How to decide on WLS

I have been contemplating the surgery for at least 10 years. I've been obese since I was about 7 years old. I was in my 20's when I thought about surgery the first time, but I had a lot of success changing my diet and lifestyle to eating low carb. I lost over 100 lbs and kept it off for over 2 years. of course over time I changed jobs, had a more sedentary desk job, moved in with my now husband, had some stressful situations come up and fell off the wagon as my life changed...my eating habits changed and I was unable to maintain my weight any longer and ended up gaining it all back within a year or 2. by that time I was desperate to become a mother. I knew I needed to lose weight for a healthy pregnancy but I also didn't want to wait much longer as I was in my 30's. There was always a reason not to do it...in my mind it was one or the other--I could either have WLS or I could be a mother...I was too afraid of possible risks and I knew I would need to wait at least 2 years after the surgery to even try and we had been unsuccessful for 5 years already.
I had a lot of depression in those couple of years due to infertility struggles not necessarily related to my weight, but I did manage to lose about 40 lbs and spent a lot of time at the gym to get my body healthy enough to sustain a healthy pregnancy- I had to prove to the doctors I was up to it before they would clear me for IVF.
I was still MO when I had the procedure done but I was also 35 years old and since I had no other real comorbidities they approved me and I had my daughter when I was 36....then I gained back all the weight I'd lost again plus another 35lbs. I lost and gained 30-70lbs 5 times in the last 3 years since then, and the last time I did it, I said "this is it...if this doesn't work for me I have no more options besides surgery". it was my last resort.
Like others have said, I sort of wish I had done it earlier but honestly I really think this was the best time for me to do it. I am turning 40 this month, we bought our house 2 yrs ago, have a 3 yr old daughter and life is steady. I feel like I have time to focus on what I need to do to stay on track and I have the mindset for it to be a real lifetime change.
if you're sick of tracking, counting, stalling, etc then the surgery isn't going to fix any of that...but what it has done for me where no other diet or tool has done, is it's giving me actual hope- not just hope but anticipation! like I know when I hit a stall that it's temporary because I am doing everything right...I don't get discouraged after 2 weeks and give up and go back to old habits.
I also don't feel the painful hunger that I did when I was dieting which is what makes it impossible to maintain without surgery...head hunger is real but it is definitely exacerbated by real hunger...and that is what drove me to fall off the wagon every time...feeling deprived.
I don't feel that now.
I feel satisfied when I eat...yes I still want to eat chocolate and donuts and ice cream...but once I eat a piece of chicken or whatever, I don't really care about it anymore...and I don't have any room left!
this is the tool that is going to help me to lose ALL of the weight this time, not just 50 or 100lbs. I WILL be a normal sized person by this time next year...and this surgery is helping me to form those habits for long term success.
I know it will not always be easy and being only 4 months post-op I am still super early out, but I already know that this is different than all the other times, because I don't have the option to binge...i don't have the option to give up...it's done and there's no going back.

I wasn't overweight until I was an adult, started gaining at 19. I've been up and down, did most of the diets including Optifast 12 weeks with only liquids 500 calories a day and gnawing hunger. Yes I lost 50lbs but it was only temporary. I gained and lost and gained again. Eventually I lost 90lbs and kept it off for 5 years, I was working with a personal trainer and working out 6 days a week obsessively, not a fun time. Then came the hysterectomy and since then I gained the 90lbs + 50lbs back. My friend was wanting WLS and talked to me about it, so eventually I thought I would give it a try. With much frustration on my part and endless hoops to jump through with the insurance company I had surgery on 2/12/18. I have since lost 57lbs relatively painlessly. I wish I had done this over 20 years ago, I'm 60 now and I told my doctor I don't want to spend the rest of my life being fat.

I did try everything to get back on track and never could, it would work for a few days or weeks and then the deprivation would get to me and I'd go off the rails.

I have no regrets about having the surgery.

What was a HUGE factor in my decision to have WLS was my job. I work in HR. I see lots of folks needing to take time off for health issues. I've seen more than I care to think about retire one day and pass away weeks or months later. Almost every time it's a weight related health issue. When you're young you think your 'fat and healthy' seeing people go through things at work made me realize I was on borrowed time. I didn't want to be them. I want my health in retirement.

For me personally it was recognizing that I needed help. My main motivator was seeing my mother living in a nursing home simply because she was too obese to rehab a broken leg. I knew if I didn't do something I would be in that exact same position and I wasn't going to let that happen.

I had a co-worker who had the RNY and I started looking at that. I also had life threatening sleep apnea (that was my primary co-morbidity). Fortunately for me the RNY doctor wasn't taking new patients and my GP recommended a doctor in the area who did a surgery that was somewhat new but was showing signs of being very successful long-term. Once I started researching and went to an informational seminar, I knew my future was set with my choice of the DS.

I had an amazing support system. My surgeon had a local support group, and from that spurred a smaller group that met once a week. I truly believe that without that group, I would not have been as successful as I was. I was determined 100% to make sure that I only had to have one surgery and I would do everything I could to be successful. I also was in therapy at the same time making sure I was taking care of my head so that I would be successful.

I'm 15 years post-op from a DS and wouldn't change anything about my life. I deal with some deficiencies but I figure it was either that or living with issues from obesity. I was OK with that tradeoff.

Just make sure you do your research and find the type of WLS that works for you and your lifestyle.

My final decision was in May 2017 when I had to have emergency surgery due to a severely herniated disc, causing caude equina syndrome, which could have paralyzed me. When I spoke to the surgeon who performed my surgery, I asked him if he would clear me for VSG as requested by my Bariatric surgeon. He perked right up, and said, "absolutely, and I strongly recommend it".

I had been going through the motions but wasn't sold. I think it took me 2 years to get through the process. I initially gained weight, then lost it all plus a little more.

I have one of those strong personalities that just knew I could get the weight off by myself. Afterall, I quit smoking 12 years ago. I went to school and got a degree in my late 20's after some troubled beginnings. I was horrible in Highschool, but redeemed myself by being on the deans list and graduated my nursing program with high honors. Why couldn't I lose weight? Well statistically very few are able to. During my surgeons seminar he said 1-2%, but I'm not sure about the accuracy of those numbers.

I've had two surgeries within 6 mnths from each other. I've had no complications so far. The complications risk is very low. This was a big fear of mine. I was not scared for myself. I was more scared for my family because they need me! With much encouragement from everyone around me I took the plunge. Best thing I've ever done!

I'm having a nice little stall right now. It's not with out hard work and patience, but I definitely could not have lost 101 lbs on my own, as I have proven to myself the entire span of my adulthood.

Not trying to sway you, but if your struggling, don't let time pass you by. I've said, and have heard several times, "I only wish I had done this sooner". Best of luck to you.

I had never even considered it, but last May, my GP, who had been working with my trying to control my diabetes said "you're young and healthy otherwise, you should consider gastric bypass before that changes" and then walked me through the impact of WLS on the metabolic system and I scheduled myself for the next orientation. 6 months of the pre op program and 4 months post op, it was the right choice for me!