I had weight loss surgery last Feb, and lost 90 pounds! (so far) 
Do you mean you had a gastric bypass? If so, I’m sorry you ended up doing something that desperate, but I’m glad you’re getting the results you want. Best of luck with your health.
ETA: Do you feel it was worth it to you?
Congrats to you! You must be delighted, 90 pounds is a lot to lose. Keep up the good work.
How much did you have to lose?
Congrats! You must feel great!
I had WLS too (Roux en Y) and it was a very wise decision for me. Don’t let any one make you feel crappy about it. Though, I’m sure at this stage they couldn’t! Way to go!
I really don’t get this whole concept…WLS causes people to eat less, thereby losing weight. Why don’t these folks just save themselves the pain, expense and risk of surgery and just…eat less?
This isn’t something you’ll ever understand (though it is something that should probably be obvious to most people). Count yourself lucky in that. Just congratulate the woman who took her own life into her hands, made a frightening and life-changing decision, and succeeded so far, and move on.
P.S. You do not understand the various weight loss surgery procedures and should read up on them. It does much more than simply restrict intake, though that is part of it and likely the reason for the large initial loss.
That’s wonderful. Keep it up!
Educate me. Am I right in thinking you’re talking about uncontrollable compulsive behavior?
By weight lose surgery, I mean gastric bypass. There were other reasons for me to have the surgery, besides weight loss. There is some evidence gastric bypass has a beneficial effect on people with diabetes. For me personally, the surgery meant I could stop taking insulin and oral diabetes medicine. My long term blood sugar is normal, now.
Why do you assume that a person who asks a question “will never understand” If I didn’t want to learn and understand, I wouldn’t have bothered to ask the question.
Speaking as someone who’s had weight loss surgery. . .I’ve heard this question (in all of it’s permutations) plenty of times. What it boils down to is, if WLS makes you “eat less”, why not just eat less and skip the surgery?
The part that a lot of people don’t understand is this:
Prior to WLS (I had the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch), I had approximately a 24oz stomach. That meant that, any amount I ate, less than 25oz, left me feeling hungry. I think people don’t realize how strong a feeling hunger is. Hunger is what makes people trapped in the jungle or on a desert island eat bugs and seaweed. It’s a driving force. When your tummy isn’t full, you feel hunger. It’s very, very strong.
After surgery, my stomach was ~4oz capacity. Now, at just more than two years post-op, I can eat about 8oz in a sitting (provided a sitting is 45 minutes or so).
I’m satisfied with 8oz of food, instead of eating 8oz and saying “well, I shouldn’t eat any more, so I’ll stop now”
PLUS, the re-routing of my intestines means that, in addition to being satisfied with less food, I malabsorb most of the fat that I eat, about half of the protein, and some of the complex carbs.
Could I have lost the weight by other means? Yes. I could have. And I did. But I gained it back. Why? Because my stomach was huge and, as such, I was always hungry. Changing diet and lifestyle works about 5% of the time (GingerofTheNorth is a notable time when it worked well). For most of us, it takes more drastic measures.
Did you check under the couch?
Congatulations
What’s a normal–or average–stomach size? I wonder how big mine is.
Can’t speak for the poster you’re addressing, but… no, you’re not correct in the general case. There are many reasons besides uncontrollable behavior that would prevent successful weight loss. I’m not saying all or even most participants in bariatric surgery have medical conditions like hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome or genetic disorders , but these account for a non trivial number of cases. In addition, as norinew explained above simple chronic overeating need not be a compulsion or any kind of disorder, but can at the same time be incredibly tough to overcome on a permanent basis without some sort of intervention. (I’ve heard imprisonment on a work farm sometimes works, but this seems more drastic than the surgery…)
Do some googling of the phrases “medical causes of obesity” and, while you’re at it, “bariatric surgery” and you might find yourself reacting with less condescension to some happy person sharing their good news on a public forum.
Here, I’ll start you off with a couple of -IMO- reputable cites:
Gastric bypass surgery (Mayo Clinic)
Causes of obesity
Oh, and…
Good on ya, catflea12!
I lost 70 pounds, gained during pregnancy, then lost another 70. I am currently 90 pounds less than I was when I began. I have never felt it was a difficult thing to do.
I understand that, and I’ve heard you say it before. My point is, as far as I can tell, you are the exception to the rule. Not that you don’t have a right to be proud of what you’ve done, you look wonderful, and I’m sure you feel just as good! But according to everything I’ve read, you are the exception, not the rule.
ETA: thanks, sincerely, for all the clothes you’ve passed my way! 
But that is because the stomach is stretched out from all the overeating and huge portions. As a person reduces their intake to normal sizes, the stomach shrinks back to normal size as well.
And besides, what is so excrutiatingly urgent about dealing with a little hunger pang anyway?
Which people “don’t realize it”? Feeling hungry now and then is a normal part of a typical person’s day…it’s not an emergency that requires an immediate McDonalds fix.
What is so unreasonable about understanding that half-pound of food is enough, and just…put down your fork already?