[aasshhlleeyy]

Hi everyone! Let me just start out by saying that I am 24 years old and I am considering the VSG (sleeve)
I have been overweight/obese my whole life, but over the last 8 years I have put on another 100+ lbs. I have had 3 kids in those 8 years and the lbs kept piling on. I have extremely poor eating habits. I lost about 30lbs before unexpectedly getting pregnant with baby #3, so I know I can lose weight... IDK how much tough. I am also scared that I will get to goal, or almost to goal and then I will regain the weight. I am scared to have surgery, but part of me knows that I need this. I want to be healthy and thin oh so bad. Im tired all the time and I have no energy. I keep telling myself... well Ill just wait and see how I do on my own. I was thinking about starting to drink two protein drinks a day as meal replacements (possibly isopure or unjury) and see how that goes. Am I being naïve? Do I need to suck it up and just have the surgery? I just had my baby 6 weeks ago, I am done having kids now and it is time to focus on me and get healthy now.

Thanks for reading my rambling post
Ashley

[thinkfit]

I'm also still pre op, but I'm on my six month into the process, so I feel pretty confident in advising you to attend an informational seminar. They're free and there's absolutely no obligation to have surgery, but you will learn everything you need to know from an actual surgeon.

On a personal note, I've spent the last four years giving it 'one more try on my own', and I've finally accepted that I do need the tool of WLS to help me along my way. I can lose weight like you did with the 30lbs, but I could never do it in a way that was sustainable. I'd lose, then gain it back and then some once I couldn't stick to whatever strict method I lost the pounds on. In these past six month I've learned so much about making it a lifestyle change, and the visits with the psychiatrist have helped me understand why I gained weight in the first place, which is invaluable to me.

Seriously, check out a seminar if you can. Worst case scenario, you decide it's not for you, no harm done.

[jiffypop]

oh honey. what a lot of pressure! first things first. DO NOT attempt to diet right now without your doc's OK. you're 6 weeks after the baby [congratulations!!], and if you're breastfeeding, you know you have to eat to supply the milk. and if you're not breastfeeding, your metabolism is still adjusting.

ok. lecture over.

there's nothing wrong with looking into surgery - and making sure you understand ALL the choices, the impacts that each will have on your life, the way you have to live with it afterwards, the risks, the benefits, and so on. So, you're in a good place right now. There's no need to rush into the decision because (1) it'll take a while for you to get the information you need to make a decision (2) surgeons don't have appointments the week that you ask for one [unfortunately] (3) the insurance company will have some hoops for you to jump through - and that's another task for right now - check your policy to see what's covered and what's not, and what the requirements are. Some will not cover WLS at all, and others will cover only a certain type. Some require 6 months of supervised diet and exercise, some 3 months, some a year, and some just want a good diet history [the good, the bad and the ugly].

i gotta tell you, though, that one of the main reasons i had surgery was NOT to lose the weight - i knew i could do it again - but it was to give me the best chance of KEEPING IT OFF. i'd gained and lost soooo many times that i knew that i'd gain back every ounce and then some, and i just could NOT face that again.

so, keep asking questions, do your research, and keep an open mind.

and while you're doing ALL THAT, take some steps to improve your diet and exercise habits, and take some time to look at why you eat and when. any change that you can make - regardless of whether or not you go the surgery route - will only help you.

and you don't have to make dramatic changes. just one small step is a great start, because you can add another and another and another, and it all adds up.

BTW, how did you lose 14 inches in a week?????? AMAZING!!

[aasshhlleeyy]

I am scheduled for a seminar on may 15th. I've talked to my secondary insurance.. They cover WLS if BMI is 35 with two co. Morbidities or 40+ without them. They don't require any supervised diet. Just the pre op appointments like a nutritionist visit and patch eval. My primary insurance is changing as of June 1st so I'm just waiting to find out what the new one covers. I am currently calorie counting, and it is working, but I feel much more hungry than I did on the same plan prior to getting pregnant with my third baby, which is discouraging and frustrating.

[aasshhlleeyy]

Jiffy pop- honestly idk! I started calorie counting keeping it under 1650. I started making slightly healthier choices. I started drinking a ton of water. And I lost 9.5 lbs and 14 total inches in the first week! If that's not motivation idk what is!