Regrets

[BabySpoons 616]

I would rather have the WLS and all it entails than spend the rest of my life digging my grave with a spoon. No regrets!

[LindsayT 594]

2 minutes ago, BabySpoons said:

I would rather have the WLS and all it entails than spend the rest of my life digging my grave with a spoon. No regrets!

I feel the same way. At my heaviest, my health was declining so quickly. So happy to be getting my life back. Yes, the beginning sucks, but it is temporary.

Edited June 25, 2023 by LindsayT

[Tomo 1,191]

I would rather have the WLS and all it entails than spend the rest of my life digging my grave with a spoon. No regrets!

100 percent.

For me, I had got to the point that ANYTHING was better than being morbidly obese with lots of comorbities. I don't think I could've been any more miserable in life before I had the surgery.

For those who do have regrets though, it'll pass. I see many many successful WLS patients who felt exactly the way you do in the beginning. Sometimes emotions may be due due to temporary biochemical changes.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,598]

On 6/24/2023 at 2:51 PM, sosax said:

I just got sleeved and I feel the same exact way. Just dealing with all the current changes after surgery now, are having a huge toll on me mentally. Also just having to accept the changes that are to come like no more chugging Water, testing out foods to see which ones my stomach likes or doesn’t. It’s just a lot. I’m 4 days out, and I hear the same thing from everyone that it will get better and that they regretted it but after the hard part was over they’d do it again! So I’m just trying to be hopeful and stay strong. Whoever said WLS is the easy way out have no idea the sacrifices and pain we have to deal with. But trust me I get it.

I was able to chug Water by about 3 months out, so don't give up. It will get better.

[la.nena 11]

I’m 6 weeks out. And was able to eat loaded mashed potatoes. Only about 4 tablespoons. I regret it now. No dumping syndrome nothing. Just guilt. Worried that I will be able to just eat anything like normal. 😑

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,598]

9 hours ago, la.nena said:

I’m 6 weeks out. And was able to eat loaded mashed potatoes. Only about 4 tablespoons. I regret it now. No dumping syndrome nothing. Just guilt. Worried that I will be able to just eat anything like normal. 😑

The surgery is a tool, not a cure all. You have to work on your mind, too. Just because you CAN eat something, doesn't mean you should. Yes, you can only have way smaller portions now. But if you aren't watching your calorie, carb, and fat intake, the tool won't mean anything.

[SleeverSk 635]

On 6/22/2023 at 10:43 AM, Jenniferx4 said:

I just posted this I’m regretting this hard! Its so hard. I’m even more depressed then before! 😨😫

this was me all over I am almost 2 years out now I don't regret it one bit. when I was in the stage you're in now I was even googling stomach transplants lol. but I know it doesn't feel like it now, but it does get better took me about 4 to 6 months to feel better then 10- 12 months to realise it was the right thing to do. Big Hugs you will get there.

[Heatherhei 15]

Im afraid im going to fail it! Im having a hard time sticking to what im suppose to be eating. I really dont want to mess this up so im going to work harder. I dont want to have done this for no reason! I feel like i cant real express myself without being bashed and just told i need a therapist

[hills&valleys 130]

Regrets? What you are feeling is not unique so you are in good company. The first few weeks can be difficult but WLS veterans almost unanimously say their only regret is not doing this years ago. WLS is a lifestyle change that takes discipline and dedication but it gets easier, especially when you start seeing and FEELING the results of your efforts. You got this and your Bariatric Pals are here to support and cheering you on!

[ms.sss 15,581]

1 hour ago, Heatherhei said:

I feel like i cant real express myself without being bashed and just told i need a therapist

Respectfully, and with no malice whatsoever, suggesting a therapist for auxiliary support is NOT bashing, in any way, shape, or form. ❤️ ESPECIALLY in THIS forum.

Alot of us recognize (or eventually come to recognize) that there is alot of head work to do for long term weight loss success. food addictions, emotional eating, self-medicating, self-worth, body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression, anorexia/bulima are just some the the many, many issues our community tend to suffer from en masse.

Yes, there is diet and exercise, your nutritionist and your personal trainer can help you with that (as can the members in this board). As for whats going on in your head, thats what the therapist is for. The folks on here can offer a sympathetic ear and suggest anecdotal solutions, but the real work can be done with a GOOD therapist (unfortunately i also do recognize good ones are hard to find).

anyways, good luck, and just know its not an insult here when someone suggests a therapist...it's actually a sincere effort to help.

❤️

Edited June 28, 2023 by ms.sss

[LindsayT 594]

2 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Respectfully, and with no malice whatsoever, suggesting a therapist for auxiliary support is NOT bashing, in any way, shape, or form. ❤️ ESPECIALLY in THIS forum.

Alot of us recognize (or eventually come to recognize) that there is alot of head work to do for long term weight loss success. food addictions, emotional eating, self-medicating, self-worth, body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression, anorexia/bulima are just some the the many, many issues our community tend to suffer from en masse.

Yes, there is diet and exercise, your nutritionist and your personal trainer can help you with that (as can the members in this board). As for whats going on in your head, thats what the therapist is for. The folks on here can offer a sympathetic ear and suggest anecdotal solutions, but the real work can be done with a GOOD therapist (unfortunately i also do recognize good ones are hard to find).

anyways, good luck, and just know its not an insult here when someone suggests a therapist...it's actually a sincere effort to help.

❤️

So much this.

[minrali 2]

@jenniferx4 I totally get it. I also have 5 kids, and I think the summer may not have been the right time to do this. I wasn’t expecting to be hungry immediately after surgery. I made a smoothie for one of my girls, and ended up drinking about 1/4 through a straw. I know I will get to the point it’s worth it, but I’m not there yet.

[Flamingowatcher2023 3]

On 6/21/2023 at 4:42 PM, Leenia63 said:

The positive statements made make me feel I can do this. I am still just going through the qualifying and pre-op stage. I don't even have a date for the surgery yet. I AM trying to adapt my eating habits to what I will have to do during pre-op. I'm sort of practicing. No weight loss yet just up and down 5 pounds or so. I just bought my Vitamins, and a few other things, so I'm getting serious. No, I AM serious! I'm committed to do this and make it work. Reading these comments shows me it isn't easy but it is worth the work. Thank you all.

You CAN do it and you WILL do it! I spent about 4 years in the prep stage, including the year for COVID and 2 years for recovery from a badly injured leg and a switch in programs (read: Surgeon). I thought it was NEVER going to happen. All that said, I started at around 320 lbs and was down to 254 before surgery on 04/24/23. I just kept the mindset that I would be damned if they used me slacking off in the loss department as an excuse to put off the surgery one. more. time. My incentive was arthritis and fibromyalgia all over my body. Oh. And an ankle that wouldn't heal properly for 2 years - to include a large danger of losing the foot. Any weight I could get off was weight that wasn't pulling on my body. You just have to decide what your health is worth to you.

Oh yeah - please don't make the same mistake I did and purchase tons of various products to eat, drink and, whatever, in anticiaption of surgery. I threw out a couple of hundreds of dollars worth of product that I found I had absolutely no interest in consuming.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

[Rebelk73 5]

On 6/26/2023 at 5:23 PM, la.nena said:

I’m 6 weeks out. And was able to eat loaded mashed potatoes. Only about 4 tablespoons. I regret it now. No dumping syndrome nothing. Just guilt. Worried that I will be able to just eat anything like normal. 😑

Don’t be down on yourself! Millions of people eat loaded mashed potatoes without becoming obese. Hell, if we all stuck to just 4 tablespoons of “bad” food we would all be fine. There are many approaches to weight loss post wls. Some have a long list of nevers that cause anxiety and steal joy. I would never have done the surgery if I thought that I couldn’t have 3 tablespoons of our families traditional potato gratin ever again. In the past it would have piled high on my enormous plate and I would have eaten it over and over that way until it was all gone. Every Christmas I did this! There’s a big difference! I knew that I would fail if I went into this surgery thinking that I would never get to enjoy food again. I have this tool and education to keep me healthy. I can’t eat a ton even if I want to. That’s a win. I will only enjoy after Protein goals are met. Won’t be much room for that indulgence but I will have it here and there. I will no longer stress eat boxes of little Debbie’s in my car, I will now enjoy every small 3 to 4 bites of my children’s birthday cakes on their special days. I was already enjoying the 1200 calorie diet I was on preop minus the hunger, as I focused 95 percent on healthy Proteins, beautiful vegetables, gourmet cheeses and nuts in super small portions, the deliciousness of a tart apple., all of the right foods while spending maybe 5 percent having a bite of the cupcake my daughter baked, etc. I myself will have long lasting success focusing on good quality real food with the help of a restriction to remind me when I am overindulging in even the right foods with occasional treats of very small proportions. I wouldn’t have done this any other way.

[Rebelk73 5]

I am 7 days post op. From the moment I woke up I was livid with myself for doing this! I was miserable for every single day in some way. I cried and raged and regretted. Then today I wasn’t super enthusiastic but the regret as I feel some hunger symptoms and don’t need pain killers all while liking the taste of Water again, is definitely subsiding! I went from a 10 to a 2 on the regret scale! I wish this would be changed from being classified as elective surgery to restorative. Heck, if a woman needs to have her breasts repaired and replaced after a mastectomy it isn’t called elective, but reconstructive surgery. Palliative care in the weight loss surgery world needs to improve for sure. So we don’t all wake up immediately angry at ourselves. We could wake up proud for taking steps to restore metabolic function, cute diseases, and add health to our longer lives.