WLS After 60: It’s Never Too Late!

WLS After 60: It's Never Too Late!

An OH Magazine Article by Suzanne Beaty

“It is never too late in life to consider having weight loss surgery (WLS). I was 63 years old when I had weight loss surgery. I never had a weight problem until after having two children. And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight. I now know the reasons why: I became less active and ate more than I should have.”

I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most without success. But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I never changed my lifestyle. My top weight was 235 pounds and I am 5’3” tall. My body hurt, my back ached, and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time. So I must have had a high tolerance for pain. I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. She told me about going to Dr. Aceves. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she told me. She directed me to his website and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS for about six months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite some time. Now, I have learned that is pretty normal. Then I was sure I wanted to have WLS and my choice was VGS – referred to as the “sleeve.” So that was the start of my weight loss journey.

I just didn’t wake up one morning and say, “Oh, in October I’m going to have WLS.” I went through a process to get here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I knew my head was in the right place when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are caretakers of everyone else, and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about you and no one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again.

About six years ago, I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man. I had been single for 16 years. He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was: overweight. He has
been very supportive and encouraging every step of the way. I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he give me. I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. Bob and I were married in May 2010. We have the most wonderful life together, and he has been very supportive of me and my journey. We have changed how we eat and without really trying, Bob has lost 25 pounds too.

My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself and food. Food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65-year-old body! What a thought. I look for the protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein, and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line of what I actually put in my body, so I would have some idea of the number of calories I ate each day. I have always liked who I am, but I love my new improved body. Bob is fabulous and goes for walks with me almost every day. We are making the last part of our life the very best part of our life. Love yourself enough to want to change your life and become healthy. I remember the first time someone called me skinny, I thought to myself, “Who are they talking about? Oh, it’s me. I’m skinny.” That is a moment I will always remember. It was a life changing moment!