end of story, and I still do. That is why I get so annoyed when so many people are quick to suggest counseling, and this is from someone who worked in the mental health field for 13 years. I guess the "in" thing is we all need to discover why we eat so much, what drives us to eat. Well, damn, pizza is amazing, and chocolate, and filet mignon. I didn't and still don't need to pay anyone a ridiculous amount of money to tell me that. I just needed something to help me control the amount of food I shovel in my mouth, and by gosh, the sleeve does that beautifully for me.

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[Aries 95]

You know, had the sleeve been around when I was your age, I absolutely would have done it. I would have loved to save myself years of heartache, feeling like the odd one out, always the biggest girl in the room, too out of shape to do much of anything. I was overweight from about ten years of age. No psychoanalysis needed, sometimes, believe it or not, there are those of us who just love food and don't have the willpower to quit when we should. I didn't eat because I was sad, depressed, happy, repressing feelings or anything else. I just plain loved food, end of story, and I still do. That is why I get so annoyed when so many people are quick to suggest counseling, and this is from someone who worked in the mental health field for 13 years. I guess the "in" thing is we all need to discover why we eat so much, what drives us to eat. Well, damn, pizza is amazing, and chocolate, and filet mignon. I didn't and still don't need to pay anyone a ridiculous amount of money to tell me that. I just needed something to help me control the amount of food I shovel in my mouth, and by gosh, the sleeve does that beautifully for me.

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Im in Susan's boat. I'm 26 and had the sleeve about 6 weeks ago (4/1/13) and I think my total weight lost is about 45 pounds so far (that's including the pure op liquid diet which I only lost 11 lbs on). Ill be honest, it gets tough sometimes when people want to invite me out to dinner because 1) I can't eat a lot and 2) I don't really want to deal with questions of why I'm eating so little (I'm keeping my else on a need to know basis. Therefore, many people don't know I've had it done). All of these rules about not drinking while eating and waiting to drink before and after every meal is hard, and oh goodness, the amount of supplements you have to take... However, I would have done it again and again and again. I would have never been able to lose 45 pounds in 6 weeks. NEVER. I do hear it gets better with time so keep your head up. Also, a benefit of having the surgery while you're young is that the chances of you getting sagging skin is dramatically decreased as long as you follow an exercise plan. Good luck with your decision. If you have any questions, I'm always glad to help

[Cait12 52]

I'm 23 and only a week out, but even with all the frustration that I now know the first few weeks cause, I realize it was an important decision for me to make and don't regret it. I have hypothyroid and PCOS so losing weight on my own was always a losing battle, but already from both the pre-op diet and a week of liquids, I've almost lost 20 pounds, and it's only the beginning. I would've never been able to do that on my own. And I know that having the sleeve will bring so many more benefits to my life, like higher self-confidence, being less shy, a love life, etc. Yes, it's hard right now in the beginning, and all I want to do is eat regular food, but I know that it is such an amazing life tool that I've just given myself.

[future 6]

Hey honey,

I'm 24, had the sleeve at 23... Nearly 16 months post op, have some regrets but was the best decision for me.. Overweight majority of my life, to yo dieter, was always hungry no matter what I ate! This is just an aid, u still need to put in the work. It hasn't stopped me from eating anything, sometimes social events can be tricky but there are always ways about them.. And who needs big meals and all u can eat? I've lost 43kgs and never been happier.. It is so gratifying and i feel so positive and liberated! I now swim at the beach, go to theme parks, even Water parks, travel, ride elephants, went bungy jumping one year after!!! It's given me back my life! I've had relationships since, still party hard occasionally and has made no difference..

I don't think I could have done it prior.. However really look into the nutritional deficiencies, how your body can be deprived etc that's something I didn't go into enough! The only post op prob I've had , although I'm thr most happiest and active I've ever been I feel quite lethargic! I do

Shiftwork which doesn't help and have a busy schedual so hard too assess.. But have noticed feeling pretty exausted... Seeing my dietition in 2 weeks for a review and just had bloods done, so will see if anything comes up..

Also my bowels are a little different now, and my stomach tends to make alot of noise sometimes while eating or straight after..

But in my eyes these are all worth it, and I believe of u do the hard work, eat right, excercise and take your medications there's no reason for you not too be healthy and happy.. Good luck with your decision.. I advise not to get the band- too many post op complications- slipping, adhesions etc.. I've seen it and spoken to too many people/ chances are u will eventually get the sleeve after..

Cya

[future 6]

Also I think u need too address these "binging" emotional eating ways before you have it. As these are psychological and can still happen once uve had the sleeve.. And they will come back and haunt u as I've had the same thing and dealing with them now.. You need better copying mechanisms and ways to deal with stess/ emotions.. Have these strategies in place before the surgery so u can implement them when needed, bc the sleeve won't stop these and u will go through a grieving process around 6 months post op.. And I haven't found it's stopped me

From any social things, if anything it's made me

Social! U can still eat everything, just in kid like sizes.. And there are actually alot of options out there when you look.