All signs point to NO SURGERY

Well for me the problem was not so much losing the weight as keeping it off.  Staying on the diet post op is easier than expected probably due to having a tiny tummy but your taste, and your outlook on food does change. 

I am also sorry your overwhelmed and totally get that it is also fear of unknown.
Just know this.....  You CAN and WILL do it.  Just trust and if you decide to go through
with the sleeve... follow your doctors orders as far as water, protein, and your food plan.

I am so grateful to have had this surgery and I too DID NOT understand anything
before surgery.  I even commented or prehaps said some things PO and I just plain
had no clue what I was talking about.  ( yes..   why try it ) some people are addicted to food
and some arent.  Some can eat sweets and some cant. Everyone`s journey is different but
we share the same tool.  Some eat clean food,  some slip and some eat all kinds of stuff, some people eat a few of this or a few that....etc Its a personal Journey with your Doctor.  All Doctors have different remedies or suggestions and know that it doesnt make it right or wrong...  Just different!
Most of us share the common goal and that is we lose weight. Some are quicker and some are slower.  It really doesnt matter as long as the scale is moving in the right direction!!!!  Its not a race!

I had no clue Pre-Op.... and still have no clue, but I get to learn through my very own personal experience and all the wonderful support on OH.   Also, let me tell you this,  being on the other side and knowing that this works is the greatest thing in the world and much easier now because I dont have the fear of unknown before.  I love where I am at, I love myself going to bed and I love myself when I wake up in the morning today and this is absolutely growth!!!!!!!
 
I get all my protein and water in with no problem, had ZERO complications, Lost 60 pounds so far,
My medical problems are diminishing, I have more self confidence, my self esteem is
growing, I can simply walk....   and soooooooo much more...  and I am not depressed
or sedontary eating my life away......   I just cannot explain truly what a gift this has been to
me and how my life has change and continues to change because I am only 3 months and
17 days out.   I am learning how to eat and most of all learning new habits and behaviors.
This tool has been a miracle for me.

Just TRUST!!!!!   Just Do it!!!!!  find out as much as you can about the surgery so your
ok with it in your head.   We are given a tool but it is our head that needs fixing.

Unless you think you have mental illness then I wouldnt suggest to get the sleeve.
..........  I say "GET THE SLEEVE!!!"

Wow! Thank you everyone! Your replies comfort me and reassure me that WLS IS a positive step I can take to regain control over my life.

Hi Becky...the only thing I can add to what everyone else has said is that WLS is really not the easy way out some people seem to believe it is...the WLS gives you a tool that you have to implement, it is not a magic trick that will somehow remove your excess weight when you're not looking.  I am only 7 weeks post-op, but I see now that I can eat almost everything I used to eat, but in such small quantities I am amazed.  I never thought I would feel satisfied to eat a 2 oz ground beef patty topped with a tablespoon of cheesy salsa topping, and not feel like eating anything else, or my Easter dinner of half a chicken thigh with a tablespoon of mashed potatoes and 3 slices of sauteed zuccini.  I drink 2 protein shakes per day to be sure I get all my protein, and I drink as much water as I possibly can.  I do not feel deprived, I do not feel hungry, and I am making better food choices.  To me, life with this tool is great!

It is good that you are thinking this whole idea through so thoroughly, asking questions, and doing the research because this is really a life-changing decision you are making.                   Best wishes as you continue your journey,  Viv 

The great thing about the sleeve is that you really cant eat that much. Especially if you eat your protein first.
Oh, I've tried - trust me. But you learn that you can't and then you just don't bother any more.

I had the band and only lost 15 lbs and it was difficult. But with the sleeve, the weightloss has been effortless.

Today I am 129 lbs and very happy and not regretting the decision at all.

90 grams of protein is quite high.

My program recommends 60 grams daily of protein.  So do many others.

There is no secret to success with the sleeve.  There is no "magic" involved.  You have to really want to change, have to really need to change and resolve to yourself that you WILL change.

Then, you stick as closely as possible to your prescribed diet plan, you exercise at a moderate level at least 3 days each week, and whn you DO cheat (and we all do at some point), you don't make a big dramatic thing about it.  You just resolve not to do it again and get right back on program.

I knew that I COULD get the weight off without surgery (I had already lost 50 plus pounds, in order to qualify for surgery), BUT it would take a LONG time.  My diabetes was so bad that i was on the verge of having to start using insulin.  I had begun to lose feeling in my toes (which has not, and never will, come back).  My hdl/ldl ratio was totally out of whack, my triglycerides were sky high and I was a heart attack or stroke waiting to happen.

I happen to adore my wife and kids, and I wanted to be around for my 50th wedding anniversary.  The only way to rapidly get rid of the flab, and get healthy, was to have wls and work like hell to get rid of the fat!

I was 65 years old when I had my surgery and i could barely walk the 300 feet to my mailbox.  I had to rest a few minutes before starting back to the house.  Now i can walk 5 plus miles, at an Army marching pace, and I don't even get out of breath in the slightest.

At 67, I have far more energy than I did at 40.  I look good, feel good, and I would do this again in a heartbeat.

The ONLY regret I have is that I didn't do this long before I actually did.

If someone as old as me, and as badly out of shape as me, with the medical problems that I had could get to a completely normal weight and maintain it there; I am absolutely certain that YOU could also do it.

What has helped me to be determined is this thought.

This isn't just an option. This is an ultimatum to myself. I either stick with it and get healthy or keep going down the road I have been going and get very sick and probably die before I am 50. Or worse live with all the horrible side effects that come with obesity and diabetes.

If you really want to do the surgery and be successful, you can do it. I think we all feel slightly overwhelmed at some point thinking how you are. I think thats normal. Right now I am taking baby steps. I am on clear liquids, so that's what I am concentrated on. When I get to full liquids on friday that is my next focus (I am fantasizing a lil about cream of chicken broth lol). Maybe that's what you need to do. Have a sit down with yourself and figure out your alternatives to surgery. For me it was more than likely unsuccessful diets and worsening health and thats what made this surgery the answer for me. Once I did that it was easy to commit.

I look at this way....
a) I have an extremely small stomach now...even IF I wanted to eat more, I likely couldn't (as long as I'm eating the RIGHT things)
b) the loss of ghrelin helps me to not want to eat as much and I'm thankful for that.

I had similar fears as you and this is, by far, the best thing I've done.  I knew I had to do something in order to survive and the VSG was my answer.  I would never, ever, have been able to do this without the assistance of this surgery - the surgery isn't a diet...it's a tool to help me succeed with my new lifestyle.

Good luck!

I'm a loser, baby.  I can lose weight like it's nobody's business.  Guess I'm just blessed that way.  But here's the problem, I used to celebrate my successes with binge eating.  Whole pizzas, half gallons of ice cream, 2 lb. steaks, and on and on.  This surgery saved me.  Restriction, restriction, restriction.  It makes your good days great & your bad days not as bad.  Never coulda been where I'm at without the restriction.  Just do it.  You can't follow the program w/ a normal stomach--it'll never work.

Here is the thing, if you stick to the program strickly you will lose weight quickly, if you cheat (and I have cheated) you won't lose quickly, but still lose ultimately because you just can't eat as much.  Now, the exception is if you eat junk all day and drink junk all day, then you probably won't lose and will gain. 

I tend to get into a pattern of losing and then stop losing....and everytime I stop losing it is for two reason, my period or I have been eating junk....which I think are correlated.  I think near my period I crave crap (I never used to) but now I just give in.  It is probably not the right thing to do....but I can't seem to stop myself.  Then, then week when the cravings subside, I am back on track and I try to do it really good...and lose again.

As far as what you eat, the best thing about the sleeve is you can really eat anything, just smaller amounts....I love that part...I still feel normal; I just don't feel like a pig at a pigpen.  Good luck