Considering Surgery...

Hello all,
The information on my profile is not accurate, I was actually scheduled to have surgery in 2008 but changed my mind.  I'm back thinking about it again but I don't know what to do yet.  My sister recently had the gastric sleeve surgery and has done very well.  I'm currently about 300 lbs and 5'4 with a slew of comorbid conditions (sleep apnea, diabetes, pcos, high blood pressure, etc).  I've been able to in the past lose 40 lbs in a few months by being very diligent about eating right and exercising which is why I hesitate in having the surgery, because I feel like maybe I could do it without it...but then I think I haven't yet and so I wonder if  maybe I really need to have the surgery done for my long term health.

One of my pretty major concerns is that one of the benefits of being less overweight for me is being able to do a lot of athletic things.  I'd like to run, do warrior dash, etc. but more importantly I'd like to get very serious about lifting and eventually compete as a power lifter.  Lifting is about the only thing I enjoy in the gym and I enjoy it a lot.  I lift pretty heavy right now and would be excited to see what I could do being thinner and really push myself and actually SEE definition that isn't hid by layers of fat.  I'll admit to have little knowledge about the surgery, I do know that my sister does not eat very much and I think that is why I am concerned that eating very low calories may kind of inhibit my ability to participate in these pursuits.  Is there anyone here who has experience with lifting?   Will having the surgery limit me in any way?  Please tell me my fears are completely unfounded.  My sister says there are lots of you on here who are very active and do things, I'd like to hear from you, please.  

PS If I did have surgery it would be the sleeve option.  

Thanks in advance!!!!

 I am sure that there are other people who are going to be able to answer this better than this, but here is my opinion:  I had RNY so my surgery is different than the one you are considering.   I have lost 160 lbs in about a year and a half.  I just finished my first 1/2 marathon.  You dont mention how old you are, which can impact your ability to lose weight on your own.  How many times have your really tried to lose the weight?  I gained and lost an unknown amount of weight in the past 40 years, but this is the only time I have actually been sucessful.  My highest known weight was 320 and I was 284 at the time of surgery. The point of the surgery initally is malabsorption (in the case of RNY) and the inability to eat much at a given time.  That is the bulk of your weight loss.  You are not going to add muscle during the weight loss portion.  You are however going to lose fat and muscle.  I have been slowly adding muscle back during the last 3 months.   I can now eat a significant amount of protein and calories.  If you do more research, you will find that there are PLENTY of ways to get calories and protein in.  This becomes an issue as your get further out.  I can put away a significant amount of calories if I don****ch what I eat.  I sugest you do more research into all the surgeries and what the benefits are for your needs.  I have no regrets about my surgery.  I have done things that would have been impossible before. Hopefully some of the others with more experience will chime in.  Best wishes in your journey!!!

Kat