Wondering....

Losing 100 lbs at your weight is approximately 25% of your excess weight so to put things into perspective, those with 100 lbs would have to lose 25 lbs to be the same as your 100.  You can't compare losing 100 lbs as a blanket statement because it's not.  My first 100 lbs dropped off fast but when those with 100 to lose did the math of percentages, we lost at the same rate.  

You do realize that you basically dissed everyone that had surgery at under 265 lbs with your comments as to why have surgery?  That is a large number of people that started at that weight since not everyone is 6 feet tall so 250 on a woman that is 4'10 is a very high BMI.  If people qualify for surgery, who are any of us to question them.  We need to only question ourselves as to if we want surgery, are ready for surgery, etc.  

This is of course all my own subjective opinion based on limited experience:

I dont think the reality of the complications are as scary as you may think they are. There are of course exceptions and their stories are truly tragic, but for the most part I find the complications to be manageable or fixable. When I say fixable that includes revision-type surgeries, ulcers and gall bladder removal, these things are terrible without a doubt but in a vast majority of cases fixable. 

I agree that for continued success anyone that has this surgery will have to change their relationship with food, whether it be an addiction or laziness in the kitchen or w/e... but the honeymoon period gives you an opportunity to see the other side of the coin, to hopefully feel motivated and see a light at the end of the tunnel which may not have presented itself otherwise. This goes hand in hand with exercise, as the weight comes off your body may be capable of more and more activity.

NOW all this being said, at this early junction I do feel some regret, I wonder if I could have lost the weight the ol' fashioned way... but each day that regret fades a little bit as the number on the scale goes down or my clothes get too big.

I guess when I cut right to it I don't think it matters what weight you are, even with the high costs associated with the surgery they will likely never be as terrible as you work them out in your head (most of the time).

Thank you for your reply!

My final say:

I was really wrestling with whether or not to have the surgery.  Laying in bed this thought came to me.

When delivering a baby, some people deliver naturally, some with epidural, some C-section.  The end goal is to deliver a healthy baby.

During a weight loss journey, some do it on their own, some use programs or pills and some pursue surgery.  The end goal is a healthy and active lifestyle.

How I go about achieving my healthy and active lifestyle is nobody's business but my own.

Done.

Good for you, nobody was belittling your opinion.

I think you need to reread your initial post.

I think you need to grow up, but apparently that isn't happening. Maybe you need to Re-read it.

I think what most aren't seeing in how you worded it... I get what you are saying. I myself have taken 15 years to decide and get the surgery.

Yes, you read that correctly---15 years! I've seen people success as well as fail after the surgery. The people who succeeded acknowledged that they were living a life of "What's eating you?" not "What are you eating?" They worked on the mental and well as the physical aspect of losing weight and treated the surgery as a tool.

Those who failed treated it like a magic bullet and continued to eat the same way.

There are those who follow the pre-weight loss diet and realize that they are losing weight at a satisfying rate and choose not to have the surgery. There are those *****cognize that they need this surgery for other reasons too... diabetes.. high blood pressure... sleep apnea. 

I think the doctors make you jump through so many hoops is to make sure you recognize the changes that are to come. 

I personally don't think it's helpful for you to be worrying about why someone else is considering surgery; you should really just focus on yourself and why YOU think that you should or should not have the surgery.   The medical parameters for WLS start at 100lbs overweight, so I assume that the medical community has agreed that it was a reasonable option and those patients probably have some sort of eating disorder or medical issue that make it difficult to control without surgery.   

If I were you, I would try to just shake off the negativity you are feeling about these other patients and try to be happy with the progress you are making.

I personally am wondering why I haven't seen a civil discussion on controversial topics in this group EVER in my 1.5 years here. But that's irrelevant to the issue at hand. I had 160 pounds to lose which will get me to my high school weight. That's prior to PCOS and two children. I did try dieting and exercising like all of us here. I did lose to gain back twice more. I have herniated disks in my back and arthritic knees. I am also quite proud and don't want to be called a lazy cow looking for a quick fix. But I don't really care about what other people think. They haven't been in my shoes. They haven't avoided mirrors and cameras for 15 years like I did. We have our own lives and our own journeys and for majority of people on this board, not many truly fully active years ahead of us, just 10 or 20. I can spend them struggling and lets be honest, losing time and probably failing or live them to the fullest. The choice is yours.

P.S. I lost 120 pounds in 7 months post op. I am at normal weight now. I can run with my kids. I can go up a flight of stairs. I can actually RUN UP the flight of stairs. Loving the "Quick Fix". You have to lose 376 pounds to get to 200, which is still obese unless you are a bodybuilder... and a guy. So, you have to lose 3 (!!) average size people to continue being obese. How long would that take ? How much more can your body take ? 160 pounds for me is 10 sacks of potatoes. I can't lift them, I can barely carry two in my hands to the cash register, yet I used to carry 10 of them on my back and joints. I am all for bettering myself through suffering but this seems to be too much of a price to pay.