Is WLS really for me?

Only you can decide if you can handle a lifestyle change and you will have that if you chose WLS.

I'm will be 3 years out from RNY on April 12th.
I can eat anything but just small amounts.

For a fresh post op food is NOT your friend. You will be on liquids for 2 weeks before surgery and 2 wks. after (at least I was...every doc is different)
It's hard the first 8 weeks post op then it get better. You might grieve for you old friend. You will learn to change how you eat. You will think of food as fuel for your body at first.

I couldn't tolerate bread for the first few months post op. I could toast but not bread. Now I can tolerate bread and all kinds of foods.

You will need to be honest with yourself here. You will need to exercise to KEEP your weight off the further out you are. Yep, the first 12-18 mths. you will drop weight, you will still lose weight eating crappy foods if you want but later on...the weight will come back if you don't follow the rules.

You will need to learn that food is not your friend. PEOPLE are your friends...not food.

If you are a stress/comfort eater you will need to have a plan in place. What are you going to do when you are unable to eat food? WLS isn't easy, it's hard. And it's even harder to keep off the weight once you get to your goal weight. There's no magic here. It's life. Really, look hard at what lifestyle you want to live by.

I'm 5 wks post op and don't miss any of those things, believe it or not.  I feel so much better already, that it's worth it.  FWIW, I have all of your medical issues too, with the exception of high blood pressure.

Have you researched the DS? It has the most liberal post-op eating plan. Basically, we DSers eat 100+ grams of protein every day, and anything else we have room for. WE DO limit sugar and all simple carbs, especially during the weight-loss phase---but there is NOTHING that we're told we can never eat again.

The DS also has the very best long-term maintained weight loss, AND the very best long-term results re resolution of co-morbs such as Type II diabetes and high cholesterol.

Come visit the DS board and see how people are living with the DS. Don't let people tell you that the DS is only for people with massive amounts of weight to lose---it isn't. Many diabetics have it, just to treat their disease! And the DS can be easily 'customized' for each patient's needs.Being a light-weight, you could have a larger stomach and a lesser bypass, yet still reap the benefits re diabetes/insulin resistance.

Its really a matter of choice... I can eat anything I want and I am fine. Sugar? yup Pasta? yum.. bread? yes please... for me its a matter of balance... moderation. Many foods that are 'bad' fall into the sugar/carb catagory... processed foods, chips candy etc...
Some people post-op cant tolerate certain foods... thats a risk you take... some people post-op 'ban' foods because they are trigger foods and they dont want to hit a 'slippery slope'. You, not your NUT, will have to decide what will work for you. I did not want to give up foods either... at almost 4 years out there are now foods I choose to no longer eat... if one day I want to eat it I will but its most likely not going to happen. I found certain foods just really dont taste all that great as I use to think they did... I found certain foods make me feel like CRAP when I eat them... greasy, sluggish and gross... I had to decide if eating the foods were 'worth it' to me. Basically nothing is off limits.. and that has worked for me, sure I have to cut back sometimes or get myself back on track but thats life.. one with good foods in it :-) 

 

With insulin resistance, high cholesterol and PCOS and not wanting any foods "off limits" forever, I would only consider the DS. It's resolved all those things and much more in me. I didn't think I could live with the rules and possible failure of the band or RNY either, but knew the DS was for me when I finally read about it.

Do more research. Knowledge is power.

It is a choice that only you can make.  You do not know for sure that you will never be able to eat these things again but the WLS is a commitment to yourself to lead a healthier life style. Believe me when I say that I am in love with food.  That is why I was a size 3-5 my whole adult life up to about 15 years ago.  I stopped caring about me and boy have I payed the price!  Myself I don't even dwell on what I won't be able to eat but more about what I will be able to do once I can actually walk without having to stop every 5 mins to catch my breath.  I am sure that you will make the choice that is best for you.  Oh by the way I do have diabetes due to my weight and I almost lost my life in December due to a complication caused by the diabetes.  If my daughter had gotten me to the ER any later than she did the Doc said I would have died.....

Sadie, I hope you've researched the DS. I took a quick look at your profile, and given your diabetes and BMI, it really sounds like a better option for you---but your current surgeon doesn't do it. Please visit the DS board here at OH, and/or www.dsfacts.com, and learn how great the DS is at resolving Type II diabetes (98+%, vs. 87% for the RNY). And the DS has the very best long-term maintained weight loss, especially for those with a starting BMI greater than 50.

Only 30% of people that have Bypass can't eat sugar. I have never dumped. I can eat sugar and anything else I want. I jus****ch what I eat very carfully and don't overdue it. It is a huge decision and should not be taken lightly. You will have to give up some things at least for a while. You have to decide what is more important, food or living?

Sadly, there is no fun fix for obesity. You have to get to the point where you make your choices between 2 or 3 undesirable things and decide which one you want to live with for the rest of your life. If foods you like mean more to you than health and a longer life, then keep doing what you are doing. Or go on a diet-that always works, right? As you get older the obesity gets more and more difficult to deal with and mobility becaomes more of an issue as arthritis and joint pain get worse. I chose to go with WLS even though it measnt a drastic eating change. But it hasn't been so bad. I pretty much eat most everything except simple carbs, and those I can still do, just in very small amounts. I will take my dietary limitations any day if it keeps me thin and healthy. I love the new me much more than any food I may have had to give up.
-Wanda

Therapy. The biggest battle is in your mind. Once you win that battle, the rest will start to fall into place.

It took seven years of twice a week therapy before I could even sit in the same room with the subject of my weight, what I was eating and how it was killing me, and several more years before I could do any meaningful therapeutic work on the subject. Then it took several MORE years of damned hard work, all the while my health was deteriorating and I was getting more and more crippled, before I could embrace WLS.

But once I was ready to embrace what had to happen, I could move forward and do it well. You can do it too.