Gastric Sleeve - Your thoughts and opinions or your very own experience?
Replies
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We all like to think that if it works for us, our way is golden. And it is, for us. Problem is , the only thing that works for EVERYONE that loses weight, is eating less calories than your body burns. So many factors enter in to being successful at weight loss that we have to find, and do, what will work best for each of us. No one knows us better than we know ourselves. This is truly a personal decision and kudos to all that are successful and achieve weight loss, no matter which avenue you have chosen❤️8
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missysippy930 wrote: »We all like to think that if it works for us, our way is golden. And it is, for us. Problem is , the only thing that works for EVERYONE that loses weight, is eating less calories than your body burns. So many factors enter in to being successful at weight loss that we have to find, and do, what will work best for each of us. No one knows us better than we know ourselves. This is truly a personal decision and kudos to all that are successful and achieve weight loss, no matter which avenue you have chosen❤️
Yes, ma'am, I agree with the bold. That is why I mentioned multiple strategies that can be leveraged along with calorie counting, if that is the route OP decides. What we see in general, in most studies, is people who adhere to a dietary strategy, the better the average weight loss and maintenance. Thus why I did not mention a dietary style.3 -
InstepFitness wrote: »Hi! I had a gastric sleeve in Tijuana Mexico! WWW.Weightlossagents.com it's only $3,500 and they have payment plans. Best decision of my life. Diabetes, goodbye is what the doctor told us, no more threats of it and no more chub rub lol!
Regardless of what one thinks of WLS, getting it done in a foreign country where one won't have regular contact with a treatment team when they return home seems unwise. I understand some people choose this option due to limited finances, but it would be my absolute last resort for any type of surgery, especially one that requires lifelong follow up.7 -
janejellyroll wrote: »InstepFitness wrote: »Hi! I had a gastric sleeve in Tijuana Mexico! WWW.Weightlossagents.com it's only $3,500 and they have payment plans. Best decision of my life. Diabetes, goodbye is what the doctor told us, no more threats of it and no more chub rub lol!
Regardless of what one thinks of WLS, getting it done in a foreign country where one won't have regular contact with a treatment team when they return home seems unwise. I understand some people choose this option due to limited finances, but it would be my absolute last resort for any type of surgery, especially one that requires lifelong follow up.
I was fortunate that insurance paid for my surgery, and I am a total bargain shopper, but I would NEVER look for discount surgery, that is frightening!5 -
No_turning_back wrote: »
Its been 2 months since I've allowed any junk in the house. The biggest problem area is work. Weekly potlucks, break room filled with many, many unhealthy choices and our site passes out donuts/pizza etc. several times a month. Most people I work with have gained 20+lbs in the first couple months they work here.
I think you hit it on the nose with the protein. When I look at my pie chart on MFP it's mostly Carb and fat. =(
If you have surgery, or if you don't, your environment will be the same, and you will still have to learn how to navigate around it.3 -
No_turning_back wrote: »Its been 2 months since I've allowed any junk in the house. The biggest problem area is work. Weekly potlucks, break room filled with many, many unhealthy choices and our site passes out donuts/pizza etc. several times a month. Most people I work with have gained 20+lbs in the first couple months they work here.
I think you hit it on the nose with the protein. When I look at my pie chart on MFP it's mostly Carb and fat. =(
If you have surgery, or if you don't, your environment will be the same, and you will still have to learn how to navigate around it.
So let's look at this.
Weekly potlucks. Two (of many) strategies.
a) Weekly potluck day is maintenance eating day. You get to eat your full calories (roughly estimated of course) but not over. Probably your main meal of the day is the potluck. One plate. Smart choices.
b) You make your own food as you would prepare it for your self, only in multiple quantity and you bring it to the potluck as your contribution. Take your eyeballed or pre-portioned percentage of the multiples and eat it as your meal without touching anything else.
Donuts/pizza getting passed along.
You eat ONE donut. That's 250-350 Cal for non-super sized commercial ones. You eat one good sized slice of pizza and whatever other food you bring with you. That's again maybe an extra 200-350 calories. Either you account for it on that day, or that day you're losing about half your deficit. That's ok. You're not on a time-table, you're developing long term food control strategies.
Break room full of unhealthy choices.
Is anyone holding you down forcing you to eat them? Even if they are, do you have to eat more than one? (see above as to the damage made by one).
In terms of weight control the health quotient of your choices matters not. The calories DO. In fact, since the available choices would generally be viewed as unhealthy, you have a perfect excuse as to why you are turning them down in favour of the, presumably healthier, food you brought with you, were anyone to ever ask. Which should be none of their business anyway, even though we all know they will!
However I would be more concerned with INITIALLY making choices that feel to me more satiating for less calories, and only then, once I got my hunger signals under control, would I worry about making sure that my overall diet was generally speaking healthy.
WLS makes you make all the above choices... because you can't fit any of it in the available space, presumably at the cost of negative feedback if you try to make it fit.5 -
WLS makes you make all the above choices... because you can't fit any of it in the available space, presumably at the cost of negative feedback if you try to make it fit.
WLS doesn't make you make ANY choices. You make your own choices, and you choose to deal with the consequences or not. Not all WLS patients have the same reactions to the same foods. That's why a lot of people gain weight back, sometimes calorie dense foods don't cause issues, and even with surgery, you can eat small amounts but lots of calories. Not all WLS patients have the same restriction long term. With gastric bypass, you can stretch out your pouch again and eat larger quantities of food. With the gastric sleeve surgery, there can be a bit of stretching but not to the same extent. I am 6 years out and still have most of the restriction I had the first year. I haven't had any really bad reactions to any foods except fatty cuts of meat, which is more likely due to the fact that I have no gall bladder.
The OP mentioned that she can control her environment at home but not at work, which is true for most of us. We just have to do the math and make our choices coincide.
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janejellyroll wrote: »InstepFitness wrote: »Hi! I had a gastric sleeve in Tijuana Mexico! WWW.Weightlossagents.com it's only $3,500 and they have payment plans. Best decision of my life. Diabetes, goodbye is what the doctor told us, no more threats of it and no more chub rub lol!
Regardless of what one thinks of WLS, getting it done in a foreign country where one won't have regular contact with a treatment team when they return home seems unwise. I understand some people choose this option due to limited finances, but it would be my absolute last resort for any type of surgery, especially one that requires lifelong follow up.
This is an important point. My surgery was in Mexico and that factor alone likely is why I had so many issues. Not that they didn’t do a good job but In the city where I live only one doctor would do fills and unfills for patients who went out of country for surgery. I had gone to Mexico to meet a friend and got a fill but unfortunately on the way down I got food poisoning. The clinic while very professional and clean decided unwisely that once my stomach settled they could do the fill. This resulted in an overfill. When I got home I couldn’t get any out for three days because my doc was out of town for that length of time. By the time he got back and emptied it I was already in trouble. Ultimately I had the lapband removed and I still believe that’s what caused my issues. I will honestly say however that it likely would never have worked for me because my issue wasn’t volume of food but rather the types of food I was eating. The band didn’t stop me from eating very refined high calorie items which was the bulk of my diet back then. Everyone is different. This was just my experience.4 -
No_turning_back wrote: »Its been 2 months since I've allowed any junk in the house. The biggest problem area is work. Weekly potlucks, break room filled with many, many unhealthy choices and our site passes out donuts/pizza etc. several times a month. Most people I work with have gained 20+lbs in the first couple months they work here.
I think you hit it on the nose with the protein. When I look at my pie chart on MFP it's mostly Carb and fat. =(
If you have surgery, or if you don't, your environment will be the same, and you will still have to learn how to navigate around it.
So let's look at this.
Weekly potlucks. Two (of many) strategies.
a) Weekly potluck day is maintenance eating day. You get to eat your full calories (roughly estimated of course) but not over. Probably your main meal of the day is the potluck. One plate. Smart choices.
b) You make your own food as you would prepare it for your self, only in multiple quantity and you bring it to the potluck as your contribution. Take your eyeballed or pre-portioned percentage of the multiples and eat it as your meal without touching anything else.
Donuts/pizza getting passed along.
You eat ONE donut. That's 250-350 Cal for non-super sized commercial ones. You eat one good sized slice of pizza and whatever other food you bring with you. That's again maybe an extra 200-350 calories. Either you account for it on that day, or that day you're losing about half your deficit. That's ok. You're not on a time-table, you're developing long term food control strategies.
Break room full of unhealthy choices.
Is anyone holding you down forcing you to eat them? Even if they are, do you have to eat more than one? (see above as to the damage made by one).
In terms of weight control the health quotient of your choices matters not. The calories DO. In fact, since the available choices would generally be viewed as unhealthy, you have a perfect excuse as to why you are turning them down in favour of the, presumably healthier, food you brought with you, were anyone to ever ask. Which should be none of their business anyway, even though we all know they will!
However I would be more concerned with INITIALLY making choices that feel to me more satiating for less calories, and only then, once I got my hunger signals under control, would I worry about making sure that my overall diet was generally speaking healthy.
WLS makes you make all the above choices... because you can't fit any of it in the available space, presumably at the cost of negative feedback if you try to make it fit.
Nice @PAV8888 ... I still never fail to learn things from you. Looks like the student still has much to learn from the master.😁kshama2001 wrote: »
ANARCHY ON MFP! HEY HEY!🤟2 -
I was channeling Stephanie @psychod787 : "One special treat a day, PAV8888, does not mean the whole dang sheet of cookies you baked!"psychod787 wrote: »Nice @PAV8888 ... I still never fail to learn things from you. Looks like the student still has much to learn from the master.😁
Hey: my mental hamsters are rebels without a clue! Thus they demand to see red more than green, making me adjust my goals behind their back so that I can get the results I want, while they get to believe they're special snowflakes!"psychod787 wrote:
ANARCHY ON MFP! HEY HEY!🤟kshama2001 wrote: »Internally imposed rules are reasonable and logical but no thanks to silly externally imposed rules
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I'll fully admit that I'm entirely confused by WLS in circumstances outside of someone who is at immediate risk of death. I can understand in those extreme circumstances that surgery might be required in order to stave off the peril and extend that persons life sufficiently in order to lose the weight "naturally"
Everything I hear and read about it just makes me question why it's necessary outside of extreme cases?
People talking about how they had to eat sensibly and lose a certain amount of weight before they get clearance for the surgery. Then I think, well, skip the surgery and continue to do what you're doing and keep losing weight.
People talk about how post surgery you still have to watch what you eat anyway and if you don't you'll gain the eight back, and I think then why bother with the surgery then and just watch what you eat?
I also wonder if it's just treating a symptom rather than the cause. That WLS does nothing to address any psychological, emotional or habitual issues that caused the weight gain to begin with so post surgery the weight will come back regardless as a result of the same issues. And if you need to see a psychologist/therapist to address those issues prior to getting surgery then, again why go ahead with the surgery?
It's not a judgement of those who chose this route. I'm just thoroughly confused as to why anyone would even consider it. I really just don't get it.8 -
I'll fully admit that I'm entirely confused by WLS in circumstances outside of someone who is at immediate risk of death. I can understand in those extreme circumstances that surgery might be required in order to stave off the peril and extend that persons life sufficiently in order to lose the weight "naturally"
Everything I hear and read about it just makes me question why it's necessary outside of extreme cases?
People talking about how they had to eat sensibly and lose a certain amount of weight before they get clearance for the surgery. Then I think, well, skip the surgery and continue to do what you're doing and keep losing weight.
People talk about how post surgery you still have to watch what you eat anyway and if you don't you'll gain the eight back, and I think then why bother with the surgery then and just watch what you eat?
I also wonder if it's just treating a symptom rather than the cause. That WLS does nothing to address any psychological, emotional or habitual issues that caused the weight gain to begin with so post surgery the weight will come back regardless as a result of the same issues. And if you need to see a psychologist/therapist to address those issues prior to getting surgery then, again why go ahead with the surgery?
It's not a judgement of those who chose this route. I'm just thoroughly confused as to why anyone would even consider it. I really just don't get it.
This seems like a logical conclusion to make, from our own point of view. If you have to do the work anyway, why take the risks with surgery? Perspective and reasoning for someone else is an impossibility. You can’t know someone else’s mind, or their life experiences that led them to choose WLS. Many would never even consider it, but for some, it’s a tool that helps them. I’m all for educating yourself and making informed decisions before attempting possible life altering WLS. Weighing all the pros and cons before taking this route. As with most things, it’s personal choice, and really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It’s not for me for a couple of reasons. My insurance doesn’t cover it, and I’m cheap. More importantly, I know I can do this on my own, I’ve done it before.
I personally feel it doesn’t really matter how weight loss is achieved, as long as you are aware of risks and possible issues that may result from WLS, going into it. Acceptance that people are different, and no judgement from me.2 -
I was looking into it as well I’m 5”4 217. Bit I’m pretty sure we don’t qualify for weight you have to be around a 40 BMI. I’m a 37. And around 300 or more pounds. My issues are I felt it might help me bc it helps take away your hunger feeling or grehlin hormone I think it’s called. I have a very difficult time losing weight bc of pcos I have to do a carb cycling or keto type diet to lose anything and exercise like crazy. Right now I’m pre op for a total hip replacement due to congenital dysplasia and I’m trying to lose as much as possible healthy way but I’m concerned about after I want to keep my replacement long as possible and that means bringing my weight down and keeping it down.1
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I'll fully admit that I'm entirely confused by WLS in circumstances outside of someone who is at immediate risk of death. I can understand in those extreme circumstances that surgery might be required in order to stave off the peril and extend that persons life sufficiently in order to lose the weight "naturally"
Everything I hear and read about it just makes me question why it's necessary outside of extreme cases?
People talking about how they had to eat sensibly and lose a certain amount of weight before they get clearance for the surgery. Then I think, well, skip the surgery and continue to do what you're doing and keep losing weight.
People talk about how post surgery you still have to watch what you eat anyway and if you don't you'll gain the eight back, and I think then why bother with the surgery then and just watch what you eat?
I also wonder if it's just treating a symptom rather than the cause. That WLS does nothing to address any psychological, emotional or habitual issues that caused the weight gain to begin with so post surgery the weight will come back regardless as a result of the same issues. And if you need to see a psychologist/therapist to address those issues prior to getting surgery then, again why go ahead with the surgery?
It's not a judgement of those who chose this route. I'm just thoroughly confused as to why anyone would even consider it. I really just don't get it.
It's really hard to explain to someone who doesn't get it. I have several posts in this thread explaining why I went the route of WLS, even emphasizing addressing the psychological aspects of it. The pre-surgery psych requirements are lacking if you ask me. I think it allows people to slide through the process without them really grasping what they are getting into. I was in therapy on my own, fortunately. Something to know about the mental aspects, even with therapy, those mental blocks and hurdles and mindsets try to creep back in. Why do you think addicts and people with eating disorders relapse??? Your points are idealistic and sensible, but the way you think isn't the same thinking of someone morbidly obese with an eating disorder. It's a continuing battle and having tools to help your for checks and balances can make a huge impact on success. At this point for me, six years out, WLS definitely a tool to help keep me in check, as is my continuing therapy.
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I'll fully admit that I'm entirely confused by WLS in circumstances outside of someone who is at immediate risk of death. I can understand in those extreme circumstances that surgery might be required in order to stave off the peril and extend that persons life sufficiently in order to lose the weight "naturally"
Everything I hear and read about it just makes me question why it's necessary outside of extreme cases?
People talking about how they had to eat sensibly and lose a certain amount of weight before they get clearance for the surgery. Then I think, well, skip the surgery and continue to do what you're doing and keep losing weight.
People talk about how post surgery you still have to watch what you eat anyway and if you don't you'll gain the eight back, and I think then why bother with the surgery then and just watch what you eat?
I also wonder if it's just treating a symptom rather than the cause. That WLS does nothing to address any psychological, emotional or habitual issues that caused the weight gain to begin with so post surgery the weight will come back regardless as a result of the same issues. And if you need to see a psychologist/therapist to address those issues prior to getting surgery then, again why go ahead with the surgery?
It's not a judgement of those who chose this route. I'm just thoroughly confused as to why anyone would even consider it. I really just don't get it.
It's really hard to explain to someone who doesn't get it. I have several posts in this thread explaining why I went the route of WLS, even emphasizing addressing the psychological aspects of it. The pre-surgery psych requirements are lacking if you ask me. I think it allows people to slide through the process without them really grasping what they are getting into. I was in therapy on my own, fortunately. Something to know about the mental aspects, even with therapy, those mental blocks and hurdles and mindsets try to creep back in. Why do you think addicts and people with eating disorders relapse??? Your points are idealistic and sensible, but the way you think isn't the same thinking of someone morbidly obese with an eating disorder. It's a continuing battle and having tools to help your for checks and balances can make a huge impact on success. At this point for me, six years out, WLS definitely a tool to help keep me in check, as is my continuing therapy.
For me, the use case you describe, comes just a tiny step below I'm having surgery because I'm about to die. You're essentially having the surgery as an aid in resolving health symptoms, not solely to lose weight.
The amount of people who have WLS but no intensive counselling or therapy seems disproportionately prevalent to me.
As I've said a few times before, I haven't met too many people who are morbidly obese, myself included, where at least some aspects of the situation could not be traced to detrimental thought processes and actions.
One of the issues I bring up many times when I'm arguing for reasonable weight loss rates, is that during weight loss, there is at least some amount of introspection andv self work that needs to be done on the mental front to address some of these issues.
Otherwise the chance of achieving long-term maintenance is vanishingly small.
And this work, especially if done without outside professional support, as is the case with most of us on mfp, tends to take an appreciable amount of time.
As mentioned, I'm under the impression, that there is a lot more "your risk of diabetes and chub rub will go away" marketing, and perhaps less "you need to work on your own thought processes and issues and only then will we talk about surgery, if we all still believe that it would be beneficial."4 -
I'll fully admit that I'm entirely confused by WLS in circumstances outside of someone who is at immediate risk of death. I can understand in those extreme circumstances that surgery might be required in order to stave off the peril and extend that persons life sufficiently in order to lose the weight "naturally"
Everything I hear and read about it just makes me question why it's necessary outside of extreme cases?
People talking about how they had to eat sensibly and lose a certain amount of weight before they get clearance for the surgery. Then I think, well, skip the surgery and continue to do what you're doing and keep losing weight.
People talk about how post surgery you still have to watch what you eat anyway and if you don't you'll gain the eight back, and I think then why bother with the surgery then and just watch what you eat?
I also wonder if it's just treating a symptom rather than the cause. That WLS does nothing to address any psychological, emotional or habitual issues that caused the weight gain to begin with so post surgery the weight will come back regardless as a result of the same issues. And if you need to see a psychologist/therapist to address those issues prior to getting surgery then, again why go ahead with the surgery?
It's not a judgement of those who chose this route. I'm just thoroughly confused as to why anyone would even consider it. I really just don't get it.
It's really hard to explain to someone who doesn't get it. I have several posts in this thread explaining why I went the route of WLS, even emphasizing addressing the psychological aspects of it. The pre-surgery psych requirements are lacking if you ask me. I think it allows people to slide through the process without them really grasping what they are getting into. I was in therapy on my own, fortunately. Something to know about the mental aspects, even with therapy, those mental blocks and hurdles and mindsets try to creep back in. Why do you think addicts and people with eating disorders relapse??? Your points are idealistic and sensible, but the way you think isn't the same thinking of someone morbidly obese with an eating disorder. It's a continuing battle and having tools to help your for checks and balances can make a huge impact on success. At this point for me, six years out, WLS definitely a tool to help keep me in check, as is my continuing therapy.
For me, the use case you describe, comes just a tiny step below I'm having surgery because I'm about to die. You're essentially having the surgery as an aid in resolving health symptoms, not solely to lose weight.
The amount of people who have WLS but no intensive counselling or therapy seems disproportionately prevalent to me.
As I've said a few times before, I haven't met too many people who are morbidly obese, myself included, where at least some aspects of the situation could not be traced to detrimental thought processes and actions.
One of the issues I bring up many times when I'm arguing for reasonable weight loss rates, is that during weight loss, there is at least some amount of introspection andv self work that needs to be done on the mental front to address some of these issues.
Otherwise the chance of achieving long-term maintenance is vanishingly small.
And this work, especially if done without outside professional support, as is the case with most of us on mfp, tends to take an appreciable amount of time.
As mentioned, I'm under the impression, that there is a lot more "your risk of diabetes and chub rub will go away" marketing, and perhaps less "you need to work on your own thought processes and issues and only then will we talk about surgery, if we all still believe that it would be beneficial."
I agree with you, the amount of self work needed doesn't have enough emphasis during the pre-surgery process, and the absence of this can impair success and maintenance. No matter what method you choose to lose weight, there will be work involved. I also agree with you that the marketing of surgery doesn't address the seriousness of it. People see before-and-after pictures and get sucked in. I might tend to over-think and over-prepare, but I had weekly therapy for over a year before I made the decision to have surgery. Personally, surgery combined with therapy was the right combination. I can't say what's right for anyone else, I've just been sharing my real life experience with it.4 -
I just converted from the lapband to the sleeve on Feb 10, and I can tell you now that I have no regrets. I always felt hungry, hated feeling hungry and it was hard for me to tell myself it wasn’t the end of the world. I was just thinking today how strange it is to not feel hunger. My brother had the same surgery last year and he says he just doesn’t even think about food anymore. I’m looking fwd to this journey. Please private message me if you want to talk.0
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No_turning_back wrote: »A little hunger isn't terrible, but I'm talking about a relentless starving feeling. My snacks have been almonds, peanuts, oranges, strawberries, grapes and recently drinking Sparkling Ice + caffeine, green teas, carbonated water. But even with these I'm left feeling unsatisfied and want sugar. I want chips, I want cookies. Since coming back to MFP I've done pretty good at limiting those "foods." Valentines was hard, shopping for food with cookies and snacks around every corner. I did have a recess pink heart but limited it at one. That was tough.
It is hunger or a craving? You initially talked about “a relentless starving feeling,” but went on to talk about wanting sugar and cookies. If it’s hunger, other things will quell it. Honestly, it sounds more like a craving, which is mental/emotional as opposed to physical.
Maybe think about why those foods satisfy you. In what way do they do that and why? and do they really? Consider talking things over with a licensed counselor.
You’re not alone in craving certain foods. Some folks are good at rationing those favorites. Others aren’t. (Me!) Many of us work with those cravings by finding substitutes with higher nutritional value. I like quest chips and high-protein foods (hot cocoa, pudding, soup—actually made for patients who’ve had bariatric surgery). I also love these little-cal, high-fiber tortillas. High protein plain yogurt. I mix peanut butter powder in it and add some frozen berries. And I LOVE Halo Top ice cream!
You can find your own substitutions. Don’t let anyone think you’re weird. You do you.3 -
No_turning_back wrote: »A little hunger isn't terrible, but I'm talking about a relentless starving feeling. My snacks have been almonds, peanuts, oranges, strawberries, grapes and recently drinking Sparkling Ice + caffeine, green teas, carbonated water. But even with these I'm left feeling unsatisfied and want sugar. I want chips, I want cookies. Since coming back to MFP I've done pretty good at limiting those "foods." Valentines was hard, shopping for food with cookies and snacks around every corner. I did have a recess pink heart but limited it at one. That was tough.
It is hunger or a craving? You initially talked about “a relentless starving feeling,” but went on to talk about wanting sugar and cookies. If it’s hunger, other things will quell it. Honestly, it sounds more like a craving, which is mental/emotional as opposed to physical.
Maybe think about why those foods satisfy you. In what way do they do that and why? and do they really? Consider talking things over with a licensed counselor.
You’re not alone in craving certain foods. Some folks are good at rationing those favorites. Others aren’t. (Me!) Many of us work with those cravings by finding substitutes with higher nutritional value. I like quest chips and high-protein foods (hot cocoa, pudding, soup—actually made for patients who’ve had bariatric surgery). I also love these little-cal, high-fiber tortillas. High protein plain yogurt. I mix peanut butter powder in it and add some frozen berries. And I LOVE Halo Top ice cream!
You can find your own substitutions. Don’t let anyone think you’re weird. You do you.
I think I know what she is talking about. This is more like mental starving, not actual physical starving. It can easily be confused for physical starving. When my meals are mentally unsatisfying, my brain makes me think that I'm hungrier.
When I'm physically starving, I just want that feeling to go away. Snacks and sugar is the last thing to cross my mind. That's how I know I'm actually hungry and make best effort to eat foods that usually satiate me (whether or not that's successful is another story)
When I eat physically satiating meals, but it isn't mentally satisfying, I still feel physical hunger, but my thoughts wander to things I crave but should be eating less often. I know that I have let the "dieting" mentality get to me and I need to make my meals more mentally satisfying even if it means less diet-friendly foods. It's cravings, but not exactly the usual cravings where you just want something. It presents as an unmistakable physical hunger (which can get extreme sometimes) and compulsive food seeking. I know it's all in my head because it goes away as soon as I'm happy with my food and mentally satisfied. Knowing it's all in my head doesn't make it any less physically demanding and mentally draining.
If that's the case, weight loss surgery would present a big issue for those whose brain works like mine. It can feel less mentally satisfying when you are physically unable to eat in a way you enjoy. This means a life of constant hunger. A few people report constant hunger after weight loss surgery, and based on my experience, I suspect this may be a factor.6 -
Try listening to the Weight loss Surgery Podcast with Reeger Cornell. She has Bariatric patients, doctors, other health practitioners, etc. Very informative and educational!3
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https://nutritionfacts.org/
I read this book that talks about how bad the surgery is for you. See the link above.-2 -
BuddhaBunnyFTW wrote: »https://nutritionfacts.org/
I read this book that talks about how bad the surgery is for you. See the link above.
That link has nothing to do with weight loss surgery.2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »BuddhaBunnyFTW wrote: »https://nutritionfacts.org/
I read this book that talks about how bad the surgery is for you. See the link above.
That link has nothing to do with weight loss surgery.
Not to mention it should be renamed to cherrypicked-nutritionfacts-and-grossly-extrapolated-conclusions.org7 -
BuddhaBunnyFTW wrote: »https://nutritionfacts.org/
I read this book that talks about how bad the surgery is for you. See the link above.
Are you going to post this link on every thread?4 -
I had gastric sleeve 9 days ago. This wasn't an easy fix or a quick decision. It was researched and decided with a variety of doctors and determined the best way forward. There's a long history to my weight and it was all examined in detail.
Only a short time out I can't talk about long term. Currently I can barely think about food and am sticking to a nutritional liquids and water.
I think it all comes down to your attitude towards the surgery - for me this is a tool in my weight loss journey, not a solution, it's a reset button for me to figure out what foods best fuel my body and help me live a healthy lifestyle.
And for the record it bloody hurts - the first few days were pure hell and as I consistently said "worse than labour".6 -
Kaylee_law_123 wrote: »I had gastric sleeve 9 days ago. This wasn't an easy fix or a quick decision. It was researched and decided with a variety of doctors and determined the best way forward. There's a long history to my weight and it was all examined in detail.
Only a short time out I can't talk about long term. Currently I can barely think about food and am sticking to a nutritional liquids and water.
I think it all comes down to your attitude towards the surgery - for me this is a tool in my weight loss journey, not a solution, it's a reset button for me to figure out what foods best fuel my body and help me live a healthy lifestyle.
And for the record it bloody hurts - the first few days were pure hell and as I consistently said "worse than labour".
I think this is the key point right there; too many people go into WLS thinking that its a quick fix, but if you don't use it as a way to change your lifestyle and relationship with food, its going to ultimately fail. What I find disturbing is that many of these bariatric clinics don't do enough to get this through to their patients, or at least, the psychological exam required doesn't seem to catch the patients who don't get this.
I know there are some very good clinics and doctors out there who do have a good support team for their patients before and after the surgery, who do stress the lifestyle changes that must be made long term for success, and who are honest with the statistics surrounding WLS, but there are others out there that give this good clinics a bad name and who really come across to me as being in it for the money. My cousin's experience, for example: the clinic she used is supposed to be providing post-op followup care, but 2 years out, and she's stalled and started regaining. But instead of helping her be honest with the dietician and work with them to find a way to halt the regain, the doctor is pushing her for a second surgery. No real investigation into what my cousin is doing to find out why the weight loss stalled and stopped, no working with her to help her get her lifestyle back under control; just a push for more surgery. I've been with her out and I see what she's eating and I can see exactly why she's in this regain phase, but she needs help in understanding the calorie count - not just recording what she eats, but how much of it and the calorie count behind it. She doesn't grasp this, and I consider it a large failure on the part of her doctor and team that she doesn't understand it, and consider it somewhat irresponsible that instead of helping her grasp this concept, they're just pushing her for more surgery.
@Kaylee_law_123 I wish you the best of luck with this! I wish more people who are considering WLS would follow your example in taking the time to thoroughly research the procedure, the success and fail rate long term, what the lifestyle is that is needed followup, and who approach it realistically, opening, and honestly, understanding that its a tool, not a solution in and of itself.
As I've said before, I'm not totally against WLS; I'm just against it as a quick decision, knee-jerk solution without everything being factored in and without intense counseling on the subject. I wish more people would truly and thoroughly vet it out, not just taking the clinic's word for it but read up on the subject in depth before going into the surgery. For some people, it is absolutely the right course and the best decision they'll ever make, but its not just for everyone, and I get irritated at how its pushed as a blanket panacea solution to obesity.2 -
I had the gastric sleeve surgery April 2018. I was 243lbs at 5'4. I am incredibly happy I did it. I wouldn't take it back! I hit a point in my life where I felt so defeated and it was overwhelming knowing how much weight I had to lose. I went from a size 14/16 and I am at a 6 now. I have managed to maintain the weight loss over the last couple years. I've slowly started to find myself going back to old habits being in quarantine so that's why I'm back here. I planned meals out and bought healthy foods to cook at home.
The people here saying it's the easy way out clearly don't have the same struggles as others. Everyone is different. I cannot eat how I used to eat. I cannot eat crap food and just expect to magically stay thin. It doesn't work like that. It takes a lot of hard work, too. I still have to work out.
Bottom line - Can you do it with diet and exercise alone? Absolutely. Surgery certainly isn't the "easy way out", but seeing the weight fall off so quickly put my mindset in a MUCH better place. I never want to go back to how I felt before. I love wearing clothes again and going out with my friends. I can exercise so much easier now without the back pain.
Talk to your doctor. Don't let others influence you to NOT do it solely because they did it naturally. That is great for them, but some people need extra help - myself included.2
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