Upcoming VSG. Having second thoughts.

I feel like most have the same thoughts. I know I certainly did. But, afterward, I thought ... why didn't I do this 20 years ago??!!!???

I had sleeve in 2011. My close friend watched how it went and she had sleeve done in 2013. Then, her father had sleeve in 2015. Her father's knees don't hurt. He can go out in boat and take his grandkids fishing. He attends their ballgames. All because he can go and (1) not hurt, (2) not feel uncomfortable - mentally and physically, and (3) has the energy to sustain the activity and enjoy doing it.

It's not easy - but it is the easiest thing I ever did to lose weight.

I wish you lots of luck, peace, and success.

It's the inability to physically do what I want that motivates me. And my aching knees. And my aching back. And my lack of energy. I want to be active! Thank you for your support!

I put off surgery for probably ten years doing the same. It is my greatest regret. That, and watching Survivor.

Kidding aside, regret and fear are normal. Even though I had put so many years into thinking about it, I, too, felt much the same.

And, it is a radical option, however so is dying from preventable diseases, I found myself thinking. One of my friends who lost a lot of weight without surgery has a saying: toes are better than french fries.

I needed a radical option to solve my problem. Being several hundred pounds overweight is a radical state to be in. Peer-reviewed studies tell us that surgery has the highest success rate for us.

"Toes are better than french fries." I like that! Thanks!

I was 48 years old when I had the VSG done.

I was 600lbs and lost 347lbs naturally about eight years ago. I developed heart issues and ever since that time I was unable to lose and slowly regained all but 110lbs. I have a fracture in one knee and severe arthritis in the other knee. I also have 3 stents in one artery(the doctors call it a full metal jacket), I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and severe sleep apnea as well as diabetes(taking 5 shots of insulin a day). After taking a few good falls and really getting hurt is when I started thinking about having the surgery. After contemplating for over 2 years I finally made the decision to have the surgery. It took another 2 years to get it done due to insurance issues.

Now, I no longer take any diabetic medication, my sleep apnea is so much better, all of my heart and high blood pressure have reduced significantly.

Yes, I definitely had second thoughts but so glad I did it. I wish I did it sooner but everything happens for a reason and maybe I just wasn't ready.

You will do great! Keep us posted.

Thank you!

I turn 60 tomorrow, and when I was put on a pile of meds back in January, I decided that enough was enough. I too have mixed feelings about VSG, however I keep reminding myself that my other weight loss attempts have just ended up with me regaining all the weight plus more. So while I have lost over 20 pounds so far this year, if I don't keep going forward, I know those pounds will be back with friends.

Every morning when I have to take the medications, I look at them and remind myself that the only way to not have to take them is to reset my stomach and system. Just loosing the weight won't do it.

As I read these posts, it helps me recommit to the path I am on.

Best of Luck with your journey.

Happy Birthday! And good luck on your journey, too.

Second thoughts are normal.

I posted in my blog about it, and I was having some of the same thoughts:

"MyFitnessPal informed me after I closed it out last night that if I continued eating like that, I'd lose 15 lbs in the next 5 weeks. Well, heck. I should just do that, then, instead of having 75% of my stomach cut out, right? I mean, isn't this really just a way to get out of having to have discipline and self control?"

But then I went on to talk about the science of weight loss, and that we've learned that diet and exercise alone just doesn't cut it for the majority of people who are fighting their weight. We're just starting to learn about why that is, and what we can do about it.

Most of the people I've talked to who have struggled with their weight for years (myself included) are really REALLY good at losing weight. Most of us have lost our total body weight multiple times over the course of our lives. What we haven't been able to do is keep it off, because of the forces that are fighting against us. Hormones, genetics, societal forces, medical conditions, etc. fight like hell to keep us at that higher weight.

The surgery isn't magic, it won't replace the diet and exercise changes that have to happen to keep the weight off. But it does give us better tools to fight against all those forces trying to keep us overweight. I make the analogy in my blog to climbing a mountain. I'd been trying to do it in heels with 50# of sand in my backpack. The surgery is like changing out the heels for good hiking boots and ditching the extra weight from my backpack.

You already know all the reasons you chose to have the surgery. Last minute jitters are normal for any life changing event. Just keep reminding yourself of the reasons, and remember it'll be over before you know it.

Yep, I know all about the science of weight loss and that is why I am pursuing this tool. Thank you for your comments!