Having Doubts...Will this work for me?

I'm having doubts about this whole deal...is this really going to work for me?  I've tried low/no carb diets in the past and yes, I lose weight but I can't stick with it more than 3 weeks.  How is eating with the sleeve any different than the low/no carb life I've tried before?  What if I pay this $17,000 + only to not lose weight or lose and gain it back?

Scared, hesitant, second-guessing, doubting ol' me!

I think we all have the fears that we'll be the one person this surgery doesn't work for, I know that I did.  

I can't tell you why or how this will be different for you, but I know it has been different for me.  I've got so much invested in this process, I've done so much hard work.  I see a therapist, I take care of myself, I've made exercise and healthy eating key parts of my lifestyle.  I NEVER did those things before.  This time, though, I'm in it 100%.  And I've lost 140 pounds and counting.  

I am struggling with self-doubt as well and posted a similar thread a couple of days ago and received some great feedback. It might be helpful for you to have a look.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/5366147/Self-Doubt/ 

You can make more Money tomorrow. You can't put a price on health and well being? Would i do it again? Hell ya! In a heart beat. If the price was now double tommorow, i would beg borrow or steal for the money and get that surgery.

Fear of weight gain is there, yes. A great tool like the sleeve and new attitude is what will work.

I felt the same way I was worried it wouldn't work for me but so far it's working I don't have to eat a lot to be full and i know enough people it has worked for.  Are you going to have to put effort into losing yes are you going to still have to diet yes is it going to be easier yes and no..  You still have to make right choices in order to lose.

Most everybody has/had those same fears, myself included.

I was self pay also and know the feeling.

When I was in research mode I remember reading a post by a very successful sleever saying "Give yourself the best chances".

Do the research, give yourself the best chances and let it play out, that's all you can do.

frisco

As everyone has said already, doubts are normal.

I can't say how post VSG life will be different for you, but I can tell you how it worked for me. The low carb thing was a breeze. My hunger was non existent and I had no cravings for carbs. I was not ravenous in the evenings. My ability to eat large amounts was completely gone and I soon became very aware of my old eating habits and knew what I had to continue to make it to goal. I was invested 100% in getting to goal and followed my plan to the letter 98% of the time.

Regain is real. BUT IT IS NOT A GIVEN!!!! (This coming from a man who has had regain.) It's good to have a healthy fear of it. Understanding that you can gain the weight back and that you must be vigilant is a very important part of the process. If you need help dealing with the emotional aspect of maintaining your weight, get the help. Make sure you have a good maintenance plan laid out that you can follow. Don't wing it. (One of my mistakes.)

What if you decide not to invest in your future and decide to not have the surgery and stay obese and become less and less healthy? What then?

So many things in life that are worth while come with risks. VSG is one of those things.

The way this has worked for me is not feeling the ravenous hunger that I felt before this surgery.  I could not wait until my next meal before surgery.  Now I feel hunger at 10 months out but it is nothing like before.  And a 1/2 cup of food usually does the trick.  I will not lie and say that it is not a struggle to eat the right things, it is, however, if you put your mind to it and use the surgery as the tool that it is meant to be, it can be done.  I am concerned about regain as well but plan to monitor carefully when I reach maintenance.  I also plan on continuing to track my food in-take, although it is a pain.  I know I've mentioned this before, but I only paid around $5500.00 self-pay in Mexico, including airfare for myself and my husband.  I couldn't afford the $19000 that the local hospital wanted.  Good luck to you on your journey!

I paid ~$20,000 self-pay and YES it was worth it! Like you, I had tried low-carbing previously (as well as every other diet out there) and couldn't continue on it, but it is so different when you have the tool of your sleeve! Eating with the sleeve is different because you can't eat very much, and you see the weight coming off and continuing to come off. When you eat your Protein first, and then veggies there is no room for anything else, and during the first 6 months the hunger hormone is not very active. When it becomes more active, it is nothing at all like it was presurgery. I am almost 7 months out and have lost 80 pounds. That never would have happened without my Sleeve. Before the most I could lose was 30 pounds and it was a frustrating struggle. I agree wholeheartedly with what Frisco posted above...You have to do your part and be compliant, but the Sleeve makes it so much easier to be compliant. :-) Kay

My experience with low carb diets or any diet for that matter is that for 5 to 6 months, I could follow the plan and lose weight.  BUT, then diet fatigue would set in and I would have a few cheat days and that led to quitting the diet completely and regaining all the weight lost and usually add another 5 to 10 lbs.

I am 16 moths post op and diet fatigue has set in.  While I have not made it to my goal, I have exceeded the surgeon's general expectations of going below 35 BMI.  

I am a volume eater.  I loved going to the all you can eat Brazilian restaurants.  Now, even 16 months later, the restriction keeps me for eating too much at any one time. 

The sleeve has allowed me to lose a tremendous amount of weigth and now I can exercise that helps keep me healthy as well as burn up some of the bad choices I make from time to time.

The key is to embrace your plan and lose as much as possible during the 6th month honey moon phase.  I lost 111 lbs or 77% of my total weight lose during that time.

Also, make sure your surgeon believes in making sleeves as small as possible.  There are a lot of discussions on the size of the bougie.  My surgeon and my wife's surgeon did not use a bougie.  They used the endoscope as a guide and it is smaller than the smallest bougie.