having gastric bypass surgery in September
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I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
I can't even understand the reasoning in those cases - general anestesic is tough on the body and lots of other operations are not performed on people deemed too sick to handle it. Obesity is in its core a positive feedback loop gone all wrong - the bigger and heavier you get, the less is your motivation to move, and the more depressed you get, the bigger is your motivation to eat. Some are still mobile, others are fed by their family. Either way, relationship with food has to change.
Every patient is instructed to lose weight before the operation too, and do that. So I think nobody is served by thinking WLS patients can't lose weight "on their own". I believe WLS is primarily performed on people who repeatedly lose and gain large amounts of weight. After all, it's not usually the losing part that is difficult, but keeping it off.
This practice is a sad, sad business.0 -
Don't do it!!! Worst mistake of your life0
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kommodevaran wrote: »Every patient is instructed to lose weight before the operation too, and do that. So I think nobody is served by thinking WLS patients can't lose weight "on their own". I believe WLS is primarily performed on people who repeatedly lose and gain large amounts of weight. After all, it's not usually the losing part that is difficult, but keeping it off.
Pre-surgery weight is lost due to VLCD. VLCD is required so as the liver shrinks for surgery.
I think if people need to use weight loss surgery as a tool who are we to tell them otherwise or judge them for going through with it.
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I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
I haven't had weight loss surgery and probably wouldn't consider it, but I can say with absolute certainty that it isn't an easy way out.
A lot of your post comes across as being quite judgemental.
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I don't think it's funny that the OP only received scorn when she was seeking support for a decision she had already made.
The OP was not asking whether or not to have the surgery. If you don't agree with her decision, why answer her? Why not just pass on the thread and let people who have had the surgery answer her? Why is your opinion when you weren't asked so important?
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I read recently of a young woman getting ready for surgery...She started working with the dietician ...and lo and behold she lost weight....She continued working with the dietician....and never signed up for the surgery... I'm a nurse and have seen a lot of problems...my neighbor has been in and out of the hospital ever since...they've about lost him..multiple times from leaks etc. Everyone here is just encouraging you to really look at your options...If you don't have the fortitude now...You might not have it later....after the surgery. Take good care of yourself.0
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"I actually do want to see a therapist possibly. And i have so much support and visions of me and how i would like to look and feel so i can go to the gym everyday and not be worn out after 20 mins walking... i just need the initial push."
I have to tell you...EVERYONE is worn out after 20 mins of walking when they first start exercising. That is completely normal...no matter what size a person is. But the more you do, the longer you can go, and eventually the easier it becomes. I hope you have great luck this month with your surgery. Just make sure that you commit yourself to making healthy lifestyle choices so that you can maintain any loss you do realize. 0 -
I have up on reading after 30 posts or so and may have missed supportive comments. But I cannot believe how moralistic people are being. It is great ifyou can lose 150 pounds through diet and exercise - more power to you. But don't judge others who feel they can't. Some people have struggled all their lives with weight and really do have bodies that struggle to lose. It's not just self control. And if you are one of those people and you try over and over to lose weight and get stuck or regain after 30 or 40 pounds then it can be intensely demoralizing and make you want to give up. In this context it actually takes courage to consider and do the work required to get surgery. It is so far from a quick fix. I know because my partner did it. He went on his first diet when he was 10. He was overweight since he was 3. Being overweight shaped his whole life. Over 10 years together, I saw him struggle with this. He did weight watchers, changed his lifestyle and would lose up to 40 pounds but then stall for months and gradually regain. Was it a failure of will power? Who knows and who cares? What I know is that he wanted to find a way to be able to play with our son and really be there for him and made the drastic decision to get surgery. Nothing easy about it - included having to document weight loss efforts for 6 months prior, take time off from work for surgery and recovery and then commit to changing his eating for life. This is not a quick fix. It took him about a year to lose 140 pounds and he's kept it off for more than 2 years since. And his life is immeasurably better. He is able to run and so does - that would have been very hard on the body at 365 pounds. We hike and bike and walk all over with our son andtakeactive vacations. And, for those who suggest therapy, the psychological space created by weight loss has allowed him to focus on issues crowded out previously. It was absolutely the right decision for him and I'm very proud of him.
I was also worried that he would have to eat tiny amounts for life. He never restricted cals as much as I've seen others do post-surgery. I suspect that has been part of what has allowed him to maintain so easily. I'd estimate he eats around 2,000 protein heavy, nutrient rich cals each day.
Hugs to theOP. Don't listen to the scolding. Find blogs of people who've done this successfully, start developing a game plan for post surgery, surround yourself with a strong support system and start down a new path. yes, some people relapse but you can succeed. Good luck!!!0 -
peter56765 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »allenpriest wrote: »Why question the plan? Because too many people view this as a quick fix and easy answer. It is neither. And if you don't make the necessary changes in lifestyle the weight will come back and you end up far worse off.
And the rest of us view it as an unneccesary, hard and dangerous answer. You still have to do the things everybody else have to do to lose weight - eat less, move more. But in addition you'll have a crippled stomach and intestines, life long malabsorbtions, and you can never eat your favorite foods again, and never a normal adult sized meal, without risking pain and vomiting.
I have started calling this operation "barbaric surgery".
And yet the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method. Most people who try to lose weight "the normal way" fail. Surgery should not be anyone's first resort but if repeated attempts at weight loss have not been successful, surgery is better than continuing the yo-yo cycle of losing and regaining - never mind the negative effects this has on your mental health too.
Nobody said that people can't keep the weight off after surgery. One person that I've seen so far said she's kep her weight off.
Please back up your assertion with peer reviewed research.
I posted up stream of four women (my sister in law and her three sisters) who were not successful with keeping the weight off after gastric bypass, and that's in real life.
It's on page 2 of this thread and it's trivially easy to find with a google search but I'll repost here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3470459/
The conclusion:
"At present, weight loss surgery is the most effective and sustainable treatment option for severe obesity as long as the individual is motivated to make the lifestyle changes required."0 -
peter56765 wrote: »peter56765 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »allenpriest wrote: »Why question the plan? Because too many people view this as a quick fix and easy answer. It is neither. And if you don't make the necessary changes in lifestyle the weight will come back and you end up far worse off.
And the rest of us view it as an unneccesary, hard and dangerous answer. You still have to do the things everybody else have to do to lose weight - eat less, move more. But in addition you'll have a crippled stomach and intestines, life long malabsorbtions, and you can never eat your favorite foods again, and never a normal adult sized meal, without risking pain and vomiting.
I have started calling this operation "barbaric surgery".
And yet the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method. Most people who try to lose weight "the normal way" fail. Surgery should not be anyone's first resort but if repeated attempts at weight loss have not been successful, surgery is better than continuing the yo-yo cycle of losing and regaining - never mind the negative effects this has on your mental health too.
Nobody said that people can't keep the weight off after surgery. One person that I've seen so far said she's kep her weight off.
Please back up your assertion with peer reviewed research.
I posted up stream of four women (my sister in law and her three sisters) who were not successful with keeping the weight off after gastric bypass, and that's in real life.
It's on page 2 of this thread and it's trivially easy to find with a google search but I'll repost here:the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3470459/
The conclusion:
"At present, weight loss surgery is the most effective and sustainable treatment option for severe obesity as long as the individual is motivated to make the lifestyle changes required."
Thank you, I saw your link later on when I figured out the conversation was started last month. However, you say this:the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method
When in fact that is not what the conclusion says at all:At present, weight loss surgery is the most effective and sustainable treatment option for severe obesity as long as the individual is motivated to make the lifestyle changes required
Therefore, the motivation to eat at a calorie deficit to lose, and to eat at maintenance to maintain weight, are the actual requirements.
@jgnatca is one of those people who has been motivated to make lifestyle changes, which is why she's so successful. However, it has been my perception she's more the exception than the rule.0 -
MamaMollyT, I am off all prescription medications, have lost a buttload of weight and kept it off, my blood pressure is in normal range, my cholesterol is in normal range, and my diabetes is in remission. I have regained my mobility and I now regularly sign up for runs. I am one of the success stories from bariatric surgery, and I am not alone.0
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@jgnatca is one of those people who has been motivated to make lifestyle changes, which is why she's so successful. However, it has been my perception she's more the exception than the rule.
This is where the (vocal) internet gives skewed results. The success rate is more like 45% of post-bariatric patients are successful over the long term. And most experience years of improved health outcomes.
I was entered in to a program here in Canada that works hard to improve outcomes by providing the counselling and education to assure success. Patients who may be poor candidates are screened from the program.0 -
MamaMollyT, I am off all prescription medications, have lost a buttload of weight and kept it off, my blood pressure is in normal range, my cholesterol is in normal range, and my diabetes is in remission. I have regained my mobility and I now regularly sign up for runs. I am one of the success stories from bariatric surgery, and I am not alone.
But, would you say you are more an exception than a rule? That's my perception, anyway.0 -
peter56765 wrote: »peter56765 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »allenpriest wrote: »Why question the plan? Because too many people view this as a quick fix and easy answer. It is neither. And if you don't make the necessary changes in lifestyle the weight will come back and you end up far worse off.
And the rest of us view it as an unneccesary, hard and dangerous answer. You still have to do the things everybody else have to do to lose weight - eat less, move more. But in addition you'll have a crippled stomach and intestines, life long malabsorbtions, and you can never eat your favorite foods again, and never a normal adult sized meal, without risking pain and vomiting.
I have started calling this operation "barbaric surgery".
And yet the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method. Most people who try to lose weight "the normal way" fail. Surgery should not be anyone's first resort but if repeated attempts at weight loss have not been successful, surgery is better than continuing the yo-yo cycle of losing and regaining - never mind the negative effects this has on your mental health too.
Nobody said that people can't keep the weight off after surgery. One person that I've seen so far said she's kep her weight off.
Please back up your assertion with peer reviewed research.
I posted up stream of four women (my sister in law and her three sisters) who were not successful with keeping the weight off after gastric bypass, and that's in real life.
It's on page 2 of this thread and it's trivially easy to find with a google search but I'll repost here:the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3470459/
The conclusion:
"At present, weight loss surgery is the most effective and sustainable treatment option for severe obesity as long as the individual is motivated to make the lifestyle changes required."
Thank you, I saw your link later on when I figured out the conversation was started last month. However, you say this:the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method
When in fact that is not what the conclusion says at all:At present, weight loss surgery is the most effective and sustainable treatment option for severe obesity as long as the individual is motivated to make the lifestyle changes required
Therefore, the motivation to eat at a calorie deficit to lose, and to eat at maintenance to maintain weight, are the actual requirements.
No. It's the combination of the weight loss surgery with the lifestyle change that has proved more successful than anything else. Everyone who starts any diet is motivated to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight but more people are successful at maintaining the required lifestyle if they've also had surgery. Those are the findings. It's not hard to imagine why this is so. As others upthread have noticed, you will become physically sick if you overeat after surgery. That's a powerful motivating tool, albeit a pretty harsh one. In contrast, without surgery, you only get the pleasure that comes from overeating, and then are stuck with the guilt afterwards.
Edit: I am editing this post to add that I have not had weight loss surgery so I really have no dog in this fight. As humans, we'd like to think that we are not slaves to our instincts like overeating when excess food is available (a very valuable instinct for our ancestors), but the truth is that our rational mind does not always win the battle. But it also means we can be responsive to negative stimuli like when you pull on your dog's collar to make him heel. That's what weight loss surgery is and yes, it's pretty draconian. But we need solutions that address the reality of who we are, not the ideal that we wish we all were.0 -
@SLLRunner , the hard statistics say I'm the "rule". There are indeed surgery failures, and they can be horrible and visible. That's what people see. Many women in my post-bariatric support group don't tell many people they underwent the surgery, as there are people who won't understand. It's a major decision, with a great deal of work to qualify, wait for surgery (Canada has waiting lists; eighteen months after qualifying), and then work to recover. After all that, who would want a random stranger to blurt that they took the "easy way out"?0
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GaleHawkins wrote: »Hey everyone im having gastric bypass a month from Friday... eek im wondering if anyone else here has had it or planning to do it... im starting my own diet for the next 2 week's.. not going crazy with it but going to eat pretty healthy. Then after two weeks i start my pre op diet.. oh boy... just looking for advice or friends
@rny91415 I looked for a post surgery update. If I missed it in this thread I am sorry but I am wishing you success.
I wrote to her, wished her well, and asked her to come back and update us.
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peter56765 wrote: »peter56765 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »allenpriest wrote: »Why question the plan? Because too many people view this as a quick fix and easy answer. It is neither. And if you don't make the necessary changes in lifestyle the weight will come back and you end up far worse off.
And the rest of us view it as an unneccesary, hard and dangerous answer. You still have to do the things everybody else have to do to lose weight - eat less, move more. But in addition you'll have a crippled stomach and intestines, life long malabsorbtions, and you can never eat your favorite foods again, and never a normal adult sized meal, without risking pain and vomiting.
I have started calling this operation "barbaric surgery".
And yet the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method. Most people who try to lose weight "the normal way" fail. Surgery should not be anyone's first resort but if repeated attempts at weight loss have not been successful, surgery is better than continuing the yo-yo cycle of losing and regaining - never mind the negative effects this has on your mental health too.
Nobody said that people can't keep the weight off after surgery. One person that I've seen so far said she's kep her weight off.
Please back up your assertion with peer reviewed research.
I posted up stream of four women (my sister in law and her three sisters) who were not successful with keeping the weight off after gastric bypass, and that's in real life.
It's on page 2 of this thread and it's trivially easy to find with a google search but I'll repost here:the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3470459/
The conclusion:
"At present, weight loss surgery is the most effective and sustainable treatment option for severe obesity as long as the individual is motivated to make the lifestyle changes required."
Thank you, I saw your link later on when I figured out the conversation was started last month. However, you say this:the fact still remains that more people are successful keeping weight off with bariatric surgery than any other method
When in fact that is not what the conclusion says at all:At present, weight loss surgery is the most effective and sustainable treatment option for severe obesity as long as the individual is motivated to make the lifestyle changes required
Therefore, the motivation to eat at a calorie deficit to lose, and to eat at maintenance to maintain weight, are the actual requirements.
@jgnatca is one of those people who has been motivated to make lifestyle changes, which is why she's so successful. However, it has been my perception she's more the exception than the rule.
This end part is the big misconception here. It is NOT the case that people who lose weight with weight loss surgery would still be able to do so if they are willing to "eat at a calorie deficit to lose, and to eat at maintenance to maintain weight" without surgery. The whole point is that there are people for whom obesity is a life long problem - often starting at a very young age - and for whom traditional calorie in/calorie out management DOES NOT WORK. However, these same people are fully capable of the willpower they are so horribly castigated for supposedly failing to employ once their body starts working with them rather than against them. The myth that obese people are just all lazy or insufficiently motivated to "do what it takes" is a dangerous one that keeps people from getting the help that they need and in general allows society to shame obese people and add to the already significant obstacles they face. The fact that people would need to deal with that level of shame and moralism on a weight loss support thread is rather horrifying to me. I understand people on these boards work really, really hard to take off weight and that can lead to the belief that if only other people worked as hard as them they could do it too - and that they can come to resent people they see as evading the hard work they've put in. But such feelings should be recognized for the personal issues of the people who have them - not as scientific fact. They are based on ignorance and one's own insecurity - understandable perhaps, but better kept to one's self and understood to be feelings that should be battled and overcome not confidently indulged.0 -
I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
So much judgment in this post, which is clearly based on opinion. I can say from experience, bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. I lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, as I said in previous posts. Yes, you do have to make commitments, yes you do have to make lifestyle changes, but just because you personally know people who failed to be successful does not make bariatric surgery a bad thing. I have never vomited or gotten sick from eating, I take fewer pills than before because my health is so much better, and if I can't eat three slices of pizza in one sitting, that's fine, I have done that a lot in my past and it didn't feel any better than when I get full now. Enjoy your pizza, but save your judgment.0 -
MamaMollyT wrote: »This surgery causes a host of health problems and won't change the underlying problem. I hate to see that happen to you.
Can you be specific? What kinds of health problems? What is this comment based on? I'm curious because in the two years since I have had surgery, I have had decreased health problems and no surgery related health problems.0 -
I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
So much judgment in this post, which is clearly based on opinion. I can say from experience, bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. I lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, as I said in previous posts. Yes, you do have to make commitments, yes you do have to make lifestyle changes, but just because you personally know people who failed to be successful does not make bariatric surgery a bad thing. I have never vomited or gotten sick from eating, I take fewer pills than before because my health is so much better, and if I can't eat three slices of pizza in one sitting, that's fine, I have done that a lot in my past and it didn't feel any better than when I get full now. Enjoy your pizza, but save your judgment.
Wish I could love this like 1,000 times.0 -
newyorkcitymom wrote: »
.... It is NOT the case that people who lose weight with weight loss surgery would still be able to do so if they are willing to "eat at a calorie deficit to lose, and to eat at maintenance to maintain weight" without surgery....The whole point is that there are people for whom obesity is a life long problem - often starting at a very young age - and for whom traditional calorie in/calorie out management DOES NOT WORK....
Sorry, I think most here will disagree with this. This is the fundamental principle of this site. For myself, and I will guess for most of us, continued success at weight loss and maintenance is when I realised I wasn't special, I was obese because of the choices I made.
What is your basis for this?
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I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
So much judgment in this post, which is clearly based on opinion. I can say from experience, bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. I lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, as I said in previous posts. Yes, you do have to make commitments, yes you do have to make lifestyle changes, but just because you personally know people who failed to be successful does not make bariatric surgery a bad thing. I have never vomited or gotten sick from eating, I take fewer pills than before because my health is so much better, and if I can't eat three slices of pizza in one sitting, that's fine, I have done that a lot in my past and it didn't feel any better than when I get full now. Enjoy your pizza, but save your judgment.
I cannot roll my eyes hard enough when people say that bariatric surgery is not the easy way out.
The weight loss will result from the same method as it would have before the surgery-- the same way that it works for everybody else (essentially CICO). After this surgery, it is completely possible to not alter one's lifestyle and still lose weight.
Why would one considering the surgery not just make the lifestyle changes and commitments that they will ultimately still have to make and forgo the surgery? Because it is much easier for somebody with weight/food issues to go through surgery and have their stomach reduced so that they cannot physically overeat than to tackle their relationship with food. I understand that there is recovery and pain, etc., but to somebody who has yo-yo'ed on that scale for years, for somebody who has a warped relationship with food, for somebody who is just tired of being tired, for somebody who has been discouraged with the number on that scale over and over again, it seems much easier to go through the physical discomfort of a surgery than the emotional and mental discomfort of tackling your relationship with food and putting forth effort and commitment in that aspect as well.
Sure, you can be successful after the surgery. Sure, you may start eating well and exercising , etc., but a large part of that is due to the fact that there are almost immediate results from this surgery. I'm sure that if I spent the money on a surgery and initially saw myself drop a significant amount of weight, it would be a lot easier to stay encouraged. On top of that, even if I did have a bad day, I couldn't even go to the kitchen and binge on cookies.
It's just so messed up.
Additionally, I am not forming my opinions of bariatic surgery based on the results of a couple of people I know- they were just used as an example. My education on this subject is not lacking (due to my background, not because I have ever considered this procedure for myself)0 -
newyorkcitymom wrote: »
.... It is NOT the case that people who lose weight with weight loss surgery would still be able to do so if they are willing to "eat at a calorie deficit to lose, and to eat at maintenance to maintain weight" without surgery....The whole point is that there are people for whom obesity is a life long problem - often starting at a very young age - and for whom traditional calorie in/calorie out management DOES NOT WORK....
Sorry, I think most here will disagree with this. This is the fundamental principle of this site. For myself, and I will guess for most of us, continued success at weight loss and maintenance is when I realised I wasn't special, I was obese because of the choices I made.
What is your basis for this?
I don't think there is necessarily a fundamental principle of this site, maybe a popular principle or two, but I always felt this site promoted choice and helping people decide what is best for them. Not everyone is the same, and not everything will be effective for everyone. Anything anyone offers here is personal opinion which is sometimes based on experience, sometimes not. I agree that I became obese by the choices I made. I also made the choice to include the tool of weight loss surgery in my life to help me be and stay successful. As individuals, we need to make the best personal choices. I stand by my choices and I am reaping the benefits of a healthy life now.0 -
I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
So much judgment in this post, which is clearly based on opinion. I can say from experience, bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. I lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, as I said in previous posts. Yes, you do have to make commitments, yes you do have to make lifestyle changes, but just because you personally know people who failed to be successful does not make bariatric surgery a bad thing. I have never vomited or gotten sick from eating, I take fewer pills than before because my health is so much better, and if I can't eat three slices of pizza in one sitting, that's fine, I have done that a lot in my past and it didn't feel any better than when I get full now. Enjoy your pizza, but save your judgment.
I cannot roll my eyes hard enough when people say that bariatric surgery is not the easy way out.
The weight loss will result from the same method as it would have before the surgery-- the same way that it works for everybody else (essentially CICO). After this surgery, it is completely possible to not alter one's lifestyle and still lose weight.
Why would one considering the surgery not just make the lifestyle changes and commitments that they will ultimately still have to make and forgo the surgery? Because it is much easier for somebody with weight/food issues to go through surgery and have their stomach reduced so that they cannot physically overeat than to tackle their relationship with food. I understand that there is recovery and pain, etc., but to somebody who has yo-yo'ed on that scale for years, for somebody who has a warped relationship with food, for somebody who is just tired of being tired, for somebody who has been discouraged with the number on that scale over and over again, it seems much easier to go through the physical discomfort of a surgery than the emotional and mental discomfort of tackling your relationship with food and putting forth effort and commitment in that aspect as well.
Sure, you can be successful after the surgery. Sure, you may start eating well and exercising , etc., but a large part of that is due to the fact that there are almost immediate results from this surgery. I'm sure that if I spent the money on a surgery and initially saw myself drop a significant amount of weight, it would be a lot easier to stay encouraged. On top of that, even if I did have a bad day, I couldn't even go to the kitchen and binge on cookies.
It's just so messed up.
Additionally, I am not forming my opinions of bariatic surgery based on the results of a couple of people I know- they were just used as an example. My education on this subject is not lacking (due to my background, not because I have ever considered this procedure for myself)
Unless you are in the position of someone who is considering surgery and/or part of their team (yes it's a team if done properly), your opinion is biased on some level. That's a fact. You can't understand a mindset that you have not experienced, no matter what your background is, not to mention experiencing the physical and emotional effects of morbid obesity. If you base things on whether or not you can eat three pieces of pizza or binge on cookies if you want to, that's pretty messed up in itself. You are entitled to your opinion, I am entitled to disagree, but if you do have any type of education or "background" as you put it, you should open your mind a bit and understand that not everything or every way of approaching a situation is right for everyone. I am assuming your "background" is in nursing of some sort? If so, you might want to consider re-reading the chapter on compassion, understanding, and bedside manner.
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@SLLRunner , the hard statistics say I'm the "rule". There are indeed surgery failures, and they can be horrible and visible. That's what people see. Many women in my post-bariatric support group don't tell many people they underwent the surgery, as there are people who won't understand. It's a major decision, with a great deal of work to qualify, wait for surgery (Canada has waiting lists; eighteen months after qualifying), and then work to recover. After all that, who would want a random stranger to blurt that they took the "easy way out"?
That's a powerful statistic @jgnatca. Especially in light of the research that says that only 20% of people who lose a substantial amount of weight through diet and exercise keep it off a year or more.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16002825
Everyone needs help sometimes. I see nothing wrong with WLS. It is a personal decision. No one should belittle anyone else for it.0 -
People here are astounding. CICO is indeed a fundamental principle - one that has worked quite cleanly (if not without effort) for me personally. But people's bodies are complex organisms affected by a range of factors and will react differently. For example, people who have always been extremely obese my have a glitch in their "calories out" mechanism where their body is able to achieve homeostasis on much Lower calories. There are all sorts of things we don't know exactly. We can understand and work with the General principle while understanding how much variation there can be. Take a look at the people who eat 2,000 calories each day and lose weight while people at the same weight/height eat 1,200 to lose. Clearly there are differences that are influenced by genetics, life circumstances, body shape, etc. The vast, vast majority of people who lose weight through exerciser and nutrition gain it back and then some. That is the reality. And they are not all a bunch of uncontrolled, unmotivated people who don't know how to use a good scale. The majority of people who have weight loss surgery keep the weight off over the long term and significantly improve their health and lives. It is not a decision that should be taken lightly and should be a last resort because it does permanently alter your consumption patterns (high fat, high sugar are pretty much out for life), but it is a valid and potentially life transforming option that people should not be shamed for taking.0
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To all the ones on this post who are just saying negative things you can leave... i am doing this for me. Yes it is a long a hard road basically im starting out eating as if i was a baby learning tp eat again and having a healthy relationship with food. I do plan on seeing a therapist and possibly a nutritionist after. I have known a lot of people with success but also a lot with regain. This is a TOOL not a fix. Im excited but nervous as this is my first surgery. And i am not a child i have done so much research and planning it would makd your head spin. And to the others giving great advice and support thank you
My best friend had the surgery. She had problems with her knees, and that made working out very difficult, and so for her it was a good option to help get her weight down to a point where she could be more active. She had tried for many years to lose weight, and lost 40 lbs on her own, but stalled there. She was required to see a therapist for a number of reasons before her surgery, to make sure she was mentally prepared for the procedure and lifestyle change, and for some of the negative feelings long term friends may have as you lose weight etc. you should see a nutritionist as well, my friend did and it made a big difference. She totally changed how she eats, lost 120 lbs and she has kept the weight off for years now, and just finished running a 5k the other day, so for some it can be a great tool, but I think it is a part of a packaged deal that comes with seeing a weight loss specialist, a nutritionist and a therapist so that you have the proper support and tools to really make this work for you.
Best of luck to you!
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