What's SO GREAT about WLS after 50? Update!!
Headin to CALI...on Wed! Taking yer responses with me!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH to all that responded!!
Anymore before I copy n paste em...and GIVE TO MY BIG SIS?
TY TY TY TY TY TYTY TY TY TY TY TYTY TY TY TY TY TY
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Ok I scrolled back SOME...but didn't see any topic related to my ?.
I had VSG 2.5 yrs ago. I got a Diabetes II diagnosis and sprung into action 3 yrs ago when the diabetic diet didn't do squat for my labs. All 5 of my comorbidities were resolved 3 months post VSG...ok in remission for all ya PC peeps ;-) Im doin fine.
Ive tried to convince my older sister into looking into WLS and she did...but cancelled 3 weeks before VSG, declared she's "going back to curves". She's only had a tubal ligation some 33 yrs ago, and is afraid of any surgery. She lives in SoCal ...I last saw her when she completed her Kaiser Options classes 1.5 yrs ago. Came to my house on vacation..last month. ....anyhow she's bigger than ever, can't even walk normal..she waddles, can't make it a block down my house and she's out of breath. Refuses to wear her CPAP and snores so dang loud it shook my house ...ok that's an exaggeration...but ya get my drift. She doesn't want surgery unless her doctor says she's diabetic. Close no "official" diagnosis yet.
ETA: She is now as of 5/20 according to her 337 pounds. A gain of almost 17 pounds since March when I last SAW her. She does have Tyhroid issues and on synthroid.
As far as she's concerned Im just the stupid kid sister (a little over a yr. younger) that took the "easy way out" she tells me that!! I have no credibility as far as the "older sister" syndrome.
Outta 8 of us sister's Im closest with her. I just can't stand by and watch her die this slow miserable death! I figure she's the stupid one to NOT see her weight is KILLING HER!
I need HELP...I want to copy your responses to show her how other peeps over 50 view their life...BEFORE and AFTER...no photos lol just testamonies! Can ya please take a stroll down memory lane...n remember for me?
Im going back to Cali end of next month - her son's wedding, and plan on takin yer stories with me!
Thank you sooo much...to anyone that wants to reply...let me have it ALL, the good n bad!
Sorry to shout Carmelita...but,
WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT WLS AFTER 50????
EVERYTHING !!!!!!!
I can walk and never stop to gasp for air
I can go up and down stairs
I can play with my grandchildren, ON THE FLOOR !!!!!
I sleep without snoring
I eat less so I spend less on money
When you weigh less you spend less on gas and wear and tear on your car
I have FUN at the gym
I actually can shop for clothes in a store ...not online all the time
I can fit into a size 10
People pay more attention to me "POSITIVELY" not in a negative weight
I feel better
I like myself better
My confidence has grown
I sleep less and have fun more....
NEED I SAY MORE??????
EVERYTHING IS BETTER NOW THAT I HAVE HAD WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY. I'M 57 AND I FEEL GREAT !!!!
Good luck with your sister. Our weight should not be a death sentence...she has so much to look forward to. BUT, she has to want to change. Obesity is an eating disorder...like alcoholism she is addicted to food. It won't be an easy way out...keeping up with your weight loss is hard work. BUT, way worth the time and effort.
:) Marcy
WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT WLS AFTER 50????
EVERYTHING !!!!!!!
I can walk and never stop to gasp for air
I can go up and down stairs
I can play with my grandchildren, ON THE FLOOR !!!!!
I sleep without snoring
I eat less so I spend less on money
When you weigh less you spend less on gas and wear and tear on your car
I have FUN at the gym
I actually can shop for clothes in a store ...not online all the time
I can fit into a size 10
People pay more attention to me "POSITIVELY" not in a negative weight
I feel better
I like myself better
My confidence has grown
I sleep less and have fun more....
NEED I SAY MORE??????
EVERYTHING IS BETTER NOW THAT I HAVE HAD WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY. I'M 57 AND I FEEL GREAT !!!!
Good luck with your sister. Our weight should not be a death sentence...she has so much to look forward to. BUT, she has to want to change. Obesity is an eating disorder...like alcoholism she is addicted to food. It won't be an easy way out...keeping up with your weight loss is hard work. BUT, way worth the time and effort.
:) Marcy
Thank you Marcy for reminding me about the food addiction...so I amended my post!
Yep my sis has major food issues...she eats a large amount of food at once. Sumtimes she'll eat only ONCE a day! but its a ton of food! Then she lies down and naps! When she was here for 2 weeks...she ate quite a bit, but not within sight majority of the time. I'd go in/past the kitchen and there she'd be eating and walking around so I didn't see her eating...it was real...surreal! lol
Im sooo thankful for VSG!
Do you still have the behaviors/addictions to food that ya had pre-RNY?
I find I have some of same issues I did pre-VSG regarding food
Rushing thru my meals, skipping meals, eating in front of the TV..n not payin attention to fullness
overeating to discomfort. I work on correcting everyday!
Yep my sis has major food issues...she eats a large amount of food at once. Sumtimes she'll eat only ONCE a day! but its a ton of food! Then she lies down and naps! When she was here for 2 weeks...she ate quite a bit, but not within sight majority of the time. I'd go in/past the kitchen and there she'd be eating and walking around so I didn't see her eating...it was real...surreal! lol
Im sooo thankful for VSG!
Do you still have the behaviors/addictions to food that ya had pre-RNY?
I find I have some of same issues I did pre-VSG regarding food
Rushing thru my meals, skipping meals, eating in front of the TV..n not payin attention to fullness
overeating to discomfort. I work on correcting everyday!
Carmelita, I am happy to give my testimonial, but your sister is the one who has to decide. We can "want it for" another person, but until they are ready....well, you know.
I had my RNY at age 53. THe benefits? These are some of the "little things" that add up to a very BIG change for a better quality of life!
Cholesterol dropped from over 260 to 140.
Blood pressure dropped from 168/110 to 106/70.
I can go to the doctor and get weighed without fear.
My ankles and feet don't swell.
My hands don't swell.
I have no foot pain.
I can tie my shoes.
I can cross my legs.
My clothes and underwear don't cut into me.
I can button my winter coat when it's cold.
I can eat a "normal" portion of "normal" food and not be embarrassed about or hide what I eat.
I feel an amazing sense of control when I decline a dessert.
I sleep well at night and can roll over in bed without having to push myself to a sitting position first.
I can buy clothes that are on clearance and wear colors other than black without fearing that I look like an Easter egg.
I can walk into a room without taking inventory of others to check if I am the fattest woman/person there.
I no longer outweigh a number of NFL or NBA athletes.
I can take walks and play with my children and grandchildren.
I can slide into a restaurant booth easily.
I have a higher level of credibility and confidence at work.
And finally....as painful as it is to see this it is true... the world is nicer to me than it was when I was obese. People smile more. Strangers strike up conversations in the grocery store. Men hold doors for me. I smile more, too.
I wouldn't go back for a moment!
I had my RNY at age 53. THe benefits? These are some of the "little things" that add up to a very BIG change for a better quality of life!
Cholesterol dropped from over 260 to 140.
Blood pressure dropped from 168/110 to 106/70.
I can go to the doctor and get weighed without fear.
My ankles and feet don't swell.
My hands don't swell.
I have no foot pain.
I can tie my shoes.
I can cross my legs.
My clothes and underwear don't cut into me.
I can button my winter coat when it's cold.
I can eat a "normal" portion of "normal" food and not be embarrassed about or hide what I eat.
I feel an amazing sense of control when I decline a dessert.
I sleep well at night and can roll over in bed without having to push myself to a sitting position first.
I can buy clothes that are on clearance and wear colors other than black without fearing that I look like an Easter egg.
I can walk into a room without taking inventory of others to check if I am the fattest woman/person there.
I no longer outweigh a number of NFL or NBA athletes.
I can take walks and play with my children and grandchildren.
I can slide into a restaurant booth easily.
I have a higher level of credibility and confidence at work.
And finally....as painful as it is to see this it is true... the world is nicer to me than it was when I was obese. People smile more. Strangers strike up conversations in the grocery store. Men hold doors for me. I smile more, too.
I wouldn't go back for a moment!
I could go on and on about the greatness. After losing 200lbs and 7 years post op I consider myself a success on this journey.
You asked the question and here is just one of my reasons why this is great...too much information TOUGH!!
Intimacy and fantastic sexual activity with my 65 yr old hubby, married 42 yrs and it JUST keeps getting better. As he says making love together was alway great, but it is out of sight now. Hugs Monica, who has a huge smile on her face after RIGHT NOW.
You asked the question and here is just one of my reasons why this is great...too much information TOUGH!!
Intimacy and fantastic sexual activity with my 65 yr old hubby, married 42 yrs and it JUST keeps getting better. As he says making love together was alway great, but it is out of sight now. Hugs Monica, who has a huge smile on her face after RIGHT NOW.
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I have lost over 250#, am over 5 years out and would do it again in a heartbeat. I now for the first time in my life have a life. I was so miserable and stunted before surgery, I was ready to lie down and die. Now .... I can keep up with everything and for the first time in my life I have a wardrobe and shoes that I never could have had before. I used to wear sneakers and complain about my feet hurting, my back hurting, be out of breath, my knees would give out on me. I was a mess. Now if I am in pain it is only for that day, and I am fine the next. I don't suffer from standing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry anymore. I can do all those things in the same day and have the strength to go out with my friends afterwards. I have been given a second chance at life, and I will tell you it was not an easy way out. My appetite was out of control, I was a bottomless pit. I could eat all day long and still look for more. I won't lie to you, your appetite does return, but this is where the hard part comes in. You have to reason with yourself and realize that old habits never die, you must be on guard not to fall into the food trap. I do occasionally allow myself to slip, but it takes extreme control not to let it continue past that day. I never want to give up the life I've created for myself now. If I had to go back to the way it was, I'd rather die. Everyone has a point at which they say to themselves that things just can't get any worse. I was at that point. I was at the bottom of the barrel and could see no way out. I am so grateful to have been thrown this lifeline.
Some days your the dog and some days your the hydrant.
Carmelita,
I have a very dear friend who would not consider our way of life and very recently needed to have knee surgery, but because of her weight, she put it off and joined WW for probably the 100th time in her life, she is doing great and I am happy for her, my point is that there are many ways to achieve health and lose weight, the bottom line is that she has to want to change her life, as the others stated and you know first hand, this is no easy way out, however, it will only help you achieve a certain result and then, as Nan pointed out, the willingness to do things differently have to be a component in order to maintain your weight loss. WLS is on our stomachs, not our brain and therein lies the problem, habits of a lifetime do cause regain and it takes wanting to do things differently to not regain. I know I repeated myself, but all too often people think this is magical and effortless and that is not the case, so perhaps your sister is not willing to change, fearful of life without food as her constant companion and maybe she has seen someone go through this and not change their relationship with food and watched them regain their weight. Whatever is holding her back, I applaud your desire to help her, but just like the heroin addict whose family wants to help them, unless the person is willing to get help for them self, there is nothing anyone can do. Food addiction is tough, as unlike heroin, alcohol and other things, we must eat and most of us have a screwed up relationship with food and that is what needs to be changed. . .
My own story is one of many addictions, met and dealt with (drugs, alcohol (almost 24 years sober), nicotine), food being my last one (at least that I am aware of (lol)) and so as I realized at age 51 that I was no longer living life as I liked to, that my weight (254 lbs) was holding me back from living a full and rich life, that if I looked at my family tree, those who lived obese, had suffered heart attacks (some fatal), diabetes and that their obesity had killed them by the mid-60s and I saw no good reason why I should have to follow their path, however, I had dieted and regained my whole life and had given up the idea that a diet could work for me, so I researched, as well as watched others, friends and family members go through WLS and their results were awesome, the felt good, looked good and felt that it had given living new meaning to them and so on October 16, 2007, at the age of 52, I turned myself over to the skilled hands of my surgeon in the hopes that I would have as good a result as those I knew had done so before me.
It was not easy, I worked hard to lose every pound, yo-yo dieting had done it's job on my body and I found that I had to work hard to lose the weight, but lost it I did, getting down to 156 at one point, though I looked my best about 13 lbs ago and am currently working at taking that regain off, as I know that I cannot afford to be where I am at today. I still am dedicated to taking my vitamins daily and through support groups and posting here on OH, which keeps me accountable, I hope to never have to shop in a Lane Bryant store again.
I can travel freely, I can walk without pain, my younger two grandchildren, ages 5 and 3 have had the pleasure of me chasing them down and playing hide and seek with them, my health is good and I don't fear dying young anymore, as those in my family who keep themselves at a healthy weight live well into the 80s and some into their 90s. . . there are many things I won't do, but not many I can't do and I just want to live healthy and today I AM!
Best wishes to you and hope that your sister can get herself living life fully without being weighed down, no matter how she ultimately chooses to do so.
Laureen
I have a very dear friend who would not consider our way of life and very recently needed to have knee surgery, but because of her weight, she put it off and joined WW for probably the 100th time in her life, she is doing great and I am happy for her, my point is that there are many ways to achieve health and lose weight, the bottom line is that she has to want to change her life, as the others stated and you know first hand, this is no easy way out, however, it will only help you achieve a certain result and then, as Nan pointed out, the willingness to do things differently have to be a component in order to maintain your weight loss. WLS is on our stomachs, not our brain and therein lies the problem, habits of a lifetime do cause regain and it takes wanting to do things differently to not regain. I know I repeated myself, but all too often people think this is magical and effortless and that is not the case, so perhaps your sister is not willing to change, fearful of life without food as her constant companion and maybe she has seen someone go through this and not change their relationship with food and watched them regain their weight. Whatever is holding her back, I applaud your desire to help her, but just like the heroin addict whose family wants to help them, unless the person is willing to get help for them self, there is nothing anyone can do. Food addiction is tough, as unlike heroin, alcohol and other things, we must eat and most of us have a screwed up relationship with food and that is what needs to be changed. . .
My own story is one of many addictions, met and dealt with (drugs, alcohol (almost 24 years sober), nicotine), food being my last one (at least that I am aware of (lol)) and so as I realized at age 51 that I was no longer living life as I liked to, that my weight (254 lbs) was holding me back from living a full and rich life, that if I looked at my family tree, those who lived obese, had suffered heart attacks (some fatal), diabetes and that their obesity had killed them by the mid-60s and I saw no good reason why I should have to follow their path, however, I had dieted and regained my whole life and had given up the idea that a diet could work for me, so I researched, as well as watched others, friends and family members go through WLS and their results were awesome, the felt good, looked good and felt that it had given living new meaning to them and so on October 16, 2007, at the age of 52, I turned myself over to the skilled hands of my surgeon in the hopes that I would have as good a result as those I knew had done so before me.
It was not easy, I worked hard to lose every pound, yo-yo dieting had done it's job on my body and I found that I had to work hard to lose the weight, but lost it I did, getting down to 156 at one point, though I looked my best about 13 lbs ago and am currently working at taking that regain off, as I know that I cannot afford to be where I am at today. I still am dedicated to taking my vitamins daily and through support groups and posting here on OH, which keeps me accountable, I hope to never have to shop in a Lane Bryant store again.
I can travel freely, I can walk without pain, my younger two grandchildren, ages 5 and 3 have had the pleasure of me chasing them down and playing hide and seek with them, my health is good and I don't fear dying young anymore, as those in my family who keep themselves at a healthy weight live well into the 80s and some into their 90s. . . there are many things I won't do, but not many I can't do and I just want to live healthy and today I AM!
Best wishes to you and hope that your sister can get herself living life fully without being weighed down, no matter how she ultimately chooses to do so.
Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Carmelita,
I can relate to laureen,
I to have a food addiction and willalways have one. I to have lost 150 pounds. Had a 30 pund regain and have lost that now. yea for me!!!!!!
I have regained my lifeback. got rid of my diabetes, some joint pain, gained confidence went ot beauty school and am living life again. When I was big I wanted to crawl up and die.
I had stome struggles along the way like thyroid cancer but that is gone, I do have some issues with joint pain now and then but massage is helping, working is helping!!!!!!
so on and so forth.
I am loving shopping for that size 6 and 8. no more big girl granny things for me any more.
Carla
I can relate to laureen,
I to have a food addiction and willalways have one. I to have lost 150 pounds. Had a 30 pund regain and have lost that now. yea for me!!!!!!
I have regained my lifeback. got rid of my diabetes, some joint pain, gained confidence went ot beauty school and am living life again. When I was big I wanted to crawl up and die.
I had stome struggles along the way like thyroid cancer but that is gone, I do have some issues with joint pain now and then but massage is helping, working is helping!!!!!!
so on and so forth.
I am loving shopping for that size 6 and 8. no more big girl granny things for me any more.
Carla
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