I am a 30 year old male whose starting weight was 357lbs (162kg) and I am currently at 157lbs (71kg). The photos below were taken at my heaviest weight through current day.
I've struggled with my weight since I was about six years old. I've always been an over-eater, never took my physical health seriously, and found sugar to be extremely addictive. Major respect to all of you who were able to lose this kind of weight on your own through sheer perseverance; you're amazing. In December 2020, I had a gastric sleeve, wherein they remove about 75% of your stomach (This is also where the 1 month 3 year figure comes from; the January picture was the best I could as I didn't really like taking pictures at that weight.). This isn't as extreme as the gastric bypass surgery, but it is still a major anatomical change. The smaller stomach forces me eat less and it also has the side effect of making me quite sick if I try eating anything with a lot of sugar.
While I do struggle in considering it, in some ways, the “easy way”, it hasn't been without its challenges. It has been psychologically difficult giving up all the comfort foods I used to eat, turning down food now requires an explanation, body image issues don't disappear just because you lose weight, and I've had two kidney stones as a result from the surgery.
Overall though, best decision I've ever made. If you are considering surgery like this, make sure you understand the risks and that it isn't a magic fix that you don't have to work at. It is critical to understand that massive weight loss requires mental care as well as physical. It is psychologically taxing sometimes not recognizing yourself. Over a year later, I still don't quite have the right image of the "new me" in my head.
I would also advise you find an extremely thorough surgeon. This may sound obvious, but I wouldn't have recovered as well or lost the weight I did without a surgeon who really knew her stuff. I've had other family who have had the same or more extreme versions of bariatric surgery and their physicians were extremely lax and many of them failed. This has to be thought of as a tool for a lifelong change, not a temporary diet and then you stay a healthy weight forever. If you have any questions about the gastric sleeve process, I'd be happy to answer them as best I can (though I'm not a medical doctor, as my username suggests).
I wish all of you the best of luck in your weight loss journey!
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