What finally made up your mind?

 Fellow WLS light weights; what was it that finally made up your mind that you wanted to get the surgery? My current BMI is 41. Some family members and the nutritionist that I have to see for insurance are trying to convince me that I can still lose the weight I want without surgery. Just more restriction, more exercise, down to 1200 calories etc etc. personally, I get in my head about it and wonder if I shouldn't give it one last real try. But realistically, losing 110+ lb and keeping it off seem less attainable without surgery. Would love to hear your thought processes behind your decisions.

For me, being diagnosed with diabetes and then finding out that the only "cure" was DS.  I was diagnosed with diabetes on 9/27/16 and just today, 2/15/2017, I got my surgery date set. I did not want to let this disease shorten my life by 10-20 years.

Welcome to our LW Board!!!!!!

Short and Simple!!!!   BESIDES HAVING MY GIRLS HAVING MY RNY IS THE BEST GIFT I COULD HAVE GIVEN MYSELF!!!!!   I don't have one single regret!!!!!!!!!!

My scale was like a YoYo constantly up and down.  Constantly on a diet.  Constantly fighting the desire to have sweets.  Constantly changing my wardrobe to fit me "for the moment".

My RNY is a tool not a magic wand.  You don't just have WLS, loose the weight, and then magically keep it off.  It's something that I have to think about every single day but now I know there is hope of getting that 1 or 2 pounds off because I gave in to my desires for sweets.

The key is you have to be able to change your lifestyle FOREVER!!!   For me that was easy but I sometimes think that's because I'm older and I don't have a young family that I have to cook for, stopping at McDonalds because it's easier, or treats and snacks all through the house. BUT on the other hand I have younger friends who have kept their weight off because they are move active and enjoying their families a lot more than I was able to.

Take time to check out the different types of surgeries and figure out which one is best for you.  Some have more success than others.

Best of Luck to you!!!

I yo-yo dieted my entire life beginning at about 17 and ending at 60 (when I started the WLS process). Approximately every 3 years I started a diet with a fair number of them being successful, getting me down to a weight I was reasonably happy with, then my weight would immediately start to climb again. It almost always ended up higher than the previous high.  I think I went 5 years after the last diet to realize I HAD to do something and I had to have a new "tool" to have any chance at long-term success.  My BMI was 39, I had high BP which couldn't be brought into the normal range with medications, and I was pre-diabetic.  I had thought about WLS in the past, but thought I would have to be self-pay and figured that the lap-band would be my only option (but didn't like the idea of something "foreign" in my body). This time I looked further and found out that not only would insurance pay but I found out about VSG which I thought would work well for me and relieved some of my concerns about RNY.

Best thing I ever did for my health and myself - I have never regretted it and wish I had done it sooner.

Hi Morgan,

I started with a BMI of 40.  No issues just 100 pounds overweight.  Worked out with a trainer, ran half marathons and never could lose and keep the weight off.  Tried WW, HCG, jenny craig, etc.... the weight always came back.  I had RNY 2 years ago i work my tool everyday.  It was the best thing i ever did for myself.

My hubbys grandpa aged 87 called me a fat ass. Ok that wasnt the exact reason but its what tipped the scales....I was to have surgery in 2015...I gave it one more try and lost 20 pounds and gained more plus... It not the name calling so much its the knowing that I am fat, and unhealthy.

Im putting my foot down and giving it all up to be healthy and feel good about myself. I want to get outdoors more and have a more fullfilling life.

I guess it was a wake up call because I kept trying to lose and failed. I have lost 15 lbs since starting in december and my surgery is tuesday....

Welcome to our LW Board!!!!!   I'm super excited for you!!!!!

Hello! I've been here for a while now asking which surgery? 8 years ago my grand daughter and I were dancing around. She giggled and said to me "YOU LOOK LIKE BARNEY" the purple dinosaur. I was crushed and had lap band surgery. Ended up with all the complications and had it removed 2.5 years ago. After on again off again deciding about surgery again, I've started to attend the WLS support group meetings again. Due to my long time diabetes, I'm still deciding on which surgery. Although I know that RNY would be the better choice, I really want to have the sleeve and use that tool to put my diabetes into remission for good. Another reason I want it is b/c 3 weeks ago, I developed sciatica pain in my hip/leg and was put on prednisone for a week. It feels much better but not gone.

Hi Morgan,

My RNY surgery is scheduled for the end of March. I've been overweight since my mid thirties. Prior to then I was chubby, but still in the size 10-12 range. In 2009 I found out that I have the BRCA2 gene mutation, and two of my three sisters discovered that they had breast cancer. Here I was, the Obese sister - with the mutation, and I'm cancer free. Talk about survivors guilt! They are both physically active, fit, thin, and did everything "right".

I had the prophylactic surgeries, first my ovaries were removed in 2009, then in 2011 I had a bilateral mastectomy. I worked hard to get the next biggest risk factor, my weight, under control but even with a good food plan and lots of exercise I couldn't keep up the losses. Basically I was trying to exercise a couple of hours a day plus eat around 1200 in calories and I just couldn't make that work time or energy wise.

In 2015 I separated from my husband of 30 years, and hoped I would be able to get better control over my life, but I still haven't taken off the weight. Finally last summer I realized that I'm turning fifty, and it was now or never. I want my fifties to be the best decade yet! I'm going to do this and make it work for me. I am taking a new job a few weeks after the surgery, and I'll be able to ride a bike to work most days! I am going to start using this body to live the life I want.

I guess in a sentence, I decided to make that change that will best assure long term success - from my research it lead me to the RNY. I'm about 205 now, and I hope that next spring I'm around 120lbs.

Hope this was helpful!

You look like you're in your mid-30's in your picture! I was so confused on your time lines until you said you were turning 50!