Interested in VSG, but scared to do it so young.

Hi everyone,

My name is Elizabeth and I'm 20 (turning 21 in October). I went in for a consultation to do a VSG and am thinking about getting it done this summer, right before my senior year of college. For background, I've been struggling with my weight since I was about 10 or 11, and have seemed to try every diet in the book. I always have trouble losing, but have even more trouble keeping it off. My doctor mentioned VSG last year (if different medications I went on didn't work) and I've been thinking about it since, and feel like now would be a good time to do it given after this, I may not have a break since I'll be entering the work world.

Aside from being scared from all the potential consequences (mainly leaking and clots), I am scared to do it so young given that it's an irreversible surgery. It's also discomforting that VSG hasn't been around for that long (specifically being used for weight loss), so it's hard to know if there are lifelong complications that have just not been discovered yet. Part of me wants to give losing weight naturally one more really strong try, but another part of me says to just do it and get my life back on track.

Has anyone done the VSG so young, and if so have any advice? Anyone else just have input on whether or not it's a good idea to do it given my situation?

My biggest concern about having VSG at 20 would be the financial commitment surgery requires. You will need to eat a protein-forward diet, which isn't cheap, and take supplements for the rest of your life. I know I certainly couldn't have afforded that on a college-student budget, nor would it have been do-able financially until I was fairly well-established in my career.

There is plenty of research on VSG to establish that it is a safe and effective procedure. The primary "lifelong complications" are malnutrition from inadequate supplementation, same as with RNY. We are seeing high rates of GERD that cause people to need revisions, and I think there's some research coming out on this soon.

A good surgeon can help minimize consequences like leaks. And as far as things like clots, VSG is no more dangerous than any other surgery, like a knee replacement.

Thank you for your response! Luckily, my parents are very supportive in terms of financial needs, and honestly as long as I am getting healthier, they are definitely willing to help me out with the surgery and food afterwards.

And when you consider the possible complications of weight loss surgery, be sure to compare them with the possible complications of obesity. The graphic below is from the CDC.

While some of those complications don't usually hit until later in life, some (like infertility and problems with your period) are likely to hit you when you're young.

Being obese can affect your quality of life (as I'm sure you already know). It can also affect your earning potential because employers may find it difficult to see you as a "go-getter".

A lot of those things run in my family, which means I'm already at a higher risk of getting them, so adding obesity to the mix definitely makes it worse. Infertility is definitely something that will hit me sometime soon, and something that I should ensure I combat earlier rather than later. And I definitely hear you on the earning potential part, that's a major reason why I want to do it now rather than later, before I begin my job hunt in the spring, as I feel my odds will be much better, and I'll be taken much more seriously.

If you're a candidate for WLS, that probably means that you're on the road to irreversible health consequences. As part of the DS, VSG had been around for a while but, you're right, it's hard to find long-term studies of just the VSG. So it's a risk. However, there are long-term studies of the downsides of obesity, but it's still scary to trade the known risks of obesity for the unknown risks of surgery.

I highly recommend, regardless of whether you decide to pursue WLS or not, that you find a therapist and start working on the causes of your obesity with therapy. Surgery is awesome and I'm endlessly grateful for mine, but it only operates on your digestive system. Speaking for myself, I'm pretty sure I didn't get super morbidly obese because one organ, my stomach, was too large. My brain controlled what I put into my mouth. Addressing the brain side of things is the only way I'll ever be able to reach my goal and maintain my weight loss because you can eat around any surgery eventually.

For me, I needed the surgery to give me space to pursue mental health and get my brain in gear. I started therapy prior to surgery and continued weekly sessions for the first two years post-op or so. I see my therapist less frequently now, but there's no way I'd have achieved what I have so far without that.

I also recommend that you start weighing/measuring and logging every single thing you put into your mouth starting now. A lot of people use MyFitnessPal to do this. Whether you want surgery or not, having detailed awareness of what you consume is a great starting point to dietary change. It's hard to change things if you don't know what you need to change in the first place. Data are useful :)

Regardless of what you decide to do, remember that any change you make to lose weight will need to be a permanent one. You can't just change the way you eat until you reach your goal and then go back to your old habits because doing that will put you back at your old weight. Truly accepting that is another thing that therapy can help with.

Surgery isn't a magical solution - but it's a great tool to add to the mix.

Thank you so much for this! I went to therapy a few years ago and didn't see results on the weight loss front, but I definitely am going to start again before I have surgery, prioritizing mental health through this all is definitely crucial. I also downloaded MyFitnessPal and am starting to use it, so thank you for that recommendation! :-)

The surgery is for life if you want to do things right. It's not a one and done. Are you willing to change everything about how you eat now? Do you know why you are unable to keep weight off naturally, meaning is there more emotionally to it that should be addressed? It is a big step, and you want to be SURE you are ready, or else the money spent and changes to your body have a big potential to be wasted. Personally, there is no way I was ready at 20 for this commitment. I'm 28 now. While part of me wishes I had done it ages ago, a bigger part of me knows that if it had been when I was younger, I would have failed for my own reasons.

I don't want to scare you off from surgery, just want to get a point across that it is a very big step to take and one you should really think about. 100% it's worth it when you make it and are ready to commit to it.

This is definitely really helpful, thank you for your honesty! I feel like I'm ready to commit to changing my life and my diet in this way, but it's definitely a concern of mine that it could fall through. From how I see it, I don't think I'm going to be able to change my diet and lose weight unless something major changes, and I feel like having the sleeve is a surefire way for me to know that I cannot eat as much anymore, and so I will not eat as much. Of course, the surgery doesn't rewire your brain, but I feel pretty confident I wouldn't do anything to sabotage my body or the surgery given it is so expensive and overeating can make you so sick.

I have questions.

Do you drink alcohol?

Are you a vegetarian or vegan?

How much weight do you have to lose?

Do you have any chronic pain issues?

WLS is magic the first 18 months. You will have rapid weight loss. This is a one time thing. If you have regain after surgery,losing weight is slow after that honeymoon period. That's why you'll see posters pushing to really get the weight down in the first year.

Dense protein. No drinking after meals for 30 minutes. Not drinking alcohol because of wasted calories and damage to a liver working overtime to process the fat you are processing. Tracking food. Not taking any NSAIDS ever for pain. Having movement in your life. Taking vitamins. Getting labs checked. It's a lot and it's for life.

I had surgery to get a kidney transplant. I was extremely focused. I lived on this site.

Personally I was not ready at age 20.

Good luck to you.