[jbarfield]

I have been overweight almost all of my life and morbidly obese for about 10 years. I have lost substancial amounts of weight on many occassions, only to gain it back. I have had success and failure with Weight Watchers and a Doctor supervised liquid diet.

I am sure most of you have experienced the same things. Why then has the weight loss surgery been such a life changing thing for you. Why has their been so much success or do we just not hear about the failures.

I know the surgery is only a tool, but it seems to give much better results and for a long period of time.

Please give me some feed back because I keep wavering in my decision.

[fr1endly2]

Well welcome to the site!
AND yes i too battled my obesity all my life.
I had lost huge amounts thru nurtri system and
atkins just to regain plus.

I have lost 143 lbs since surgery and now its up to me
to keep myself from being a failure. THIS is the time im
18 months out that i have to PRACTICE good eating
and good choices or i can start regaining.
I am scared where i am but i hope i can do this.
THE surgery did fix what i called my birth defect of
eating large protions. I cant do that but i do sneak some
junk in thru the day that i fear will cause me regains.

I have come accross people that have regained.....
it can happen i cant lie and say you will never.
THE thing is you loose rapidly and get so happy that
you dont want to mess this up.
I know my old issues are their and i did try to work
with them thru some weight managment councling.
GOOD LUCK!
and i dont regreat my choice
and so far im still the same size but
havent lost sine my 12 month point.
( i lost rapidly)
and i did make my surgeons goal.

HOPE i helped!!!
hugs
and look forward to getting to know you thru your posts

[jbarfield]

Thanks for the response. You are always one of the first to reply. I know when I was on the liquid diet I lost 65 lbs in 4.5 months and, like you said, I was so excited about loosing that the fact that I was just on liquids never bothered me. Unfortunately, I had to quit too soon, and just gained the weight back plus more.

I am hoping I will have the same response, only this time through support group meetings and desire, I will be able to continue the weight loss and keep it off.

Again thanks for all of your good advice.

[fr1endly2]

I do find support groups and other things
help keep my head focused and in the right
place!!!!!
EVEN went as far as paying for councling.
I dropped out of them cause they got to
into other areas and not the area i was going
for! GO FIGURE!

IT will take work to keep the weight off for ever
but the tool makes it a little easier. I struggle
some cause im not a dumper. I stayed off the
sweets for 12 months and then found i really dont
dump unless i eat sweets on an empty stomach.
I wish i was a dumper and got violently sick from the
sweets...! i so need that but im not.
I heard the stats to be 40 do and 60 percent dont
oh well

hugs

[FemmeMode]

...I know that this is a difficult decision....
Hi, I'm Deborah - for me, I had my surgery 9mos. ago....I've lost 134#'s, and have seemed to lost at a good rate. I lost 104#'s by my 6mos post op anniversary...and now a lot slower the last 3 ....but I'm very very pleased with my weight loss. I only have 49#'s more until I hit goal...Here's my break down:
_________________________________________

• My 1st 3mos.... after surgery I was just a spectator in the WLS game - losing weight at rapid speeds of 30, 18, 20#'s a month....
• My 2nd 3mos.... it slowed considerably - I only was losing about 10 or 11#'s but that was a season of stepping stones....I was sooo focused and paranoid that I wasn't gonna make it to my goals....paranoid that I would loose all my hair....paranoid that I wasn't losing as fast as my predecessors...
• My 3rd 3mos.... more slowing of weight loss...only about 25#....but, in the slow down...I've become a more active participant in this game - rather than a spectator. I've become responsible for my eating...thinking...and ultimately losing. I've heard many times the first 6mos. after surgery it is 80% surgery and 20% you....the following months is 20% surgery and 80% YOU! This is sooo true. I'm happy to be participating....and responsible.

_________________________________________

Good luck in your decision making....you can do this!!

[CraftHer]

I think that obesity is a disease similar to depression in that the longer you go without successful long term treatment, the worse it gets and the harder it is to control.

The surgery gives me a physical tool to not overeat. It hurts and I'll throw up if I eat too much. It gives me an extra motivation to stick to it. The weight loss and feeling better is also motivation. If someone got sick and threw up whenever they smoked a cigarette, it would probably be easier for them to quick.

I also believe that when they did the surgery, that it changed the communication between hunger and my brain (no scientific proof, just my own thoughts). I've tried eating smaller portions (before surgery) and my brain just wasn't convinced it was enough and I would get hunger pains. Now, I eat smaller portions and it's enough.

Another reason for my decision to have surgery was that there was nothing else that worked. I felt like it was a last resort. Of course, now I wish I would have looked into it sooner.

I hope this helps you with your decision. You're on the right track by getting onto a message board and asking questions. Good Luck in whatever you decide.

Angela
Lap RNY 9/20/06

[DocSanae]

Originally Posted by CraftHer

I also believe that when they did the surgery, that it changed the communication between hunger and my brain (no scientific proof, just my own thoughts). I've tried eating smaller portions (before surgery) and my brain just wasn't convinced it was enough and I would get hunger pains. Now, I eat smaller portions and it's enough.

There is scientific basis to this. The stomach produces a hormone called ghrelin which relays hunger to the brain when the stomach is empty. It rises when fasting, and seems to act to increase food intake. This is produced in the portion of the stomach that is stapled off from the new route, and the production of ghrelin is known to decrease with bypass surgery. (Not so with lap banding, because the lower portion of the stomach is still included in the route food passes through.) After you had lost weight, you may have experienced continuous and persistent hunger which led you to overeat again. This is thought to be caused in part by ghrelin.

What the surgeons don't operate on is your brain. You have to work there yourself, in changing your attitude towards food, in dealing with your emotions and issues that you might have taken out on food before.
In changing your tastes, which food you choose to eat, versus which food you want to eat.
Which food you choose because is helps your health, versus which food you eat because it comforts you.

Remember, as many post ops tell you, "Nothing tastes as good as thin does."

(((((((HUGS)))))))) May you have good guidance in your search and research.

[CraftHer]

Thanks DocSanae!

I didn't know about ghrelin. I was just going by my own observations. Didn't realize I was so astute about myself.

Have you ever tried fasting?

I would suggest to do a few long juice fasts and see what happens.

Originally Posted by jbarfield

I have been overweight almost all of my life and morbidly obese for about 10 years. I have lost substancial amounts of weight on many occassions, only to gain it back. I have had success and failure with Weight Watchers and a Doctor supervised liquid diet.

I am sure most of you have experienced the same things. Why then has the weight loss surgery been such a life changing thing for you. Why has their been so much success or do we just not hear about the failures.

I know the surgery is only a tool, but it seems to give much better results and for a long period of time.

Please give me some feed back because I keep wavering in my decision.

[fedup]

i guess for me i decided to have the surgery ,if approved, because like you i have tried everything and just put the weight back on plus more. my health is really what made me choose this route. i have 3 grown children and a 8 year old granddaughter that i would like to see grow up. i am only 43 years old and have diabeties, high blood pressure, arthuritis, carpol tunnel, tarsol tunnel (ankles), severe depression, degenerated disc, acid reflux, i think thats about it. , i have been overweight all my life and i have probably lost over 300 lbs through my whole life. just can't seem to keep it off.i don't really like to go out because i feel like people are staring at me. i DO NOT look in the mirror. have very low self esteem. always have. i guess i chose this way (surgery) after alot of research, because i always failed with the diets i was on. i would get bored or lose some weight and then go back to the old eating habits. with the surgery your stomach is reduced to only be able to eat so much and only certain things. no matter what your mind tells you your body is going to tell you something different. and i am just tired of being sick and tired. i haven't really started my journey yet. my first orientation is set for march 14th. and i will find out then if i would be able to have the surgery. good luck in your decision no matter what you decide. keep me and the others posted. tammy