I am pre-surgery and taking steps required for insurance to pick up some of the charges. I've been overweight most of my life so I want to see how the other side lives. I'm a 50 year old female - eager to run a marathon and dance before old age.

Any chance you could lose the weight without the surgery? I work with someone who had it and her problems with weight never went away, despite the horrible stomach and intestinal problems she has..she would still eat foods that made her sick and too much (huge huge portions a few years after the surgery). She was even in the hospital because the part of the intestine that was closed off got very infected. She literally farts on a constant basis, and it just comes out involuntarily. I feel so bad for her and all the problems she's had with this, and she's only now figuring out how to change her lifestyle to eat healthy foods and in moderation.