Bariatric Surgery???

Firestar98

I've been overweight for so many years now. I've had a couple friends who had the bariatric surgery with much success. It's so much safer than it was years ago. Yet there is almost always the usual risks and complications which are still very scary to me! I've been considering this for about 3 or 4 months now. I still can't make up my mind whether I want to go through with this! I like the idea of having quick results since I tend to get very frustrated and impatient with slow progress, hence I give up! One of my concerns about this is my love for sweets. I know this is something that is difficult to tolerate after this surgery which will give u the "dumping" syndrome........the sugar causes everything to move very quickly through your system causing explosive results! This could be very embarrassing if you aren't home close to a bathroom!
I really don't know what to do. I found my way here recently with hope I would try one more time to do it the old fashioned way....counting calories, carbs, etc. I'm already getting discouraged. I'm running out of time....I'm 64 years young!
Is there anyone out there who knows anyone who has had this surgery with success??

Consider this:

- No surgery is going to remove your "love of sweets". You have to fix that yourself.
- No surgery is going to fix you getting frustrated or impatient with slow progress. You have to fix that yourself.

My parents both had a lap band installed, know why they lost so much weight? After the surgery they ate what they were supposed to, then their instincts kicked in and they'd snack, then the food would get "plugged up" and they'd go in the bathroom and vomit. It took months to figure out that snacking is bad, then they started trying to game the snacking... i.e. snack over several hours, and just little bits at a time. What they ended up doing was training themselves to work the new system they found themselves in, which isn't any different than "tricking" yourself to stop buying junk food at the store so there's none in the house when you want a snack. Same trick, the only difference is the forced results (incessant puking to purge all the crap you insisted you had to eat.)

Why do you allow yourself to fulfill your "love of sweets"? Mark down what you eat, stop buying sweet food at the store (get someone else to do your grocery shopping, make them a list and send 'em so you can't be impulsive and purchase chips/chocolate/cookies/whatever.) Do this for 1-2 weeks, get all the "hidden" foods out of your living space so you don't have them anymore and cut out the carbonated beverages in favor of water. If you don't lose 5 pounds in the first 2 weeks I'll be shocked.

1stday13

I've been overweight for so many years now. I've had a couple friends who had the bariatric surgery with much success. It's so much safer than it was years ago. Yet there is almost always the usual risks and complications which are still very scary to me! I've been considering this for about 3 or 4 months now. I still can't make up my mind whether I want to go through with this! I like the idea of having quick results since I tend to get very frustrated and impatient with slow progress, hence I give up! One of my concerns about this is my love for sweets. I know this is something that is difficult to tolerate after this surgery which will give u the "dumping" syndrome........the sugar causes everything to move very quickly through your system causing explosive results! This could be very embarrassing if you aren't home close to a bathroom!
I really don't know what to do. I found my way here recently with hope I would try one more time to do it the old fashioned way....counting calories, carbs, etc. I'm already getting discouraged. I'm running out of time....I'm 64 years young!
Is there anyone out there who knows anyone who has had this surgery with success??

Hi Penny! Me too^^^ all of above^^^ please go to my profile page & read. Also read my first Blog. I would love to be friends. Just ask & tell me a little more about yourself>
Lori

rushikareddy

No surgery needed. Lost 160+ pounds with exercise, and consistent calorie deficit. I did it, you can too!

Edit to add: nothing worth doing is easy! Even surgery is hard

That's so true! Just exercise and watch what you eat! You will do great!

KittieLea

DON'T DO IT.
Eat healthy and exercise.

karlalband

I think its something that you need to talk to your doctor about. The surgery will only work if you make considerable lifestyle changes as well. This will include new diet and exercise. The surgery itself is not a walk in the park. I have seen a few friends go through it. Its hard on the body.

It IS all about lifstyle change. My suggestion is to change the lifestyle first and see. Surgery should be the very last resort.

I do agree about talking with the doctor. But you make the choice for which surgery LB or Gastric. Please try this first wish I found this site 3 years ago!

futurestarz

Hi,
My mother and my sister have both had the surgery, my mom was one of the first people in the country to have it back in 2001.
She currently weighs about 145 lb and has managed very well since.

My sister, on the other hand, was not so lucky. She had some complications with her surgery which resulted in 8 months in the hospital on a feeding tube, and almost her entire intestines to be removed. It was very scary and painful for her and our whole family.

One thing I can say about your "sweet tooth" is that you will probably lose it with the surgery. From my experience (seeing my mom and sister) is that you do not crave sweets or carbs as much. My mom was addicted to ice cream (black cherry) and I don't think she has had more than a scoop or two since her surgery. It is a huge commitment though. I remember having to pull to the side of the road when we were kids because my mom would get sick from eating rice or other carbs.

It is a learning process, and not easy at all. You have to make huge lifestyle adjustments.

This is a decision you need to make with your physician.

Pelly57

I had the gastric bypass in 2008. My first piece of advice is research your surgeon, well. What is their success rate, more importantly, have they lost any patients due to complications? My surgeon took a conservative approach. He doesn't remove as much intestine as some. The downside is that you won't end up a size 1 effortlessly. The upside is that I have no nutritional deficiencies.
You have a honeymoon period for the first year or so, the weight will seem to melt off. Better get exercising to tone up all that flab. In some cases, age, and excessive flab, plastic surgery is required to remove excess skin. After your honeymoon period, get ready to start watching what you eat. It will all come back to diet and exercise.
All went well until about 2 years ago, I was 100 lbs down and keeping it there. Then I had a very stressful period for about 10 months and in that short amount of time, put back on 60lbs. My own fault. So, here I am with MFP, working on the 60lbs I have put back on.
The surgery is not a magic bullet. It is just a powerful tool. You will still need to do the work. Am I skinny? No. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Feel free to send me a message or friend me.

NYCNika

Come on people, how is having your gut cut open, and having your internal organs cut and stiched a more pleasant alternative than exercise???

celebrity328

I know of four people who have had the surgery and I wouldnt say any of them have been a success.

#1 My mother in law had a stomach stappling done years ago (I want to say at least 10-15 years ago) so I would hope things have changed since then! but she got down to her goal weight but had many complications like loss of hair, blood sugar crashing, the works. She ended up in the hospital and almost died from the complications. I cant say for 100% she was sticking with the diet so I cant blame the surgery its self.

#2 Girl I worked with had lap band done (4-5 years ago) and she was such an emotional eater She would binge eat then puke up the food, then eat some more. To no ones suprise she lost nothing. To this day she continues to struggle with the weight/emotional eating, Im not even sure she has the band anymore.

#3 I worked with a women who had surgery 3-4 years before I met her and she was down to her goal. She had some hair loss and she was tired a lot. But I dont believe she was following her diet at all, she would eat things from fast food etc, alot of processed crap. She had to have a full body lift after she reached her weight loss goal. She was the only one that I know of that has kept the weight off years after the surgery.

#4 Lady I currently work with had some type of bariatric surgery (I never asked) She was a little under 500lbs, she lost 300lbs and something happened that put her out of work for almost a year. Now shes back up to 375-400lbs and I see her munching down full bags of chips, cookies, and what not daily.

I guess my point is this: Everyone of the people I know who have had the surgury didnt make the changes in eating habits they knew they had to. With that being said I wish you the best of luck in what ever you decide to do

catmomof3

I made the decision to have gastric bypass after a car accident and the back pain that resulted from it made it impossible to exercise. I put on an additional 20 lbs over my highest weight and was beginning to show signs of prediabetes.
That was last October. I did my research and went to counseling. I have lost 65 pounds since the surgery and have had to completely adjust my eating habits. Before the surgery I could not stop eating too much. I was hungry all the time and needed that full feeling after meals and when I didn't I felt as if I was depriving myself and was really angry. I have done a lot of soul searching and found out that I was a stress eater. I was not always fat but started to put on weight because I was lacking self worth and was eating my way through my anger issues.
To all those who do plain old exercise and diet and it works, great! I was one of you, until I couldn't work out like I used to. Surgery was a last resort for me and it's working and will continue to work because I am committed. I knew all of the rules before. I just couldn't follow them. The surgery is a tool for people who need an extra hand in following the rules. I'm not ashamed to say I needed it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It is not an easy solution nor is it a cop-out. All weight loss requires calorie restriction and some exercise.

Also I do not look older from the surgery. Some people have flabby skin because they do not have enough collagen. They are the same people who have flabby skin after having children and can happen to any one who loses weight, not just people who have weight loss surgery.

To the original poster, it is a personal decision but it will not solve your underlying cravings. You still need to work on that. Do the research and make an educated decision that's right for you.

RoadsterGirlie

Let me get this straight, because I don't quite understand.

You are willing to pay somebody tens of thousands of dollars to cut you open, rearrange your insides in a way not at all natural to the human body, with one of the after-effects being sh*tting yourself at inappropriate times?

This is more desirable than portion control and learning to eat right?

I'm sorry. I'm just not getting it.

honeyandmilk

Come on people, how is having your gut cut open, and having your internal organs cut and stiched a more pleasant alternative than exercise???

For some people it's a last resort or a life and death situation. If you're 600lbs, how exactly are you going to wake up one day and start eating healthy and exercising regularly? Some people that size can't even get out of bed.

RoadsterGirlie

Sure, but those cases are rare.

There are people around the 250 lb mark who are qualifying for it no problem. Hell, I would have been a candidate.

honeyandmilk

I only view surgery as a last resort solution. If you're morbidly obese, have tried everything to no avail, or are in a situation where you have to lose weight to live, then surgery would be a good option.

If you CAN lose weight the old fashioned way, via eating healthy and exercising, then do it. If you're physically able to exercise, then do it; I know exercising isn't pleasant, but you're blessed with the ability to do it. If you are having emotional ties to food and binging, then seek a counselor to sort through those issues. Most times food issues aren't just related to food itself, but to something deeper and psychological. See a nutritionist to tailor a meal plan for you to follow. Work on establishing good habits and a healthy mind, body and outlook and then, if you still can't get at a better place, look into surgery.

If you're looking for a quick fix, surgery isn't necessarily it. Surgery won't get rid of your emotional ties to food. It won't cure your self esteem issues, your penchant for sweets or anything else. All it will do is allow you to lose weight rapidly, but after a while, the rest is up to you. Ultimately, your weight and your health are in your hands; it will all come down to eating right and exercising. If you can't do that now, for whatever reason, it is unlikely that you'll do it post-surgery.

I say this all as someone who lost over 100lbs by eating less and moving more.