Interested in Weight loss Surgery

fromfitabigail

Hey Everyone,

I haven't posted here before. I've been on MFP before, but it's never gone well. It's extremely hard to keep going because I always plateau and end up gaining all the weight back because I give up and get depressed.

I've been overweight since I was in kindergarten. I was 130 lbs by the time I was in the 4th grade. Now, I'm sitting at 240 lbs even though I've been eating healthy and going to the gym regularly with my friends. I enjoy it too!

I haven't seen any differences even though I've been eating well the majority of the time. My big problem is portions, but I've seemed to get a hold on that pretty quickly.

I've been looking into weightloss surgery. I live in Ontario, Canada and it is covered by OHIP if it is recommended by a doctor. I don't have a family doctor where I currently am (I'm a college student living away from school) so I don't think I'll be able to do it for a while, but I'm really interested.

If anyone has any stories, or can give me any information on it, that would be awesome since I find a lot of the web to be extremely biased and it would be nice to hear it directly from the horses mouth. Thanks!

Siansonea

How accurately have you logged your calories?

How closely did you stick to your calorie goal?

How accurately did you log your activity level?

How appropriate was your calorie goal and exercise regimen?

How often did you have cheat days?

Were there any foods, beverages, or condiments that you didn't factor into your recordkeeping because you thought the amounts were negligible?

You've got to work the numbers. Unless you have an underlying medical condition, which you would find out about if you consult a bariatric surgeon, all you have to do is work the numbers. Really, that's what bariatric surgery does, it reduces the volume of your stomach so that you are mechanically forced to reduce your caloric intake. You can save yourself a lot of pain by doing that yourself, without surgery. Find out what your weight loss calorie goal is, track your calories, and stop eating when you reach that number each day. You'll lose weight, slowly but surely.

Bariatric surgery is a court of last resort, if what you were doing before wasn't working, you need to find out WHY. More often than not, people's failure to lose weight is a simple math error. They underestimate the number of calories they consume, or they have "cheat days" where they overcompensate for the calories they deprived themselves of earlier in the week, or they overestimate the calories they burn through exercise. People that work out like crazy just so they can eat more calories have the wrong idea too—you should exercise an appropriate amount for your overall fitness goals, not overtax your body for the sole purpose of indulging in more food each day.

Also, protein and fats are your friend when you're dieting. They make you feel less hungry. Carb-rich foods just make you more hungry, and cause you to binge.

linsey0689

I haven't ever had weight loss surgery but my dad, aunt and uncle has. So I really don't think you are large enough to be a candidate for surgery to begin with. It is normally about 100 lbs or 50lbs with another weight related disorder (diabetes, heart dies ease etc). But with that being said I wouldn't recommend it to someone your size anyway. Even with surgery you will have to learn how to control your portions. I also want to make it know that my dad's will never be able to eat the same again. Like for example even though I am living healthier if I want to have ____ (insert anything) I can have it. But for him that is no longer an options only most amounts of fluids which I would hate and.breads/carbs make me full very fast so he tries to stay away.

Best of luck to you!

wowgirl30

there is a fairly large weight loss surgery community on youtube. Many people in every stage from pre-op to post-op weight loss and beyond. Many of them put everything out there both good and bad and what they have learned. Some of them are very successful, some of them regained or quit vlogging and some are still struggling day to day. Some of the successful ones had to have skin removal surgery and it was botched (yikes!) Listen/watch their stories and think really long and hard about it. Do a lot of research and learn from the people who have been there. I ultimately decided that it was not for me. It is a choice between you and your doctor, but don't make that decision without learning as much as you need to from both the medical side and the personal experience of people who did choose to go through with it.

ninerbuff

Weight loss surgery only addresses food intake. It doesn't address the reasons on why someone felt that over eating help to reduce the pain of whatever issue they are emotionally dealing with. Many weight loss surgery patients end up exchanging their eating addictions for another (IE alcohol, gambling, smoking, etc.). It would truly benefit you to seek counsel from a qualified psychiatrist who deals with people interested in weight loss surgery.
Being that I work in a Wellness Center (Hospital based fitness/rehab center) we have quite a few weight loss surgery clients who work out in our gym with trainers and many are still struggling with how to deal with NOT eating the amount of food that they like to eat (especially fried foods).

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

gigglesinthesun

eating healthy doesn't mean you are having a calorie deficit.

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

I personally think being college age is awfully young to throw in the towel yet.

fromfitabigail

Thanks, Everyone.

I've tried everything since I was younger. My doctor was constantly on my case about my weight, but would never help me do anything about it and still to this day when I go to see him about my weight, he just tells me to go lose weight. He doesn't tell me how and has never refered me to anyone who could tell me how. It's extremely irritating.

I know that it's an extreme, but I'm getting to that point. I'm 5'3" tall, and almost 100lbs overweight. I suffer from major depression and many different anxiety disorders which both can stem from the weight, and both contribute to the weight. Not to mention that I'm getting married in a couple years and really want to look good for that day.

I'm currently running a 1200 calorie diet, and I workout for 1.5 - 2 hours a day. Usually 30-60 minutes cardio, at least 20-30 minutes strength training. I don't eat the calories I burn.

I'm getting even more depressed thinking about all of this because it's such a big weight on my back. I can't afford a personal trainer or a dietitian to coach me through this and I have absolutely no support team so it's hard.

I don't know what else to do.

linsey0689

Okay I started at 285 pounds and currently at high 220s so it is doable. I paid no one for outside help

Mokey41

Opening your diary would be a start. 1200 calories probably isn't enough especially since you aren't eating exercise calories back but you also should be losing weight and quite rapidly on that intake.

How long have you been doing this and have you been weighing and measuring your food? Logging every bite?

Francl27

Thanks, Everyone.

I've tried everything since I was younger. My doctor was constantly on my case about my weight, but would never help me do anything about it and still to this day when I go to see him about my weight, he just tells me to go lose weight. He doesn't tell me how and has never refered me to anyone who could tell me how. It's extremely irritating.

I know that it's an extreme, but I'm getting to that point. I'm 5'3" tall, and almost 100lbs overweight. I suffer from major depression and many different anxiety disorders which both can stem from the weight, and both contribute to the weight. Not to mention that I'm getting married in a couple years and really want to look good for that day.

I'm currently running a 1200 calorie diet, and I workout for 1.5 - 2 hours a day. Usually 30-60 minutes cardio, at least 20-30 minutes strength training. I don't eat the calories I burn.

I'm getting even more depressed thinking about all of this because it's such a big weight on my back. I can't afford a personal trainer or a dietitian to coach me through this and I have absolutely no support team so it's hard.

I don't know what else to do.

That's not healthy and that's why you give up.

You don't need a personal trainer who's clueless about nutrition anyway, and my experience with dietitians hasn't been a good one... Bottom line is, MFP works but you HAVE to do it the right away. If you know you give up easily, give yourself a more sustainable goal. 1200 calories is way too low for someone your size. Pick the 'lose 1 lb a week' setting. Buy a food scale and weigh all your food so you log properly. Eat back your exercise calories (if using MFP numbers, eat back 50% of them, or invest in a heart rate monitor to have more accurate numbers). That will give you enough fuel for your workouts and you will be able to eat more and still lose weight.

You WILL have stalls. It's normal. But as long as you measure all your food, and know you're eating at a deficit, it will be temporary and you will lose weight again. I lose 5-6 lbs a month lately and I have stalls of 2 or 3 weeks every month. It's just how it works... it's not linear. If you plateau, it's either because you're not eating enough or because you're eating too much, typically. If you weigh everything and eat at a reasonable deficit (which includes your exercise calories), you will keep losing.

Another option is to use the TDEE-20% method, which is much easier. I use http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and eat 20% below my TDEE without having to worry about my exercise calories.

Either way you don't know how to eat in a healthy way, so weight loss surgery will probably not work for you... You have to learn how to eat properly first (the middle ground between starving yourself and eating too much), and once you know how to do that, you won't even need weight loss surgery.

Siansonea

How are you arriving at 1200 calories? Are you estimating? Or are you tracking exact weights of solids and volume of liquids? Your calorie tracking has to be EXACT. And you can't leave anything out, you have to track it all. There are no "free" foods. If you eat celery, track the celery. But really work on cutting out carbs, especially white carbs (bread, rice, pasta) and getting more dark green vegetables in your diet. A nice salad with protein from meat and/or eggs will fill you up, just watch the calories of the dressing. If you get the numbers right, you'll lose weight. If you're like most people, you're underestimating the number of calories you're consuming, and that's a recipe for heartache.

You can do this, even with your mood disorder. You should take medication for that, if you're not already. But the diet change will have to come from you. You're only 20 years old, so you can't have tried "everything" yet, and you're not so drastically overweight that you should really be ready to take such a drastic step as surgery. Surgery is a big deal, and there can be complications. It is both easy and hard to lose weight. It's more about what you don't do. Don't binge. Don't go over your calorie limit. Don't fudge any of the numbers, consciously or unconsciously. And don't set yourself up to fail with an attitude of "I just can't do this because _____". You actually can.

Ignaura

I have many friends who had weight loss surgery. Some of them got to their desired weight and are now struggling with surgery to remove extra skin. Some other friends have gained all the weight back. Other haven't really lose that much weight and a couple of them have had the surgery TWICE. I've been around people with weight loss surgery and the problem I see with it is that it doesn't attack the root of the problem: bad eating habits and lack of exercise. People gain the weight back because once they lose all of it think its done, and its not. If you don't eat healthy and exercise then the surgery won't fix anything.

My dad offered me to pay for the surgery three times, and I said no because I know I'm strong enough to do this on my own, and so are you.

On the other hand, if you are currently depressed, I don't think you will be eligible for the surgery.

Now, how are you really eating? What are you eating? how much are you eating? Are you exercising?? Eat enough, eat healthy, watch your calories and you will see results. But keep it real, it will take time.

4daluvof_candice

Hey Everyone,

I haven't posted here before. I've been on MFP before, but it's never gone well. It's extremely hard to keep going because I always plateau and end up gaining all the weight back because I give up and get depressed.

I've been overweight since I was in kindergarten. I was 130 lbs by the time I was in the 4th grade. Now, I'm sitting at 240 lbs even though I've been eating healthy and going to the gym regularly with my friends. I enjoy it too!

I haven't seen any differences even though I've been eating well the majority of the time. My big problem is portions, but I've seemed to get a hold on that pretty quickly.

I've been looking into weightloss surgery. I live in Ontario, Canada and it is covered by OHIP if it is recommended by a doctor. I don't have a family doctor where I currently am (I'm a college student living away from school) so I don't think I'll be able to do it for a while, but I'm really interested.

If anyone has any stories, or can give me any information on it, that would be awesome since I find a lot of the web to be extremely biased and it would be nice to hear it directly from the horses mouth. Thanks!

Girl dont give up!!!:flowerforyou: You can freakin' do this bullshiggidy
I gave birth to my second child 12/20/12 at 293 and now 251 in 8.5 months..anything is possible. Has it been hard, hell yeah:e:mad: will it get hearder:explode: definitely!!! I'm ex military and it was easy to maintain my weight becasue you HAD to but once I discharged my LIFESTYLE changed and this is what it is a LIFESTYLE. Adjust gradually and enjoy the ride:drinker:

Somnetimes I have to, when I get in a rut, just start as if it was my 1st day again. Do it as many times as you need to. This is YOUR journey. I know its hard to see otehrs with loss and you wish you can be there today but the thing is you have NO idea what they had to go thru to get there. ENJOY your journey and discovering who and what you're made of. Good Luck!

Siansonea

You're getting a lot of good advice, but it sounds like the most important thing for you right now is to get your depression sorted out. Like most medical conditions, it won't go away untreated, unfortunately the symptoms of depression often lead people to avoid treatment. That's unfortunate, and you should try to get on top of that before you really buckle down and do the work to lose weight. And honestly, losing weight doesn't have to be "hard", you just have to stop eating at a certain calorie total each day. Everything else is optional. That is the only discipline you have to have, and you can't get that from surgery, not long term.

You're young, and from your photo you're attractive, and you can have a wonderful life at a healthy weight. Don't go for the most drastic solution, get at the root of the issue, and address it from there. Your weight gain is a symptom, and if all you do is address symptoms, you won't have lasting results, and probably won't even enjoy temporary results. :ohwell:

howardheilweil

Thanks, Everyone.

I've tried everything since I was younger. My doctor was constantly on my case about my weight, but would never help me do anything about it and still to this day when I go to see him about my weight, he just tells me to go lose weight. He doesn't tell me how and has never refered me to anyone who could tell me how. It's extremely irritating.

I know that it's an extreme, but I'm getting to that point. I'm 5'3" tall, and almost 100lbs overweight. I suffer from major depression and many different anxiety disorders which both can stem from the weight, and both contribute to the weight. Not to mention that I'm getting married in a couple years and really want to look good for that day.

I'm currently running a 1200 calorie diet, and I workout for 1.5 - 2 hours a day. Usually 30-60 minutes cardio, at least 20-30 minutes strength training. I don't eat the calories I burn.

I'm getting even more depressed thinking about all of this because it's such a big weight on my back. I can't afford a personal trainer or a dietitian to coach me through this and I have absolutely no support team so it's hard.

I don't know what else to do.

I highly suggest you seek out a new doctor and a registered dietitian to help you with an eating strategy. It sounds like you are already exercising, so you are on your way! Good luck!

PCOS_Gal

Are we talking true clinical depression or just feeling depressed? People who are clinically depressed (i.e. Depression as diagnosed by a doctor) , There is a link between that and inability to loose weight due to to the chemicals released related to depression and the accumulation of belly fat. The stress hormone cortisol, for example, stimulates and promotes fat storage, especially in the abdominal area, since the body has evolved to store calories during times of stress.

If someone is severely depressed and overweight, the depression is going to be the primary focus.

kgreenRDLDN

Hey Everyone,

I haven't posted here before. I've been on MFP before, but it's never gone well. It's extremely hard to keep going because I always plateau and end up gaining all the weight back because I give up and get depressed.

I've been overweight since I was in kindergarten. I was 130 lbs by the time I was in the 4th grade. Now, I'm sitting at 240 lbs even though I've been eating healthy and going to the gym regularly with my friends. I enjoy it too!

I haven't seen any differences even though I've been eating well the majority of the time. My big problem is portions, but I've seemed to get a hold on that pretty quickly.

I've been looking into weightloss surgery. I live in Ontario, Canada and it is covered by OHIP if it is recommended by a doctor. I don't have a family doctor where I currently am (I'm a college student living away from school) so I don't think I'll be able to do it for a while, but I'm really interested.

If anyone has any stories, or can give me any information on it, that would be awesome since I find a lot of the web to be extremely biased and it would be nice to hear it directly from the horses mouth. Thanks!

If diet and exercise just can't cut it-and sometimes it can't-then surgery is another option. HOWEVER there is a lot to consider. What is your BMI as that is usually a qualifying factor for coverage or even surgery. most places (at least here in the US) want a BMI greater than 35. If its lower than that and they have medical conditions like diabetes then they will be considered. You will need to meet with a dietitian 3-6 months consecutively for pre-op education (even if not required I highly recommend this)

The other big the to know is that this is just a tool. Weight loss surgery will not help you lose weight if you do not follow the required diet and restrictions. My cousin had lapband done, but never stuck to the small meals through out the day and never lost the weight. I have seen multiple post weight loss surgery patients that have gained the weight back 5 years later because they have stopped following the guidelines and gone back to eating large portions and such. On the other hand, I have seen multiple post weight loss surgery patients who have done extremely well, lost a ton of weight and are maintaining the loss.

Go to your local bariatric clinics and get information on the different surgery options, what they require, and what your insurance will require pre and post op. There is the roux n Y bypass, the gastric sleeve, the lap-band (though I wound not recommend this one as it usually gets revised or removed 10 years down the road and has a large failure rate)

I am a registered Dietitian and would be more than happy to help you research this surgery. talk with your family about it as well, This is a life long commitment and family support is essential for success.

kgreenRDLDN

Weight loss surgery only addresses food intake. It doesn't address the reasons on why someone felt that over eating help to reduce the pain of whatever issue they are emotionally dealing with. Many weight loss surgery patients end up exchanging their eating addictions for another (IE alcohol, gambling, smoking, etc.). It would truly benefit you to seek counsel from a qualified psychiatrist who deals with people interested in weight loss surgery.
Being that I work in a Wellness Center (Hospital based fitness/rehab center) we have quite a few weight loss surgery clients who work out in our gym with trainers and many are still struggling with how to deal with NOT eating the amount of food that they like to eat (especially fried foods).

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Most insurances/bariatric surgery centers actually require a psychiatric screen to be completed prior to surgery now too.

kgreenRDLDN

On the other hand, if you are currently depressed, I don't think you will be eligible for the surgery.

you can still have the surgery with depression. You have to have a psychological screen in order to have the surgery (or at least you do in the US now) and even with depression you can still qualify. About the only way depression will rule you out is if it is debilitating and you cannot truly function. If your depression is that bad then you will not be able to follow the guidelines needed for the WLS eating patterns.

garber6th

Weight loss surgery only addresses food intake. It doesn't address the reasons on why someone felt that over eating help to reduce the pain of whatever issue they are emotionally dealing with. Many weight loss surgery patients end up exchanging their eating addictions for another (IE alcohol, gambling, smoking, etc.). It would truly benefit you to seek counsel from a qualified psychiatrist who deals with people interested in weight loss surgery.
Being that I work in a Wellness Center (Hospital based fitness/rehab center) we have quite a few weight loss surgery clients who work out in our gym with trainers and many are still struggling with how to deal with NOT eating the amount of food that they like to eat (especially fried foods).

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

There is a lot of truth and sense in this post. I had weight loss surgery a week ago. Before I even considered having surgery, I had over a year of therapy and I am continuing therapy through this process. I have always felt that if I didn't get it right in my head, I wouldn't get it right with my body. I got to the root of my eating issues and sorted them out. I lost 74 pounds on my own and changed my exercise and eating habits about 9 months before my surgery. For me the surgery is a tool to help get me to my goals, not a miracle cure. I still have to continue to do the work and make good choices. If you aren't willing to do the work, and if you aren't mentally and emotionally prepared, weight loss surgery, at least at this point, might not be a good choice.