Question:
Should I have WLS or diets?

I get to meet my dr. for the very 1st time on Nov. 1. When I read everyone's posts I start to get scared & wonder if I should do this (I need to!) or just go on another diet. I have dieted all my adult life and can't handle portions. If it's there I eat it. I am so sick of eating now & can't wait to see if I get to have this surgery.    — [Anonymous] (posted on October 29, 2000)

October 29, 2000
ONLY YOU !!! can decide if surgery is for you. the surgery is no quick fix you will still have to monitor what you eat as well as exercise. I tried everything every diet every pill, still my option for the surgery only came once I passed 40 and started having difficulty walking as well as other weight related problems..I dont mean any harm but surgery should only come after you have exausted traditional avenues. WLS is not a new fad diet.
   — Tamaria W.

October 29, 2000
Good thing Al got here first. I was going to say the same thing. If there's any doubt at all, do another diet. That ought to take care of all doubts. When people ask me how I got so large, I always answer, "By dieting". I nearly died of it. Post-op life is not perfect, but we have a fatal disease (morbid obesity). We can't squirm out of that. There are various treaments available, no cure. And I don't mean to sound harsh, as I have to face it daily for myself. This treatment has worked the best, with the least misery of any treatment I've tried. My disease has been in remission for 6 years. I do work at it, but not by deprivation and sweating excessively. Given all the bizare food combinations, deprivation, force feeding and oddball things I've done over the years, THIS far exceeds anything else I've ever done for success AND comfort. This works.
   — vitalady

October 29, 2000
You are the only one who can make this decision. Most of us were desperate, and at the end of many many years of futile dieting attempts. This is NOT an easy answer!! There is much pain, not only from the surgery but also from the huge changes that take place physically and emotionally in the life of someone who chooses to have Weight Loss Surgery. This is not a decision to be made hastily, or lightly. Do your homework, and if you find a way of eating or living that helps you achieve your goals without surgery, by all means do THAT.
   — Cara S.

October 30, 2000
I too am pre-op and also have many days that I wonder if I should go through with the surgery and each and every time I come back with a firm "yes". I also have a problem with portions. I know that if I can't eat them after surgery that I won't eat them. The pain of failing to be successful and having spent soooooo much money on fads and gimmiks makes the desire that I have to have this surgery much stronger. A few years ago I thought that I would never get to the point that I would consider surgery. Well that was yesterday and I had to come to this decision on MY own. Even though I have had many family members try to talk me out of it I have been very clear that I am doing this anyway. This is something that I am sure that I want and if I ever question myself all I have to do is think about the many diets and events in my life that have gotten me here today. Then I take one look at my beautiful daughter and know that I am making the right decision. She will have a happy, healthy, and active mommy in her life very soon! Love and best wishes to you. Whatever decision you make just be sure that YOU will be happy with it in the end.
   — Tonia B.

October 30, 2000
WLS is the treatment of last resort for morbid obesity ... and, quite frankly, the only one that works. If I had a nickel for every diet I'd ever been on, I'd be rich ... and I'd still be fat. I went on every diet. I followed them faithfully. I lost weight. In 1990, I lost 100 pounds, and swore from my lips to God's ear that was the last time I'd be fat. In the next nine years, I gained back every ounce of that 100 pounds and 70 more on top of that. I couldn't handle portions either. I thought "one cookie" meant "one bag of". Now, just a little over 6 months after my open VBG and 108 pounds gone forever, I find that the portions handle me. I can't eat more than I should because when/if I do, I'm sicker than a dog. I'm going to post what my surgeon said to me, because I think it bears repeating and remembering: if you took 100 randomly-selected morbidly obese people and put them on a restricted diet and an exercise program, ALL OF THEM would lose the weight they needed to lose. I think most of us can attest to that -- I think we can all point to the five minutes we were thin once. HOWEVER -- and this is the mother of all howevers -- only THREE of those people would keep the weight off for more than one year. In other words, diet and exercise for the morbidly obese has a 97% FAILURE RATE. That's why we have to keep doing it -- because it doesn't work. Only you can make the choice to have surgery or not, but I think a major consideration is that there are better than nine chances out of ten your next diet WON'T work any better than the three hundred you've been on before did. Best of luck, and good thoughts whatever you decide.
   — Cheryl Denomy

October 30, 2000
It's a common fear to wonder if we've made the right decision. Most of us can honestly say "been there, done that". Contrary to what popular culture tries to shove down our throats, diets do not work for the vast majority of morbidly obese people. But I agree with the other posts, this must be YOUR decision and no one can tell you what is best for you. I think the key here is to go to your doctor's appointment as informed as you can possibly be. Knowledge is power and will give you confidence in your decision - whatever that may be. Start making a list of all your questions NOW and be sure to take the list into your appointment. If your doctor isn't willing to patiently answer all your concerns, look for another doctor who will. I divided my list into several catergories: operation procedure, potential side effects/complications, hospital, aftercare, nutrition, misc. There was no way for me to remember every question that popped into my head, so I had a notebook with me at ALL times so I could write the question down immedately. Many questions I answered myself using web and reading resources. The rest I asked my surgeon, and I aked them at appropriate times. For example, my first appointment (I had 3) dealt with operation procedure and complications. I didn't jump the gun asking about my hospital stay. I was respectful of his time and that I was not his only patient. Hang in there. WLS has changed my life - all for the better. At almost 6 months post op I have lost 84 pounds. This is the halfway point. Still a while to go, but the benefits have been so awesome already! Best of luck to you.
   — Paula G.