Decisions to make

[Snowbutterfly 14]

In the time I have had to wait to get surgery, I have lost weight and am now 210 pounds. After decades of trying different diets, starting this past January, I have finally found a sustainable way of eating where I lose weight.

Now, I have waited 3 years in line for surgery, and I will get a date in the next few weeks. I don't want to give up my place in line, but I don't want to have surgery if I can lose weight on my own.

I don't know what to do..

Why did I wait 3 years? Because of public health care, everyone takes a number.

If I walk away? I will have to go to the back of the line again.

Type of surgery - I am pursuing a gastric bypass.

Starting weight - 250 lbs

Satisfied after a meal? Yes.

I'm on the line now where if I lose any more weight, I don't qualify for the surgery.

I started this journey because my liver has NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. My last liver test came out within the normal scale. So I have changed my lifestyle enough for it to have a positive impact on my health.

Now, I am questioning if continuing is me just wanting more, when I should be happy.

Has anyone here been around 200lbs before surgery? What was your journey like?

Edited March 29, 2016 by Snowbutterfly

[needtorecover 574]

I don't think anyone on a public forum is going to be able to tell you what to do... That's all your call to make.

You're not giving us enough information to even weigh in with any advice... what was your starting weight? Are you full and happy after you eat? Why did you have to wait 3 years for surgery? What would happen if you walked away? What kind of surgery are you pursuing?

[kondasa 28]

I could lose weight, but could never keep it off. I lost 100 lbs on my own when I was 26 years old and now at 33 I put that all back on again. I noticed early in life that I could not control my portions like other people. I was always hungry even though I was losing weight.

So I wish I would have had the surgery when I was younger even though I thought I could do it on my own-- I just couldn't keep it off.

I have been sleeved for 2 weeks now and I am so thrilled. Every time I think of eating some of my old favorites I
1. have the sleeve to restrict the amount or 2. realize that I won't make my Protein goal if eat/drink that.

I couldn't be more pleased with my decision to have it done even though I have lost weight on my own and do know how to do it. I finally feel like I have a normal persons appetite.

I could lose weight, but could never keep it off. I lost 100 lbs on my own when I was 26 years old and now at 33 I put that all back on again. I noticed early in life that I could not control my portions like other people. I was always hungry even though I was losing weight.

So I wish I would have had the surgery when I was younger even though I thought I could do it on my own-- I just couldn't keep it off.

I have been sleeved for 2 weeks now and I am so thrilled. Every time I think of eating some of my old favorites I
1. have the sleeve to restrict the amount or 2. realize that I won't make my Protein goal if eat/drink that.

I couldn't be more pleased with my decision to have it done even though I have lost weight on my own and do know how to do it. I finally feel like I have a normal persons appetite.

[Julie norton 2,850]

Such a personal decision. I'm wondering what has been driving you for 3 years? If it is surgery, consider not going to the back of the line .... If you are like many of us, we could get weight off ... Just couldn't keep it off for years.

I don't want to see you have regrets in 2-3-4 years if the weight returns. ( about 95% of dieters do)

I encourage you to think about what you want in life. If you are wanting a more permanent solution, consider WLS .

Only you can decide and I wish you luck. Many posters here do say they wish they had WLS years before.... Just consider the personal pros and cons!

[JamieLogical 8,708]

My experience has been that I could lose significant amounts of weight "on my own", but I was never able to keep it off. I always say that I think if my surgery as "weight maintenance surgery" not "weight loss surgery". That being said, since you are looking a bypass, I am not sure I would go through with rerouting my intestines and dealing with malabsorption for the rest of my life just to maintain my weight. I had sleeve, which means I can eat pretty much anything, just smaller amounts and that I fully absorb all of the nutrients from my food and supplements. So, were I in your shoes, I might hesitate to undergo such a drastic option with so little weight left to lose.

[AmyR 38]

Is there anyway that you can change the type of surgery that you want without losing your place in line? Maybe lap band or gastric sleeve would be enough to help you keep the weight off, instead of going for the full gastric bypass.

Just something else to consider.

[James Marusek 5,244]

In the end, it is your decision.

I am 34 months post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery. The primary reason why I chose this surgery was because I had many health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, severe acid reflux (GERD). All these issues went into remission within two weeks after surgery and stayed in remission ever since. Liver disease is a very bad disease to deal with. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/763056

Substantial weight loss has been shown to have a significant benefit, but most patients fail to achieve a meaningful decrease in BMI with diet and exercise. Bariatric surgery provides the only reliable method of achieving weight loss in severe obesity and has been increasingly available for obese patients with NAFLD.

Congratulations with your success in losing weight. Most individuals who diet, lose weight but when they fall off the diet, recover the weight and then some. That is called Yo-Yo dieting. I started at 260 pounds. I dropped 20 pounds pre-op and almost 100 post-op. If it really takes you 3 years to qualify of the surgery, you will need to think long and hard before making a decision.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Okay, i am a person that has had HUGE success with the sleeve - I am a sleever believer! However, in your situation, i would keep trying to manage it by lifestyle alone. seriously, weight loss surgery is a life altering decision. forever, I am at higher risk of stomache ulcers, GERD etc - I don't have those things but it could still happen even 4 years post op. I recently had a medical problem that would have been alot better if I could have taken maximum dose of NSAIDs - instead I cautiously took a small dose once a day. WLS is much safer than morbid obesity, but it has risks and long term consequences. This is just one persons opinion - there probably isn't a "right or wrong" answer.

[daizymom 62]

I don't know where @@Snowbutterfly is, but since you mentioned public health care, I know that we have it here too - I'm in Ontario- and they really don't encourage the sleeve sadly. There are cases where they will do it, but it's seen as "the lesser choice" and they will regularly tell you that RNY is the gold standard.

As everyone has said- this is a decision only you can make. I'm 43 and have managed to lose weight many times. I am usually only off a diet long enough to gain back most or all of what I've lost. Sadly it never takes long. I really like what @@JamieLogical said about viewing the surgery as weight loss maintenance. I've been thinking about weightloss surgery for at least 15 years, and wish I had done it much sooner.

On a side note- I had thought that I would prefer the sleeve, but since I've been dealing with heartburn most of my life and possibly GERD - just never diagnosed- it looks like it will be RNY for me.

[JupiterinVirgo 846]

I think it is completely amazing that you've been able to lose most of your excess weight by yourself. I think you'll find that many people on these forums, like you, have found ways to lose a lot of weight on their own, at some point in their lives. I myself, had lost and gained probably hundreds of pounds over the years. By the time I was considering weight-loss surgery though, I was once again at a higher weight than I had ever been-in the 320s. I didn't feel like I could lose it on my own, even though I had done so numerous times over the years. The problem, was that sooner or later, my Will would break, or some crisis would put me over the edge and I was just not able to keep up the work that got me to where I was before. I knew it was necessary that I had to lose weight, or my life was going to deteriorate even more. But I also knew that I wanted to do it for the last time, and so something had to be truly different. For me, that was the bariatric surgery!