would you do it again

Hi Denise, Your description of the Lady who is a "so called success"  is the perfect example of the kind of decsion you have to make.  Yes, she lost all that weight, and for now at least, is keeping it off.  BUT, her attitude toward the lifestyle changes that are required to be a success is her biggest "complication" and "risk".  Any surgeon you see will tell you that they will operate on your body, NOT YOUR HEAD!  Not only do you have to weigh the risks of surgical complications against the benefits of weight loss, but you have to decide if you are really, truly willing to make permanant lifestyle changes.  You will be directed to NEVER drink while eating again.  You will be directed to avoid high sugar, high fat, high carbohydrate foods, etc.   Does this mean you will never be able to have a piece of birthday cake or pasta dinner?  Not necessarily.  Many of us on this site (check out Sherri's profile) have found some delicious ways of making our favorite dishes wls friendly.  But you will still have to deal with all the "head" issues that drive you to food.  Running through a drive through is not going to be on your agenda much anymore.  Again, it doesn't mean you will never eat McDonalds again, but you are really going to think about whether or not you really want to take in all those calories, even if you can tolerate the fat (many RNYs can't).   I had to think about it for an entire year.  I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and after changing my eating and working out habits in order to control the disease, I finally decided I might as well make changes to support weight loss rather than to control a disease.  But it wasn't an easy decision.  Like I said, it took me a year.   All you can do is search your heart and decide how you want to live the rest of your life.  It doesn't really matter if you have the surgery or not, because you will have to change the way you eat and live anyway.  You will either change to accomodate the surgery or change to control a disease.  Either way, you have to be able to live with the changes that will come and only you can decide what you can live with.  I wish you luck and no one on here will think less of you if you decide not to have surgery.  If you decide to continue to work on weight loss through diet and excercise, we all understand what that is like, because once we get a few years out from surgery, we still have to do that.  The surgery just jump starts the process and gives you another tool to use to achieve and/or maintain.