this lady said to me once being thin never tasted so good.
so it is a life style pick your hand.

I think when looking at wls you need to look at the fact this is surgery. this is no diet. this is the last resort. this is the part you go to when you are facing serious medical illness . there are criteria to having this surgery and i for one after what i am going through believe they are not followed closely enough. People are dying from obesity this cant be ruined by surgeons turning it into a cosmetic procedure that insurance eventually refuses to pay for. now it already is like pulling teeth . you can die from being fat and being thin. its that simple. I was 298 lbs at 46 yrs old and my birth mother doped dead at 57. I didn't have a big choice. It was a crap shoot for me and i came out sicker then i went in. The good news I lived through the worst of it . when they thought i would not. I had to take my shot and my team and I are managing..

People who think that GBS is the "easy way out" of obesity are just wrong. There is not easy fix. However, GBS may be one of the few EFFECTIVE treatments for obesity. It requires a commitment to a permanent lifestyle change, to no longer putting everyone else ahead of your own needs, to taking care of yourself.

The meltdown was relatively easy for me. Maintenance is a challenge, and I keep a daily food and fluids diary to help keep myself on track. It works.

Wow, good article. Quite the insight into the world of addictions.
Anyone that thinks that WLS is the easy way out hasn't done their homework or is living with blinders on. The preparations and physical recovery alone consumed the better part of a year for me.
Although I've been blessed with maintaining my loss without undue work, it's because I follow the rules: I rarely go off the program of protein, veg and then if there's room for anything more.... I'm not an addictive eater, don't have a big sweet tooth, would chose a nice chop or steak over cake any day. So I guess the surgery made my maintenance "easier" by allowing me to get and stay full on less food, but it definitely doesn't qualify as easy.

It actually baffles me why people would go to other country's after not "qualifying" here. I mean its unsafe. It is just reinforcing the "thin at any cost" mentality. We don't do this for that we are on the fast track to being very ill of not already there. .so they go have a dangerous surgery that could kill them because they do not meet the safety standards why? We choose life isn't that the point to this game?

I do question myself though 4 years out would I be more wrapped up in the weight part now if I were not still fighting the complication part?? I don"t know people further out who had issues to go through to ask that to. I think we change as humans as the years pass and we experience life anyway. I seem to live so much in my body and head i wonder do others also? Im with you all this is work and maintaining is complicated to put it nicely.

I'm a year post -op. 've reached my goal weight and began maintenance in January. I haven't posted much since the beginning of this journey, but I read the post regularly. This is such a supportive group with so much info and help to offer. I take it all in and thank you all so much for your help. Kat...lke you, I wonder what it would be like to live someplace other than my head and my body....but then the options are limited. I'm just happy to be living, even though I struggle with daily challenges. Kat...I've read so many of your post and can't EVEN imagine how difficult your numerous complications have been. My heart goes out to you and I keep you in my prayers.
I've been fortunate not to be plagued by physical complications, but the mental aspects of this journey are a constant concern and a work in progress. Thinking back to the days when I was young and thin (in my 30's) I never really thought about food, gaining weight, my figure, exercise etc....I guess I was just too busy raising my children (on my own) and trying to have some aspect of social life. Now that I'm retired (in my 60's) Even though I stay relatively busy, perhaps I have too much time to "think" about things. I find myself concerned with what I will have for my next meal, keeping my food and activity journal current, planning snacks and emergency situations and weekly weigh ins. . WTF...when do I just get to live without all this thinking and planning? I'm hoping, with time...all of the good habits I have been developing and working on will just be second nature and I can go for a walk without thinking about what I'm going to eat next or if I might have gained a pound.
JoAnn

GBS is not a "fix" for all the emotional issues in our lives. I am fortunate to have a Bariatric Group consisting of my Dr, Nutritionist, Psychologist& access to a Nurse Practitioner whenever I need help. We also have 2 support groups every month free from charge to help us with the emotional side of our journey. I try to use whatever resources I can find to help me stay on track.

I think it is a choice we have to make every day, or, sometimes, many times a day.....continue on our journey or go back. Oh, I never want to go back! But, I do struggle and slip back into old habits so easily.....I am trying to be honest with myself and get my thoughts about where I have been (and why) and where I really want to be. In the end, I am responsible for my success with my GBS. So hard but, so wonderful!!! I look at it as a gift I gave myself!