Will Power, Appointments, & Decisions!

[candicess2 1]

I'm a 33 year old married woman, and I have been obese my whole life. At my highest, I was just over 400 lbs. At 30, I was diagnosed was with diabetes, and I've been trying to conceive for over 8 years. I recently decided I had enough and moved ahead with the journey to weight loss surgery. I chose the sleeve because bypass seemed too altering. My consultation with my surgery was on Oct 28th. and I weighed in at 388. I was lucky to get my nutrition appt that Friday, November 1st. (385.5) At my next nutrition appt., I get my surgery date which I'm gunning for January or very early February. So far I've been pretty good. I feel like God has been taming my appetite and backing my will power. The last I weighed myself I was around 379.6. I have been tempted of course, but i've been holding out. People have noticed the changes. I do a Protein Shake for Breakfast. I eat lean Protein first then the veggies, very little carbs for all other meals. I did a serious cleanse of my normal diet. I'm very proud of myself. I feel better. I sleep better. i need to start the exercising soon. My concerns are these: if i want to get down to my ideal goal weight of 150 is the sleeve ideal? my surgery said not really but exercise and diet would be very vital. i've been diabetic for 3 years, on insulin for one. I'm worried with the sleeve I will still be diabetic. I just hate to have hind sight bite me in the butt!

[southernsoul 773]

My high weight was 320, right before I started my preop diet. My tentative goal is in the range of 170-180, although honestly anything under 200 would be fine with me. I don't know for sure if I will be successful in losing 140-150 lbs, but I certainly am giving it my best shot. For me, willpower has been easier postop. It takes so much less to fill me up that it has been easier to either pass up the temptations altogether or at the most I'm satisfied with 2-3 bites. Also, I'm highly motivated by the weight I've lost & the changes I see already, so that helps to keep me on the right track. I can't speak about the diabetes, but I know see others post about being able to come off insulin, so I would assume it's at least possible for that to happen with you. The sleeve is a tool, and just like any other tool the way it performs is largely up to the user. Good luck to you!

[Seela 1,187]

I have never weighed as much as you, I started at 250, and I was miserable. I can't imagine how hard it is for you and how frustrating. I am just shy of 4 weeks out, but what I can say is that a lot of people on this forum have lost that much and more. There are a couple of threads for sleevers over 300-400 lbs. You should also check out the verterans forum... they can be great help. I can also tell you that none of the wls are fool proof. They all require hard work and dedication. But they make it possible. I have seen many people have bypass that have gained back their weight. I chose the sleeve for the same reason you did. And for me, after my pre-op then almost 4 weeks of post op, all of my cravings are gone. I've been off of carbs and the "bad stuff" for so long now that I just don't even want it anymore. I'm sure it will get harder the farther out I get but at least I have this awesome tool that actually works, so if I want to work harder I will see results instead of working hard for nothing like I did for years before the sleeve. It is scary, but now that it's done, I would do it again in a heartbeat! And this is a great place for support. Good luck, and remember, whatever decision you make will be the right one for you.

[VSG AJH 499]

Watch LessofSarah on YouTube. She was in the 400s when sleeved almost a year ago. She's now in the thin 200s, and though she looks/feels great now, she's still losing. I certainly think it's possible.