Am I doing the right thing?

Last week I had my first consultation with the nurse, surgeon, and insurance specialist at the hospital. Everyone I spoke with said I'm making a great decision for myself, and that I'm an excellent candidate with a good understanding of what to expect with the surgery. But am I??

I've been gaining weight over the last 10 years (basically, since I graduated high school). My first year in college, I gained the "Freshman 60". I didn't drink, I didn't eat outrageously, I did however notice I wasn't nearly as active as I was in high school. Although, the last year of high school I was starting to slowly gain weight.

I tried like a mad-woman to lose the weight. At that time, the "Atkins Diet" was very popular. So with the assistance of a nutrition class at Curves, I dove into the Atkins Diet. Our dietician/fitness instructor was amazingly informed on so many things. I learned a lot about nutrition and health from her.

Try as I might with sticking to the Atkins program, and I was extremely diligent. I actually GAINED weight. What followed afterwards was numerous diets, fad and non-fad diets. I did weigh****chers (the online program, and never went to any local group meetings). The only "diet" that worked for me was when I was actively counting every single calorie I was consuming.

However, all the diets I tried, including just counting calories, I would always lose 10 lbs, and then gain it all back. The only reason I failed the diet, was because after the initial 10 lbs were lost, I would "throw myself a party", and go back to the way I was eating, because I thought I could "handle it".

Obviously, I needed to wait until I lost 40 or 50 lbs before determinig that I could actually "handle" maintaining weight loss. :) But I'm all about celebrating personal goals.

So when the doctor's office called me asking me about my dieting history I was very honest. They still told me I'm a great candidate.

I'm a devoute fan of "The Biggest Loser". I stopped watching after Jillian Michaels left though because I found the show to be too repetitive, and that I preferred eating a more vegan diet, and less processed foods. I also got tired of the impromptu commercials during the show for various commercials for gum, oatmeal, etc.

If those people, who are as overweight as I am, I'm probably on the lighter end of the scale compared to some contestants. If those people can lose the weight through diet and exercise, and no surgery, why am I choosing surgery? 

I'm not genetically disposed to obesity. Everyone in my family is of normal weights, I'm the only one who is morbidly obese. When I do try my hardest to lose weight, I do succeed and actually lose weight. So weight loss is not impossible for me, I'm just not very patient about it.

Over the next 6 months I have to follow a 1200 calorie diet. I'm not a stranger to diets, I've done so much reading about diet and fitness, I could probably write my own book! :) I want to lose as much weight as I can now, before my surgery is scheduled, to see how much I can actually lose.
I think I'm afraid of losing my current lifestyle, and saying good by forever to all my favorite foods, things, etc. I'm also really afraid that if this is the right choice, even though everyone (from my doctor to my counselor) says it is. My counselor isn't so sure if I totally understand the concept of only being able to eat small amounts of food. Oh gosh, I probably sound like a heffer now!!!

Sorry that this is so long, but is what I'm feeling normal? I want to make sure that I'm not just opting for surgery as an "easy way to lose weight fast". This is changing my body FOREVER. Maybe I do have a really unhealthy relationship with food, and the surgery is to help remind me and keep me in line with how I should really be eating, and not how I currently eat.

It sounds like what you have been doing is not working for you.  But this is definitely NOT the "easy way to lose weight fast". It is a tool to help you take off weight that you could not do on your own, but MAINTENANCE is the key.  You will have to find other ways of celebrating your loses and learn to eat healthy FOREVER.  This is not just 10 lbs.  If you are not ready for this, try your way again and see if you can MAINTAIN that weight!!
Jane

Sorry, I screwed up on my tickler. I have only lost 106 lbs and am not at goal. I will fix it.

I think YOU need to make sure youre ready for this. It's a life time commitment. You won't loose just ten pounds. But you also gotta realize, your not saying good bye to all your favorite foods. You'll eventually be able to them, but in moderation. Even yhough your doc and counselor think you're a good candidate, you need to be sure for yourself. I'd try to loose the weight on my own if I wasn't sure, and then try to maintain it. That's where the hard work comes in. You gotta eat right and exercise, with or without the surgery.

I think you are wise to carefully consider what you are about to do. In my opinion too many folks have not really thought the program through and once reality sinks in they are depressed and look for ways to go back to their former life style. Some are so successful at this that they gain some or almost all the weight back again.

Now each surgeon and NUT have different plans, but mine tells me that I will be able to eat between 4 to 6 oz of food at each meal for the rest of my life.

Now go get yourself a good postage scale and measure that amount and put that amount on your plate. Look at it, no really look at it. That is what you are going to be able to eat each meal. It is pretty damn small for a guy who used to eat on a large plate and have several servings. Now go to a mall and visit the food court. Look at folks eating 2 or 3 pieces of pizza, double cheese burgers and fries and realize you can never do that again. Well you will be able to eat those foods again, but just a little amount so you better plan on having your scale with you and count every calorie. It is a lot of work but can and has been done. If you just eyeball everything and estimate how many calories you are putting in each day and how many calories you are burning you are only fooling yourself and you will be back fat again.

The surgery is just a little part of the plan. Life changes forever after surgery is what it is about. Surgery is just a tool to develop changes in your life so that you do not eat more food than your body needs.

I am very happy that I had the surgery and if after you do your research you decide to go ahead I wish you luck, but most of all the courage and backbone to stick to the new life style.  

I had RNY - but would never do that again. I would choose WLS - but Sleeve or DS. Never band and RNY - only if I could not do that (medical reasons or insurance - but that can be appealed).

That question was asked before - if you want to know why - go back a few pages..
Long term post op complications after RNY - are significant and weight regain - also higher %.

Best chances to lose weight and maintain - is DS, but if you do not want to deal with huge number of vitamins for life (that RNY also need to to deal with - trust me) and rather have restricting procedures - go with VSG.
go to dsfacts.com

Malabsorbtion of calories for RNY only lasts 1-2 years - while malabsorbtion of vitamins - last a life time.
Currently I am on 1000-1200 cal day just to maintain.  Day after day after day... if I eat more - I gain. And I do have to follow Atkins like diet - very little carbs, because if I do eat carbs - even if I do eat very little - I gain.

After reading this post, I'd say you answered your own question.  It appears from what you write that you are not ready for this life altering commitment and are smart enough to know it.  You seem informed, but unsure if this is your last and only option.  Until you can with 100% certainty say that, then do not have surgery.

You have time.  There is no expiration date by which you must have it.  Take time to work on changing your habits and lose weight.  Incorporate regular exercise too.  At some point you'll either be successful long term, or not.  Even if you aren't, you still may not be 100% certain this is the option.

And about the Biggest Loser.  Yes, these folks lose weight.  A lot in a short period of time.  But they live in a controlled environment that creates massive caloric deficiencies each day.  Many of them gain weight back after the show and after they revert to their old habits.

Life after WLS is not easy.  To maintain that "fast loss" you must change your life 180 degrees.  Forever.  If you do not, you will regain......period.  If eating and exercise habits do not change drastically, you are no better off with surgery than without it.  Possibly worse off because with the surgery you accept that you are at a much higher risk of certain health issues.

Keep researching and working on a decision.  We are here for you.

What you're feeling is perfectly normal.  I would never presume to tell you to go for it or not do it; that's your choice entirely.  What I would recommend is to thoroughly research the surgery, the restrictions, the after effects, the possible side effects, etc.

I would also ask your surgeon what kind of support he/she provides.  Is he/she in it for the long haul? Will his/her team provide you with clear, documented guidelines?  (My surgeon's team has been great. I was provided with a reference binder months before I had the procedure, and my dietician and I went through it in great detail prior to surgery and at my post-op appointment.  I still refer to it every couple of days.)

If you truly feel that you can lose the weight via a lifestyle change based solely on diet and exercise, then perhaps WLS is not for you.  After decades of gaining and losing weight, getting larger every time I went on the upswing, I knew I had to do something drastic.  And yes, this is drastic.  However, I researched it fully -- even watching surgeries on video so I knew what was going to happen inside my body on the operating table -- and prepared myself mentally.  I knew that once I had this procedure there was NO GOING BACK to the way I used to live my life. I was not going to go through all the pain and restrictions and then screw it up.   And although I am still very early out, I have had absolutely no food issues or physical problems, other than going through the natural healing process.  I haven't overeaten, I haven't eaten anything that is not on my plan, I haven't dumped, I haven't gotten anything stuck, I haven't thrown up or gotten the "foamies," I haven't had to deal with nausea, I poop regularly, and I feel absolutely wonderful these days.

I guess what I'm trying to say is if you don't feel that you can commit to the program and change for life, then you might want to reconsider.  If you feel that you can commit, no, that you ABSOLUTELY WILL commit, then it's a pretty darn good option for permanent weight loss.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

I can't tell you if surgery is the right thing for you or not.  Only you can decide that.

Having RNY does not mean giving up your favorite foods or saying goodbye to them forever.  So I'm not sure you do really understand what to expect with surgery.  you'll eat smaller portions after surgery but you will be able to eat most of your favorite foods if you choose to do so.

It is very hard to imagine feeling full with only small amounts of food before you have surgery.  It was hard for me to grasp, too.

For the past 6 years I have been entertaining the idea of  Weight Loss Surgery and up until 6 months ago I was like I can do this on my own I am okay. Or I am okay being this heavy. But honestly my gyno kind of gave me the harsh reality that I probably would not get pregnant with all the problems I have at this weight and along with the urinary stress incontinance, joint pain ect. I kind of threw my hands in the air and decided to get it done. It has been a whirlwind I actually could have had surgery in april about 2 months after my first consultation. But I am having it in June. What I am saying is YOU have to be ready for this, and I wont lie I was sitting in my pre-op class at my surgeons office last week wondering am I ready for this am I ready for them to re route my stomach am I ready for no ASA/NSAIDS. And im not trying to be funny but I have just followed my "gut" with this process and did what felt right. And as you being scared of loosing your current lifestyle I understand that I am a total foodie. Do what feels right for you!