Why I am choosing the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

I wanted to answer many questions I have received over the last few weeks as my vertical sleeve gastrectomy is so close.  I have spent the last 12 months complying with physician supervised weight loss.  Those 12 months included monthly visits with a MD, a nutritionist and a behaviorist.  I have kept a detailed food/exercise log that was picked apart every month as well as undergoing EKG's, blood tests and ultrasounds.  Finally I am on my last visit waiting to here from insurance for my approval since I have followed everything they needed me to do.   It was a long 12 months but now that it is over it seemed to fast but I know I am prepared for surgery.  The vertical sleeve gastrectomy is a procedure where the surgeon removes about 85% of your stomach leaving you a smaller "sleeve".  The "repaired" stomach holds about 2 oz.  The portion of the stomach they remove contains "hunger hormone" cells so the feeling of hunger is drastically if not completely gone after surgery.  After researching all the different types of weight loss surgery's available the gastric sleeve is much more appealing to me...no foreign band for adjustments or ulcers :)

The VSG is an overnight stay at the hospital with about 4 weeks recovery time.  Since I am a SAHM and have already had 2 c-sections I feel a bit prepared for what it will be like although many I have spoke with in the WLS community have said the recovery is much easier than a c-section. 

So...onto the many questions I have had:
1. Are you afraid you won't be able to eat?
Nope....Honestly I am almost always UNDER calories for the day.  I have been on a 1200 calorie diet for a year and I am always at about 900 for the day.  My problem that I have been working SO hard on getting under control.....eating 3-5 small meals a day!  I have a horrible habit of skipping breakfast and lunch then I am starving at dinner and eat 2x's the portions I should.  Still under calories but as my nutritionist tells me I am making my body store fat because I am starving it all day :(  I am looking forward to eating every 2-3 hours in smaller amounts.  I will still be able to eat regular food in much smaller amounts...eventually.

2. How will you ever go 4 weeks on a liquid diet?
Well....there is no getting around it!  2 weeks pre-op my dr puts you on a full liquids diet to help shrink your liver.  You dont follow it you run the chance of much more complications during surgery.  As far as the 2 weeks post opp....we are retraining our stomachs how to eat not to mention the staples holding your new stomach closed.  Following the 4 weeks liquid and 2 weeks pureed diet is incredibly important to the healing process and I will do whatever is needed to avoid complications and ensure my surgery is the tool I intend it to be!

3. Don't you think weight loss surgery is cheating?
Well here is my opinion....if choosing to have a drastic procedure to repair the major damage I have done to my stomach is cheating so be it.  If changing my diet to 2 oz meals at a time is cheating...so be it.  Just because I am having VSG does not mean I will not being working my ass off in the gym to loose the weight.  The surgery helps you loose the weight by making your stomach small but you still have to follow a diet and exercise plan or even after major weight loss it can come back.  Studies have shown about 90% of people who loose weight without surgery gain their weight back while about 20% of WLS patients regain theirs back.  I have been up and down in weight for years!  I feel the VSG is a way for me to start "fresh" repair the over stretched, abused stomach I have with a smaller one :)

4.  What about all that skin from rapid weight loss....gross.
Yeah well here is my reality....I have had 3 children!!!  My stomach already looks like a road map of the USA and to think I won't have hanging skin is incredibly naive ;p  I will do all I can as far as exercise and toning to minimize it but there is no question there will be some no matter if I had the VSG or not.  My body is 138 lbs overweight...there will be deflated parts!  I figure better deflated than full of fat LOL there are these amazing contraptions called "shape wear" we have already been friends for years...I don't see that ending :D

I am completely confident in my decision.  I know it is the best way for me to help my journey be more successful and know it is not for everyone.  It is not a way of "cheating" at the weight loss game!  I will be putting in lots of hard work like others who are on their own weight loss journeys but I will have one huge advantage...a 2 oz tummy to help control over eating and hormonal hunger issues :) 

I recently came across an awesome article about WLS.  The author asked a great question: When did doing something the hard way become a morally superior option vs. being smart about it and using whatever tools are available to you?  Let's say you have two people who both love to garden. One of them uses gardening tools and even owns a tiller to help dig up the ground before planting. They use an electric hedge trimmer too. The other one does the whole garden using a teaspoon and a pair of scissors. Their results aren't as good as the first person, but, hey, at least they didn't "take the easy way out" by using power tools......My thoughts exactly!!!