Honestly I'm the most active fat man I know, I've swapped my riding mower for a push mower. recreation is hiking, or walking. My job is on a college campus and I'm routinely walking around. step counter estimates put me between 5 & 8 miles per day "in the office" I can't sleep well if I haven't moved around enough and the days where I'm stuck sitting at my desk are absolute torture. ("sitting at my desk" usually entails only 3 miles or so of walking)
Selecting the doc is a big portion of the decision. There are several in the immediate area that are highly rated, I'll seek to find some previous patients from each before I actually decide. Mexico is not in my realm of consideration. My insurance plan will cover the surgery minus my copay/deductible so expensive USA based surgeon is the only way I'm going under the knife.
Overall the success rates are only slightly better than a flip of a coin. I've watched some people get the surgery to do as you've indicated go right back to what they were eating before, though in one specific case a minor change. Her meal/snack of choice a nutella & peanut butter sandwich, the bread got substituted for a low carb flat bread now and must to the surprise of nobody she has regained some of the weight.
More of this is starting to come back to me now. Sounds like you have done your research and planning on finding the best solution for you. That is awesome.
The doctor one friend went to in Mexico was supposed to be the best or second best in the world. At that time here in the USA these procedures where not widely accepted yet. It is great that insurance will cover it.
That doctor was killed in a crash. So no follow up visits LOL.
You want the gastric sleeve, at that time anyway, that was my understanding. That lap band doesn't work for most and a full bypass can cause other issues.
With the sleeve you are basically limited to how much you can eat at a time. Downside, you can stretch the sleeve back out over time. But in the short term, over eating, or eating the wrong things will make you sick and your throw it up. Which in inadvertently can help you change your eating habits and types of food.
The two I know that went through it, could not eat anything dry, breads, no way. Ever or crackers, limited pasta. They can't drink when they eat. You drink before or wait until your sleeve clears after to drink. Not during. No carbonated drinks, supposedly the carbonation aids in stretching the pouch back out. Since you gave up soda already that shouldn't be a problem.
As gross as it sounds to some but slimy foods were the best, more rare meat instead of well done, that type of thing.
One thing that is kind of neat about the whole process, both people I know, when they got to weight they were able to indulge in yummy sweat foods the rest of us should avoid and it is cheap to get drunk.
Good luck on your journey.