Am i being selfish?

So i know this is probably a common thing but i find myself asking "am I being selfish by getting the surgery?" There is apart of me that is incredibly excited to be healthy, but i have young kids... am I being selfish? I also tell close people to me about the surgery and they ask "why?" I'm just feeling bad that im putting so much risk into "losing the weight"

I had surgery when my baby was 10.5 months old and I had similar thoughts about selfishness. I can honestly say that me having surgery has been very beneficial to both my husband and baby. We all eat so much healthier and more mindfully now and my baby will grow up with a model of healthy eating as his baseline. My husband has effortlessly lost all of his excess weight since I've had surgery as well. I am able to be much more active with my toddler than I would have been able to if I stayed obese. Overall it was a great decision for my family, not just for me. Hope this helps!

I love this reply...

No, not at all. Why would getting healthy be selfish? Your becoming healthy benefits you and your family.

Exactly what Mary said!

I'm two weeks post-op and my son will be two soon. One of the main reasons I had the surgery was so that I would be a better mother. I wanted to be able to run around with him or play on the floor. I had trouble doing those things for more than a minute or two. I was sick of coming home from work exhausted, not enjoying the time I spent with him in the afternoon, and having a house that was always a mess because by the time I got him in bed I just didn't have the energy to clean. My wife has an autoimmune disease, and can't help as much as we'd both like. I've had a couple of encounters where I've felt like I was being judged for having the surgery with such a young child, but I just remind myself that the long term benefits will absolutely outweigh short term problems.

If you don't have surgery, your weight will go up, year after year. Your health problems will increase. High blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, heart trouble. In the long run it will be a lot more selfish NOT to have surgery.

My children are grown, but I have 11 grandchildren that I love dearly. They were a primary motivating factor for me to get the surgery. I want to be more active with them, to go on long walks with one at a time just talking to them, and I want to live long enough to dance at all their weddings. Since the youngest was just born and I am 64, I knew I needed to make changes to be as healthy as I could for my grandbabies. I see my daughters struggling with their own weight issues, although neither is significantly overweight at this point. My youngest daughter has said that if she cannot control her weight she would happily get the surgery.

Yes, you're being selfish and there's NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. You are getting surgery to help you to be the best you that you can be. This is the sort of selfishness that benefits everyone else in your life too.

Not getting the surgery can also be seen as selfish. You have an obligation to take care of those kids and to stay as healthy as possible. Surgery will help with that. So will the healthy diet that you will need after surgery.