Gastric bypass at 20 years old

champion818

As of recent , I have been doing allot of research and looking into medical intervention for assistance in my weight loss such as either a gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. I never thought that at 20 years old I would have to think about getting weight loss surgery but unfortunately I feel as if my life has gone to that point , and let me explain why ..

My whole entire life I have been overweight. I do not remember a time in my life where I hadn't been a little chunky here or there. As time progressed through out my life and I creeped into my late teen, I just kept gaining weight like there was no tomorrow.

My time line of weight goes as following

Jan 2016 - 245 pounds “ 17 years old “

Dec 2016 - 217 pounds “ 18 years old “

( My 19th year was a blur )

Current day - 300 pounds and 20 years

Over the course of a year and a couple months I managed to almost gain a 100 pounds! The saddest thing is that I did not notice how much weight I had gained until I stepped on the scale and saw that 3 in the front instead of that normal 2 I was accustomed to seeing . It honestly terrifies me to know I hit the 300’s at 20 years old because I still have many years left to my life , and I can not afford to gain any more weight . My body can not handle it.

I hold myself accountable to everything I do in life. I know that my weight is due to my unhealthy eating habits. For example, I gain weight from my bad habit of eating high volumes of food and choosing terrible options . A normal person may have 1 burger a month or week . But in my unhealthy, I end up eating 5 burgers in 1 day , which is beyond terrible . I can stop eating bad foods and work out and loose some weight here and there; I have done that many times ! Just last year I lost 25 pounds and regained 40 more ! So it’s not a matter if I am capable of loosing , it’s that I can’t keep it off due to my insane hunger and desire for food .

So on to the reason why I wrote this .....

I have done research and saw that a Gastric Bypass is a very good and effective way to manage weight and keep it off . Of course with a procedure that major it comes with the cons and responsibility, but I am willing to endure them if that means I can be healthy . I feel like my body is giving up, my knees hurt , I can’t sleep properly, walk to my lectures , and my heart sometimes is tense .

Does anyone have any advice or guidance for me ? I am lost and nobody in my life is as a overweight as me and doesn’t understand the pain I go through .
My body information

Height - 5’9

Weight - 300

BMI - 44

Calories a day for 2/pound loss per week - 1,700

kommodevaran

I would work on eating habits and relationship with food, self-image and toughening up, possibly get counseling, not get my body slashed open and my stomach stapled.

d090882

I would say - 1. Follow a good routine - stick to it. 2. Pick up a job/ volunteer at a local red cross store. 3. Pay a good looking model (opposite sex) to go for a walk with you every month at a popular spot or city. See how people observe you. This will give you motivation.

champion818

That is my current body at 300 pounds ... my weight is fortunately distributed everywhere on my body although my hips are my trouble area .

livingleanlivingclean

kommodevaran wrote: »

I would work on eating habits and relationship with food, self-image and toughening up, possibly get counseling, not get my body slashed open and my stomach stapled.

I second this.

como_agua

for me personally, i've found the ketogenic diet to be a huge help for me. the sugar cravings stopped. i'm medium carb now and, sure now and then i'll have an icecream, but i certainly don't eat everything i want like i used to. a lot of people who were pre diabetic and overweight have found success on keto. there's lots of testimonials about this but also a lot of controversy in some areas too. i'm just saying what worked for me.

perhaps your carb intake is contributing to your constant hunger. this seems to be many people's issue. carb binging is a terrible cycle - i know it first hand. when i started to eat proper fats, proteins, green vegetables and low sugar fruits like blueberries, and very little processed food, i started to feel more satiated. drink lots of water and get moving - you'll start feeling better. i would NOT get a gastric bypass. if you're saying you're taking accountability for your actions, make the move TODAY to start afresh if you're serious about your health.

as someone who's always lived a healthy life and NOW has stage four lymphoma - i URGE you to get help immediately. there's great support online here - youtube channels that are very inspirational, and also in real life. join a gym and just get moving on a treadmill/recumbent bike. don't let your knees bring you down. see your doctor for some guidance about your knees and heart so you can get a proper regimen going for exercise.

i've seen some very overweight people at the gym where i go and i'm happy for them they're making a commitment to their life. you're very young - you've got a lot of life to live! we're all on the same path to feeling better about ourselves! good luck to you

Febeliene

I know 2 people who had a gastric bypass. One of them went in to a coma for 2 weeks and surgery failed. She's just as heavy as she was before. The other one is really skinny and just can't eat healthy things anymore. So vegetables and fruit won't stay in, biscuits and chocolate will.
I would not take the risks and try to loose the weight with a healthy lifestyle instead of surgery.

(not a native speaker ;-) )

sugaraddict4321

You know you can lose weight when you commit to it, so I'd say don't seriously consider surgery yet. Most of the time you have to go through counseling and lose X amount first before you can have the surgery. If you can lose X on your own, there's no reason why you can't lose it all on your own.

Try not to think of it as needing to get all the extra weight off immediately. What small changes to your diet and exercise routine can you make now and stick with? You want to focus on sustainable changes, not quick fixes or gimmicks.

The first thing I recommend is to start logging everything you eat and drink right here on MFP. Weigh the solids in grams and measure the liquids in milliliters. After two weeks of logging, you can see how much you're currently consuming and figure out where to make changes. Sometimes the simple act of logging makes us more conscious of what we're eating and we make better choices.

At 300 pounds it's not unreasonable to try for 2 pounds a week, but you may find it easier to start with a smaller goal so you don't feel deprived and can work in the changes gradually.

Best wishes, you can do this! :flowerforyou:

tk2222

It really seems like you're a long way from needing to start thinking about surgery. You're way too young, and not nearly heavy enough, to be taking that seriously before you've given a serious shot to the good old diet-and-exercise approach. Surgery has serious, serious risks and also won't help unless you've got your food habits under control before hand.

You lost an impressive amount back in 2016, and then had a bad year. It happens. Try to understand what happened there - the underlying causes, your feeling, what happened in your life and why you took it the way you did, maybe with therapy, maybe just with some good friends.

Track your food, work out in ways you enjoy, take as much time as you need. The results will be worth it.

Don't get surgery.

Don't pay a model to walk around with you.

jgnatca

I know a woman about your age who was morbidly obese and chose surgery to help her. Being able to lose significant weight has been a game changer for her.

By the way, most stomach surgeries these days don’t slash your body open. Mine was laparoscopic. Three one inch incisions.

The bypass comes with known side effects including malabsorption of certain vitamins. If you plan on ever having children the sleeve may be better.

Along with considering surgery I suggest time with an experienced counsellor to change your relationship with food. In my group therapy class I was given all sorts of tips including analyzing the hunger (is it mindless, craving, or true hunger)? Here’s two tips:
- when overcome with the feeling, tell yourself to wait ten minutes. Then have a controlled portion of the crave. This short circuits the uncontrolled eating and gives you the reassurance you won’t be deprived forever. It also strengthens your self control.
- Visualize a stop sign, hold out your hand, and say “stop” out loud.

Getting surgery before addressing the uncontrolled eating is dangerous as you can do damage to your new stomach (or get very sick) by overstuffing it.

A new habit I have with my new stomach is that I stop when I am full. Actually just a few seconds before I am full. This might mean throwing out the last two bites of my burger. Because consequences.

Priss08

Hey there!

Were the same height and *almost* the same start weight. If I were you I would commit to this place for a while. Count everything, make small sustainable changes. You will, and can, loss this weight. Feel free to add me on here!

MotherTruckerKeto

Champion818 - I had an upright banded gastroplasty (bypass surgery) at 24 years old. I like you weighed in about 300 lbs size 28 & saw no other way out. Fought weight all my life before & believe it or not, since.

Bypass isn’t a cure all, my overall health has taken a hit due to not being able to properly digest anything, am consistently anemic (that is common). You won’t be able to digest meat except when ground up and not much at that. So, getting proteins in will always be a challenge& getting the proper vitamins will be an issue because a pill will just go in and sit in your stomach and cause indigestion because of the lack of stomach acids and proper probiotics in your system.

I did lose a good bit of weight quickly, then it was 2 years of steady small monthly losses that got me to about 180lbs. Not the best way to go about it though.

I also turned back to eating massive amounts of carbs because it’s difficult to eat “whole foods” after a bypass. Carbs are so bad for our bodies.

I’m not saying don’t get a bypass, I’m just letting you know having had one myself for 30 years, it’s not a cure and causes problems unique to bypass patients that are really not pleasant. Mine is not reversible as most of my stomach was removed. Although gastric sleeves are reversible you will gain the weight back as changing your relationship with food is the issue and not the action of eating in itself.

Wishing you the best in your journey!

ashxtasticness

First of all, you look great and I would never guess you were the weight you stated! You are still young enough to work the weight you want to lose off. It's easier when we are younger, and gets harder as we age. Before insurance will consider paying for a weight loss surgery you have to diet and show them you are committed anyhow. I say work on your diet and exercise regimen. Once you start feeling better in general, you will start feeling better about yourself knowing that you are working to achieve the health/body that you want.

Trust me, I know it takes motivation and the appropriate mindset. I have failed numerous times because I just wasn't there mentally, but if you are so concerned that you are considering weight loss surgery, I think you can be strong enough to power through it.

A number doesn't define health. I know people who are morbidly obese and healthier than the average human you would look at and say "Man, they look healthy" It's about how you feel, your lab results etc. You can be of perfect weight and have the cholesterol and blood pressure of someone who has been eating salt covered meats their entire life.

Lastly, I know 3 different people personally that have had weight loss surgery. One lost her weight and has kept it off for almost a year now, one lost the initial large lump sum of weight and didn't follow the diet recommended, gained it right back and is now only about 5 pounds from when she got the surgery in the first place, and the other lost the initial and that's it. It isn't a magic fix all, there are still a lot of guidelines you have to follow and risks associated with it. For health purposes, sometimes I do believe it is necessary to get people in the process of losing once they have failed out of other options or have become too immobile to do basic exercise, but in your case, I say you are young, beautiful and appear to be plenty healthy enough to at least try to do it on your own before deciding on something more serious.

Follow your heart, you know what you are capable of/willing to do. I wish you nothing but luck with whatever you decide to do and if you ever need an ear err uh eye I guess in the case, friend me and I'll be here.

Lounmoun

Whether you have surgery or not, to lose weight and keep it off you will have to change how you eat. Surgery will alter your body permanently but won't magically make you lose weight. It will still take work, time and CICO will still apply.

I'd say really commit to calorie counting and learning how to eat for at least a year or two before going for surgery at your age.
Choose a goal you can stick to not the fastest goal. If you can do 2 lbs a week that is great but If you can stick to 1 lb a week better that will still be around 50 lbs lost in a year. That will be a difference. You have 131 lbs to lose to get to a healthy weight but maybe break it into smaller goals. Come to terms with it taking 2-3 years to lose the weight and learn how to maintain.
Don't go on a very restrictive punishing plan. Stop calling foods bad. You could eat burgers all day and not gain if you did not exceed your calorie goal. You could gain weight overeating large servings of bananas, chicken, brown rice or a smoothie. It is not type of food but the total calories. Learn how to eat more appropriate portion sizes of foods you like.
If you want to volume eat, do it with low calorie foods.
Maybe start with logging everything you normally consume and observe where tbe most calories are coming in and your patterns. Make small sustainable changes like eating more protein and adding more vegetables to your diet, planning meals or prelogging, or eating out less often.

Get on the scale at least once a week. Take body measurements and a progress photo once a month.

You might explore why you eat 5 burgers in a day. Is it emotional eating? Is it a restrict binge cycle? Do you need professional help with the emotional/mental side of your eating and weight?

You may find some of these threads helpful:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10359984/women-menstrual-cycle-weight-and-fitness-matters/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10575000/water-weight-gain-stop-panicking#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10532249/do-you-eat-what-you-want/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10232335/list-of-higher-protein-foods

pepino4535

There is a neat book about "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies" My wife & I purchased that several people we know are either pre-Op or post -Op of Bariatric surgery had recommended. I would like to quote a section from the book the my wife & I felt it was speaking from our hearts. My wife & i have been approved for Bariatric surgery program, and have chosen Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y) procedure -More weight loss than sleeve and banding, lower rate of weight regain. By June 6 we will know when our 1st appointment with the surgeon.

Not the easy way out

The majority of the general public is misinformed about Obesity & weight loss surgery. They still think that severe obesity is a Disease of Willpower; that if you would just eat less, you would loss weight; that somehow you let yourself go. They don't know that it is a disease gene and hormones or that needing to lose pounds is a lot different from needing to lose 100 pounds.

If your obese, you know what you've been through. Most people have no idea what it's like for you to struggle with obesity-how obesity related physical problems have affected your daily life;the mental anguish of being treated differently because of your weight and how this destroys your self-esteem; how obesity interferes with all aspects of your life and the never-ending frustration of trying to overcome it.

They also have no understanding of the countess diets you've tried and that, even though you may have lost some weight on those diets, the weight always returned, sometimes with some unwelcome extra pounds. They don't know that the exercise,commercial weight loss programs,and prescription pills you've tried have failed again and again. They also don't know about the countless hours you've spent researching and investigating this surgery.

You've probably struggled ti get Insurance coverage, undergone all kinds of medical tests,and endured pain, nausea, and other unpleasant side effects from your surgery. The fact that exercise you've had to change your eating habits and exercise routine also are not accounted for having friends, family, and even people who wouldn't talk to you before your surgery treating you differently is also a difficult adjustment. This is all addition to the emotional and psychological changes you're experiencing.

So, the next time someone tells you weight loss surgery is the easy way out, you can tell them exactly how "easy" it is.

You should attend now & after to a Bariatric Surgery support group. This is available & open to anyone who have had, or are preparing for, Bariatric surgery. You can share information about nutrition, activity, stress management, and other issues with a staff person from the program. There is usually no fee to attend.


Good Luck on your journey. We Can Do This!

Lou & Shawna Valerio

pepino4535

You Can Do This!

try2again

I don't really know anything about bariatric surgery, but my impression from your post is that you have a lot of work to do emotionally & psychologically before you should even consider it. Plus, your description of your previous attempts at weight loss suggest you may have approached them in such a way that they were not sustainable. You say you are willing to endure the negative consequences of surgery, but the surgery would only change your stomach capacity, not the psychological factors that are driving you to eat the way you do. That sounds like a truly miserable situation. In the absence of an urgent medical condition, I would think it should be the last resort, and at your age, I'm not sure that can be said yet.

That being said, I know it can be an effective and even necessary tool for some who are fully prepared and receive the necessary support. Obviously, that would be a determination for you and a qualified team of medical professionals to make.

VUA21

When I first started three years ago, I was considering surgery. I was so fed up with being obese... I had a meltdown.

I was told that I needed to lose weight in order for the doctor to approve the surgery as they needed evidence that I could change my eating habits.

So I lost 20lbs.... That's when it startes to click. I postponed my surgery for 2 months to see if I could lose more. I lost about 15lbs. That's when I had my AH-HA moment. I cancelled my surgery and decided to see how much I could keep losing before I got stuck.... Two years later I weighed 180lbs (down from well over 350lbs). I decided to quit dieting for a year and do a body recomp and see if some of my extremely saggy skin would get better. Most of my excess skin is gone, except for my stomach. Now I'm dropping another 20lbs (5lbs down, 15 to go) before my belly flap removal in August.

The best advice I can give you is not not "try" to lose weight, but just to do it. Lose 10lbs, no matter how long it takes, just lose those 10lbs. Then lose another 10lbs, and keep going.

cheryldumais

Your story broke my heart. I never got to 300 pounds but my all time high was 251. I quit weighing after that. I'm only 5'5" tall but I'm also 61 years old. I tried a lapband in my 50's and had nothing but problems with it. I finally had to have it removed. Eventually I started dieting again but threw in the towel on diet programs and built my own. Eventually I came to MFP and am now down to 145 pounds. I am maintaining and feel so much better. I agree that at your age you don't want to gain any more weight it will really shorten your life. I have to say though in your picture you sure don't look that heavy! There are others here who have commented who have experience with the surgery you are considering and they are better suited to comment than I am but I will say one thing I know from my own experience. It is only a tool not a cure all. I know lots of people who had weight loss surgery, lost weight then gained it back. It's a drastic step and if you choose to go that route please remember that you will still have to work hard to lose and maintain. It's only a tool. I can assure you that you CAN do it yourself if you want to go that route and there are lots of folks here who will support your efforts. Either way we are here for you and willing to encourage you as you work on the issue. Good luck.