Question:
Need support.

I have a BMI of 39 and need to loose 95 lbs. Friends are saying just diet and exercise then the weight will come off. I have done this for MANY years with some lose but not long lasting. I just wondered if my friends are right--I just need to try harder or seriously have the wls. I'm so sick of the yoyo dieting. Ready for a new health me. — vanessa21 (posted on January 3, 2007)

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January 3, 2007
diet and exercise is the key to wt loss, but if you have done that and it hasn't worked, you may want to look into wls. my advice to you is: research it long and hard then make your decision based on what you need and want, not what others say. i'm doing all the workup for my surgery and hopefully will have the surgery around march. good luck with your research. holly
— RNlvnCARSON

January 3, 2007
Your friends don't have to walk in your shoes everyday! You do what you and your physician feel is the long term solution for you. I got alot of slack, mostly from family, some friends who said I wasn't fat enough for this surgery, but I have three kids and I'm the only mom they have. You will know in your heart what the right decision is. Good LUck
— jlw0423

January 3, 2007
I know exactly how you feel. My BMI was also at 38and I too have done the yo yo dieting. I finally made the decision that WLS was the best decision for me. It sounds crazy but I ate until my BMI was 40. It was then that I went to my PCP and requested to have surgery. I have been over weight since I was 13 and was finally fed up. I heard all the same things that you probably have mostly that I was heavy enough. To those people I say "you haven't seen me naked nor have you seen my weight on a scale" Once people realized I was serious I have had nothing but support. I am just waiting for my final referral to have the surgery which I am hoping I will have by this time next week. I wll then just have to set a surgery date. The bottom line is do not let anyone tell you what you need. You are the only person who can do that. I wish you the best of luck!
— valerierose

January 3, 2007
My BMI was about 39 when I got approved for surgery. I had 2 co-morbidities. I was approved immediately. I told people that I was approved and the insurance company wouldn't have done it if I didn't need it...nuf said. don't tell too many people, find a doctor you like, do your homework and have the surgery...it will be the best thing you can ever do.
— Sheri A.

January 3, 2007
After reading other responses, I have to say that I am appalled. Gaining weight to have surgery? Those people are the reason others of us have had such a hard time getting insurance approval. Sorry, my soap box - that is not your case. Your profile says that your BMI is 36.4. After surgery, mine is 30.7. I now have to diet to get the rest off. I wear a size 14 and I am fairly happy with that. Of course, I started at 366 pounds. I think the surgery is made for super obese people and to save lives, not to fit into a size 2. But, that is just my opinion - which I am sure I will get blasted for. You gotta do what you gotta do.....but if diet and exercise can get you close, that seems more logical to me than altering your intestines.
— MissKimberly

January 3, 2007
I had always been against wls. A doctor brought it up to me in 2005 that maybe I should think about having wls. I was so mad that he even mention that. A few months later I started to gain more weight. No matter what I do, I couldnt lose it (I've been dieting and excerising off and on for years). I got thinking this spring, well maybe I will look into wls. I did alot of research and said Im going to talk with my doctor about this. She agreed that I have done everthing in my power to lose weight and wls could be the right thing for me. She referred me to a wls docotor. My family and friends at first thought I was crazy. They didnt think I was big enough to have surgery (my BMI was 48.5). Once I talk with them how my health is failing due to my weight and the benefits of having surgery, they were supportive of my descision. Just do your research and do what you want to do. Its your discision, no one elses. Im twelve days away from surgery. Everyday I'm going over the pros and cons, but I know in my heart that I want to have this surgery. What alot of people dont think about is 95lbs is alot of weight for anyone to lose. But if you have a slow metabolism or have family members that has been over weight, it makes it even harder for you to loseweight. I hope this help. Take care.
— barfiep01

January 4, 2007
I have also been against wls, except in such cases as Carney Wilson, or the very morbidly obese. I changed my tune after having my third child and was faced with being overweight as well as HTN, high cholesterol and diabetes. Just because we don't weigh 500 lbs doesn't mean we aren't good candidates. I personally don't care if I'm a size 2 or a size 14, as long as I am healthy. You have to take care of you! You do what you and your physician think is the best solution. Obviously we have all tried the diet and exercise routine and it may work temporarily, unfortunately foe me it's in the genes, which I guess is the case for most of us. Good luck in your decision making process.
— jlw0423

January 4, 2007
I am 4 months post op, started with a bmi of 39. I'm 5'4" and weighed 223 with several co-morbs. I chose to do this because I want to be healthy. I have lost 62 pounds and have gone from a size 20 jean to a 12. I want to loose about 25 more. My best advise is to get it in your head now that this is a LIFE STYLE change not a quick fix!! I tell myself everyday that I did this because I want to be healthy therefore I must now exercise regularly, choose to eat healthy foods, and surround myself with healthy eating support for the REST OF MY LIFE because the surgery helps for now but I know that unless I wrap my mind and soul around living healthy I will still choose the sweet and fatty foods that got me here in the first place. I really have had to do some major soul searching as to why I ended up here and I want to be determined to not ever go back to the old habits. I have to be honest, there have been times that I have missed the old "freedoms" but I immediately shift my focus to how good I feel and how I want to stay that way.
— deeport

January 4, 2007
Personaly I believe that this should realy be brought up to your doctor. Its not up to ANY of US to tell you if this is right for you. Last time I checked we were all patients not doctors. I am a smaller canidate for wls and my surgeon treats me fairly. He understands why I feel the way I feel. However in order for them to take me seriously I had to prove to my primary care doc that I was serious. I had paid for personal training for over a year, been on jenny craig for 6+ months, and had been doing several other diet and exercise programs that had no effect on me. Dont let anyone online tell you yes or no. Thats your doctors job
— lizzieleprechaun

January 5, 2007
Hi, I had a BMI of 39 and lost 100 pounds within 10 months. I have kept it off now for 2.5 years. I'm glad I had the surgery, but I think I should have considered the Band instead of the RNY......Less side effects. Email me personally if you have any questions. Susan
— smparker2

January 5, 2007
Oh, please. Your friends must be right -- being fat, after all, is just a terrible shortcoming in your character. All you have to do is eat less, right? And walk more, right? And just say "No", right? Wrong. I remember what my surgeon told me, lo these many moons ago now (I'll celebrate the 7th anniversary of my surgery in April) about diet, exercise, and the morbidly obese (and that's you and me, honey -- I may not have a morbidly obese body any more, but in my head I will always be a fat chick): He said, if you randomly took 100 morbidly obese people and put them on a supervised diet and exercise program, EVERY ONE OF THEM would lose the weight they needed to lose. HOWEVER (and this is the mother of all "howevers" in my opinion), if you turned them lose into the world and came back a year later, only THREE OF THEM would still be at the same weight. In other words, for the morbidly obese, diet and exercise programs HAVE A NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT FAILURE RATE. It's the diets that are faulty, not your character, sweetie! If you want the surgery, have the surgery. Before I had my VBG in 2000, I probably gained and lost the same 150 pounds about twenty times in twenty-odd years, and NOBODY'S body should take that kind of punishment. Bottom line? Don't beat yourself up about diets not working -- you've got plenty of company in that particular lifeboat. If you want to have the surgery -- which, for me, was harder in its own way than any diet or exercise program ever was -- investigate it thoroughly, evaluate the risks, educate yourself about post-op care, and find a support system -- and new friends, if need be. Best of luck, whatever you decide.
— Cheryl Denomy

January 6, 2007
I understand. I'm a BMI of 36.3 and my sister and co-workers roll their eyes when I talk about it. But I'm going to have the surgery. My primary doc referred me to a surgeon. I've attended the seminar and am waiting for my first consult with the surgeon. I'm doubtful (but hopeful) that insurance will pay. I won't let that stop me - the hospital offers a financing program for the lapband - $12,000 to get my life back again. I've been dieting since I was 14 and I'm now 46. The only thing it's done for me is to cause my weight to climb to 217 pounds - I'm 5'5'. I'm so miserable it's hard to leave the house. Have tried appetite suppressants and anti depressants and I can't tolerate the side effects of either. This is my last hope, but I've seen it work miracles for others. Am hoping it does for me (and I realize it's a lifestyle change not a quick fix).
— sapphire90

January 6, 2007
Personally I support lower BMIs having surgery if their doctors approve! Heck someone with a real low BMI who has a bad history of heart disease, diabetes and cancer in their family...... thats a good reason. WLS might be to take the weight off or prevent it from getting worse.
— bob-haller

January 7, 2007
Wow! I had the same concerns but hadn't found this website yet. My BMI is 37.8 and I have some other conditions that were considered in making my decision. My insurance company fought me but I was persistent and got an approval. I am waiting for my surgery date. I am having RNY. For me it was not a difficult decision but my family had many concerns. Although they seemed supportive you could tell they think I'm nuts! And that includes my husband. I would recommend you read "Weight Loss Surgery-finding the thin person hiding inside you" by Barbara Thompson. She also wrote Weight Loss for Dummies. Pretty much the same info but easier reading in my opinion. People have said surgery is the easy way out. It is much harder than many realize. WLS recquires a lifestyle change...forever. You will need to do all of the things that would cause you to lose weight now and then some. The idea is to use the surgery as just another tool in your arsenal against weight gain. If you are addicted to sweets like myself wls will be a helpful deterent. It's called behavior modification! You will modify your behavior because you will feel sick if you do not. Please read about dumping syndrome. Also, I have always had a HUGE appetite and wls is helpful here because when your little pouch is full you feel full. And it doesn't hurt either that your intestines have been modified to bypass much of the absorption of what you eat. There is a great deal to consider. For example: do you drink 64 oz of water a day? Imagine trying to drink 64 oz of water in a day....1oz at a time! And in addition to this try to meet your bodies other requirements such as Protein which must be consued at some time other then when you are drinking your water because you can't fit the protein in when your pouch is full of water. The most important thing I would suggest as far as your skeptical friends and family is that #1 they are concerned for you. It may be helpful to explain to them that they should be more concerned about you NOT losing weight. Explain all of the medical concerns that go along with continuous weight gain. Also, you will need to educate them reguarding the surgery itself. Surgery is not at all like it used to be. Many people especially older persons have heard horrible stories about surgeries gone bad. They aren't just stories. They ARE true but again surgery is not what it used to be. My surgeon and his partner have performed over 1000 surgies with a mortality rate of 2 tenths of 1%. That combined with the fact that about 97% of people who lose significant amounts of weight regain it within 3 years and the fact that obesity is linked to many diseases should be explained. You do the math. For me, I have no doubt that I am making the right decision AND
— tnccriley

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