Looking for your toughts on WLS

I've been heavy all my life, but settled out in this range of 420-440 for the last few years. About 10 years ago I lost  about 120 lbs through diet and exercise. The eventually my tactics failed and I ballo0ned to this weight (440) over about a 5 year period.

WLS seems like the only reasonable answer,  but I am very conflicted. Feeling like I should be able to do it myself vs. not wanting to repeat my yo-yo affect. IDK what I am thinking. I guess I am worried about the risks of this and what kind sof issues I will  be dealing with after. I start group Monday so I am hoping to begin answering my concerned. Wondering if others felt the same way?

Most of us felt that way that is why on most of our posts we all say I wish I would have done this years earlier.  The risks of surgery are much less than the risks of being 420#'s.  WLS gets a lot of weight off fast, it gives you a chance to change your bad eating and exercise habits so you can keep it off once you hit rock bottom.  Make no mistake, you will have to change habits or you will gain the weight back - some do, but when you drop your first 75#'s and have twice the energy than you had, the decision to keep it up is pretty easy.

Good luck, we are here for your support and there is a lot of good info in our old posts if you take the time to read them.

Been there...done that.  "Hey, maybe just one more diet...I'll get really serious this time!!"  I, like many, wished I had done my WLS years ago.  I wasted so many years of not living right.  It's a personal decision...You have to know yourself and have a trust for your surgeon.  It just seems you're a prime candidate for weightloss surgery.  The thing is too...It's not a wacko crazy idea anymore.  30 years ago people talked about heart bypass surgery like you were nuts or from Mars...They're going to take vains from your legs and chest and put them on my heart!!  Are you nuts???  We think nothing of heart bypass today.  WLS has advanced in the same way.  The surgeons know what works and what doesn't.  Sure there are dangers...but there are dangers by doing nothing also.  Brian

Ditto the other posters. I wish I had had my WLS years ago.  Because I waited.. I have developed some health problems I can't reverse.  But better late then never for me. 

The only suggestion I have for you is to investigate ALL types of weight loss surgery.  Look beyond RNY or Lap Band.  You have to look at the pros and cons of each type, look at your eating history and decide which is right for you. 

I chose RNY because I love foods with fat.  I wanted the malabsorptive factor working for me. 

Also, my insurance wouldn't pay for anything but Lap Band or RNY.  So I really couldn't afford the others.

My surgery is working now, and I have to take vitamins the rest of my life.  But I'm taking this time to learn a new, healthier way of living.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

I went through a cycle for over five years where I would get psyched up for the surgery and then talk myself out of doing it because I have successfully lost the weight before. What I never have done is kept if off successfully.

The surgery does help you lose weight, but once you have lost weight you still have a tool you can use to help you maintain your weight loss.

As mentioned earlier, this is a personal decision. Research your options and make the best decision you can for yourself.

I wanted to do the surgery about 10 years ago.. my wife and family doctor were concerned that it was too risky.. Instead I joined a medically supervised low carb diet clinic. I lost 100 pounds. Staving and deprived and miserable the whole time.. I gained it all back and more.. Statistically diets are doomed to fail..
Subsequently I've had countless diet attempts..with varied success. but as you get older the weight doesn't come off as easily through dieting.  I'm lucky in that I don't have any other health related problems, BUT my joints are killing me. Walking around a store was an effort. Getting in and out of the car or off the couch was an effort. I found myself becoming less and less mobile and my weight was still climbing.. 
Once again I started researching gastric bypass surgery and found that it's less invasive (laproscopy) The RNY also has the desireable side effect of causing you to feel sick if you eat foods that are too high in sugar or fat.
I'm only 3 weeks post surgery,, but the most amazing thing is.. I FEEL FULL for the first time in my life. This is amazing to be full and also to not be thinking about food ALL the time. Don't know how, but surgery seems to change your sense of smell and taste.. I've lost 43 pounds in 5 weeks (including 2 weeks of Liquid diet pre surgery) ..
I've never lost weight like that before.. I can feel the difference it makes to move my body.. With regular dieting, you may loose 2 pounds per week. I don't think you really can feel the change in your body because the weight loss is so slow..
Like everyone else.. I wish I'd done this years ago.
My biggest fear.. was that I'd desperately miss food. That I'd be miserable down the road, because I couldn't eat .. so far.. it's not a concern.
Good luck with your decision.
John

WLS is like quitting smoking.  You got to be ready in the head before you can start down this road.  Contrary to what some WLS critics say this ain't an easy thing to do!

I appreciate all the comments. you will see me posting more as I go long

1.  The complications and risk of death from morbid obesity FAR OUTWEIGH the potential complications of WLS.  It is guaranteed to kill you at a younger age (after causing you to have a miserable lifestyle before that death occurs).
2.  WLS has been shown in medical studies to be the ONLY long term solution for most patients with morbid obesity.  We can't all have a live-in personal trainer with us 24/7 like they do on the "Biggest Loser" show.
3..  If you get your surgery from a well experienced surgeon who does it laparascopically who has done many procedures and is a Center of Excellence, the risk for significant complications is minimal.  (My surgeon has had no deaths after doing well over 1000 lap RNYs).

Good luck with your decision!

I enjoyed reading all of the responses you received.  I know that the surgery doesn't change how your brain works but the honeymoon period ( about the first 18 mos post-op ) provides you with time to change your eating habits.  Even if you do return to some bad eating habits, your pouch or altered stomach gives you a new tool in the "diet wars."