Am I doing the right thing?

Hi All,

Im new to the forum which i found via a google search.

Its nice to see some positive stories rather than the negativity regarding WLS i had previously been reading on the net. Your weight loss journeys are an inspiration.

I have been considering WLS for a number of months originally a gastric band but now a bypass following a documentary i have watched on the subject.

Here in the UK its pretty difficult to get WLS on the NHS so im considering going Private which will cost approx £10,000.

Im a 42 yr old male, and live in England. Ive had weight issues all my life. Over the years my weight has fluctuated by 140lbs between my heaviest & lightest.

Im currently at my 2nd heaviest weighing 286lbs. I am at the point now where im sick to death with the constant yo yo diets & obssesion with food and being on a constant diet. This has caused moderate depression and im now at the point where id rather be dead than to live this life. Things need to change and im hoping a gastric bypass could help me to make these changes.

I would love to know what everyones thoughts are? Was it worth it for you? Would you do it again? What arè the major pitfalls & how did you cope with them?

For me personally I have the sleeve done and I would do it over again in a heartbeat. The benefits have far outweighed any negatives. The only small issue that I have had is that I have to take a med for reflux now but to me that is a very minor issue. The weight loss has been wonderful but the other health benefits that have come have been amazing. I would just recommend that you do plenty of research and maybe even talk with some local support groups (as well as being on here is a great resource).

I am five months post vertical sleeve gastrectomy. My highest weight was 260lbs, my surgery weight was 240lbs, and now I weigh 183. (Total loss=77lbs). I don't have any co-morbidities, so I was self pay as well. Each step of the process has had challenges; the mental challenge of changing my brain has been the most difficult. Physically, the first few days after surgery were the most painful, since then, occasionally, I've caused my own pain (eating too much or too fast). I've lost a tremendous amount of hair Also, I have heartburn two to three times a week--severe enough to wake me up at night. I'm too early on to say what, if any challenges are yet to come.

I'm over halfway to my stretch goal weight, but I'm amazed by how good I feel. My energy has exploded, my joints don't ache, I rarely get headaches, I can exercise without losing my breath, etc. The best part of it is that I'm beginning to feel good about myself. I don't have to worry whether or not I'll fit into a chair, or feel like I'm in the way because of my size. I'm in control of food rather than the other way around. I can play with my five year old. I would absolutely do it all again, in fact, I would do it ten years earlier!

Can you tell me a little bit about your hair loss? I haven't had the surgery yet - I'm still in the consulting with surgeon stages and additional medical prerequisites. I heard hair loss was a big side affect and that scares the daylights out of me. Is the hair loss? has your hair thinned or do you have bald spots? Is your hair long? Is it noticeable to others or just you -- simply because you know your hair. Will the hair grow back? I don't want to lose my hair :'(

yes I'd do it again. In fact, I'd go back every year and have it done again if that's what it took...

It's been one of the best things I've ever done for myself, and very much worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'm nearly 4 years out from my gastric bypass. It's been a life changing, life SAVING experience for me.

Major ( possible ) pitfalls include:

vitamin and mineral deficiencies-avoided by always taking the vitamins and supplements and by getting blood work done on a regular basis. ( and keeping records of all of your levels and taking notes of up or down trends. )

Dehydration-always drink plenty of hydrating fluids-even when you don't want to-and there will be moments you don't want to. I carry water with me every time I leave the house and set up personal challenges. ( See if I can drink 16 oz by the time I reach town, or railroad tracks, or the grocery store. ) I always have water, iced tea ( sweetened with Splenda ), or coffee within reach. Always.

Transfer addictions to alcohol, shopping, gambling-or other other things. Doing the head work is so much harder than the "stomach work", but it is crucial to our success. I had food demons that needed to be vanquished before surgery. I was an emotional eater. I no longer eat when I'm sad, but now boredom eating is a thing for me...lol. As long as I keep busy, I'm good. Stress eating has happened a few times in the last 4 years, but I usually catch it before it happens. I write in my journal OFTEN to avoid eating when I'm stressed.

Constipation: A diet high in protein can lead to some serious back-ups. Always drinking enough water and getting a good amount of healthy fats in our diets combats that. I also take a stool softener every morning. When we get backed up badly, sometimes intestinal blockages occur. I had a partial blockage 2 years ago. I was fine in the end, didn't need surgery, but I was miserable for well over a week.

Not getting enough protein: We need it ( as a woman I eat at least 80 grams a day. ) to keep our bodies going, and if we don't get enough, our bodies WILL take it from our muscles-including our hearts. That's no bueno, so protein it up!

Going into surgery with your eyes wide open is a must. Researching every single aspect is a smart thing to do. There ARE things I did not cover, but some of the others will.

Good luck.

I got the sleeve and if I had to have this surgery once a year I would do it!! I have lost almost a 100 lbs in 8 months!

It is something that many people need but most are unable to get it. Getting rid of the weight will give you an entirely different and much healthier life. Don't give it any more thought.

Weight loss surgery is a drastic step for a very serious problem. It is not perfect but as far as I can see it is the best treatment out there for morbid obesity.

WLS has allowed me to do something that I could never do before. Not lose weight. I did that many, many times in my life. But I have never before maintained a normal weight for any significant period of time before I had surgery. I wasn't alone. I think that statistics show that only about 5% of us can maintain weight loss for 5 years alone. If you were given a 5% chance of recovery from cancer it would not be a good diagnosis.

But WLS tips those odds in our favor. Even keeping 50% of the excess weight off over 5 years is a major accomplishment. Many do even better but it takes work. The good news is that unlike with just diet alone the work is achievable. Not easy but doable.

WLS gives you an edge on doing what needs to be done. But you still need to do the same things as always to lose weight, eat less and move more. Before I could do that for a short period of time, at least the time it took to achieve my goal. But afterwards it was very hard to keep it up.

Research all the different forms of surgery out there. There is the bypass but there are others surgeries out there as well. Find what you know you can live with. All surgeries require follow up but some need more maintenance than others. RNY and DS are malabsorptive procedures and require regular lab work and careful supplementation. There are risks to your health if you don't follow them. The sleeve still requires follow up but the consequences are less severe if you don't keep up with the vitamins.

All of them require a change in our relationship with food. There are no surgeries that allow us to eat what we want and not gain weight. Some are a little more forgiving with a less than perfect diet but none are a free for all.

You don't need to follow a diet perfectly after WLS to keep the weight off but you do need to have some discipline in your eating. Most people feel like if they were able to follow a diet they wouldn't need WLS in the first place. WLS should help you follow a healthy eating plan. It doesn't take the place of good eating, it just helps you get there.

Examining your relationship with food and working on it will help you succeed with your surgery.

Good luck to you.

Was this worth it for me? Yes, a million times yes.

This is what I posted on my third surgiversary, which was about a month ago:

I'm not going to bother to post about the weight I've lost. 1) you can read this in my signature and 2) the numbers are really the least important part about what this surgery has done for me.

Three years ago I gave myself the ultimate kindness and had VSG. I've never regretted this for a single day.

People ask me, "couldn't you have lost weight without the surgery?" I might have been able to, sure, but what matters is that I didn't.

People ask me, "you say you're happier now, couldn't you have found that happiness without losing weight/surgery?" I might have been able to, sure, but what matters is I didn't.

People ask me, "has losing weight/surgery let you pursue your dreams?" The answer here is no, since I WAS pursuing my dreams prior to VSG. The difference now is that I'm dreaming dreams I never even considered I could dream. I have dreams now that I never wanted. I'm pursuing THOSE dreams. Pre-WLS, it never crossed my mind to go back to college, to run a half marathon (or to run at all), to foster a well developed yoga practice, etc, etc, etc. These are all dreams that weight loss inspired me to dream. I've gone rock climbing (indoor) and hiking and to trampoline parks and I love it all.

WLS and weight loss is not a cure all. My dad still died in April, there's still stupid drama in my life with people who create stupid drama, I still feel unprepared for exams, there are still ice storms, I still argue with my partners, Trump was still elected president, I still had to help my mom sell her home and get settled into a CCRC. But getting my weight going in the right direction gave me the breathing space I needed to shore up my mental/emotional foundations. I started seeing a therapist on a regular basis, I got diagnosed with an eating disorder and started medication for it, I sought out a bereavement group when my dad died, I spend more time on myself and I try to invest more time in the relationships that matter to me. These are all things I wouldn't have done pre-op. The changes I've made post-op have allowed me to weather the crap that life has thrown in my path.

I still want to lose more weight. I have my first two rounds of plastic surgeries scheduled and I'll be able to schedule the third once the fall class schedule posts. I'm graduating with my AA (Exercise and Sport Science, wtf?!) in May and then will begin work on TWO BS degrees in July (Gerontology and Aging Services AND Health Management Services). I'll be running my SECOND half marathon shortly after my 4th surgiversary.

Life is good. More importantly, I'm living dreams I had never even thought to dream.

Thanks to all of you for being a part of this for me.

I would do this again, but I don't plan on needing to. The major pitfalls are that surgery only addresses the physical side and you still have to fix the mental side if you plan on having lifetime longterm success. Find a therapist, work really hard to figure out what drove you to obesity and work to address that when you having the breathing space that WLS will give you.