Jealous of the Super Obese?

themexcellentone

So are you saying that if someone does decide to have WLS that they are not doing it "the right way?"

themexcellentone

if I could like this reply, I totally would!

I'm a sleever too. Congrats on your loss so far.

Lemongrab13

They have to do more exercise and have a stricter diet than us, and piled upon that is the intense pain from the surgery.
What they're going through is very difficult.
You'll notice in these shows they never mention the recovery period or the difficulty adjusting to MUCH smaller meals.
They just show them looking thin and glam.

KelGen02

I can't lie.. i've thought of having the lap band put in... I am in constant pain everyday with 4 herniated disk in my lower back along with degenerative disk disease in my neck and lower spine. It's a vicious circle for me, I need to lose weight so my back won't hurt so much but I can't work out like I need to make it happen... so yes the thought has crossed my mind a few times with each year I age and the pain gets worse and worse. . . HOWEVER, I don't think i could ever put my body through that, I rather deal with the evil i know than the evil i don't know. I know people who have had the surgery, lost a bunch of weight bought all these skinny girl clothes, didn't have money to get the skin removed or the boobs brought up to normal only to gain weight back... I know i have to commit to a lifestyle change as becoming a human Frankenstein is just not an option.:noway:

Imadorkable

I don't think it is worth it. I had a friend who had a lap band placed. She lost a lot of weight but had severe complications that almost cost her with her life. Plus not to mention the pain and risk for infection!

Acnwgirl

I can understand what you mean. Not that I would want to be super obese (EVER) but I'm overweight and I would love to qualify for a weight loss show like biggest loser or extreme weight loss just to have that amazing experience. But you don't qualify for those things unless you're over 300 lbs. Also, it's crazy how medical insurance will pay for cosmetic skin removal or tummy tuck if you lose over 100 lbs but otherwise it's considered cosmetic. I'm not 100 lbs. overweight but that doesn't mean I don't have extra skin I would like to have taken care of after I lose the weight. So yes, it gets to me that there are more options for people who are on deaths doorstep with their weight but not for others.

MissyAZjourney

Nope never had that thought because it's not the "easy way". I used to do the psychiatric evaluations for patients looking to get bariatric surgery. There is not anything easy about the whole process. It takes alot of work, on mind and body to recover after surgery and stick with the extremely restrictive diet they must follow. It's not fail-proof either. If they don't put in the work, they can get really sick, or stretch their stomachs out and undo all the work that was done.

Be grateful the need for surgery doesn't apply to you.

THANK YOU. Best response to this entire thread. From someone with experience not just an "opinion".

Either way its a choice, and it's hard. everyone has the right to choose how they are going to make a change. Either way is still better that doing nothing.

soechsner09

I think people are taking this a bit seriously. It was simply one of those "wouldn't it be nice?" moments. Sure it would be super nice if I could have surgery and miraculously have an amazing body without any possible side effects. I would LOVE that ... but the reality is that's not how it works. We all know that and so does the OP.

On the same note I feel that there are people that surgery has been a great help to. It may not have been as glamorous as TV makes it look but I do think it's helped save some lives. Not everyone has the same level of motivation or dedication ... I feel like the "right way" to lose weight depends on the person. I truly believe you need to find what works for you since it's different for everyone.

Docbanana2002

That's like burning down your kitchen because you want the fire company to come out and rinse off your dirty dishes with their hose.

EvgeniZyntx

Last time I had surgery, for something relatively minor, I went into septic shock two weeks later and almost died.
Surgery is always the easy choice, right? :huh:

JJofWA

I think I know the show you're referring to, and yes, I have seen it and felt jealous of sorts. Not in the sense that I wish I could also have weight-loss surgery, but rather of having the strength and determination patients of the show display. I think about how strong you'd have to be, both physically and mentally, to carry so much weight and I admire their fortitude. It's an experience that I will never have that I'm sure could offer an alternate perspective on life.

Allisonfitness99

To me weight-loss is not just physical... If you don't have the right mind set surgery won't even help.. You would just bounce back to old habits and possibly make it worse for yourself...

annwyatt69

As someone who "TOOK THE EASY WAY OUT" and had RNY, gastric bypass surgery 20 months ago, I can honestly say that this was NOT the easy way out. Many times I wish I could eat a whole sandwich or a burger like a "normal" person, but I know where that got me in the first place. NO, I was not over 300 pounds when I had surgery. I was 245 at my top weight, but as a type I diabetic on an insulin pump with multiple other health issues, including diminished kidney function, I knew the weight had to go. My endo put me on a supervised 800 calorie diet because the 1200 calorie diet produced NO weight loss. In the end, weight loss surgery saved my life. I also see these shows with these very large individuals who seem not to take it seriously and it is bothersome. There are also multitudes of members here on MFP who do not the surgery seriously after they have had it done. Far too many are not educated properly about the procedure before it is done and still too many aren't psychologically ready to change their entire lifestyle. I struggle every day to keep the weight off.
My weight gain occurred over 10 years--at about 10 pounds a year. You do the math and figure out how EASY it is to put on 10 pounds a year--especially during physical injuries, poor health, or death/loss of family members. Life isn't easy. Weight loss is hard no matter which way you choose to go. We walk our own paths and what is right for one may not be right for another. Therefore, I choose not to judge.

amyk0202

I can see what the op was trying to say, but it does hit a nerve when so many people jump on the opportunity to point out how "lazy" people are when they get wls & how they are "cheating" or "taking the easy way out" & pointing out that most people just gain the weight back anyway. I started working towards my VSG in 2011. I had monthly visits with a nutritionist for 6 months, I met with a cardiologist & had a psych evaluation. I had my surgery 4/4/12 & it was the one of the best decisions I've ever made. I have had to totally change my eating & I am very aware that I will have to track my food for the rest of my life. It has not been easy. It was so hard to watch my family eat Easter dinner right after I had my surgery while I drank broth with protein powder. I did regret my choice many times while they were eating things that I could no longer enjoy, but that is the tool I needed to get a handle on my life.

I don't know why I should apologize for needing a tool to get healthy. It seems like people get a thrill from lording it over other people--that they did it the "right" way, they had the self discipline that those other lazy folks don't. They point out the baggy skin you get from wls, even though many people who lose large amounts of weight without wls also get extra skin. It is just one consequences you may be subject to if you lose a great deal of weight. Also, health insurance does not generally cover the costs of removing extra skin unless it is causing skin rashes or it hangs down over your genitals. Even then, it is a huge fight to get it covered & they do not pay for a tummy tuck. It is generally a panniculectomy which is only the removal of skin, not a tightening of the underlying muscles. I think the "right way" to lose weight is the way that works for each person.

It also seems like a lot of people get a bunch of satisfaction from pointing out all the people who had wls & then regained the weight later. Realistically, many people who lose weight will gain it back again later---even if they do it the "hard way" & learn all about how to eat right, etc. Sometimes it just happens. I don't see a bunch of people in the Getting Started or Introduce Yourself forums telling all the people who say they are back to lose weight again to not bother because they just gained the weight back after last time.

I would encourage anyone who needs to lose a large amount of weight to consider having a VSG. I had one. My sister had one. We have both lost the weight & so far, kept it off. I do not have any eating restrictions. Nothing makes me sick. My sister does get sick after eating greasy foods, but she also doesn't have a gall bladder. It was removed after her VSG, which is not uncommon. VSG works by being restrictive, not malabsorbtive. My surgeon did not encourage lap bands. He said he saw too many complications. If you are willing to put in the work & need the tool to be successful, it is worth talking to your doctor about. Be honest with yourself about whether you will stick to the program. If you won't, it is a waste of money & an unnecessary risk to your health. I am not constantly hungry any more & that has made all the difference in my life & my journey.

jeffd247

Just in to point out that "of course I'm lazy, otherwise I wouldn't be fat" is a super messed up perspective. Most folks with weight problems aren't actually lazy.

Since you're making a point without any data to back it up, I'll do the same.


Most people with weight problems are lazy for sure. (I'm one of them). They don't want to put in the time or effort in terms of information, exercise and control to prevent weight gain.

It's much easier to make excuses about why we don't eat well, eat to much or fail to exercise. (aka Laziness).

If there was reliable data on the subject, and I could bet my money on something, it would be that the minority of overweight people have an excuse other than laziness to blame for their physical health

Let's maybe not bring up my "lack of data" when your only response is also anecdotal?

First of all, there is a slew of studies out there that strongly suggest genetic predisposition is a very, very important factor in obesity as well as any diseases that are (however tenuously) linked to obesity. This isn't to say that diet and lifestyle aren't also important factors, but baseline body composition and the tendency towards being under or over is largely determined by genetics.

"Overall this study illustrates an important principle: that what is genetically advantageous in one cultural or historic context may not be in another. In fact, Montminy does not view obesity as an aberration or a "disease". "Storing fat in adipose tissue is a normal response. A lot people are obese but do not develop type 2 diabetes," he says, suggesting that genes like CRTC3 could serve as diagnostic tools as well as drug targets. "A goal is to go to your doc and learn whether you have the risk factors to progress to diabetes."'

http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=454

Secondly, between technological advances and the rapid, widespread change of American food culture in the past hundred years, we have seen a more dramatic shift in our health culture than we have since the agricultural revolution, possibly the onset of the Columbian Exchange. American subsidies to major agrobusinesses and the choice of those subsidies - largely to corn, soy and other products that can be mass produced for very little, then chemically altered to serve as "fillers" for other food products with little nutritional value - have changed food cost and availability dramatically, resulting in the least nutritionally-dense, most calorically-dense foods being the cheapest, most plentiful and easiest to obtain. The rate of obesity is generally *much* higher in communities stricken by poverty, and while part of this is definitely inadequate health education, the bigger problem is availability and affordability of resources. Food deserts are now one of the most reliable predictors of a neighborhood's obesity rate, suggesting a very pronounced class aspect to the obesity "epidemic," if you want to call it that.

"We find that school districts with higher percentages of populations located within food deserts are more likely to be structurally and economically disadvantaged. Net of these district-level structural and economic characteristics, we additionally find a positive relationship between increased rates of child overweight and the percentage of the district population residing in a food desert."

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1549-0831.2009.tb00387.x/abstract;jsessionid=B1FFE57CFF0B1EE700933F55BD0AAD91.f01t01?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

I could keep going, but a: I need to get ready for work and b: despite asking for them, you're not going to read my sources anyway?

So, you know. Whatever.

I read your sources, now that you actually posted some. What I didn't find was anything to prove the assertion you made in the post I originally responded to:

Most folks with weight problems aren't actually lazy.

Show me the reliable data that shows a majority of overweight (not exclusively obese) people have that condition due to anything other than laziness? None of the articles you cited do that.

- Sure there are people that have socioeconomic situations which lend them to poorer nutritional sources.
- Sure there are people with genetic predispositions,
- Sure there have been advances in technology (specifically automation) taking more and more activity out of our day.
- Sure there have been changes in the quality of the food source. (see me proving I read what you cited)

Other than the first issue of economics, it's undeniable that with some effort you can overcome the 2nd, 3rd and 4th issue. There is enough information out there now to learn how to control your weight with a proper diet and there isn't anyone who is above going for at least a brisk walk every day.

Let's stop making excuses for everyone, put down the damn Cinnabon and go for a walk


Oh and to be on topic, I am not jealous of people who have had weight loss surgery. They still have to suffer learning how to eat less food and exercise more. I know more than a few people who have had the surgery, and a couple of them are pretty messed up now in terms of their GI health. The surgery just forces the recipient into new diet patterns, some which are detrimental

dbmata

I found myself thinking, if I just gained some weight (ok, 50-100lbs) I could just get surgery and lose it all the easy way. I was actually jealous.

Have you ever had that thought?

Obviously I won't do that but it sounds pretty amazing to me.

No. That's weird. Also, keep in mind that long term, most gastric bypass patients gain it back.

meadow_sage

I'd hardly think that 10% accounts for most. Not sure where people get their information but only about 10% of people gain their weight back after gastric bypass. There are some studies that show slightly higher at 12 or 15%. Now, the lap band....that is another story but that seems to be phasing out.

I found myself thinking, if I just gained some weight (ok, 50-100lbs) I could just get surgery and lose it all the easy way. I was actually jealous.

Have you ever had that thought?

Obviously I won't do that but it sounds pretty amazing to me.

No. That's weird. Also, keep in mind that long term, most gastric bypass patients gain it back.

Missjulesdid

I found myself thinking, if I just gained some weight (ok, 50-100lbs) I could just get surgery and lose it all the easy way. I was actually jealous.

Have you ever had that thought?

Obviously I won't do that but it sounds pretty amazing to me.

No. That's weird. Also, keep in mind that long term, most gastric bypass patients gain it back.

No, they don't.. While most RNY patients do experience some weight regain which is expected, the majority do not regain all of their weight. IF what you claim was true, insurance would never cover such an expensive procedure. Insurance covers it because they find it cost effective.

doctorregenerated

I know 6 people who have had the surgery.
1. The recurring infections got so bad that she eventually had her entire stomach removed. Removed.
2. Infections got so bad had to go in for 2nd surgery. She cannot eat normally
3. Gets sick all of the time. Everything he eats gets pooped out immediately.
4. Lost so much weight so fast, has all of the extra skin. Can't afford the skin removal. Looks awful right now.
5. Gained it back even with the surgery.
6. So far ok, but doctor keeps putting him back on liquid diets. He doesn't like liquid diets. No choice though.

6 unhappy
0 successful.

Not great odds. I'll do it the other way, thanks.

paulandrachelk

The pain surgery causes is definitely not worth it. Have had several bone and reconstructive surgeries due to a motorcycle wreck many years ago. It is excruciating and doesn't get any easier the 2nd or 3rd times. FORGET IT!!!