Weight Loss Surgery?

bka3601

I just joined yesterday as a suggestion from a Nutritionist that I am seeing prior to Weight Loss Surgery........Has anyone else had a surgery to aid them losing weight on here? I am going in on 12/19 and have started a preop diet to shrink my liver prior to surgery. Some may think it is the easy way out but I have tried so many other things I feel as though this is a last resort. Just looking for feedback.

quirkytizzy

I have an online friend who has had WLS, but she is not a member here. She was able to document the whole journey, though, and that help develop healthy habits. She says it was one of the best decisions she'd ever made and she's never looked back! She has been able to exercise much, much more now that the original weight is off. And she was able to learn how to eat and be healthy so that she could carry it after her surgery into her life.

lewcompton

I just had some deja vu... thought that was my old gut in your picture... I started at 425 less than 5 months ago and I'm down 101 as of last Saturday. I personally chose not to do the surgery, but each person has to make those kinds of choices themselves. The risk/reward assessment seems to be the only thing that matters about the surgery... If you can make it work with or without surgery is what must be determined. If you feel that you can't do it without the surgery then do the surgery because you need to lose the weight for your health and your family.

HarleyJo13

I had weight loss surgery just over a year ago. I had a MGB (Mini-Gastric Bypass) performed by Dr. David E Hargroder in Joplin, Missouri. I am a nurse in Texas and had ample opportunity to have wt loss surgery done locally, but am EXTREMELY happy with my choice to go with Dr. Hargroder and his procedure! He is the most compassionate surgeon I have ever in my life met! (and that is after meeting a LOT of MD's over 28 years of nursing). His procedure is the first that I have seem people have great long term success (maintained wt loss over 10 years). My primary care MD was shocked....he was amazed at how successful this surgery is. In the year since my surgery, I have lost 140 pounds. I have gone from a size 24 to a size 8. I started using the My Fitness Pal site to track my food intake, and expecially my nutritional intake. I have a Fitbit as well and like how it syncs up with it and how I can enter in my gym workouts.

Biggest decision I ever in my life made.....best thing I ever in my life did for myself! :smooched:

stacylperry

Hi welcome to the weightloss surgery page !! I had the vertical sleeve on 10/24 and I'm so glad I did:happy: Prior to the surgery I lost 70 pounds in eight months, on my own with diet and exercize. Since the sugery I've lost 14 pounds with smaller portions and exercize. Like you said, this isn't the 'easy way out'... :indifferent: this is a personal decision~ it's not an easy one to make it's like changing and a little painful. I've told only the closest people to me, but will share with people going through it :flowerforyou: please friend me ... I'd be happy to go through this journey with you... especially the liquid diet to shrink your liver before surgery- I'll be happy to support you through this thats what we are here for

1shauna1

I had lapband surgery in Oct 2010. It has still been a struggle losing weight (as it is still just a tool and I am still figuring out how to use this tool). Feel free to add me as a friend!

fusion777

I chose the same as lew, I considered weight loss surgery (my doctor suggested it) but then decided against it. It's no easier than dieting and eating right (please know, I do not judge anyone who has the surgery, it just wasn't right for me).

Once I knew I was in huge trouble (no pun intended), I got my act together and so far I'm down 65lbs since the summer. It hasn't been easy for one minute but the rewards of being healthier, skinnier, etc. are totally worth it. I'm not sure the surgery could have helped me more.

I wish you good luck in your search for the right answer for you. This is the hardest thing I have ever done for myself and MFP has been such a blessing.

pawoodhull

I had the gastric sleeve done July 2011. Go ahead and add me as a friend if you want. There are two groups I'm part of that are people who've had the sleeve. I'm sure there are groups specific to all the different weight loss surgeries on here as well.

Losing weight through surgery isn't the "esy way out" and it's no magic bullet. You will lose weight right after without much effort, but after a few months, to continue to lose and keep off what you did lose you have to count calories and exercise. The reality is, these surgeries just give you a chance. You have to change your eating habits and your exercise habits and the change needs to be for life. Beacuse if you go back to your old ways, you will regain your weight. I have 2 sisters and 2 cousins who had gastric bypass and 3 of them have regained some if not all their weight. They didn't change their eating habits and stopped exercising.

Good luck and agin, feel free to add me. The support through your doctor's office and here is important.

latchington

I would have weight loss surgery in a heart beat if I had the money - which is why I have joined this site, so I can do it myself! I think the fact that people who are overweight are stigmatized to the point where they consider being cut open to be a socially 'normal' weight is a little bit upsetting though. But you gotta do these things for yourself and no-one else I guess!

Cupcakehippiemommy

I think only YOU know what will work for you,personally I could never do surgery unless it was to save my life, but that is because I HATE hospitals and have a phobia about getting cut open for anything.Best of luck to you and I hope it all ends well!

jynxxxed

Have you ever attempted managing your macros (calories/fats/carbs) on a site like this before for weight loss? If this is your first attempt, I would highly suggest looking through some of the success stories at the amazing people who have done this without a surgery. The surgery won't fix you, it will just keep you from eating which is something that you're capable of changing yourself without an expensive, risky surgery. Instead of having a surgery and THEN learning about maintaining a healthy diet and exercise, it'd be so much safer to just work on the diet/exercise aspect right now and avoid unnecessary surgery.

Either way, good luck :flowerforyou:

glamis_dust_bunny

I'm almost into my 3rd month of 6 month pre-op appointments. My surgery should be sometime in March. I just made my appointment to meet with the surgeon, that will be next month. I met with the psychologist last night and thats where I learned for the first time about the liver shrinking liquid diet a week prior to surgery. I'm trying to use MFP to help me keep to 1200 cals per day to lose approx 30lbs prior to surgery. I'm down 5 in about a week (shows only 1 on my profile because I screwed up when I was entering my current weight) I'm hoping to be down the 30 by my Jan 11th appointment with the nutritionist.

mandyabraio

I had the sleeve on 11/5/12 AND NO this is NOT the easy way out!!!! People who don't understand this surgery and what it can do are well...just ignorant! I am only 3 weeks post op and I can already tell you it is the BEST thing I have EVER done for myself. Congrats on you getting it done. I'll add you as a friend.

BaconMD

I have tried so many other things I feel as though this is a last resort. Just looking for feedback.

But...

I just joined yesterday

My feedback would be to give ONE last thing - MyFitnessPal - a try before your last resort of surgery. What can it hurt? You may find, like many others, that it's the one thing that works, and avoid surgery entirely. You have nothing to lose... Except weight.

stubbseyt

my friend had a gastric bypass, i think that was quite drastic as she is only in her 20s, she failed at every diet and was very very big. she found a doctor who agreed to do it. she looks fabulous now she is glowing, but has a lot of loose skin which her dad says he will pay for the op to get rid of.

i asked her once how she would STOP dieting because it is not a reversable operation, she said you just eat higher calorific food. so i then worried that at the end of her diet, she would have to eat really unhealthilly for the rest of her life... didnt seem right. But, she might not have known all the ins and outs of the maintainance plan herself really.

good luck with it

Gwynhyffar

I had a verticle sleeve gastrectomy last December. It's been a long road this year, but so far I have lost 110 pounds. You didn't say which surgery you are having. This site has been great for me for tracking my food and exercise and has realy helped me stay on track post-op. Good luck to you and I would be happy to help support your journey. You should also look into surgery specific support forums. I'm a member at www.gastricsleeve.com

Good luck!

PeekABooGirl

I had Roux en Y gastric bypass in 1997 and lost about 125lbs. It's most certainly not an "easy" route to choose. I've had 2 babies and managed to keep off 100 of those pounds. But having the surgery, in and of itself, isn't a guarantee it'll stay off and you'll still struggle with the love of food that you once had. I'm struggling now to loose the 25 I gained, plus another 25 more. I don't regret the surgery at all. It's changed my life for the better. But just wanted to make clear that it's not at all a guarantee of being skinny and it still takes commitment and effort to loose the weight and keep it off.

bka3601

WOW! Thank you all for your response to my post I really appreciate the feedback. This is such a wonderful community to lean on during such an important time in my life. I look forward to interacting with all of you when I have the chance.....

Thank you again, it is truly helpful

missmidge84

I started using this site when I was in the early phase of the intake procedure for lap band surgery. I decided to commit to using the meal tracker for 90 days and then reevaluate where I'm at before deciding to proceed with the surgery. I'm at day 56 and I'm down almost 22 pounds. I've decided surgery isn't for me at this point in my life and I'll be sticking with MFP.

jynxxxed

WOW! Thank you all for your response to my post I really appreciate the feedback. This is such a wonderful community to lean on during such an important time in my life. I look forward to interacting with all of you when I have the chance.....

Thank you again, it is truly helpful

Absolutely, just please do not give up on yourself. You can 100% do this without an invasive surgery if that's the route you choose. The surgery will only limit your ability to eat as much, but eventually you will have to dive into learning everything about nutrition, macros and fitness regardless, so why not just do it now without the risks? I'd highly suggest saving yourself the pain and giving MFP a try instead before completely giving up. You can definitely do it.

REDI4CHANGE60

I had the RNY Gastric Bypass back in 2002 (I think ... maybe 2001) ... anyway, I lost over 100 pounds. I didn't work my 'tool' - the pouch - properly and slowly gained back 50 pounds. Well, those pounds are gone now, plus a few more, and I am still losing. The beautiful thing is that once you have the surgery ... according to which surgery you have ... you always have the tool at your disposal.

Which surgery are you having? IMHO the gastric bypass, according to the amount of weight you have to lose, is the best way to go. Yes, you have to change your lifestyle (that is with all of the surgeries) ... and that was something I didn't get at first (my bad) ... to a certain extent, but if you work your pouch you will lose the weight. So what if you can't sit down and eat a entire ribeye ... you can eat a portion of it and be STUFFED and satiated. Satiated ... I never really knew how that felt before the surgery ... to be completely full and not want another bite ... it's incredible because it makes me feel like a 'normal' person that can eat and not always be hungry.

Do I regret going under the knife ... and suffering some complications due to the surgery in the hospital ... ??? Hell NO! I would do it again in a heartbeat. Best of luck to you!!

amuchison

I have had friends who have had WLS and done Amazing one lost over 100lbs in less than a year the other 90lbs in 7 months but one thing that is universal no matter what route u take is u HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR MENTAL AND YOUR HABITS OF SICKNESS TO THOSE OF HEALTH....or with any program or plan or whatever YOU WILL GAIN YOUR WEIGHT BACK!! SO MAKE THE LIFESTYLE CHANGE THE FIRST TIME AROUND:)

MDixon26

I had Gastric Bypass on 10/10/12. Feel free to friend me! I don't regret my surgery at all. I used MFP for over a year prior to surgery while trying to lose wait (it was my last effort to lose weight without surgery). I lost 13lbs (which I was damn proud of!) But since the start of my 2 week liquid diet prior to surgery I've lost almost 50lbs.

Like other people say, this isn't an easy fix. I have to eat healthy (and I'm still not eating grains) and exercise like a demon. The most important thing is having a support team in place though. My doctor's office has a RN coordinator, a nutritonist, a psychologist, and others who work with you through the entire process. Make sure you have something like this to get you through! People who have support, go to their follow up appointments, and support group meetings lose more weight and keep it off better.

http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/6/19/90237.shtml

bka3601

Thanks for all of the support everyone, I realize that I didn't mention what type of surgery I was going to have......I chose the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I did read the posts regarding making sure I thought it thru and try myfitnesspal for a longer period of time before I decide to have surgery but even though I just joined this site I have tried a few others that provided a similar service. This has been my struggle.....Monday - Friday at lunch time I can follow a reduced calorie lifestyle with no problem at all. I get to the weekend and by Sunday evening my will power is gone and I always seem to erase the progress of the previous week. I know that much of my problem is in my head and using surgery to fix that is not a good idea, however, the obstacle that I have built seems so massive that without this tool I don't think I will ever be able to get the ball rolling. With the reduced ability to binge eat, I know after I see real results that will give me the motivation to get back to my "fighting weight". I know that everyone will not agree but this is the decision i have made. I really appreciate the "community" of people willing to help, I certainly feel as though it will be a big part of my success.....please don't hesitate to contact me with anything you think will help and I promise to keep everyone posted on my progress

IsabellaG35

Have you ever attempted managing your macros (calories/fats/carbs) on a site like this before for weight loss? If this is your first attempt, I would highly suggest looking through some of the success stories at the amazing people who have done this without a surgery. The surgery won't fix you, it will just keep you from eating which is something that you're capable of changing yourself without an expensive, risky surgery. Instead of having a surgery and THEN learning about maintaining a healthy diet and exercise, it'd be so much safer to just work on the diet/exercise aspect right now and avoid unnecessary surgery.

Either way, good luck :flowerforyou:

I couldn't agree more with you. My sister had the surgery back in May and although all went well and she's down 70 lbs, in my opinion the surgery was not needed. (Especially with the whole hair thinning thing.) I've seen women drop over 100lbs in that same time frame. It's all about will and dedication. I myself lost 80lbs about 8 years ago and have since then kept it off. Eating right and exercising does the trick 30 years old and in the best shape of my life!

Mlek1969

I had WLS surgery last week. I chose vertical sleeve also. I'm so glad I did it! Feel free to friend me!

jfontanna

Oh, this one hits close to home for me. I personally have not had surgery, but my wife did shortly before I met her. Here's our story in summary:

She had a Roun Y (spelling?) in 2005. Initially, she dropped around 100lbs. Since then, we've had just about every conceivable side-effect, next to death, and she's now almost back to the weight that she had started at. We've had 5 supporting surgeries since the initial, including a complete removal of the remnant stomach due to tissue breakdown and internal bleeding. She has never gotten over the flap of skin that occurs from sudden weight loss. She's unable to eat a number of food, as they make her vomit. She also has had a ton of problems with ulcers to the point where one perforated (broke through the lining and started spewing gastric juices into her abdomen. Right now, she's scarred all over her abdomen from all of the surgeries, and we're not able to really have any more surgeries due to scar tissue. Her last surgery infected horribly and I ended up packing a 2" x 3" section just under her breastbone. We've had drainage tubes put in and taken out a couple of times. We've gone through 5 different gastro docs, until we ended up at Mayo in Rochester, MN. (Shout out to Dr. Saar... he's been a life saver! Literally.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is make sure you do your homework. Side-effects are listed because they happen, and they should server as a warning.

I wish you luck and good health with or without the surgery.

Akimajuktuq

Oh, this one hits close to home for me. I personally have not had surgery, but my wife did shortly before I met her. Here's our story in summary:

She had a Roun Y (spelling?) in 2005. Initially, she dropped around 100lbs. Since then, we've had just about every conceivable side-effect, next to death, and she's now almost back to the weight that she had started at. We've had 5 supporting surgeries since the initial, including a complete removal of the remnant stomach due to tissue breakdown and internal bleeding. She has never gotten over the flap of skin that occurs from sudden weight loss. She's unable to eat a number of food, as they make her vomit. She also has had a ton of problems with ulcers to the point where one perforated (broke through the lining and started spewing gastric juices into her abdomen. Right now, she's scarred all over her abdomen from all of the surgeries, and we're not able to really have any more surgeries due to scar tissue. Her last surgery infected horribly and I ended up packing a 2" x 3" section just under her breastbone. We've had drainage tubes put in and taken out a couple of times. We've gone through 5 different gastro docs, until we ended up at Mayo in Rochester, MN. (Shout out to Dr. Saar... he's been a life saver! Literally.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is make sure you do your homework. Side-effects are listed because they happen, and they should server as a warning.

I wish you luck and good health with or without the surgery.

Thanks for providing your input. I've seen similar threads as this where there were far more people responding who had had weight loss surgery and had many negative effects and life threatening complications to share. Weight loss and, even better, good health, can be achieved by dietary change. For some of us, including myself, that may mean choosing a lifestyle that bears no resemblance to the Standard American Diet. Battling constant hunger/craving is futile and unnecessary.

anghigdon

I have gone back and forth on my decision to have WLS for close to 7 years and have just FINALLY made the decision to have Gastric Bypass. In fact, I'm scheduled for surgery on January 7th! It's been a really long journey for me but I had to be sure it was the right decision before I completely altered my digestive system! I have so many emotions and thoughts about it and alot of anxiety but I know if my heart that it's the right decision for me.

The ony advice I can offer is to make sure this is the right decision for YOU! Do your research, talk to people who have been through it.. Maybe consider attending a support group.

Feel free to friend me if you'd like and whatever decision you make, I wish you the best of luck!

NewMomma1982

Hey y'all! I had my gastric sleeve surgery on Monday and am recovering without much problem. I have been a member of MFP for over 2 years. I love the support and setup of it. I'd love to have any fellow weight loss surgery friends add me on here, even if you're just considering it. My major suggestion that I haven't seen made yet is that weight loss surgery will only address the physical. To really change your relationship with food on both a mental and emotional level, it takes much more. Which is why I am now a member of OA (overeaters anonymous). I can't imagine going through this process without the knowledge I have gained there over the last six weeks. I highly recommend that anyone that feels like they have a less than healthy relationship with food, check it out. We should be feeding our bodies.....not our souls!

Lindabummy1

Just signed on this site today. Met with surgeon yesterday and passed all those lab and xrays and ekg's endoscopy etc that needs to be done... My surgery is scheduled for 1/4. Nervous but excited. Did a lot of research on the subject and read lot of books and internet research and it seems to indicate that the sleeve can work just as well as the bypass cause when they remove part of the stomach, it also includes the grelin that can cause hunger. I agree with you... just a tool... lot of work on my part, but I am ready for it. Had the lap band about 5 1/2 yrs ago and lost about 90 lbs, then started having problems and put some back on over the past year. Tests indicated that band slipped and not fixable cause they couldn't guarantee that if another band was put in it would hold and the insurance would only cover one revision. They thought part of the problem it might have rejected is that in addition to other comorbidities I have, the multiple sclerosis I have maybe have been part of the culprit. I opted for the sleeve and am glad and looking forward to. Worked too hard to still keep off 70 pounds, have still that much more to go. I feel, for me, I am making the right decision, especiall since the lap band needs to be removed so it doesn't cause problems later since it slipped. The surgery will be a little more complicated because there will be scar tissue from the first surgery, which will make it a little harder than just putting in a "new surgery" so to speak. I like my surgeon, very experienced, good reviews, before he came to our state, he was the Director of the Bariatric Surgery center at Mayo Clinic, so I feel like he knows what he is doing. I wish you luck and you can add me as your friend. Hope you are still doing good and that I come thru this good. Little nervous