I have noticed some saying weight loss surgery is a tool.

jimennis

I seriously have never met anyone that tried to lose weight and I mean TRIED, not able too. If I fail my change of lifestyle it will be my fault and my fault only. We seem to have that problem in this world that no one wants to take responsibility be held accountable. I see lots of name calling in which I never did, but some felt it was their only line of defense and that's sad. Good luck to all and may you have a healthy life.

TyphonRex

Consider this...I've been eating a 1500cal a day diet for over year (less than that a lot of day but that's a nice average) basically eat veggies and fish. I've chronic pain and it's hard to exercise (a failing I'm trying to overcome at the moment) but yet even eating extremely healthy I've put on 15lbs in the last year.

I'm not saying everyone who has WLS has a medical condition. But how can you judge someone if you don't know their circumstances?

I'm in the process of taking charge of my health, of trying to identify what's going on because for me A+B doesn't equal C.

Be kind to people you don't know their path or their journey.

Unless you at 3'11" and 86 pounds, that math doesn't add up.

Either you're not estimating your caloric intake and expenditure correctly (very likely), or you have a undiagnosed medical condition.

michikade

There is a big difference between those people who qualify by fibbing a little bit about whether diets worked for them, and the other subset of people who literally will die before they are able to naturally lose the weight. Just saying.

Here we go again.

WLS does not magically make you lose weight.

You still have to watch your food instake.

I am quite aware of that and thank my lucky stars I have a) never been heavy enough, and b) never been unhealthy enough that I don't have to resort to something as drastic as WLS. Due to this, it is NEVER my place to judge someone who has been given this option and I hope the very best for them in their journey, and hope that they are given the tools necessary to really change their lives.

My point was there are some people who are given a life expectancy maybe a year or less and have far more to lose than can be done without medical intervention to actually increase the life expectancy. It happens. I am also aware that MOST people who are looking into WLS have to actually drop some weight the "traditional" way before they can undergo the surgery, and others still may be too unhealthy to even survive it.

I do not believe for one second that it's an easy way out. I believe it IS a tool that some people are given the option to consider when it could literally be a life or death decision.

Now, if someone goes in and lies about their dietary habits and ends up qualifying, I actually feel like the doctors are failing those people by giving them unrealistic expectations. In my opinion the option shouldn't be on the table without a complete medical history established.

JG762

You ALL are mean in here...ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT. Bottom line, it's just our opinion....smh

Way to add something constructive! LoL

shrinkingbrian

My mother had a BMI in the 30-35 range and wanted to get WLS but she didn't qualify. She purposely gained weight to get her BMI over 35 to qualify. To me, I think that's very unhealthy but each to their own. She has also done extreme diets and even had to have her gall bladder removed because she didn't eat enough fat. I had to learn on my own as an adult how to eat healthy and the importance of regular exercise. Dinner growing up was almost always fast food or some buffet. We never did anything active as a family. It was mostly watching tv and fast food. That is a recipe for obesity.

Now that I have my own children, I want to teach them the importance of proper nutrition and exercise. My eight year old son who told me when he was five years old "Dad, you're too fat" is now my work out buddy. We do pull ups and flex arm hang contests at the park, run sprint races, and do burpees together. I lost over 200 pounds through diet and exercise. A good friend of mine just had weight loss surgery and he is now working to lose weight. I wish him the best but for me, surgery was not the option.

osothefinn

All these government funded things benefit the economy by returning people to a work-ready condition and by providing those unable to work with a subsistence existence in which money they receive is immediately returned to the economy in the form of purchases necessary for life, yielding a ROI of about $1.70 in economic growth for every $1 spent on these programs.

So money is made from nothing now? We should just give everyone extra cash and the deficit will be gone in a couple years! Yay science!! /sarc

EDIT: I don't think the line above is quite clear enough in how asinine the original statement is. So you take a dollar from someone in taxes, which requires a payroll person to deduct the money from their check and send it to the government, then that money gets moved around to different accounts via the work of more people who have to be paid, then gets sent to out to the recipient, and it's somehow multiplied to $1.70? Yeah, I've gotta call BS on that one.

Seriously, if you believe this you need to start the WIC mutual fund, if you can return 70% yearly you're gonna clean up the market.

Chris10_9817

First off, let me start by saying it is none of my business whether someone has the lap band, sleeve or bypass. It's also none of my business if someone wants to get lipo. That's their choice.

However, there are two different sets of people many people are arguing about here. There is a big difference between those people who qualify by fibbing a little bit about whether diets worked for them, and the other subset of people who literally will die before they are able to naturally lose the weight. Just saying.

They ALLLLLl lie by saying "they have tried diets and they dont work" is my point, i said it and so did and does everyone else.........

Diets dont fail, we do.

Can we at least just agree that your individual experience does not equate to every person? Not everyone in that room lies; there are medical conditions which make losing weight very difficult, sometimes there are mental health issues or addiction issues which complicate weight loss and so on.

That you chose to lie is on you. I'm not disputing that there are some people who lie about their previous experience with weight loss, but to say that everyone does is a gross and unfair exaggeration.

It's literally equivalent to saying that all people need to like cheese because it's your favourite food or something just as silly.

Edit: Cheese is delicious though, so if you like cheese, we may be able to find some common ground :flowerforyou:

No they pretty much all lie, whether they lie knowingly or genuinely beleieve they "tried" a diet.

And if someone 600 lbs took the time to get near death then they can take the time to consider a calorie defecit before surgery.
I will never coddle or find common ground for WLS or porn (another forum post I ranted about yesterday)

I would rather eat a 1200 calorie diet before i accepted that either one is useful or a tool of any sort.:grumble:

I really hate being called a liar. Before I had surgery I worked out all the time and watched what I ate and did not lose weight. Come to find out I have a medical condition that causes me to gain weight so I am fighting a losing battle. After working with my doctor we chose for me to get the lap band surgery because I wanted something that could be reversed. Still with having surgery I am only losing 5 pounds a month which is a small amount for having surgery. But that is due to my medical condition. I also work out at least an hour a day 6 days a week. So I have never lied about my diet.

adamitri

Unfortunately people can't seem to put themselves in your shoes. I also have a medical condition along with medications I take that make it hard for me to lose weight but I'm trying. Surgery is not an easy way out it's another option that is open to people with special conditions and circumstances to try aid them on their journey.

TyphonRex

"I have a medical condition that keeps me from losing weight!"

It's like saying need medical marijuana to treat your "glaucoma."

Most of the time its BS.

adamitri

"I have a medical condition that keeps me from losing weight!"

It's like saying need medical marijuana to treat your "glaucoma."

Most of the time its BS.

It's different for each person, you want to sit there on your high horse and call bs to everyone else feel free though.

Miss_1999

I used to think it was "the easy way out" as well, until I was educated. My husband had RNY Gastric By-Pass in September of 2011. He started out at 6'6, and close to 400lbs. They made his stomach into a pouch the size of an egg. For months, all he could do was drink protein shakes, and eat EXTREMELY small portions of food, and when I say extremely small, I'm talking one to two bites of food. Food meaning, sugar free jello. We had a list of "gastric friendly phase in foods" for him to begin trying. Eggs was one of the foods for phase one. They were a no go. And what I mean by a no-go, he threw them up. If he ate too much of anything, he threw up. Just one extra bite, three bites instead of two would land him in the bathroom, on the side of the road if we were in a car- it didn't matter. He honestly had begun to question what he had done to himself, yet, he still got up every morning, drank his protein shakes, and went to the gym every night after he got off from work.

As months went by, things gradually got better, he was able to tolerate a little more food on the second phase, but there were definitely foods that did NOT like him. He continued going to the gym, and getting in his daily protein.

Even though we are, and have always been 100% supportive of him, and his decision to have surgery, in the bariatric support group that I attended with him, they told us that we have to continue living our lives, too. I did my best not to keep things in the house that would make him feel bad, but at the same time, there were times that he did see us eating things that he missed, like pizza, cake, and soft drinks. That's not easy on anyone. We didn't do this to put it right in his face, nor did we do it often, but like the nutritionist told us, you can't alter your entire life for one person, unless that IS what you are eating every day- if so, then please think about making healthier choices, but if this is an every now and then thing, it is something that they are going to have to face, and need to learn and understand the emotions that come with it.

At a little over a year, my husband's pouch and stretched to the final phase, and he was able to eat the things on list three. He incorporated most of the things on the list into his diet, while keeping his water, which is a big thing, a lot of people who have bariatric surgery get dehydrated easily, and keeping his portions in check. He quickly learned how much food was right for him, as he didn't really care for throwing up. He was still going to the gym, and by this point had lost well over 100lbs.

He's now three years out of surgery. It took a LOT of mental changes. There is NOTHING quick about this. Living on nothing but protein shakes, throwing up when you attempt to eat, or incorporate a new food into your diet, and having to learn how to eat properly, and proper portions when you've eaten whatever you want, and how much of whatever you want your entire life- yeah, it's a mind-blower. This IS a tool, and you get out what you put into it. At this point, if my husband wanted to start binge eating, I'm sure he could. He'd get sick, but little by little, that pouch would stretch out, and he'd be right back to where he was. However, because this surgery was a tool, he's learned how to eat properly. He never wants to go back to where he was. He knows exactly what he can and can't eat, and how much of it to eat. He does eat just about any type of food he wants to, in much smaller portions than everyone else. He's very happy with his quality of life. His life doesn't revolve around food, or what he's going to eat. He's able to do things we me, and our daughter.

Anyone that thinks this is quick or easy, I encourage you to go to one of your local bariatric support groups and listen to some of the stories from the patients. They are candid, and will tell you exactly what it's like to go through the surgery, and what their struggles and successes have been.

riotatme23

Calling WLS the easy way out is like telling a mother who's had a c section that she took the easy way out.

Although I totally understand what you're saying, I don't agree with it.

Months of recovery, still having to count calories), having to learn what you can and cannot eat, and still having to exercise seems like the same struggle we all have.

Miss_1999

"I have a medical condition that keeps me from losing weight!"

It's like saying need medical marijuana to treat your "glaucoma."

Most of the time its BS.

Look up PCOS. When I got a diagnosis and treatment, I was ABLE to lose weight. I worked my *kitten* off to lose it before, going to extreme measures trying before that I won't mention when I was high school, only to lose nothing. There are people who are telling the truth. And yes, for some with PCOS, it's definitely not impossible, when you have severe IR and your body isn't absorbing any of the insulin, you aren't metabolizing your food, therefore, all you do is gain, not loose.

adamitri

"I have a medical condition that keeps me from losing weight!"

It's like saying need medical marijuana to treat your "glaucoma."

Most of the time its BS.

Look up PCOS. When I got a diagnosis and treatment, I was ABLE to lose weight. I worked my *kitten* off to lose it before, going to extreme measures trying before that I won't mention when I was high school, only to lose nothing. There are people who are telling the truth. And yes, for some with PCOS, it's definitely not impossible, when you have severe IR and your body isn't absorbing any of the insulin, you aren't metabolizing your food, therefore, all you do is gain, not loose.

This is what I have, and it resulted in a severe eating disorder for me during my whole life struggle to maintain and then to lose weight.

seltzermint555

I haven't bothered to read the other pages of responses so I apologize in advance if I'm offending, repeating, or otherwise...

I guess it depends on your definition of "weight loss tool". It certainly does assist some people in losing weight.

As for judging those people, I try not to do that at all. Everyone's got their own "journey" in life and health, as much as I hate calling it that. But I will admit that I take pause at people who insist that they can't lose ANY weight on their own because of a bum knee, or try to GAIN weight in order to qualify for surgery. And I'm definitely not too interested in someone's story of weight loss surgery 1 year down the road...talk to me in 5, 10, or 20 years when you're healthy and happy and at a normal weight...then I would like to hear about it and the psychological changes you underwent in addition to the actual procedure.

As for me, even when I was 134 lb heavier and might have qualified for some form of weight loss surgery, it was not an option I would have considered primarily because I worked in an agency that assisted people with disabilities and WAY more than 1/2 of the people under age 50 we served, were there because of horribly botched weight loss surgeries. Nope.

mank32

I don't think there's anything easy about the surgery, the recovery, or the post-surgical lifestyle.

this. if you choose it, you must really, really want it. go for it. but make up a will first.

laidbackelaine

Earlier this year my mom and sister both had weight loss surgery. Both had diabetes, high cholesterol, and pcos. I have seen my mom and sister try to lose weight the normal way for the past 10 years. Not only did they have to work 10x harder to lose weight, they often got discouraged when on very restricted diets and barely losing an ounce. Surgery was the last resort for both of them, not crazy overweight, my sister was 210 and my mom weighed 185, but with all the health issues they both shared, our insurance covered it, my sister had the sleeve and my mom had bypass (suggested for her crazy sugar issues). The surgeries have been completely life changing for the both of them- although my sister had an easier time with the sleeve, (mom got a bad infection with bypass, said it was worse than kidney stones and birth), they have to learn how to eat without getting sick, getting protein in and such. WLS is not easy in the slightest bit an often a last resort. Until you really know what its like, don't judge

LAT1963

All these government funded things benefit the economy by returning people to a work-ready condition and by providing those unable to work with a subsistence existence in which money they receive is immediately returned to the economy in the form of purchases necessary for life, yielding a ROI of about $1.70 in economic growth for every $1 spent on these programs.

So money is made from nothing now? We should just give everyone extra cash and the deficit will be gone in a couple years! Yay science!! /sarc

EDIT: I don't think the line above is quite clear enough in how asinine the original statement is. So you take a dollar from someone in taxes, which requires a payroll person to deduct the money from their check and send it to the government, then that money gets moved around to different accounts via the work of more people who have to be paid, then gets sent to out to the recipient, and it's somehow multiplied to $1.70? Yeah, I've gotta call BS on that one.

Seriously, if you believe this you need to start the WIC mutual fund, if you can return 70% yearly you're gonna clean up the market.

The $1.70 is in economic activity, distributed across a variety of businesses and services, it is not a "profit" returned directly to the government from which you could pay a dividend back to investors.

You take a dollar from someone in taxes, process it through various functions all of who need to be paid and who then spend that money in the economy because those are low paying jobs and they have no head-room to hoard it, eventually giving it to the recipient who also spends it immediately. The result is $1.70 in economic activity as the result of something called "velocity of money".

Or you can leave it in the pocket of the corporation, who will pay it out to the "investment class", who will hoard it in offshore accounts rather than having it participate in circulation. These people are not the "job creators", they are the resource-hoarders who act as gatekeepers standing between the "invention class" and the tools and resources of production.

I don't know what your background is in this material, but I have years of experience in high-tech companies including pre-ipo startups that tap into the self-described "job creators" for investment, an engineering degree, and an MBA. So I have a pretty strong practical and educational background in this stuff--including basic principles of macro-economics which are not politically spun and not the propaganda of any particular news source or political party.

So yeah, I am an expert, and this is my opinion. Yours seems driven by FOX news propaganda and ignorance of macro-economic principles.

(add: another way to look at it is the government takes a dollar in taxes, that dollar goes out and generates $0.70 in the economy before being recycled back to the government as a dollar in taxes. Rinse and repeat.)

katematt313

For the vast majority of people, it is nearly impossible to become morbidly obese. Most people could eat 1000s of calories every day and live a sedentary lifestyle, and never get to 300 or 400 lbs or more. If you can get to be that obese, your metabolism is broken and losing the amount of weight that you need to lose to survive is improbable, at best.

WLS is a tool for a small category of people who are usually quite ill. Extreme obesity is a very dangerous medical condition that often results in death and serious disability.

The average person who has WLS extends their life by an estimated 10-15 years, and improvements to quality of life are vast, i.e., "I can walk again after being in a wheelchair for 5 years", "I can bend over to tie my shoes without getting dizzy", "I can play with my grandkids again", "my type II diabetes has completely resolved", "I no longer have to sleep with a c-pap", and so on.

Don't judge. Odds are, you've never been obese enough or sick enough to even conceive of the need to go to a doctor for help with weight loss. If you have been that obese or sick, and you've done it on your own, good for you. You know the importance of losing a dangerous amount of weight, and how difficult it is to do it.

So don't hate.

katematt313

HOW IS THIS A "SUCCESS STORY", BY THE WAY?

I love this message board. The success that other people have is so inspiring. I love the before/after pics, and the stories of overcoming obstancles. It makes you feel like you can accomplish anything.

I feel like this is a message board where you don't have to read the hateful comments that you do in other places. Too bad that this post wound up here.