What I struggle with as I contemplate this surgery

I'm hoping I am not alone in feeling this way and that I can hear other's viewpoints as well. There are a couple of things I struggle with with respect to having this gastric bypass surgery. For me personally, I don't have a single health problem related to my obesity - I don't suffer from diabetes or anything else. I have lost alot of weight in the past (e.g. 93 lbs) and I was even a fitness instructor for 3 years! I feel like this IS my "fault" and that I could lose weight if I truly tried. I just feel like I am trying to find an "easy way out" - even though I know this surgery isn't an easy thing. I still have the mindset that I am simply lazy and can't commit to a food plan. Does anyone else feel this way? Or did you in the past and were you able to move past it? I know I am a food addict -- have gone to OA in the past but found it to be a bit too "cult-like" and I'm not a real religious person either (hard to admit that as I know it's the "right" thing to do). I'm worried that this surgery isn't going to change that.

Hi Krista, nice to meet you (extending hand) Easy way out? YA GOTTA BE KIDDING GIRL!!!! Bend over so I can give you a kick in the butt to be sure you are awake and listening. Yep, you and I and everyone on this list are food addicts. We all know what we should do, and we really want to do that but. for me anyway, after yearssss of dieting, I had to realize DIETING JUST DOES NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE. Talk to Dr. B about that and he will help you understand why. But I have also found that that wls is nothing but a tool and your mind is stronger. Whatever wls (I had lap band July 7th.) you have can be overcome. wls will overcome the stomach but not the mind. Knowledge is powerful, so try to do as much research as you can and have a good support system even before you take the final step. You deserve a long healthy life with family and friends. Even though you might not have any health problems right now, they can develope very quickly because of excess weight. Sometimes so quickly we have no time left to do anything about it. Hugs - Carolyn

I'm really not trying to stir the pot - I'm trying to understand. I have heard others too say this isn't the "easy way out". What makes it so difficult? With the stomach being so reduced in it's capacity, I don't understand how it is possible to overeat still without being ill and / or eating non-stop. Being able to lose 1-2 lbs a week would be a dream come true. I'm so struggling with this decision - not that I don't believe it could be an answer for me but I feel like if I can't control my mind problems (food addictions) now, how could I possibly control them then? I guess my impression is that you can't eat more with the surgery and therefore you will lose weight. I have a friend who it seems like she lost well over 100 lbs with no great heartache. That's what made me feel like it was an easier way out. Comments? I'm open to hearing things. Thanks

Hi Krista, I used to be just like you.....Pretty, smart, overweight but nothing detremental to my health. Then one day I woke up with chrones, then diabetes and i knew the end had come to my lifestyle.........gastric banding was just going to ensure I stuck to my guns and lost the weight I needed to get healthy. So far, I've lost 35 pounds for the first time in my life and I feel fantastic. I'm already a new person (my friends can't believe the difference in me). Trust me hon - it ain't the easy way out by any means....... take care. Shelley

Thanks so much for writing back to me. I've read some of your posts and I agree you are VERY PRETTY. I am so glad to hear you are having success with the surgery. I have a friend who has lost over 130 lbs with the surgery (down to 250) and she tells me that for her personally it WAS the easy way out. She dropped 100 lbs with no cravings, she was the poster child for Roux-en-Y surgery. She told me that when she ate things she shouldn't she got sick but that was what she would expect to happen. She said she had NO cravings and that the weight literally fell off her with almost no exercise at all. Is she an exception to the rule? That's why I am here - to hear other's experiences. I guess for me, I saw it was SO EASY for her to drop 100 lbs, I thought it was EASY. I know that you have to change the way you eat - but as she explained to me there's really no other choice, which is what I have always hoped the surgery would mean.