I have been as heavy as you are now from about 18-27. At 28, I had the surgery. I lost nearly half of that. I do NOT regret it. I had no other comorbidities... But they were lining up if I didn't take action. Diabetes. Heart disease. Cancers. They're all up and down my family tree. I don't regret the surgery.

That being said, once you agree to this... if you want it to be successful, you have to commit. You HAVE to exercise. You have to eat protein and fiber first, and everything else second. You have to hydrate properly. You have to be diligent about what you eat after you get out of your honeymoon period. For lifetime success, it takes a lifetime commitment.

Those dumbasses that say "you're taking the easy way out," do not have a clue as to what they are saying. The easy way out is choosing to continue a lifestyle you know you're going to fail to change without help.

WLS is not an easy choice. It's tiresome taking this fistful of vitamins daily. Sometimes I just want to be able to eat the way I used to, with no repercussions (bellyache, nausea, throwing up, etc). Sometimes, I don't always want to stop at the gym after work, or take that walk before lunch, or get up early before work to put in time on the exercise bike or dance central. But I'm nearly half the size of what I was. My once fatass can now run 30 minutes at time (I know! I've finished the c25k program -- a few times!). That was not possible when I was your weight. But I don't let these "Aww man, I don't wanna's" deter me. Because I'm the sum of my habits. And if I do the right things the majority of the time, it's gonna make up for the times I do slide, or when life does interfere.

WLS is a personal choice that can't be made lightly. But with the right commitment, you can be very successful with it. I encourage you to talk more to your doctors and the WLS community before making the decision.