Is surgery really my only option?

cndraycott

Hey everyone!

I've been significantly overweight for, well... pretty much my entire life. I have a lot of weight to lose (+150lbs) but I'm looking to do it without surgery. It's not that I'm against the people who do get it done, but I want this to be about my over all health, and not just the weight loss. Other than the fact that I don't want to have to pay for it, I want to know if it's actually possible.

I've been looking over the internet, and whenever I search for people who have lost a large amount of weight, it's articles, and youtube videos about lap-bands, and gastric bypass. I know people have been losing weight for years without these technologies, but can it be done naturally on such a large scale. I know it would potentially take me a couple years, and that's fine... and I'm convinced that at 24, my skin should still be young enough to snap back.

Am i dreaming, or should I consider the surgery?

SaLandrum

No ... you are not dreaming. Weight loss in any amount can be done by eating properly and excerzising regularly.

If I were in your shoes, I would only consider the surgical route if your life were in danger and doctor said - loose weight now or you will die in 6 months.

casey12105

There are lots of people here who have lost 1-200lbs doing nothing but eating right and exercising. It can be done, surgery to me is just a waste of money because even if you get it, you still have to eat right and exercise to lose the weight and keep it off.

123456654321

No ... you are not dreaming. Weight loss in any amount can be done by eating properly and excerzising regularly.

If I were in your shoes, I would only consider the surgical route if your life were in danger and doctor said - loose weight now or you will die in 6 months.

^^ What she/he said.

Surgery should be your last option.

adfranks

Oh, you are so in the right place!!! Friend me if you want support.

Schwiggity

Surgery is the last option. Not your only. There's many people in MFP here that are living proof of that.

BriannaSkye

You can do it 100% without surgery, yup it will take time but it will work. Look at Courtney from the "Biggest Loser" she lost over 100 lbs at home before the show.....I lost 73lbs in 7.5 months with just watching what I eat and walking so YES, it is 100% a reality

godroxmysox

There a tons of people on MFP that have lost that much (and more). Add them as friends and I'm sure they will give you some good pointers. Best of luck!

TaneeisFitforLife

It's totally possible to lose the weight without surgery! It'll be a long hard road at first but it gets easier over time Surround yourself with a good support system (us!) & commit to the journey

kris1085

You are in the right place for support ! I have lost 37 pounds so far and have another 70 more to go ! Im sending youa friends request !

BigBoneSista

You can definitely do it on your own. You don't need surgery.

aneumany

HELLO??!?!? any one watch the biggest loser? these ppl loose WAAAAY more than 250 pounds, a few of them were over 400 when they started! come on guys! it might be alot of weight to think about as a whole, but set little goals and befor you know it, ull be down 200 pounds! we're ALLLL here to support each other! girl u can do anything u put ur mind to, NO JOKE! u just have to want it bad enough and be able to do the work ITS NOT EASY!!!!

erickirb

Just follow MFP caloric intake guidelines and measure your food and use a HRM to calculate calories burned from exercise.

rileamoyer

Do it on your own before trying surgery. It can be dangerous. Plus you are young enough that if you take it slow and steady your skin will shrink to fit ;-)

Nikki_GodzPrincess

I used to be right where you are, but I was there for "the easy way out" reason. If I had the suregry it would give me the boost I needed to lose the weight. Who wants to work out when they are heavy? Ya know?

I understand what you are saying though but its like you said. YOU'RE YOUNG. Girl you got this. I have a 150+ pounds to lose too and you know what I am almost 1/2 way there. I have lost 70lbs in 4 months and I want to be able to lose 30lb by June. Thats my first 100 right there:) According to the "norm" with my height 5'7- 5'8 I am supposed to be 150lbs. I actually dont want to be that, I think with my body frame I wouldnt look right that thin. My doctor even told me that one time. HAHA

You can do this, trust me. I know people say if I can do it you can too. But it is REALLY true, if I can do it YOU CAN TOO. It's a lot of hard work but it can be done. It's not wishful thinking, I promise you. Once I started exercising and was really serious about this journey the weight started falling off.

My advice, try it the diet and exercise way and if it doesn't work out look into alternate avenues. But surgery is a DRASTIC decision. Weigh all your options. I hope this helps and was encouraging

LeonaB17

I once contemplated surgery when I was at my highest weight - b/c I was really depressed and feeling all hope was lost - but I eventually turned that depression into motivation. There is no reason you can't get the weight off naturally. Especially since you are young!! You can do it and we are all here to help!

robbie300

I don't think you need surgery. I go to TOPS and there are several members who lost weight with surgery and have regained all their weight back after. . They hadn't learned how to modify their lifestyle with the surgery so they are now having to lose weight the old fashion way. I started my weight loss journey last September at 300lbs and I now weigh 194lbs. My solution is exercise -every day at least 45 minutes of cardio and weight training 3 times a week. Also my diet is low fat, high protein and tons of veggies and fruit. My carbs are all high fiber/sprouted-I don't eat junk.

Losing with exercise and diet can work, you just need to make the right choices that will work for you.

callipygianchronicle

Hop on over to the Success Stories forum and you will find MANY examples of people on this site who have lost 100, 150, 200+ pounds by counting calories and exercise. Even people who have weight loss surgery find that they have to change what they eat and how much and use this site to manage it. So, you are in no better place. Track your food. Build your support network. Carry courage and patience with you every day an din 2 years you WILL be walking around with a thinner, healthier body and the skills to keep it that way FOR LIFE.

Best of luck to you on your journey!

Mustangsally1000

You also want to avoid the side effects that come with the surgery! They aren't pleasant. The other thing about the surgery, is you don't end up learning the right way to eat, you don't learn portion control. AND..so many gain all the weight back for those very reasons. If you can do it on your own (and with the support you get here, I think you can!), you should do that!!! Please. As was stated earlier, if the Dr. says you are going to die in 6 months if you don't get this weight off right away..then I can see it. But, even then, in 6 months you could lose a substantial amount of weight.
Please, for your health and happiness, do it yourself. We are all here for you!!
Best of luck!
Sally

holli_walker

Yes it can be done. I have couple of friends recently that lost 120+. They lost all their weight by eating right a working out alot. I know several people that have had the surgery and just gained it back.

aunt_hbomb

I'd say surgery should be the absolute last option you pursue. I've heard so many horror stories about people who have had the gastric bypass surgery. It seems that not only the amount of food you eat after the surgery affects the stomach, but also the kind of food. Do more research on the complications of the surgeries you are looking into.

cndraycott

You're awesome! Thanks for all your great support! You're right, in fact EVERYONE is right. I'm gonna do this my way, and hopefully I'll be looking at least a little bit better by the time my friend's wedding rolls around in September.

Yay! Thank you so much. Everyone's kindness almost makes me want to cry!

NeuroticVirgo

I think surgery is for people who A) need the weight off quickly for health reasons (like they might die if its not off fast). For people who don't have the patience to do it the long way...which I think is the case a lot. They lose motivation, don't have support etc, and surgery seems like the only answer.

But it can certainly be done with out surgery. And MFP is a great place to do it.

Dtho5159

Nope not dreaming.. Look at the success stories on here. There are several who have lost 100+lb naturally. I in fact need to lose 130ish total and Im already down 41. It will take time but it will be worth it in the end!

TMLPatrick

You can totally do it without surgery.... but be prepared to work very hard. Eat better and exercise and don't expect overnight results.... be prepared for a lifestyle change.... not a diet.

The place you need to start for motivation is here: http://bendoeslife.tumblr.com/page/269

Elleinnz

You can do it - I have lost 80 so far - and eating lots and better than for a long time..... The people that has surgery has to deal with the same restrictions we do - and some not so good other effects - and some gain back as well if they did not change their lifestyle. In my book you should try the MFP way first, and give it a good go!

And also if you need some support you are welcome to friend me :-) having some people cheering you on helps for me..

justnname

You can do it with out the surgery.

Think of it this way, even with the surgery you will have to eat healthy and exercise.

The surgery has lots a side effects and may cause future problems.
My aunt had the surgery about 5 yrs ago, she cant take some medication because her body won't absorb it.
My Cousin had the surgery 8 yrs ago and has gained about 70lb back.
Both of them lost the weight fast so they had to have surgery to take off the extra skin

It is a long hard road, but with support and the right attitude you can do anything.

If you need so support friend me.

chevy88grl

You can do it. Will it be quick and easy? Absolutely not. But, it IS possible to lose the weight without surgery.

RBXChas

It's only normal to consider surgery. It's not the "quick fix" everyone thinks it is, but for many it appears to be the only option. For some it may actually be. I've never had surgery and have never been hugely (no pun intended) overweight until now, after having a baby and eating whatever I wanted during my pregnancy. So now I have nearly 100 pounds to lose, whereas prior I would have only had to lose maybe half that. I can't help but feel like I have SO MUCH to lose, that it's going to take forever, but I just try to take one day at a time.

Aaaanyway, point being, I can't tell you from my own personal experience, but three members of my immediate family have had weight-loss surgery. My sister had lap-band surgery, and both my brother and my father had gastric bypass surgery.

My sister is only slightly taller than I am but always weighed between 230 and 250ish. She had the surgery a few years ago, but little has changed. I think the only difference is that she has to watch how much bread she eats, as it tends to get stuck and make her sick. If she has the band filled too much, she can't eat or drink much and ends up getting sick. Then she'll have them take out saline (or whatever it is that fills the band), and it's as if she never had surgery. Finding the right amount of liquid to have in the band is a delicate balance and can change depending on what's going on with your body (e.g., if you're pregnant, you may have to remove liquid to make sure you are taking in enough calories). For her, she had the surgery in NYC, since that's where she was living at the time, and the cost of her surgery included lifetime adjustments. Now she lives way far away and thus doesn't have that option, so if she wants to mess with the band, she has to make an appointment with a doctor where she lives and pay for it. As such, she hasn't had it adjusted to find that balance and has just pretty much acted like she doesn't have it.

My brother and father had more success with gastric bypass. Each had a pretty dramatic initial weight loss, but it has been hard work to keep it off. My dad sometimes wishes he hadn't had the surgery, since he has only kept off so much of the weight and now can't enjoy many foods without getting sick. My brother will gain a lot of weight very quickly if he's not careful - he only loses and keeps it off if he eats a low-carb diet. So while it helped him get from 400+ pounds to under 250, he has to work like the ****ens to stay around the 200 or so he should be (he's a tall guy).

So my conclusion is that weight-loss surgery is expensive and not always easy to recover from, and the results are not magical. Yes, they help with quick, massive weight loss, but then you still have to work hard to maintain your loss and/or to get to your goal weight. For some people, that's really what they want, but it is possible to do it without surgery.

My humble opinion is that for most people, surgery doesn't always teach you the necessary habits to maintain the loss. While doing it the "real" way isn't as fast, you are just starting the work sooner, teaching yourself good habits, and I think you are more likely to keep the weight off when you worked so hard to lose it all (over a longer period of time)!

I'm not judging those who have the surgery, and I think in my dad's case, he wouldn't be alive today if he hadn't had the surgery (he would have been content to eat himself to death). However I think most people are better off losing weight the old-fashioned way, and it's worth giving a real shot before resorting to surgery.

Good luck with your decision, and I hope we see more of you here!

sarahnicolexoxo

I think surgery should be your last option! You can lose weight with exercise and eating right as everyone has told you. A LOT of people on MFP have gotten those surgeries and guess what? They are here because in the beginning they wanted a quick fix and they gained it all back. (I know some people NEED the surgery to get a great jumpstart by Doctors orders.) We are here to support you. YOU can do it!

Cytherea

Good for you for not wanting surgery and being willing to be patient. It probably will take a while, but it CAN be done. I see billboards all the time advertising the lap band, and sometimes, the amount of weight that the pretty person in the picture lost is LESS than I've lost on my own! I say- go for it, and don't give up. You will definitely get there. :flowerforyou: