researching options - what do you think?

I just started researching WLS options.  I have 100 - 125 # to lose and the only co-morbidity i have is high cholesterol, big BMI and lots of aches and pains.  After reading quite of few posts on this site I wonder if it would be wise to start with the therapy route first?    

There is a 12 week weight loss mgmt program at a local university hospital that will evaluate you and present options of WLS vs. doing it yourself.

Maybe I am starting to waiver due to reading a few too many failure posts???  I'm not sure if this is a normal thought process???   Any of you who have been through the surgery ever feel this way???

Thanks!

I am sure most will tell you the same thing. We are here for the same reason you are coming here. We couldn't do it on our own for many reasons. After a lifetime of putting weight on and taking it off over and over I chose a way to stop the yoyo. You are the only one that can decide what is best for you. I can't say it's true for all "failures" , but most of them were probably due to the person , not the doc or the surgery itself. Surgery is a tool not a fix all crutch. If you are willing to change you have a 99.9% chance you will succeed. If you are not willing to change then don't put yourself through it. Just my 2 cents worth. I wish you the best either way you decide to go.

If you think you're going to fail you will.  Harsh right? 
Weight loss surgery is a tool; nothing more, nothing less.  It's what YOU make it out to be... that's what matters most.

I had over 200 lbs to lose.  I had a bmi of 50+  These two reasons alone opened up the doors to all of the available weight loss surgeries.

My suggestions:

1. Examine why your past diet attempts failed (Write your responses down so you can physically look at them)
2. Discover what your weakness are.  Are you a sweat eater, a carb eater, a bulk eater, a stress eater, eat when you're happy etc (Write them down)
3. Research the various surgeries.  Look at the band, sleeve, RNY, DS, etc  Look at all the pros and cons of the surgeries.  Write them down.

You need to decide for yourself which surgery you think will work best for YOU. 
I keep stressing YOU because you need to take pride in the surgery you choose.  Your surgery is not going to be a get out of jail card free. It's going to be a tool to help you lose weight and keep it off for life.

Do you watch Golden Girls?  There's an episode where the housekeeper gives Blanche a special bottle of "Love Potion"  Blanche believes that this is truly a love potion and uses it every day religiously... guys are all over her like white on rice.  It's later that she finds out that it's not a love potion, it's Chanel #5. 
What's my point?  My point is she BELIEVED it was a love potion.  Those good vibes and that strong will alone will help even the weakest person out.

You need to say to yourself "No matter what I hear, this time I AM going to succeed"

You need to do your home work, you need to find out what makes a successful WLS patient sucessful.  Stay off of the WLS failures.  Go visit the surgery boards as well as the graduate boards.  Ask these people what they've done to make their surgery a success.  I'll tell you this much; 95 percent of all successful weight loss surgery patients attend some sort of support meeting.  They hold themselves accountable for what they've put their body through.

What do I think about the 12 week weight loss program?  I say go for it!  Most insurance programs require some sort of pre-op program to make sure the patient is ready for surgery.  Take that 12 weeks and learn as much as you can about weight loss.  Invest that time in yourself to make sure that this time around you are going to be a success.  You can do it!  You just need to believe in yourself.

Thanks for your opinions.  I appreciate the direct responses.  I am going to register for the next WLS info session at OSU and see where it leads me.  I will be able to learn about the surgeries they perform and their process and get this ball rolling ONCE AND FOR ALL! 

I am a lover of "The Golden Girls" and remember that episode quite well...

Hope you both have a wonderful weekend...

Good Luck!!!!  If you have any questions what so ever, do not hesitate to PM me or ask on the forum.

Check out Riverside and Mt Carmel as well. Insurance companies may only cover certain surgeons.

I "second" everything that Tony said.  I would aslo add that, if you are considering the RNY, you should NOT count on the dumping syndrome to keep you fropm eating sweets since MOST RNY patients either do not dump at all or it takes a lot of sugar (more than you can "afford" calorically) to make it happen.  (Many surgeons don't tell prospective patients that less than half of RNYers dump.)

As a Licensed Professional Counselor, I DEFINITELY recommend counseling prior to surgery,  Many people have the surgery expecting 1) that the food issues that made trhem obese in the first palce will magically go away (they won't) and/or 2) that many of the problems they have are weight-related (e.g. relationship issues) and that thosie problems will solve themselves once they lose the weight (most of the time, they won't, because many problems that people attribute to weight have nothing to do with weight).  It will certainly increase yourt chances for success after surgery (if you decide to have surgery at all).

Let us know if you have any questions.

Lora

Thanks Viki and Lora - I have heard wonderful things about Riverside.  I have been researching them, too.  My husband is interviewing for a position at OSU so I've been focused on that route for the past week or so.  Who knows... maybe their approved list of docs will include Ohio Health docs, too??? ha! 

Lora - I worry about addiction transfer and am going to work on transferring the food addiction to exercise NOW...  and make my health a priority. Too many excuses over the years and I'm tired!

I'll be back here often! This is a great site!

That's what I did as well and you can find many others on the E&F forum under weight loss related forums.

I would second the program at Riverside -




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