Check out my progress: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
For this post, I want to talk about how much gastric sleeve surgery changed my life. I’ve had some minor work like a tip rhino and lip injections before, but those were done back when I was still at my highest weight.
There’s a common sentiment in Korea that losing weight is the most effective form of plastic surgery. That’s a big deal in a culture where cosmetic work is so prevalent that things like eyelid surgery are viewed as minor “procedures” rather than actual surgery. It’s a bit hard to explain the cultural context, but these things are totally normalized.
While living there, I was told I was like an “unscratched lottery ticket” and that I just needed to stop eating. I obviously don’t support the starving part, but whenever I sought advice, the consensus was always that my weight was the primary hurdle. I already knew that.
The issue was a hormonal imbalance from my IUD that caused a 70-pound gain and wrecked my metabolism. Even with a massive calorie deficit, the scale kept going up. It was soul-crushing for a 20-year-old just wanting to feel normal. My friends could eat whatever, while I was sticking to one meal a day and still dealing with mean comments from strangers. I knew I had to take action.
Local doctors tested my basal metabolic rate—which was terrible—and concluded that diet and exercise wouldn’t be enough on their own. They suggested a vertical gastric sleeve (VSG), covered by insurance. I was hesitant at first, but after failing with GLP-1s and various diet pills, I realized they were right. They warned me not to waste my youth on a fixable problem. I had the surgery in June 2023.
I dealt with a rare side effect that made eating nearly impossible for six months, but even then, I knew I made the right choice. Once that was resolved, I settled into a normal post-op routine.
I’ve dropped 120 pounds now. Life is totally different. People treat me with much more respect and don’t assume I’m lazy. It’s a strange feeling, almost like I’m in someone else’s body. My social standing has skyrocketed. No amount of fillers could have done what this weight loss did. I might do some minor touch-ups later now that I can actually see my facial structure!
If you want to change your life, do your research and take the leap. Don’t wait. VSG isn’t a magic fix for everything, but being healthy is a baseline for how people perceive you, and the benefits touch every part of your existence.
