Wondering....

Hello all.

Lately I have been questioning if I am even going to get the surgery at all.  I am super morbidly obese but honestly since I have changed my lifestyle I have experienced some weight loss.  What scares me more than anything is that I have the surgery and then possibly have quite a few complications.  Lets be honest this isn't a minimally invasive surgery they are re-routing your insides.  There are so many pros and cons to having the surgery and not having the surgery.  I personally have been seeing a lot of people who weigh for example 245 lbs or 265 lbs getting surgery which is their choice but why? I feel like people want the surgery as a quick fix which it is not a quick fix.  You ultimately still have to change your lifestyle and make a commitment to exercise to keep the weight off.  I have also seen quite a few people put quite a bit of weight back on after losing a lot from the surgery initially.  My thing is if I don't work on the reasons why I am eating before the surgery (which I am) it is not going to help in the long run, as I will just  gain the weight back.  I just am trying to be a bit more cautious now and thinking about the long run.  Yes I still have 376 lbs to lose but I am a lot closer now than I ever was to losing it because of my mindset. 

Everyone has their reasons for the surgery. I don't think anyone goes in to this thinking it's a quick fix. Speaking as one of the 245-ers you reference, I have been morbidly obese for 20+ years on a 5-foot frame. That's over 100lbs and that is not healthy. Toss is sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes and depression as co-morbidities. I've done the Optifast program twice at the OWMC and always had trouble with maintenance after a couple of years. This is my last kick at the can...not a quick fix. It is forcing me to make the changes I was not strong enough to do on my own.

Perhaps it's my sensitive 2nd week post-op frame of mind that has me reacting to your post rather than just shaking my head and moving on as I normally would...trust me, as I sit here with a heating pad on my belly because my incisions ache despite pain meds, I knew this would not be easy but I am not complaining. Things are actually going very well for me and I am pleasantly surprised post-op.

I applaud you for losing weight on your own. And it's good you are questioning whether surgery is for you or not. Whether 376 or 100 pounds...that's still a significant amount of weight to lose for both of us.

I just don't appreciate your judgment on others why they had the surgery. We all have our own stories and journeys.

Tammy :)

Tammy,

I apologize you seem to want to look at the negative of what I have said.  I said it is their choice to have surgery, wheither you are 245 lbs or 600 lbs that is your choice, however I personally believe that people do jump to have this surgery at the chance of the quick weight loss and that overshadows the working on why you are eating the way you are, you yourself said "it is forcing you to make the changes" maybe you aren't ready for those changes If you had to be forced to make them.  I am sorry but I would kill to be 245 lbs and only have 100 lbs to lose over the 376 lbs I have to lose.  I am not saying that everybody has the same reasons for having the surgery not once did I say that. 

ONLY have 100 pounds to lose?!?!?!  

First of all, 250 pounds is considered obese for women up to 6'4"!!!!  Me being 5'3" and weighing that now is incredibly dangerous to my health!!!

I believe the vast majority of people who take this journey don't believe it's a quick fix.  

This is my second time through Guelph as my first time around, I backed out right after my first appointment.  I was losing well on my own and wasn't ready for the surgery at that point.  I ended up gaining everything I lost and then some, ending up at my highest weight of 300.  I have managed to go from 295 to 250 since September 2014.  Now I've gone through for the second time and am booked to have surgery on May 29th.  ***YAY*** 

It's a personal decision and I took a lot of time to reflect and work on myself taking the Craving Change program, listening to WLS podcasts on the way to work etc.  Weight loss is all in the thoughts we think and the habits we choose and those who don't work on that will regain.

Best of luck as you determine what path you will take for your weight loss journey!  

Tania 

Again never did I say that everyone who has weight loss surgery does so as a quick fix. But honestly are you going to tell me that if you go on a low carb diet and increase exercise and portion control that you won't lose weight? Plus if you maintain that because don't forget whether you have the surgery or not this is a LIFESTYLE change. If you stick to your lifestyle change then you will more than likely not only lose weight but keep it off.  Even if you have surgery it is a lifestyle change if you stop following that lifestyle change you are going to gain the weight back. Personally I am weighing the pros and cons of the surgery because I happen to know a lot of people who have had it that have gained their weight back or have complications from the surgery, they are causing you to have malabsorption to be honest through some of these surgeries. I think it is up to the individual who decides to have surgery what they want to take on, however if I was 245 lbs me personally I am saying, the surgery would not be an option.

Ummm.... yes, you did actually:

however I personally believe that people do jump to have this surgery at the chance of the quick weight loss and that overshadows the working on why you are eating the way you are

I am the first one to agree with you on the lifestyle adjustment - that's absolutely true. I recently celebrated my 9 YEAR surgery anniversary. I have lost, and MAINTAINED a 170 pound weight loss and that didn't happen because I let malabsorption do the work for me for the past 9 years. I have earned every single pound of that weight loss. Should I have had surgery at only 290 pounds - HELL yes.

Choosing a surgical route to regain health is a huge, life-changing decision. Or at least it should be. 9 years ago I chose the opportunity to achieve health. Best decision I ever made, BUT I was ready for it - in my head I mean. And when I hit a normal BMI... well, that's when the real work begins. For life.

I am thrilled to read that your change in lifestyle is leading to weight loss and improving your health. You must feel extremely proud and empowered by what you have been able to do. Surgery isn't for everyone and its not for the faint of heart, that's for damn sure. Its good that you are weighing all your options, so to speak. Your head definitely has to be, and STAY, in the game. For life.

K.

Where in any of my comments did I say EVERYONE who has weight loss surgery does so for a quick fix. I didn't say that. 

God forbid you post your opinion on anything without people jumping down your throat.

I am not certain how you thought your comments might be received. Obviously not how you expected.

Its too bad that you weren't able to read my post beyond the first paragraph. I agreed with aspects of your opinion and praised and congratulated you on your successes.

Again, I am not certain why people responding to your opinions with their own opinions is causing you upset - open, frank discussion helps us all learn something.

I'm sure you have done as many diets as the rest of us have done in our lives and many of us have lost hundreds if not thousands of pounds over the years from all the different diets we have been on.  The hardest part has always been keeping it off.  Having WLS is an extremely difficult decision to make and don't think anyone thinks it is a quick fix, it is actually the opposite, it is the last resort.  Whether you have 100 or 200 or 300 or whatever to lose, it's damn hard.  Some people choose to seek help when they have 100 lbs to lose and other wait and keep trying on their own one last time and they end up now having 200 lbs to lose and so on.  You have to be in the right frame of mind to have surgery and if the centres are doing their jobs properly, those that are not ready to make changes, should not be having surgery.  Don't look down at those that ONLY have 100 lbs to lose.  When I had over 200 lbs to lose, I saw people with 100 lbs to lose struggle as much as I did to lose 200 lbs.  The centre's goals are to have everyone work on their reasons why they eat and WLS just makes it a bit easier to deal with those issues since it will restrict what you can eat and how much you can eat.  You can change your mindset today and it all goes to hell tomorrow or the next day and then you have to keep getting it back.  I'm going on 10 years post op later this year and it's an every day struggle to keep fighting this disease, be it 100 lbs overweight or 500 lbs overweight, it's the same disease.