What finally made up your mind?

Ha! Thanks! I think my fat has fluffed out any wrinkles - I'm sure when I get to my goal weight (and I will GDI) I'll look seventy. My contingency plan for becoming a post WLS wrinkle fest, is to just keep moving so in any photos I'll be a blur

That's what plastic surgery is for. When I get to goal I'm going to run (not walk) to a PS and get myself a brand-spanking-new flat stomach for the first time in my life! 

After having my 2nd daughter and giving it a few months to "lose the baby weight", I was still 280+lbs. In 2011, about 18 months after her birth I started tracking calories on MFP. I lost 90lbs on my own and started to feel happy with my weight. Which then meant that I put about 30lbs. Then I started Weigh****chers and dropped the weight again, got happy and you guessed it, put it back on plus 10lbs. 

This last time I put it back on, it really hit me that THIS IS MY LIFE. I could keep doing this forever or I could make a permanent change. I had a lot of resistance at first from pretty much everyone. They argued that I had lost it before, so I should be able to lose it again. But, what I KNEW was that I would gain it back plus more and eventually I'd be at that 280lb mark and I'd want to die. 

I am now 6 weeks post op from the sleeve surgery and I've lost just shy of 50% of my excess weight to my first goal (that goal will drop I'm sure). But, I'm also at that "happy weight" that I used to lose down to, but this time I know that I WILL continue to lose! The surgery is no quick fix and I work every day at it, but I SO happy I did this for myself! 

Erin,

I'm with you on the regain then lose roller coaster. I've had three decent losses, and while I've never gone back to my all time high - it is clear to me that without a dramatic change I'm not going to be able to make a PERMANENT change for the best. PLUS every time I lose weight, I believe my metabolism shifts down. I really don't need it to become any slower than it already is! In the research I've done, it looks like something about the process of physically reshaping the stomach, allows for our body to "reset" to a lower weight.

I'm going with the RNY because it looks like the very best long term solution. Since I'm at a 35 bmi, my friends and family are pretty against it, even some who have gone through WLS think that the RNY is overkill for my weight, but I want to do this once, do it right, and make this a forever change. I am not going to be limited by my body any more. This is it.

Yes, the metabolism issues will haunt us for the rest of our lives I think! This last time I gained, I had also quit smoking (2 years ago now) and that was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back for actually being able to lose. Where in the past I got my butt in gear and took in less than I put out, that was no longer working for me. 

I got a lot of push back from everyone but my husband (who had seen the whole battle up close and personal). Even my sister said to me "But, to me you ARE skinny, because you lost so much weight already! It would be weird to see you truly small". Mind you, she's 5'11" and 116lbs 4 months after a recent pregnancy. My BFF, who is average weight, broke down over Christmas and said she was worried I was going to judge her for what she chose to eat and was worried I'd be skinnier than her and I'd think she was fat. I find that so many of the judgments people make are really about themselves and not us. 

I chose VSG because I'm a Type I diabetic (dead pancreas, no cure under current medical science) and the malabsorptive properties of the RNY surgery scared me in relation to low blood sugar. If I was no longer absorbing sugar at a predictable rate (or worse yet, dumped on very little sugar) how could I treat a life threatening low? The decision on what surgery is best for all of us is a very personal one! 

I know this is a little older post, but wanted to respond anyway. I'm new here and have my first appointment next week so I'm not sure how long it will be until surgery.

My reasons for going through with WLS are many. I am 5'1" and weigh 256 lbs. My BMI is about 48. I am a type 2 diabetic with uncontrolled blood sugars often in the 500's. I also have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and fatty liver disease. I've thought about this for years, but saw my primary practitioner last week who asked me if I have ever considered it. I made a snap decision right then and there. I am tired of the struggles. I have been diabetic for 10 years and have struggled losing and regaining the last 30 pounds for nearly 15 years. I have 2 teenage sons and I am only 34. I am a single mom and I want to be around for them. Right now I am leaning towards RNY because it offers the best result statistically. I know you can be successful with all WLS and that it depends on your efforts, but I feel RNY is the best choice for me. Of course I still need to meet with the surgeon so I might change my mind.

My family is upset. My mom and sister are both MO but think I should just lose it myself. I have tried. It won't stay off. I've even worked out and ate right for an entire years just to lose 10 pounds and gain back 20. So frustrating. In the end we have to do what's right and best for us.

Best of luck!