My surgery is less than 3 months away, new to this site....someone talk to me!

Welcome, Bonnie - I was 51 years old when I had VSG a year ago.  I did all the same stuff you did:  pills, diets, exercise, etc. and gained back all the weight each time with bonus pounds.  How did I know that I would be successful?  I didn't.  What I did know is that the only thing that was going to get me off diabetes meds fast was this surgery...and I was willing to go to any lengths before and after to make sure I was successful.  

What does that mean for me?  It means going to Overeaters Anonymous every week and working with a sponsor on my food issues; it means going to therapy; it means making exercise a regular part of my routine; it means taking my vitamins; it means planning out my food every day and logging it into My Fitness Pal; it means going to my support group meetings; it means not missing a single doctor's appt (PCP & surgeon); it means making sure my labs are staying in a good range.   It takes a LOT!   

Make sure you have a variety of tools in your tool belt to help you on this journey...because surgery alone isn't going to do it.  Good luck! 

WOW, congratulations on your success! It helps hearing your inspiring story, i know this is a journey, and it will be work, but i am up for the challenge, I got nothing to lose,( but weight) i hope to GAIN more energy, to be happier and want to socialize more, and get my self confidence and  self esteem, I am ready, best wishes to you!

If i havent been successful at any of my other weight loss attempts (diets) and making a full lifestyle change commitment, how do I REALLY KNOW that i will be successful after this life changing surgery?

You don't. There are no guarantees. Some things to ask yourself---why weren't those other attempts successful? Did you really, truly make a 'full lifestyle change'? If so, for how long? Did you lose weight easily while you were sticking to those changes? Exactly what changes did you make?

For some people, making a full lifestyle change is fairly easy. These are the approximately 4% of obese people who manage to lose all their excess weight through traditional methods, and keep it off long-term.

For the rest of us, even if we can make a full lifestyle change at some point, it's always a real struggle not to fall back into bad habits. A restriction-only surgery like the VSG helps with that, because it's a lot harder to over-eat when all you have is a tiny tummy. BUT---a tiny tummy just means we can't eat a lot at one sitting. It doesn't keep us from grazing all day long, or choosing to eat the wrong foods for our bodies.

So---if you lost weight easily as long as you were sticking to that full lifestyle change, the VSG will help you stick to that change. If you didn't lose weight easily, if you did everything right but still struggled, then maybe you need something more powerful than just the VSG.

Both the RNY and the DS cause a metabolic change in our bodies. Both cause permanent malabsorption of certain vitamins and minerals, and the DS also causes permanent malabsorption of a significant per centage of the calories we eat, especially calories from fat. This is probably the reason the DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, period.

In the end, no surgery can guarantee you'll effortlessly lose 100% of your excess weight and keep you from ever regaining. They all require you to make some major lifestyle changes, but they don't all ask for the same changes. Look at all three---the VSG, the RNY, and the DS---and decide which one requires the changes that are easiest for YOU to commit to, FOREVER, because WLS is just like a diet in that it only works as long as you stick to the 'full lifestyle change' your surgery asks for.

Thank you so much for your feedback, I am not sure what the DS is you spoke of.Is it the band? I do lose weight fairly easy when i stick to the plan, long term success has been poor, or obviously i wouldnt be considering Weight loss surgery. so soon in about three months, the journey begins...I am excited, not scared...yet...

DS stands for Duodenal Switch---just about the furtherest thing from the Band, LOL!

The DS has the same stomach as the Sleeve, plus an intestinal bypass similar to, but more effective than, that of the RNY/gastric bypass. You can learn more about it at www.dsfacts.com

Good luck!

I had similar fears but at some point I had to say, "there's no reason why I will be the only person this doesn't work for."  And, so far, it is working.  I've had great success for 5 entire months which is longer than anything has ever been successful for me before. More than that, I feel inspired daily - I've made tons of lifestyle changes and I'm so happy and fulfilled.  I've never felt this way with any diet attempt before.  I love it :D