Is Weightloss Surgery a cop out?

albinogorilla

Why are people getting uptight about others calling the surgeries a cop out? The OP asked for everyone's opinion.

they didn't want ours apparently

cownancy

The uninformed and extremely judgmental opinions about WLS are one of the main reasons I question, on an almost daily basis, being here on MFP.
First of all, there is a HUGE difference between having Gastric Bypass and Lap Band surgeries as far as risk. Lap band surgery can be reversed and is a very simple procedure.

Next, how many of you or your friends, family, co-workers who had the surgery were 400 or 500 pounds with diabetes, degenerative joint disease, asthma...etc. Tell me how a person who can barely walk and when they do are in extreme pain can do as you who have chosen to do it yourself, as far as exercise?

An morbidly obese person with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, joint problems,etc., are at higher risk at dying from these diseases than they are as a result of weight loss surgery, though the surgery, itself, IS much riskier for them than it would be for a person with fewer co-morbidities.

What makes it a "cop out" to have surgery? Because you have decided to have a surgery that assists the process? I consider it to be much more of a serious COMMITMENT to your health to make that decision. A brave, informed decision. The bariatric surgery of year ago, was an open surgery, with much more risk of complications and infection. Now, most surgeries are done lapriscopically, which has reduced many of the risks. However, there IS still risk. But, if you compare statistics, people who have reached the point where they would qualify for bariatric surgeries are many, many times more likely to be successful with surgery than without. If you are over 100 pounds overweight and have lost the weight and KEPT IT OFF for over 5 or 6 years without any significant regain, and did it without surgery, you are in the minority, and congratuations to you. But, yo yo weight loss is dangerous and I feel that it is an intelligent choice for these people to accept the help that is available to them if they fully understand what they will have to do to be successful.

Why does it have to be one or the other? Why are so many of you so quick to discourage a person based on your OPINION and not your own personal experience? This is what infuriates me. Had I listened to people like you, you would have, perhaps, talked ME out of the most important decision I have make in my entire life....lapband surgery. This is the first time in my 54 years of life that I feel empowered to lose the weight and I feel like I will succeed and have a wonderful support system, medical information at the end of a phone call, lifetime nutritional support at no additional cost, support groups, online support and people who live near to me who are also on the same journey as myself.

Once you have actually visited a bariatric surgeon, attended the three hour informational seminars, met a few hundred patients, gone to support groups and seen the endless videos, THEN you are qualified to comment. If you have relatives, your moms, sisters, etc. that didn't succeed, I am not surprised, because the same types of eating patterns happen in families. If you are not complying, chances are your relative will have problems complying as well.

If you are sick with the band, it can be adjusted and chances are that you are NOT eating properly. There is a period of time that you have to learn what sticks in your band and what doesn't. Once you learn not to eat the stuff you cannot tolerate, which is usually white bread, pasta and potatoes, beans, rice and sticky food, than you should not get stuck very often.

I find it very interesting that so many people here dispense incorrect nutritional information and have no clue on how to lose the weight and refuse to see doctors or nutritionists and they are so lost. I don't have that problem, because when I have a question, I can call my doctor and nutritionist and I have a clear cut eating plan and the loss of 50 pounds backs it up.

Actually, next month, they are having me use a piece of testing equipment that will actually analyze my body to tell me how I should adjust my eating plan after my first year's anniversary. So, give me my "cop out" any day over flailing around lost by myself, as I have been in the past. Just read the topics here and you will see that there is NO consensus of how a person should eat to lose weight. MILLIONS of people have been successful....MILLIONS. If there was actually such a horrible rate, the FDA or AMA or insurance companies would have stepped in and, by this time, discounted its effectiveness. Sure, it's far from without it's complications and people who DO fail and DO regain the weight, but if you DO NOT look at it as a cop out and realize that it still requires work, but helps you, there is no reason for you NOT to attend some informational meetings and support groups to find out information first hand from the people who know best.....the patients.

Select a Bariatric Center of Excellence whenever possible. Get recommendations for your doctor. Find out the good, the bad and the ugly. Ask your doctor which surgery is best for your type of eating problems. Talk to the therapist and be very honest. Let the other doctors you would have to see prior to surgery let you know if you have major risks....then make an informed decisions based on those qualified to give you advice.

Feel free to contact me privately for information on my personal experience. Others' opinions are honestly uninformed.
I just cannot STAND this topic on MFP!!!

jillybeanruns

The uninformed and extremely judgmental opinions about WLS are one of the main reasons I question, on an almost daily basis, being here on MFP.
First of all, there is a HUGE difference between having Gastric Bypass and Lap Band surgeries as far as risk. Lap band surgery can be reversed and is a very simple procedure.

Next, how many of you or your friends, family, co-workers who had the surgery were 400 or 500 pounds with diabetes, degenerative joint disease, asthma...etc. Tell me how a person who can barely walk and when they do are in extreme pain can do as you who have chosen to do it yourself, as far as exercise?

An morbidly obese person with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, joint problems,etc., are at higher risk at dying from these diseases than they are as a result of weight loss surgery, though the surgery, itself, IS much riskier for them than it would be for a person with fewer co-morbidities.

What makes it a "cop out" to have surgery? Because you have decided to have a surgery that assists the process? I consider it to be much more of a serious COMMITMENT to your health to make that decision. A brave, informed decision. The bariatric surgery of year ago, was an open surgery, with much more risk of complications and infection. Now, most surgeries are done lapriscopically, which has reduced many of the risks. However, there IS still risk. But, if you compare statistics, people who have reached the point where they would qualify for bariatric surgeries are many, many times more likely to be successful with surgery than without. If you are over 100 pounds overweight and have lost the weight and KEPT IT OFF for over 5 or 6 years without any significant regain, and did it without surgery, you are in the minority, and congratuations to you. But, yo yo weight loss is dangerous and I feel that it is an intelligent choice for these people to accept the help that is available to them if they fully understand what they will have to do to be successful.

Why does it have to be one or the other? Why are so many of you so quick to discourage a person based on your OPINION and not your own personal experience? This is what infuriates me. Had I listened to people like you, you would have, perhaps, talked ME out of the most important decision I have make in my entire life....lapband surgery. This is the first time in my 54 years of life that I feel empowered to lose the weight and I feel like I will succeed and have a wonderful support system, medical information at the end of a phone call, lifetime nutritional support at no additional cost, support groups, online support and people who live near to me who are also on the same journey as myself.

Once you have actually visited a bariatric surgeon, attended the three hour informational seminars, met a few hundred patients, gone to support groups and seen the endless videos, THEN you are qualified to comment. If you have relatives, your moms, sisters, etc. that didn't succeed, I am not surprised, because the same types of eating patterns happen in families. If you are not complying, chances are your relative will have problems complying as well.

If you are sick with the band, it can be adjusted and chances are that you are NOT eating properly. There is a period of time that you have to learn what sticks in your band and what doesn't. Once you learn not to eat the stuff you cannot tolerate, which is usually white bread, pasta and potatoes, beans, rice and sticky food, than you should not get stuck very often.

I find it very interesting that so many people here dispense incorrect nutritional information and have no clue on how to lose the weight and refuse to see doctors or nutritionists and they are so lost. I don't have that problem, because when I have a question, I can call my doctor and nutritionist and I have a clear cut eating plan and the loss of 50 pounds backs it up.

Actually, next month, they are having me use a piece of testing equipment that will actually analyze my body to tell me how I should adjust my eating plan after my first year's anniversary. So, give me my "cop out" any day over flailing around lost by myself, as I have been in the past. Just read the topics here and you will see that there is NO consensus of how a person should eat to lose weight. MILLIONS of people have been successful....MILLIONS. If there was actually such a horrible rate, the FDA or AMA or insurance companies would have stepped in and, by this time, discounted its effectiveness. Sure, it's far from without it's complications and people who DO fail and DO regain the weight, but if you DO NOT look at it as a cop out and realize that it still requires work, but helps you, there is no reason for you NOT to attend some informational meetings and support groups to find out information first hand from the people who know best.....the patients.

Select a Bariatric Center of Excellence whenever possible. Get recommendations for your doctor. Find out the good, the bad and the ugly. Ask your doctor which surgery is best for your type of eating problems. Talk to the therapist and be very honest. Let the other doctors you would have to see prior to surgery let you know if you have major risks....then make an informed decisions based on those qualified to give you advice.

Feel free to contact me privately for information on my personal experience. Others' opinions are honestly uninformed.
I just cannot STAND this topic on MFP!!!

If you can't handle people having different opinions, then maybe MFP isn't the right place for you....I mean you are so disgusted by those of us having opinions that differ from your own:flowerforyou:

CaptainMFP

According to Merriam-Webster: cop out: 1. to back out (as of an unwanted responsibility) 2. to avoid or neglect problems, responsibilities, or commitments

I've not had the surgery. But knowing the depth of involvement for those who have it with doctor recommendation between pre-op weight loss and dieting, post-op complication risks and all of the dietary and activity changes that go into having lasting success, I don't see how anyone can reasonably think the above definitions apply to weight loss surgeries.

My hat is off to anyone who has had the courage and fortitude to see this kind of process through. Taking on this challenge is not avoiding or neglecting a responsibility but taking it head-on. Not all opinions are created equal and those who offer opinions from a place of ignorance should be careful about what they offer in a public forum. Do you have a right to your opinion? Certainly. But that doesn't make it of equal value to other opinions when it is not supported by objective facts.

smily_001

I think WLS is a good thing for people that are very overweight. It is not a easy journey and you have to eat right. With WLS it can be life threatening if you do not eat right. Right now I have a acquaintance that had WLS and she ripped her staples out of her stomach because she ate to soon after surgery. I have wanted to do WLS myself since I have so much weight to lose (200lbs) but for now it is not right for me, but that does not mean it is not the right thing for someone else as long as they go into it with the right mindset.

Chunkabutt83

If you can't handle people having different opinions, then maybe MFP isn't the right place for you....I mean you are so disgusted by those of us having opinions that differ from your own:flowerforyou:

thats pretty rude

calibri

If you can't handle people having different opinions, then maybe MFP isn't the right place for you....I mean you are so disgusted by those of us having opinions that differ from your own:flowerforyou:

thats pretty rude

Explain.

Chunkabutt83

If you can't handle people having different opinions, then maybe MFP isn't the right place for you....I mean you are so disgusted by those of us having opinions that differ from your own:flowerforyou:

thats pretty rude

Explain.

she just poured her heart out about her personal experience, which most of you dont have, jillybean also posted she has never really been overweight, so im sure she doesnt understand what its like to try to lose weight when you weigh 300...400...500 pounds. And to suggest that maybe mfp isnt for Nancy because she doesnt agree with uninformed people commenting about a subject she has a personal experience with seems rude to me

Purecity

Weight loss surgery as a life saving tool, sure. Weight loss surgery to simply lose weight because you are sick of being overweight, cop out.

Trust me, as an overweight teenager, I was stoked to find out there was a miricle weight loss surgery out there. Until I, 1) researched it and 2) scared of needles (how the hell would i make it through surgery?) and 3) saw multiple people have it done.

I realized this was not for me and should only be used for someone in a desperate situation. No reason why I can't do this weight loss thing on my own. A friend of mine who was about my size almost died on an operating table...just to gain all her weight back because she didn't know how to eat healthy and didn't exercise. Another friend of mine is currently on a daily feeding tube because her procedure was done wrong and she can not eat on her own any longer. The doctor suggests the procedure be reversed.....she refused because she wants to be "Thin" . . . not healthy.

jillybeanruns

And that's your opinion chunka. That was pretty much as tactful as I could have put that, but she did post repeatedly about not liking MFP because of people and their opinions. But yet, while stating her own opinion, was quite rude and expects us to respect her opinion? It goes both ways, ya know!

If you want weight-loss surgery, go ahead and get it. Don't let my opinion stop you. I can't help that I've never been overweight or obese, I'm fit, active and have always been an athlete. I don't believe that should be held against me...but once again, just my opinion:drinker:

Chunkabutt83

And that's your opinion chunka. That was pretty much as tactful as I could have put that, but she did post repeatedly about not liking MFP because of people and their opinions. But yet, while stating her own opinion, was quite rude and expects us to respect her opinion? It goes both ways, ya know!

If you want weight-loss surgery, go ahead and get it. Don't let my opinion stop you. I can't help that I've never been overweight or obese, I'm fit, active and have always been an athlete. I don't believe that should be held against me...but once again, just my opinion:drinker:

i didnt mean it bad that you havent been overweight lol, i just meant it more as the whole "dont judge me til you walk a mile in my shoes". Myself, i wouldnt have the surgery either, but thats just me, i dont have a positive/negative opinion on it, to each their own!

calibri

Nevermind.

Chunkabutt83

You don't need to be the one contemplating the surgery to understand. I've already described my experience with someone who did undergo the procedure. Don't call my opinion uninformed, thanks.

i NEVER quoted you sweetie,you werent on my mind when i made that statement. I actually had it suggested to me. Imagine being 7 months pregnant and the doctor asking my mom to hold my stomache up so she can get a good ultrasound and then mentioning i would be a good cantidate for weight loss surgery and proceeding to go on and on about it while i sit there bawling my eyes out because she just said that to me.

Marcellus_08

I personally don't think it's anyone business how anyone chooses to lose weight. We all have our separate thoughts and ideas on the matter. I think its great for the people to have the courage to do surgery, and being an obese girl myself I think it's great the people that lose all this weight with no outside help besides working out and dieting. I am working hard at my goal. I have always wanted the "quick fix" of surgery. But I feel like I (PERSONALLY) get more excitement and happiness working out and hopping on that scale knowing I did this MYSELF. I support either way, as long as they feel its the right thing to do for THEM.

cownancy

jillybeanruns.....I have no objections to INFORMED opinions, dispensing factual information. You look like a jogger from your photo. I have no experience with jogging, so I would never comment on a thread asking for my opinion on jogging topics. If you have not had weight loss surgery yourself, or undergone the education about it, then why are you commenting here?
I am disgusted at any ignorance. And, your comment telling me that I should leave MFP just brings to the forefront a lot more about your level of compassion and open-mindedness. Perhaps you are one of those people who feels that everyone should receive your opinion on everything, whether you know about it or not? I would think that would be the type of person who is not needed on MFP, but that IS, after all, just my opinion.
Thanks for your "support"

cownancy

Leynak: The person you are describing could have had her band adjusted if she was getting stuck every time she ate, or she could have adjusted the type of feed she ate so she did not get stuck. If you follow your doctor's orders, you go in from time to time for an adjustment in your band. It NEVER should get to the point where it doesn't "work" anymore. It is ALWAYS able to be tightened of loosened. When people stop complying with the program they do not do well. Same as people WITHOUT surgery.

And tell me, what else do you non-surgical people do, except for eat right and exercise? I contend that successful surgical patients have to do far more than those who do not have surgeries considering the requirements for follow ups and other appointments and groups.

Just saying....

bregalad5

jillybeanruns.....I have no objections to INFORMED opinions, dispensing factual information. You look like a jogger from your photo. I have no experience with jogging, so I would never comment on a thread asking for my opinion on jogging topics. If you have not had weight loss surgery yourself, or undergone the education about it, then why are you commenting here?

So, what do you guys think...how do you feel about weight loss surgery?

An opinion can be either informed or uninformed. The OP did not ask specifically for the opinion of people who have personal experience, the OP asked for general opinions. Should she have been more specific in who she wanted to have answer the question? Maybe. But most people aren't going to jump down someone's throat and take every single damn opinion on a message board as a personal attack against the very core of their belief system. Sorry for that, just my opinion. You do not have to read or respond to the forum on here. You can use the site without it. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be on here. Not at all. Props to you for doing this. I'm just aware that this site is more than just the message board, and that many people use it without ever posting anything. It's possible that you may need to step back and reassess your reasons for a) being here on the message boards while b) subjecting yourself to something that you yourself have admitted you don't like. A form of masochism, perhaps?

Anyway, I know of a former Marine who had gained some weight. He saved up about $4k for lap band surgery. His food addiction was never addressed, so he over ate and over ate, despite getting sick from said overeating. He's now over 400 pounds.

I had a doctor tell me that I should consider it, but I'm not a fan, and have never had the money even if I wanted to.

cownancy

Many of you commenting that WLS is not for you are correct, if your tickers are accurate. In order to even qualify for weight loss surgery you must be at least 100 pounds overweight, have a BMI of 40 or more (though if you are 35 and have two co-morbidities, you can be considered). You have to have a history of unsuccessful doctor supervised attempts to lose weight or yo yo dieting. Than, most doctors will require a certain period of supervised weight loss attempt, pre-surgery.

It is NOT for those people who are not medically categorized as "morbidly obese".

I think there are some people here who are prejudiced against those who have weight loss problems and do not realize that certain types of obesity are acutally recognized medical issues and more than just "stop eating and exercise" and that attitude is plain ignorance, according to doctors. It is that very public prejudice that has caused so many people with weight problems to slump into depression and feel ostracized by society and that is a real shame.

It's also a shame that people interpret my frustration with opinions based on bias instead of education to be an inability to accept differing opinions, especially from someone who has never met me personally. Personal attacks like that have no place on MFP.

If you get nothing else from this topic, I hope that you try to open up your mind that there are many valid reasons why some people may elect WLS and that should not pose a threat to you or anyone else. Please try to be as tolerant and supportive of your friends with WLS as you would be for those who have not had the surgery. That's the purpose of the site.

bregalad5

*sigh* no one has even mentioned medical issues. If you asked, I'm sure half or more of the people on here would agree that it's ok for someone with a recognized medical issue. You are reading into peoples' posts more than I'm sure they intended. Of course, you could say the reverse about me; that I'm reading that into their posts.

Please point me to an "intolerant" post. Then, I'd challenge you to ask the poster if they would support a friend with, say, a thyroid problem, who cannot lose weight and has elected to have weight loss surgery. I'd bet they would support that friend. I would. Again, I think you're reading into things, and would say that you're being intolerant of people who disagree with you.

If you'd like, I can go on and on with this. I did live with two lawyers (one being my ex whom I still live with :explode: ) for a couple years and have definitely learned how to debate :grumble:

beach_bum_gurl

Morbid Obesity IS a medical issue. See ICD-9-CM code 278.01.