5 days until surgery - I am getting nervous and thinking of backing out.

It is getting closer for me to start my new life and the nerves are kicking my ass. I know that everyone is nervous and feels anxious but seriously I feel it more so than I did a week ago. That thought of maybe if I try one more time to lose it on my own it will be better. Did anyone else go through this and how did you calm your nerves so you didn't back out?

I think it's totally normal to be worried about surgery. I spent most of my life being obese, and I needed surgery. It was quick, easy, mostly painless, and it allowed me to get healthy and get to a normal BMI. I have had regain in year 6 which I am battling, but my whole life has changed and I have zero regrets about the surgery. I don't know how much you have to lose but I certainly wasn't going to lose 150 lbs on my own. I don't have any advice other than read Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies, follow your program, and go kick obesity's ass!

Take the step into your new life. I just this very day came back to this site to document my journey.

Roux-en-Y on July 14, 2004

Here are my numbers:

• Surgery: 375
• Lowest wight after 10 months: 237.00
• My weight now: 226.5
• My goal is 199 (I have no memory of ever seeing the number 1 as the first number)

Remember your WLS is a tool... not a fix. You have to work it, RESPECT it, and always know that NOTHING, NOTHING, bar none feel better than a size 18 pants from size 54.

You can do this. You can do this. I swear-- you can do this.

Spyder

I'll post up photos later. My name was SpyderHemi before... I don't know if my profile is still here.

Don't back out! It's the best thing you can do for yourself! A year from now, you'll thank yourself for finding the courage to see it through. Good luck!

I was ready to walk away right up until they wheeled me into the operating room. When I woke up from surgery, I wondered what I was so worried about. I had almost no pain. I did not feel any different. I just never felt hungry again.

I had surgery on a Tuesday, spent Wednesday walking around the hospital rooms and chatting with people, when home on Thursday. I was doing light housework and driving by Saturday. On Monday I went back to work at a desk job.

I kept waiting for the problems to kick in, but they never did. I felt better every day. I lost all the excess weight and have kept most of it off now for 13 years. Your chance of doing it on your own and keeping the weight off are about 3% to 5%.

I backed out in 2015 doing the same thing your doing. Fast forward 2017 hit highest weight ever and restarted the process. It sucks to do it twice. BTW your insurance would not approve you if they did not feel you needed it. I so regret backing out. It is really not as bad as you think. Get through the first month and you will be so happy.

Panicking is normal. But think rationally:

• how many times have you tried to lose weight?
• Most importantly, in your previous diets, how long were you able to keep the weight off?
• how much weight do you need to lose? Anything above 50 lbs is no longer a question of will power or discipline.

WLS is a tool to keep you focused for about 18-24 months in order for you to learn again how to eat. It's almost like a ctrl+alt+delete of your system.

Go forth and conquer!

I've freaked out before every surgery I've had, but I pull through just fine every time! And RNY was no exception.

I also thought I could try one more time, but I had over 200 lbs to lose. I'd spent the last three decades gaining and losing the same 50-ish lbs. I'd lose 50 lbs, give or take, hit a brick wall, keep it off for a few months, and then it would gradually come back on. Again and again and again. Who was I fooling? I couldn't keep 50 lbs off let alone lose and keep off 200. Surgery was the only way I was going to be able to get that off. And it worked.

Personally, I don't think it's up to us to convince you to soldier forth into surgery.

These are your doubts and fears and only you know the truth of them. Perhaps it's time you came to terms with them, if you honestly haven't done so already.

But, perhaps you need to reframe your argument with yourself.

Even if you have surgery you are, in fact, doing it on your own. It's not as if you have surgery and poof, you are thin and all your eating picadillo's are gone. No, it requires commitment. It requires putting the proper things into your mouth and the wrong things down. It requires increasing your activity and, dare I say, exercise. Which part of this is not 'on your own'?

My doubts at this point were the ever more frightening "What if this doesn't work?" Because, if this didn't work, what then? I think for some people, this generates the fear that "perhaps I should try another diet?"

So, think it through. I'll bet you've already done it and know your answer.

Good luck and enjoy the new adventure.

Tek

I felt like that too. But after years of fighting with trying to lose weight and then having to take Insulin 4 times a dayI finally did it. I am so thankful I did. It is the best thing. I have lost weight am off my insulin. I think if you can tell yourself it will be better you will feel more confident in it.