I was reading and I got this
KristenMarie1181
Posts: 216 Member
I am thinking about getting gastric bypass surgery. I have been struggling all my life being over weight. Especially with a bad thyroid. Yes I know it can be dangerous but I have been reading up a lot about it. But then when I was searching for it I came across this site. http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf is this true? And if so has any of you been on this type of diet? I might do it, but I need to know what the intake should be if I did. It would be much easier then counting calories..
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I haven't read your link but I just want to say that there is nothing difficult about counting calories. It is so easy, my 10yr old daughter logs for me if she makes me a sandwich. The phone appt has a scanner. It couldn't be any easier. You scan the packet and weigh what you're going to eat and type the weight into the box. What's difficult? Now surgery, that's difficult!0
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You will find lots of LCHF threads here, use the search link up above. There are also some groups.
Losing weight regardless of which program is used is going to be hard, being fat is hard...choose your hard.
Low carb high fat works for some people for others it doesn't, calorie counting works for some people it doesn't work for others. If you intend to do it for the low term give it a go, but if you go back to old habits once you've reached goal weight, you likely put on weight (same for any diet though if returning to old habits).
Some people gain weight on LCHF because they are still eating too much.
LCHF dieters typically lose a lot of weight in the first few weeks which is mostly fluid weight, though I do recall reading somewhere that over the long term...average weight loss per week is the same for LCHF as it for calorie counting.
What does your dr say about a LCHF diet with regards to your bad thyroid?0 -
I haven't talked to my doctor about it yet. He honestly recommended me to do the gastric bypass. He was like you can die being this heavy when I told him that I could die having this surgery.. Now hearing that I been thinking about it off and on. I am probably gonna make a appointment to talk more to him. He did say go to a dietician as well but I haven't had the chance to dot down things what I eat. And dieticians aren't' always around my sleep schedule. I can only sleep during the daytime..0
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I had a vertical gastrectomy on 3/5/2012. It's not easy or a 'way out' as people here think. Honestly, it's as much work as not doing it at all. You CAN gain weight back if you're not careful.
You don't concentrate on your caloric intake much, it's more getting a LOT of protein. (I try to be around 80 grams per day, minimum. And yes, you do eat low carb afterward. I eat very very minimal carbs now.
More importantly, you have to follow up on your care. Blood tests, checkups and supplements for life. You'll have to have psychiatric evaluations, full physicals/ultrasounds/ekg/stress tests prior. I had to do a mental health survey. Counseling for most is required. It's not a walk in the park.
Dieticians are required, both before and after. You'll have to lose weight before the surgery. You'll have to do a liquid diet as well. You'll have to log EVERY.DAMN.BITE you take.
You'll have to MOVE. You have to commit to an exercise program/regimen and stick to it.
Many people here will tell you not to do it, that it's the 'easy way out' or 'it's too risky'. My surgery has less than a 5% chance of complications, and less than 1% death. It's fairly routine when done at a 'center of excellence'
However, like I said, it's not easy, it's a tool. Use it correctly and you will be awesome. Go back to old habits, (eating badly, sitting on the sofa), and you will gain weight back.
I couldn't have done this without it, but I do have open eyes concerning it for others.
Good luck on your journey!0 -
Well, once you have the surgery you will need to restrict your calories and eat ridiculously carefully in order to get enough nutrition.
You can start tracking now or later.
To do LCHF well, you would need to track too. Tomatoes grow above the ground, but they are fairly high in carbs and sugar. You cannot eat unlimited tomatoes and do LCHF. Yeah, yeah, they are actually fruit, but tracking helps to keep us aware of such technicalities.0 -
BeautifulEyes81 wrote: »I am thinking about getting gastric bypass surgery. I have been struggling all my life being over weight. Especially with a bad thyroid. Yes I know it can be dangerous but I have been reading up a lot about it. But then when I was searching for it I came across this site. http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf is this true? And if so has any of you been on this type of diet? I might do it, but I need to know what the intake should be if I did. It would be much easier then counting calories..
Even on a LCHF diet you still have to count calories. Counting calories is easy it sounds like you're trying to make it difficult.0 -
Knowing all the problems my sister-in-law went through after her WLS, I would say go for the calorie counting. It really is the easiest plan.0
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I lost 111 pounds. Opted to go without surgery. Most of the people I know who did have the surgery went through a horrible ordeal and ended up gaining most of the weight back. I just want to say.
If I can do it you can too.
You can do this!!!!!!!!!
You need to dedicate your self to this.0 -
Quit looking for magic and just do what you know needs done.
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happyfeetrebel1 wrote: »I had a vertical gastrectomy on 3/5/2012. It's not easy or a 'way out' as people here think. Honestly, it's as much work as not doing it at all. You CAN gain weight back if you're not careful.
You don't concentrate on your caloric intake much, it's more getting a LOT of protein. (I try to be around 80 grams per day, minimum. And yes, you do eat low carb afterward. I eat very very minimal carbs now.
More importantly, you have to follow up on your care. Blood tests, checkups and supplements for life. You'll have to have psychiatric evaluations, full physicals/ultrasounds/ekg/stress tests prior. I had to do a mental health survey. Counseling for most is required. It's not a walk in the park.
Dieticians are required, both before and after. You'll have to lose weight before the surgery. You'll have to do a liquid diet as well. You'll have to log EVERY.DAMN.BITE you take.
You'll have to MOVE. You have to commit to an exercise program/regimen and stick to it.
Many people here will tell you not to do it, that it's the 'easy way out' or 'it's too risky'. My surgery has less than a 5% chance of complications, and less than 1% death. It's fairly routine when done at a 'center of excellence'
However, like I said, it's not easy, it's a tool. Use it correctly and you will be awesome. Go back to old habits, (eating badly, sitting on the sofa), and you will gain weight back.
I couldn't have done this without it, but I do have open eyes concerning it for others.
Good luck on your journey!
Then its unnecessary, right?
I mean, if it's actually the "as much work", then you can do it without additional risk that comes with unnecessary surgery.
HINT: It ain't the same, no matter what you think.
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I think surgery serves as the triggering mechanism for some people to start eating properly. I know of a woman who had surgery and her daughter did not. Both started out as morbidly obese but both are losing weight. The woman who had surgery had to have a second surgery due to complications. The daughter has been getting healthier.0
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You will need to learn to count calories anyway, so why not just start now and keep going until you don't need the surgery?0
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With your underactive Thyroid have you had your T3 levels tested as well, not just your TSH? Also next time you are at the docs ask for these tests too if you have not had them: Ferritin, B12 and Vit D + Free T3.
It can be really hard to lose weight with a thyroid problem, but sorting out any other underlying problems can really help with the tiredness as well.
Good luck!0 -
Hi,
When you first start the "Informational" part of Bariatric Surgery you will find most programs and Insurance Companies (not all) require a referral from your Primary Doctor and then a 6 month weight loss track with your Doctor (monthly weigh in) as well as seminars and educational visits with the Bariatric Surgery Center or Hospital performing it. You may have to do a sleep study and you will most likely have more blood work done than you care to have doen. You have to meet guidlines to have it done and they really push the education of it. Once its done, its done. Once you go through the hoops of all of that you will meet with the Surgeon and they will decide whats right for you and send a request to the Insurance company. Then you wait for the insurance company to approve or deny,,,and YES sometimes they do deny. Then if they approve you theres a wait for surgery it could be 30 days to 6 months or more. So all in all after you go through all of this it may be a year from the time you start until you get it.
That being said NOT all Bariatric Centers do all of what I just said if your insurance company doesnt require it. You also need to discuss with your Doc which procedure is right for you. The By pass? The Sleeve? Or even the Band, which is the only one that is reversable.
Some people get the by pass you are interested in and end up constantly sick, lose alot of weight and then go back to old habits and gain a lot of it back but are still stuck with the bypass and some of its issues, dumping for one. Its a major life style change that you have to be commited to.
I personally know4 people who have had the surgery and swore to never ever ever go back to their old ways and only 1 of them succeeded in accomplishing her goal and the other 3 gained much of their weight back.
I am in no way trying to discourage you, but please please please get any and all information you can get your hands on, talk to people who have had a positive experience as well as those that have had a negative experience. Sadly we never know which side of the fence we will end up on and regret can be overwheling.
Becca0 -
Doctors make a lot of money with surgeries.0
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It sounds like Atkins, which is what I'm doing.
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Pretty much the same thing Baroness. Its mainly protein based with some veges, but you always need to eat your protein first before you touch anything else and you have to eat slooooooow slow slow.the_baroness wrote: »It sounds like Atkins, which is what I'm doing.
Problem being, if you eat anything high in sugar or something really fatty or greay it can cause "dumping" which is nasty diarhea and sometimes sick to your stomach. Its something you have to work at. If you work hard and pay attention to what you eat it can definately work.
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The food plan doesn't look that unusual. Looks healthy enough actually because you are getting carbs in the veggies and the foods you are cutting are also the high calorie carbs, but there is nothing magic about it. You still have to have discipline and maintain a deficit. It is something that can be done though. No matter what, lowering carbs or not, you need to cut calories.
In December 2013, I had a BMI of 45 and heart disease so I qualified for surgery with any BMI over 35 (the cutoff is usually 40 if you are healthy). My cardiologist suggested gastric bypass. I began the process that with my insurance takes 6 months. After I went to the surgeon for my first visit, she said that after the surgery I would need to stick to a 1200 calorie diet and walk every day. There were a few other things that I would have to do after the surgery that I didn't like such as not drinking during meals and eating 90 grams of protein. I decided that during the 6 months before the surgery, I would do these things to make sure I could. Well, I started to lose. Although I continued to do the things I needed to do to get the surgery, I continued to eat the 1200 calories and walk, plus I added the stationary bike. I loved it. Lost 8 pounds quickly. Two weeks into it, I joined MFP and continued to lose. Before the 6 months were up, I no longer qualified for surgery. I had lost over 50 pounds! I have lost now 91 pounds total (83 here). I love to workout! I eat a lot of food. Weight loss slows down, but I only have 15 to 30 pounds to go -- I'll know when I get there.
I do believe that bariatric surgery is right for some people, and it is much safer than in the past. It can make it easier, but you will still have to work at it as many go back to eating as they did before the surgery after a while and gain the weight back. It has shown great results for those who have diabetes and even the researchers aren't sure why.
You are already here. Why not eat healthy, eat at a deficit of 1000 calories a day for now, and get moving? See what happens. Good luck!0 -
. Grandmother wrote: I decided that during the 6 months before the surgery, I would do these things to make sure I could. Well, I started to lose. Although I continued to do the things I needed to do to get the surgery, I continued to eat the 1200 calories and walk, plus I added the stationary bike. I loved it. I continued to eat the 1200 calories and walk, plus I added the stationary bike. I loved it. Two weeks into it, I joined MFP. Before the 6 months were up, I no longer qualified
Grandmother, I agree with everything you just wrote and sometimes you lose your weight BEFORE surgery! Good for you!
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If you can do it without surgery, I'd try that first.
I have several friends who have had the surgery. Two out of the five had complications and had to go back for additional surgeries. One had complications so bad (that went undiagnosed for so long) that she attempted suicide before any of her doctors were able to figure out what was going on.
Three of the five gained the weigh back. One is maintaining in a healthy way and doing great. One is maintaining because she's currently being force-fed through a tube.
Think carefully. It has a lot of success stories, but there are potential complications as well.0 -
My sister dated a guy who had so many complications from the surgery that he's had 2 more to fix them since. The kid has a terrible quality of life. Obviously that's not every case, but I guess it's up to you to decide if the risk is worth it in your personal situation.0
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grandmothercharlie wrote: »The food plan doesn't look that unusual. Looks healthy enough actually because you are getting carbs in the veggies and the foods you are cutting are also the high calorie carbs, but there is nothing magic about it. You still have to have discipline and maintain a deficit. It is something that can be done though. No matter what, lowering carbs or not, you need to cut calories.
In December 2013, I had a BMI of 45 and heart disease so I qualified for surgery with any BMI over 35 (the cutoff is usually 40 if you are healthy). My cardiologist suggested gastric bypass. I began the process that with my insurance takes 6 months. After I went to the surgeon for my first visit, she said that after the surgery I would need to stick to a 1200 calorie diet and walk every day. There were a few other things that I would have to do after the surgery that I didn't like such as not drinking during meals and eating 90 grams of protein. I decided that during the 6 months before the surgery, I would do these things to make sure I could. Well, I started to lose. Although I continued to do the things I needed to do to get the surgery, I continued to eat the 1200 calories and walk, plus I added the stationary bike. I loved it. Lost 8 pounds quickly. Two weeks into it, I joined MFP and continued to lose. Before the 6 months were up, I no longer qualified for surgery. I had lost over 50 pounds! I have lost now 91 pounds total (83 here). I love to workout! I eat a lot of food. Weight loss slows down, but I only have 15 to 30 pounds to go -- I'll know when I get there.
I do believe that bariatric surgery is right for some people, and it is much safer than in the past. It can make it easier, but you will still have to work at it as many go back to eating as they did before the surgery after a while and gain the weight back. It has shown great results for those who have diabetes and even the researchers aren't sure why.
You are already here. Why not eat healthy, eat at a deficit of 1000 calories a day for now, and get moving? See what happens. Good luck!
What a great success story!0 -
I find it so weird that I belong to so many surgery support groups all over the internet, and in real life; and nobody except 2 of the people I know (and there are a LOT) have experienced so many negative effects (complications) and regain. Yet from reading on here, nobody appears to know anyone who is successful.
Interesting....0 -
happyfeetrebel1 wrote: »I find it so weird that I belong to so many surgery support groups all over the internet, and in real life; and nobody except 2 of the people I know (and there are a LOT) have experienced so many negative effects (complications) and regain. Yet from reading on here, nobody appears to know anyone who is successful.
Interesting....
My sister-in-law has been quite successful. She's lost 160+ pounds in a year and a half, but the surgery itself caused major problems for her in the first 4-6 months since she had it as well as during her pregnancy (she gave birth in February).0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »happyfeetrebel1 wrote: »I had a vertical gastrectomy on 3/5/2012. It's not easy or a 'way out' as people here think. Honestly, it's as much work as not doing it at all. You CAN gain weight back if you're not careful.
You don't concentrate on your caloric intake much, it's more getting a LOT of protein. (I try to be around 80 grams per day, minimum. And yes, you do eat low carb afterward. I eat very very minimal carbs now.
More importantly, you have to follow up on your care. Blood tests, checkups and supplements for life. You'll have to have psychiatric evaluations, full physicals/ultrasounds/ekg/stress tests prior. I had to do a mental health survey. Counseling for most is required. It's not a walk in the park.
Dieticians are required, both before and after. You'll have to lose weight before the surgery. You'll have to do a liquid diet as well. You'll have to log EVERY.DAMN.BITE you take.
You'll have to MOVE. You have to commit to an exercise program/regimen and stick to it.
Many people here will tell you not to do it, that it's the 'easy way out' or 'it's too risky'. My surgery has less than a 5% chance of complications, and less than 1% death. It's fairly routine when done at a 'center of excellence'
However, like I said, it's not easy, it's a tool. Use it correctly and you will be awesome. Go back to old habits, (eating badly, sitting on the sofa), and you will gain weight back.
I couldn't have done this without it, but I do have open eyes concerning it for others.
Good luck on your journey!
Then its unnecessary, right?
I mean, if it's actually the "as much work", then you can do it without additional risk that comes with unnecessary surgery.
HINT: It ain't the same, no matter what you think.
Bull *kitten*. I guess you don't believe in CICO then? Because weight loss is defined by calorie restriction, not the size of one's stomach. Or did you forget that from up high on your horse?
Losing a pound with bariatric surgery requires the same 3500 kcal deficit as it does without.-1 -
Thank you all for the inspiration and the words about the surgery. I didn't know I would have to do all that. I will try my hardest once again and hopefully succeed and not back out. But when I work out I have pain. Pain everywhere especially my hips. I hate pain. I am a big baby when it comes to pain..
I was wondering can someone help me with the calorie intake, protein, carbs, sugar? I am not sure if my MFP is right or not..0 -
Losing weight is about eating less calories then you burn. You dont have to work out.
I started out without exercise too. Exercise will help of course and get you fit. But start first with filling in the settings
Keep it simple let MFP do the math.
Weigh ALL your solid food on a food scale and measure the liquids and you WILL lose weight.0 -
Most of the people I know who did have the surgery went through a horrible ordeal and ended up gaining most of the weight back.
I have to say, for those I personally know who have gone through the various WLS - this has been the case as well.
WLS is NOT an easy way out, if anything, if done CORRECTLY, it is even MORE DIFFICULT that simple calorie counting and doing things the 'mfp' way.
my back and hips and knees used to hurt. then i started losing weight. through diet and exercise. while i still have a LOT more weight to lose.... I am not hurting nearly as much as i was! Now it is rare for me to hurt.
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BeautifulEyes81 wrote: »But when I work out I have pain. Pain everywhere especially my hips.
Please talk to your doctor about this. Don't let him/her brush you off because you are overweight. You could have an underlying problem that needs to be addressed before you begin exercising. Perhaps a physical therapist can help as well. But start with the doctor.
And I agree with the above poster. You don't have to do any exercise at all. Or you could check out some youtube videos on seated exercises you can do (I did them when I broke my foot) to help get your heart rate up a little and tone you upper body some. Without stress on your hips.
Keep us posted on your progress.
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »You will need to learn to count calories anyway, so why not just start now and keep going until you don't need the surgery?
I like this answer!0
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