Diet and Exercise vs. Surgery. Thoughts?

agonzalesjoy

I am really pissed about all the judgemental comments on this thread, calling people names and just being very rude about someones accomplishments. I think that every person who says that it is a cop out or that you cheated because someone helped you to lose weight and that it wasn't your doing should delete this MFP account! YOU did not create this site, YOU did not take your time to research all the foods and colorie intake and put them here for individuals like yourself who needs help! If you used this site to help you lose weight should we all be saying your a cheater and shame on you cause you should have done this on your own? NO ABSOLUTELY NOT! Keep posting trash about other people and rust me Kama will catch up with you one day!

abberbabber

I to also think it is a cop out for people . You still have to watch what you eat and exercise. There is a great chance that you can gain all that weight back again. if you don't exercise what happens to all that excess skin??

This is what I'm talking about lol. "It's a cop out, but you still have to do the work!"

If you still have to work hard, HOW is it a cop out?

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I am really pissed about all the judgemental comments on this thread, calling people names and just being very rude about someones accomplishments. I think that every person who says that it is a cop out or that you cheated because someone helped you to lose weight and that it wasn't your doing should delete this MFP account! YOU did not create this site, YOU did not take your time to research all the foods and colorie intake and put them here for individuals like yourself who needs help! If you used this site to help you lose weight should we all be saying your a cheater and shame on you cause you should have done this on your own? NO ABSOLUTELY NOT! Keep posting trash about other people and rust me Kama will catch up with you one day!

The information is on the food itself for EVERYONE to see and use. can anyone get surgery? What if I wanted help with portion control? Guess what, I have to do it on my own. How is that even close to being the same thing as using MFP? What about the uproar over diet pills? Do you support those too? Steroids for improved performance? I assume so based on your posts.

agonzalesjoy

I am really pissed about all the judgemental comments on this thread, calling people names and just being very rude about someones accomplishments. I think that every person who says that it is a cop out or that you cheated because someone helped you to lose weight and that it wasn't your doing should delete this MFP account! YOU did not create this site, YOU did not take your time to research all the foods and colorie intake and put them here for individuals like yourself who needs help! If you used this site to help you lose weight should we all be saying your a cheater and shame on you cause you should have done this on your own? NO ABSOLUTELY NOT! Keep posting trash about other people and rust me Kama will catch up with you one day!

The information is on the food itself for EVERYONE to see and use. can anyone get surgery? What if I wanted help with portion control? Guess what, I have to do it on my own. How is that even close to being the same thing as using MFP? What about the uproar over diet pills? Do you support those too? Steroids for improved performance? I assume so based on your posts.

Oh you have a choice of how you control your portions, we all do. Your opinion is your opinion, but when you are acting like you are a better person than someone who chose surgery, Pretty much crushing a human beings self worth. You are out to make people feel like **** and you are so self absorbed and have no respect for others. I have no respect for you at all, because you are so caught up in you and how hard you work and how you do it on your own, you never stopped to think that this person decided on their own to get help! It may not be your solution but it was the best solution for them. Instead of criticizing, it would be more useful to encourage people on their weight loss journey no matter what path they decided to take, wether it be weight watchers, jenny craig, quick weightloss etc. That is why we are on this site remember?

beckajw

I am really pissed about all the judgemental comments on this thread, calling people names and just being very rude about someones accomplishments. I think that every person who says that it is a cop out or that you cheated because someone helped you to lose weight and that it wasn't your doing should delete this MFP account! YOU did not create this site, YOU did not take your time to research all the foods and colorie intake and put them here for individuals like yourself who needs help! If you used this site to help you lose weight should we all be saying your a cheater and shame on you cause you should have done this on your own? NO ABSOLUTELY NOT! Keep posting trash about other people and rust me Kama will catch up with you one day!

The information is on the food itself for EVERYONE to see and use. can anyone get surgery? What if I wanted help with portion control? Guess what, I have to do it on my own. How is that even close to being the same thing as using MFP? What about the uproar over diet pills? Do you support those too? Steroids for improved performance? I assume so based on your posts.

Oh you have a choice of how you control your portions, we all do. Your opinion is your opinion, but when you are acting like you are a better person than someone who chose surgery, Pretty much crushing a human beings self worth. You are out to make people feel like **** and you are so self absorbed and have no respect for others. I have no respect for you at all, because you are so caught up in you and how hard you work and how you do it on your own, you never stopped to think that this person decided on their own to get help! It may not be your solution but it was the best solution for them. Instead of criticizing, it would be more useful to encourage people on their weight loss journey no matter what path they decided to take, wether it be weight watchers, jenny craig, quick weightloss etc. That is why we are on this site remember?

^^ This.

ravengirl1611

I am desperatly trying to lose the weight to have surgery & I don't care about your opinions. The fact of the matter is everyone has to do what they believe is best for themselves. After 43 years of being obese & trying everything in the book, I'm tired. And I'm tired of being tired, in pain, uncomfortable and discriminated against. I want the weight off as fast as possible because when it's gone
I promise you it will never come back. Only exercise I can do now is walk but I want to run & jump & dance and that's exactly what I plan on doing. :bigsmile:

You Go!!!!! When you're ready to dance - let me know - I'll come dance with you just for the pure joy of doing it!

SueMizZou

I think that there is so much pain associated with weight that whatever works for you is ok. Weight loss surgery is major surgery. It is painful and not easy. It is not always successful either. Unless you take control of your attitude about food you will fail whether you use diet and exercise or surgery. I applaud anyone who takes the necessary steps to get healthy, especially when you are facing a monumental task. I never faced having to lose 100+ pounds. I can only imagine the courage it takes to admit that you have that much to lose and deciding to take action. Kudos to all who succeed.

ravengirl1611

Shame on those who judge and scorn individuals who have used medical assistance (surgeries) to lose weight. I am so sick and tired of judgmental people that have never walked an inch let alone a mile in a person’s shoes that has had to get this type of surgery done! There is a great deal more going into the surgery other than losing weight so before some of the self-righteous know-it-alls start blasting those who have made those decisions get to know these people as human beings with physical and psychological needs.

I think the people who are most scornful and ridiculing of people who have chosen to have surgery to help start their weight loss journey are those who a) arent trying to loose 200plus lbs as some who choose surgery are and b) have never had any sort of major surgery.

Any surgery comes with major potential side effects. Weight loss surgery is no exception - I applaud, encourage and am inspired by someone who has chosen to risk their very life going under the knife to help make themselves healthier. The risk of possible complications during weight loss surgery are exponentially higher for someone who is morbidly obese than for anyone else.

For a great many people who choose surgery (not all but many) surgery isnt really a choice it's the only option for to survive - it's surgery or die

Whether they will ultimately be able to keep the weight off or not is no different than it is for anyone - if they do not change their eating habits they'll gain the weight back - oh hold on a second - if NONE of us change our eating habits we will ALL gain the weight back - we ALL got overweight by eating too much and not moving enough - who freaking cares how someone chose to start losing weight and living again.

My question to all of those who scorn surgery for weightloss - how many of you have no issues with someone getting a boobjob or a nose job or will eventually themselves sneak off to the plastic surgeon for that tummy tuck when they've gotten to their goal weight but still have the little bit extra to get rid of.

As it has been said - Judge not lest you be judged

FlaxMilk

Stirring the pot a little.

My cousin had the surgery, lost a ton of weight, and posted his before and after pics. immediately, the "Congrats", "Well Done" and "Great Work" comments started rolling in.

Congrats and Great Work for what?!?!? Going to your doctor and letting him force you into losing weight because you couldn't do it yourself? Granted, he needed to lose the weight, and he looks great now. But now he's like a recovering drug addict with his constant updates about eating right.

I'm thinking: "Who are you to preach about weight loss?"

I'm not opposed to surgery if needed, and again, I'm not judging anyone who has had it. I agree with multiple points made here already. But it seems you don't have the same bragging rights and the "great work" comments are not earned.

Alright...take it away.

But can you imagine how great he must feel to have some peace and control and success in his life in this area? I'd be glowing too.

Antlady69

My problem with the surgery is it doesn't get to the root of why the person gained all that weight to begin with. I have two friends who have had gastric bypass and another who has a lap band.

All three lost a tremendous amount of weight...initially. But all three gained back their weight over time. Because their reasons for overeating never changed.

I don't necessarily think there's a "better" way to lose weight...everyone has their own journey to walk...but the only way to achieve lasting weight loss is to find out WHY we gained all that weight to begin with. If we don't permanently change those habits, the weight will slowly creep back on.

Excellently put. I fully agree that we need to change / adjust what we eat, the amount we eat, and how much we move. None of us has to become a marathon runner; a few little changes like taking a brisk walk during lunch or riding your bike to / from work will already make a whole lot of difference.

KyleB65

There is an old saying that a friend's father used to use all the time: "Don't judge a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes"

Although, I let myself gain a lot of weigh over the years. I never got to the point where one of the options to consider was surgery. For me, the only solution was a life style change that included better eating habits and regular exercise.

From this perspective, I would say that even if it takes longer, diet & exercise is the better way to go. But, I am not a Doctor and I have not walked in the shoes of anyone who has this decision to make.

felicia_s

I had surgery 3-1/2 years ago (duodenal switch). Most days I think it is one of the best decisions I ever made...some days I wish I hadn't done it and had just given diet and exercise one more chance. I was obese, although at 248 (weight on the day of surgery) I probably could have done it the old fashioned way if I had given it 110%. Maybe. Who knows?

But I'll tell you one thing, having surgery is one of the hardest things I have ever done. So for those of you who think it is an easy fix, you are mistaken. I was miserable for the first 4 months. I could barely eat, I threw up a lot, I was exhausted. I was very strict with my diet and followed an Atkins-type diet for the first year and lost 104 pounds. Could I have done that without surgery? I guess I'll personally never know.

My surgery has the least likelihood of regain (of a significant amount). I got down to an average of 144. In the last year I gained 11 pounds up to a weight of 155. I decided I was going to nip it in the bud and not let myself be a statistic like you're all talking about.

So here I am back at MFP doing a low carb diet and this time doing the 30 Day Shred and then Ripped in 30 when that is done. I am also going to the gym a few times a week. I want to be healthy and fit. I have lost 8 pounds of my regain and plan on keeping at it. I feel proud of myself.

I think we shouldn't be too quick to judge other people's choices. Live the best life you can and let others do the same.

mandybledsoe

I do not doubt that there are people out there that need that initial boost to get them on the right path but I was always brought up to work for anything that I wanted for the simple fact that I would appreciate it more, and maintain it better. I agree that there are many out there that get surgery when they had the ability to do it with hard work and dedication and that disappoints me.

runlaugheatpie

I haven't read any of this thread so...

I think it does earn bragging rights. Even when you have WLS you still have to do a lot of work - you have to change EVERYTHING. You have to learn how to eat, to cook and you have to learn things sometimes the hard way. Mentally you have to work hard because you have to learn to change behaviours that may have kept you from losing weight in the first place. You also go through other things that non WLS people go through - hair loss, different hormonal changes and then like us, plateaus and the mind games we go through with that.

To me it's not a cop out - it's a tough decision to make and more power to them.

debk3p2

http://rainhoward.blogspot.com/2012/08/more-on-my-choice-of-surgery.html

I would post this here but it's rather long. So if you really want to know why a person would opt for surgery, here's my answer to that question.

Wonderful Blog. I wish you all the best.

Debbie

SueN113

Personally its got to be diet and exercise, yes surgery might work but the person isnt going to learn to eat better and exercise so whats to stop all that weight coming back on. Hard work and determination never killed anyone (well it probably has but oh well).

I personally believe that Lap Band surgery saved my life. I was 24 and 295 pounds. Once I lost some weight...I was able to start exercising without pain in my back and began to learn how to eat properly.

EVEN with surgery, you can gain weight..so I believe that you still have bragging rights ..I worked hard for my 100 pound weight loss and still am!

It doesn't work for people who think it is a solution.. it is JUST a tool to assist.

Chanita1116

I think weight loss surgery is a cop-out for individuals who still have mobility and the means to exercise/diet the weight off. I surely wouldn't brag if my success was a byproduct of a medical advancement (as opposed to my own willpower, hard work, and determination). That's just me. Sorry if I've offended anyone who has had surgery.

Bump....

I have serveral friends who've had the surgery and I'm still hard at work at my weight loss or lack there of....I really feel it is a cop-out for those who can move and get around. I think the surgery should only be given as an option if its something that is life threating or for the extremely obese 350+

jynxxxed

Instead of having surgery, why don't people just eat LESS and learn how to do it the right way in the first place? Surgery isn't necessary, it's just a crutch for people who give up on themselves in most cases.

SueN113

Instead of having surgery, why don't people just eat LESS and learn how to do it the right way in the first place? Surgery isn't necessary, it's just a crutch for people who give up on themselves in most cases.

Sometimes, it is needed for people who don't have the mental/emotional ability to let go of their addiction to food right then and there. The surgery forced me to face WHY I was eating and helped me change my life.

Not everyone has the same will power.

FlaxMilk

I am lucky enough not to suffer from disordered eating that would make me need to be a candidate for this surgery. So yes, I think people have bragging rights, because it was harder for them than it was for me to begin with. We praise athletes who overcome an injury or a medical illness because of that exact reason--it is harder for them than the other people on the field. We praise them for competing even if they come in last.

Why wouldn't we expect people with disordered eating to struggle after the surgery? That's why they had the surgery (in most cases.) They struggle with disordered eating. Until an insurance company is willing to pay the same amount of money for intensive inpatient eating disorder treatment for these people, it's tough to tell them to do it without medical intervention. The medical intervention is not a guarantee, but it does increase their chances of managing their disordered eating. WLS is actually the most "Successful" long-term weight loss measure.

It's not an option for everyone because of the safety risks. But for people that it truly is an option for, there are already safety risks. It's up to them and their doctors to decide which risk is greater.

At the end of the day, it's hard to say who did what "on their own." Someone else may look at your life and say, "Well, she was lucky enough to have loving parents who had the means for her to be able to focus so much on her health and lifting." Or, whatever. They'll find something. It's what people do. And all of us have an advantage that someone else doesn't have.