Weightloss surgery

sassafrascas

I Say give this sight an honest full effort try first! I had Gastric Bypass when I weighed 400 pounds right after high school the first 110 pounds fell off. Then I put 45 of it back on. Surgery is not a quick fix. I will say loosing 110 pounds saved my life I felt hopeless and helpless. But if you have any underlying issues with food and emotional eating surgery is not going to solve your problems and the weight will still be there. Either way it requires a lifestyle change. I never changed my lifestyle. But I am working on that now finally!

MissDeAnn

I think you should talk to your doctor and research. However, I feel like you should try to lose weight without it, because your're surgery will go to waste if you don't eat right or exercise. Have you considered joining a weight lost clinic first?

olores

Close co- worker died having it done, another died after trying to have a tummy tuck as she lost weight from the surgery....poor 24 years YOUNG!!!! You can do it without that risk!!!! There is nomagic potion...move more and eat less!

RoadsterGirlie

I can't urge you enough not to do this. The reason WLS works is because you are FORCED into eating very, very small quantities. Over time you may not be getting enough nutrition, and your hair may start to fall out. Also, do a google search on WLS and "dumping." Seriously gross.

It's hard for me to figure out how being cut open and having your insides rearranged with drastic consequences is preferential to eating a balanced diet with good, wholesome choices (read: not starving yourself), and getting some activity in.

I'm not bashing the original poster - I'm bashing WLS and will continue to do so til the day I die. I'm saying it because I believe it or not, I do care about people (even ones I've never met) and want them to thrive and be the best person they can be.

I have a slight problem with the above poster. Simply because if she states "I'm bashing WLS....because I CARE.....and want them to thrive and be the best person they can be" Then she is wrong, because bashing someone else, or THEIR choice will never result in a person striving to be their best.

I also take issue with your uneducated response with your "cut open" "drastic consequences" "starving yourself". I love your passion, and think it is wonderful that you live passionately. Wouldn't it be something if you lived passionately out of love and compassion for all people how different your world would be and you could possibly be a small change in this world that would ripple.

Omgosh people. The OP wanted advice. we are giving it to her. WLS is and should be the LAST option. Most who say they've tried everything have not. Because when it got too hard they stopped. I know of NO ONE who by sticking to an excersice/weight loss program. either Weight Watchers MFP or whatever have ever failed to lose and maintain the weight loss. If the program a person is on failed its because they did. Not the program. Calories in/Calories out. Its that simple coupled with an effective exercise program will yield results. If that is mean then so be it!!

Thank you for this. :flowerforyou:

RoadsterGirlie

I don't recommend MFP for this type of questions...as you can see some of the folks r pretty harsh!

IE: Only seek advice on websites that tell you what you want to hear.

auddii

Its a myth that it is a quick fix. People have no idea how long the process takes or that you have to live with it for the rest of your life. They also dont realize that its permanent.

It isn't always so permanent. Many people have stretched their stomachs back out. WLS is a tool, and you need to use it properly for it to be effective. I can say the same thing about MFP. Maybe people post that they aren't losing weight or have stalled and they don't understand. They may not be using MFP as intended. Each tool can work, and generally WLS will be faster than using MFP simply because you can't put as many calories in your body.

Many people have used WLS effectively, lost weight, and kept it off. My mother is not one of them. She lost a lot of weight with her surgery, but from the beginning she had problems being compliant. She did get all the vitamins she needed, and wanted to eat some of the same foods. She'd eat too fast and too much, and so she was often running off to the bathroom to puke it up. I don't know that I would call it bulimia, but she literally had too much food for her system to handle. She never wanted to exercise, and she would sometimes do water aerobics. It's not that she couldn't go for a walk or get on an elliptical, she just didn't want to try because she never had before. I went to a gym with her once, and I really just couldn't convince her to try anything different.

It's been years (I don't even remember how many) since her surgery and I think she's put about 40lbs back on. She's still much smaller than she was, but her diabetes really is just as bad as before. It's wildly uncontrolled, and even her insulin pump is not helping with that. She is now considering a revision to her surgery. I think she's an idiot because the second surgery is still not going to change her habits. She's not committed to improving herself and her lifestyle in it's entirety.

I'm not saying WLS is bad, but you have to be 100% committed to improving everything about yourself: your diet, your exercise, everything. It is a life style change that you will have to stick with. The same thing can be said about losing weight "the old fashioned way". However, there is a huge list of risks associated with WLS, and there are different risks for different types of surgeries. Hell, just going under anesthesia for any reason carries a risk of death. You don't have the same kind of risk with just diet and exercise, but you don't get the constant positive reinforcement of the scale dropping *relatively* quickly. WLS also costs a hell of a lot of money (although my mom's insurance did cover a portion of it).

My advice, try to get as many opinions as possible and read as many post surgery stories, and try to listen to both the good and bad experiences. I think you will have more luck on forums and support groups for those who have undergone WLS than you will here, just because the forums would be specific.

Rosytakesoff

I don't recommend MFP for this type of questions...as you can see some of the folks r pretty harsh!

IE: Only seek advice on websites that tell you what you want to hear.

I can see where it would come across that way, but there are many people on Obesity Help who will tell the OP exactly what life after surgery is like-the good, bad, and ugly. The funny, the infuriating, the sad. All of it.

that_Va_chick

I wouldnt odoit..I just had a co-worker who good friend had the bypass. She just passed away over the weekend because the incisions tore and she become septic. She was 34

I have seen so many success stories from ppl on here...inluding me. I have always been overweight but have lost weight by following this program..Try this program first.

Lisathemommy

I just saw this topic and wanted to comment. I just had Gastric Bypass on May 14th. It was a decision I did not make lightly. I thought about it for a very long time. I researched it. I talked to others who have had the surgery. I went to an orientation about it through my surgeons office. I took an education class about all the things to expect. My surgeon even told me at my 2 week pre-op appointment that this was NOT without risk and I need to be prepared for possible complications.
All that being said, weightloss surgery is NOT for everyone, but that doesn't mean it's not for anybody. There are risks to surgery. There are risks to being overweight. There are even more risks to being morbidly obese. Weightloss surgery is not for people who need to lose 10, 20, or even 50 pounds. It's for people who need to lose 100 pounds or more. Most of these people, like myself, have an addiction to food that cannot be overcome. I have tried everything! Weight Watchers, Atkins, The Zone, personal trainers, and soooooo many other things!
Surgery is NOT easy. It is not, by itself, a guarantee that I will lose all my weight and be thin for the rest of my life. It is a very effective tool that I have to use. I still have to do my part. I have time now to get my head wrapped around my addiction to food and to overcome. I also see a therapist. In my mind I didn't have time to keep trying to lose weight. I have been waiting to live my life for far too long. When I lost my oldest child in a horrible accident, I knew I couldn't keep waiting. My kids need me now.
So for those of you who judge WLS or the people who choose to have it, need to mind your own business. You do what you need to do and those of us who choose surgery will do what we need to do.

nitau

I had rny 3 years ago so here is my story. I was fat since I was 8 and at 54 I had my surgery after a million diets. I lost 120 lbs, but it was hard work. I was starving right out of surgery and had to diet from day one, just like before my surgery. Now that I am 3 years out, I can eat EVERYTHING that I could before, bread, sugar, all the things that made me fat. I kept my exercise up this whole time. Without exercise, I can gain 3 lbs over a weekend. I am up 40 lbs since my lowest weight and that was just in the last year. I Never thought I would be in this position. Oh no, not me, how could I go through so much, the waiting to be accepted my insurance, the two weeks of liquids before my surgery, having my guts rearranged, eating very little afterwards, vitamins for the rest of my life, protein first, no carbs, on and on. Well, here I am. I didn't have a transfer addiction, which could happen, I kept my original addiction which was food. That never changed. Oh, the first two years I didn't eat any sugar. Then came the trip to NYC and it all came back with one simple cannoli. I went to a psychologist for a little while, back to Weight Watchers, in fact, I just quit that today because I need to use this site to focus on protein not points. I am exhausted with trying to be "good." I am exhausted with trying to keep my self esteem up while my weight is climbing.
All of this to say that whatever path you choose, the battle remains the same. The best of luck to you.

mrodeback

Are there any settings I can adjust to more easily enter my food? I'm 3 weeks post VSG and its frustrating trying to calculate the small amount I'm eating

christylhall

Bariatric surgery is the only clinically proven way for a morbidly obese person to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off over the long term. What that means is that in clinical studies, only approximately 5% or less of people who try to lose weight with diet and exercise alone will lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. A much higher percentage of people who have bariatric surgery will successfully lose weight and keep it off.

That doesn't mean it is impossible to lose weight with diet and exercise. Many people here have done it, and 5% of the people trying to lose weight is still a lot of people. It also doesn't mean that everyone who has bariatric surgery will lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. But clinical studies show that your chance of losing weight with bariatric surgery is greater than your chance of losing weight with diet and exercise alone. If you have repeatedly unsuccessfully tried to lose weight, surgery might be the answer.

Some people will tell you about the health risks of bariatric surgery, but what they may not realize is that living with morbid obesity carries its own health risks. If you have diabetes or hypertension, surgery may have a lower risk of death than just doing nothing. Bariatric surgery is the only known treatment that can put diabetes into remission. However, just being obese does not necessarily mean you are unhealthy. It is better to look at your health rather than your BMI to decide whether surgery is a good risk or a bad risk for you.

I agree with the posters that say surgery is not a decision to take lightly. It is also expensive and many times insurance does not cover it. In order to be successful, you truly have to change your lifestyle. You also may not lose the weight you want to. The average weight loss with bariatric surgery is 20-30% of initial weight over the medium- or long-term. (With diet and exercise alone, average weight loss is only 3-5%.)

Personally, I had weight loss surgery about 6 months ago. Within the previous year, I had been diagnosed with hypertension and pre-diabetes (my mother and grandmother have diabetes). I was winded from even minor physical activity. My joints were giving out and I was afraid I would lose my mobility. I had also recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I knew that it was very important for my health that I lose weight. With weight loss, I successfully reversed my hypertension (my blood pressure is now excellent even though my BMI is still quite high). I successfully avoided diabetes. I am no longer worried that my knees will give out and I'll lose my mobility. I am having my sleep apnea re-evaluated because my doctor thinks it may be successfully resolved. Even if I never get to my goal weight, I consider my greatly improved health to be worth it.

I started losing weight 6 months before surgery. Knowing that I was going to have surgery gave me a boost of motivation that allowed me to say "it will be different this time" and really believe it. I lost about 75 pounds before surgery. I have lost about 60 pounds since surgery, for a total of 135 pounds in the past year. Some people wondered why I chose to go ahead with surgery after losing so much weight before having surgery, but I am confident I made the right decision for me. I knew that losing weight was only half the battle (and honestly, the easier half). The hard part is keeping the weight off, and surgery gives me a better chance to do that.

If you want facts and statistics about weight loss, I highly recommend a series of blog posts by a person who researches weight loss. He does a very good job describing the pros and cons of bariatric surgery using scientifically supported facts rather than anecdotes alone. This is where I found some of the statistics for this post. http://www.drsharma.ca/obesity-if-you-think-bariatric-surgery-is-a-quick-fix-dont-do-it.html

happyfeetrebel1

RoadsterGirlie wrote: »

I don't recommend MFP for this type of questions...as you can see some of the folks r pretty harsh!

IE: Only seek advice on websites that tell you what you want to hear.

But here, people are very very unjustly biased AGAINST surgery. Just read the uneducated, uninformed postings.

You'll never get a fair shake here. PM me if you need to

Missjulesdid

This thread is from 2013 but I'm going to answer anyway.

When you weigh 360 pounds and already have sagging skin like I did.. It's NOT going to bounce back no matter how fast or slowly you lose weight.. Either way, if you want your skin to be tight, you will need plastic surgery.

When you have VSG surgery 75-80% of the stomach is removed. It will never EVER stretch back to its original size or even close to it as has been claimed by some people in this thread. In fact, the stretchy part of the stomach has been REMOVED so your stomach has very little stretch at all. It will relax in time to accommodate about a cup to a cup and a half of food. Which is basically like eating a lean cuisine.

When you have weight loss surgery the weight loss is not always super fast. I lost weight at a very normal pace then I took a year off and went into maintenance and am now back to lose the last 80 pounds.

Weight loss surgery is NOT a quick fix. It is not a magic bullet or a miracle cure. It simply provides you with a way to comfortably eat less and for many it reduces your appetite to a more normal level. For me it has been a wonderful tool which has allowed me to maintain a 120 pound weight loss for a year and helps me have the confidence that I can lose the remaining 80 pounds of excess weight also. Now, I CAN EAT anything I want... my surgery does not stop me from drinking milkshakes, or eating ice cream, or chips, or candy or frosting right out of the tub. In fact I could easily consume thousands of calories a day of these things without even feeling full because they are so calorie dense and easily slide right through the stomach. Of course I choose not to eat those things except for an occasional treat in moderation. The weight loss surgery is a boost to my own willpower. It took away the overwhelming drive to eat that I previously had. I still get cravings.. I still sometimes want to indulge in certain foods when I'm feeling emotionally overwhelmed but takes the edge off so that the willpower I do possess is usually enough to resist such indulgences... and if I DO slip up... and it's rare, but I have... The amount of damage I can do is lessened due to the size of my stomach.

As with any surgery there is a risk of complications and even death but the risk is much lower than people on these forums would have you think. I feel absolutely fantastic. Within hours of the surgery I was up and walking around and discharged the next day. I never took anything stronger than a regular tylenol for pain... which was more of just a discomfort. After six weeks of a diet which slowly introduced foods to my new stomach, I was cleared to eat anything. There was not one food that I couldn't tolerate and have never had any problems maintaining a balanced diet. I never experienced "dumping" as it is not a side effect that is common with VSG surgery. My blood work for vitamin levels is perfect and that's with just taking a regular old multi vitimin and a calcium supplement exactly like I did BEFORE surgery.

For the first time in my life, I feel NORMAL. I don't obsess about food constantly. When I go a wedding, my mind is on socializing and congratulating the bride and groom, not "when do we eat?"... When I'm in a business meeting, I'm actually paying attention to the subject at hand and not distracted by the plate of sandwiches and cookies I can see out of the corner of my eye. I am free to eat a meal that consists of a balanced variety of foods until I feel satisfied and not have to leave the table hungry... or force myself to eat six cups of broccoli because that's the only thing that will both fill me up and fit within my calories.

Lastly for all of you who suggest that people "try mfp" or "try losing weight on your own first".. Are you freaking serious???? I am 42 years old and was on my first diet at 6 years old. I have tried every method out there.. including calorie counting, low carb, low fat, points, eating nothing processed, I have stuck with certain programs for over a year and it was nothing but MISERY as I tried to convince myself that it was a "lifestyle change"... but I could never get behind a lifestyle of constant hunger, misery, and deprivation... which is what eating within my calorie limit felt like to me... even after a YEAR of doing it. I tried being strict, I tried "all things in moderation", I tried having cheat days, I tried filling up on low calorie foods, in the end it was always the same... THROUGH THE ROOF hunger and inevitably, me giving in to it. Now with the surgery, for the first time EVER, I can honestly say that I can see myself eating this way for the rest of my life.

catecholamine

Don't get lapband, whatever you do. It has the worst stats for losing weight, keeping it off, and quality of life. Also it is only designed to last 10yrs, then the contraption has to be replaced or removed. Another surgery.
The one with the best stats for weight lost and keeping it off long term is Duodenal Switch. But with that one, you have to take more vitamins. But with gastric bypass, you cannot take NSAIDs any longer. With Duodenal Switch and the Sleeve, you can.

Missjulesdid

catecholamine wrote: »

Don't get lapband, whatever you do. It has the worst stats for losing weight, keeping it off, and quality of life. Also it is only designed to last 10yrs, then the contraption has to be replaced or removed. Another surgery.
The one with the best stats for weight lost and keeping it off long term is Duodenal Switch. But with that one, you have to take more vitamins. But with gastric bypass, you cannot take NSAIDs any longer. With Duodenal Switch and the Sleeve, you can.

Duodenal switch was recommended for me due to my BMI of 60 but it just felt too extreme for me. I opted for the sleeve instead and it was definitely the right choice for me. Of course DS is the right choice for some people and I think anyone who qualifies for it should learn about it and consider it. All of the different weight loss surgeries have their place and have pros and cons with the exception of lap band which like you said is nearly all "cons" and is fortunately falling out of favor with many bariatric surgeons.

mandimahoney5

If you choose that route. Do lapband. My sil did and she is down 100 in a year. I also had a friend who had gastric bypass's on the same day. He is down 90 lb.
so simply you can get the same results with both. And plus size. Lapband is reversible. Gastric bypass isn't and you could have life long complications.

Missjulesdid

mandimahoney5 wrote: »

If you choose that route. Do lapband. My sil did and she is down 100 in a year. I also had a friend who had gastric bypass's on the same day. He is down 90 lb.
so simply you can get the same results with both. And plus size. Lapband is reversible. Gastric bypass isn't and you could have life long complications.

There are other options besides Lapband and Gastric Bypass. As one who has carefully researched ALL options I would NEVER recommend lapband to anyone. Lapband is falling out of favor with bariatric surgeons for a GOOD REASON. When I went for my VSG surgery, about half the other patients there were having their lapbands removed and getting VSG instead.

mandimahoney5

Missjulesdid wrote: »

mandimahoney5 wrote: »

If you choose that route. Do lapband. My sil did and she is down 100 in a year. I also had a friend who had gastric bypass's on the same day. He is down 90 lb.
so simply you can get the same results with both. And plus size. Lapband is reversible. Gastric bypass isn't and you could have life long complications.

There are other options besides Lapband and Gastric Bypass. As one who has carefully researched ALL options I would NEVER recommend lapband to anyone. Lapband is falling out of favor with bariatric surgeons for a GOOD REASON. When I went for my VSG surgery, about half the other patients there were having their lapbands removed and getting VSG instead.

I personally would use the lapband because it is reversable. No matter what they need to research first. And make their decision and medical choice of medical weight loss after research and talking to their doctor.
My sil, the only issue with lapband is she has had is she can't eat some things like pizza. The chunks of bread occasionally get stuck in the band and she ends up throwing up.

Me though I went the non surgery route and am on Adipex. I am doing 4 months of the pills. One month on, one off.
And yes I have already read people bashing those on prescription diet pills that decrease your appetite on here. But I see it no different than having your stomach cut out. Yes I need to learn to eat more healthy, and that is what I am doing while on the pills. You could say the same thing to some one wanting surgery , but for some reason surgery is more socially acceptable.