PLS POST SUCCESS WITH BARIATRIC SURGERY

BamBam1113

All I want to say besides good luck is-

BAMBAM, if I'm ever in a bar fight after looking at your photos- I totally would want you in my corner.

You got it babe! lol

lisa77marie

I had the sleeve in 2011. It is not a magic bullet. You MUST watch your calories and not snack. Snacking had kept my weight loss at a stall for a year, although I did not gain weight. I will say that it has helped my hunger tremendously, I am satisfied with smaller meals, so I don't need to eat a lot. I also don't really have cravings like I used to.

If I had to do it over again, I would. For those of you who know people who died from the surgery, I'm sorry. But, I do believe, if your doctor is careful to evaluate people for health issues prior to the surgery, you can eliminate a lot of the risk. My doctor/hospital made you lose 10% of your weight on your own, prior to scheduling your surgery. You also could not be a smoker, have certain health issues and had to be under a certain weight before they would even do it. I also would have NEVER risked having the surgery done in another country, like Mexico. There were a lot of people who paid to have it done there and that scared me to death.

Juliew518

I had an RNY done in December 2008 and lost close to 200 lbs during that year. I recommend connecting with the people on ObesityHelp.com also. They have great support groups. I lost a lot of weight the first yelar. I never reached my goal, but I made significant health strides. Diabetes went away. COPD went away. High blood pressure went away. I think better. I was very very big. I maintained for four years, and then this last year/14 months, I started grazing and gained 40 lbs. YIKES.

So, I am backtracking and have started monitoring myself here. I've lost 18 lbs so far.

So about bariatric surgery...

The first year, you cannot eat. You do not want to eat. Eating hurts. You will have no appetite. And yes, the surgery hurts. Don't be afraid to take your pain meds. You may suffer a bit of depression.

If you eat the wrong foods, you will want to die. Trust me, you will test it, and you will feel it. Don't beat yourself up about it. Everyone pushes the envelope, and everyone suffers for it.

Dumping is not fun. You will never ever ever vomit again like a normal person. It comes back up the same way it went down. Your stomach no longer has bile in it (you digest in your intestines). Ever see a cat hock up a hair ball. That is what you will do. Basically, it is like pooping out of your mouth. You want to avoid this. It is not pleasant. Also, you can get what I refer to as the slimes especially if you eat something wet. You will hock up mouthfuls of slime. Just spit it out. It's beyond gross. You wanted honesty. But on the bright side, you will never heave or vomit nasty bile vomit again.

Things I suggest. Of course do what your doctor says and your nutritionist.

Do not ever drink with meals. It pushes the food through the stoma and can stretch your pouch. If you go to a restaurant and they push you to order a drink, just let them bring water.

Always eat protein first and eat little tiny bites. Remember you are digesting in your intestines now so do as much digesting in your mouth as you can. Otherwise you might find yourself doubled over with pain. Also, be forewarned you will have the nastiest gas you can imagine. Warn your significant other. Definitely get incense for the bathroom.

Eat vegetables after protein.

Avoid carbs if possible.

Do not drink any liquids with calories including juices, Avoid drinks with fake sweeteners in them. Get used to drinking beverages with no sugar. The sweeteners just makes the farting worse.

Do not drink any carbonated beverages -- can do awful things to your pouch. Seriously. DO NOT DRINK CARBONATED DRINKS.

Sugary foods will make your dump which is very unpleasant. Carbs can make you dump. The sickest I ever got was eating spaghetti. Thought I would die. Hoped I would die.

Be prepared to totally reinvent yourself -- that might mean changing jobs, changing friends, moving ... do what you have to do. One of the hardest things I had to learn was that people who loved me had a lot invested in me being fat. your feelings may be hurt. Also, people still act like schmucks when you are thin. The fallacy that people don't like you because you are fat is a fallacy. If they aren't going to like you, they aren't going to like you whether you are fat or a supermodel.

Also, because you will lose weight so fast your self image doesn't always catch up to the reality. Your body may become thin, but your brain may still process that you are fat. This is especially true when buying clothes. You will automatically try to buy clothes that are too big. Wierdest thing for me was when I could buy clothes in a regular store. I still have trouble with that and find myself walking around The Avenue or Lane Bryant. It's wierd. Also, as you get smaller you might feel vulnerable.

If you go out to eat -- ask the waitstaff for a takeout box immediately and dump half of it in the takeout box. It will probably be lunch and dinner the next day.

Do not drink alcohol. You won't have the tolerance you had with a full sized stomach and you will get stupid drunk very very quick. I made a complete *kitten* of myself at age 50 on a cruise around Manhattan dancing with a bunch of gay guys. Fortunately, they were drunk too, but the pictures my daughter took are embarassing. Just remember, you will officially be a cheap date from now on because it will be easy to get you drunk and you won't be able to eat much (that's a joke). Oh, and when you lose weight, those guys really are hitting on you -- they aren't just being friendly.

Always sip your drinks.

Your hair will fall out -- but that stops after a while and your hair will eventually be normal again.

Your skin will be dry -- same as hair. it will even out.

You will find you have SO much more money because you aren't eating. Go buy yourself new clothes and treat yourself. Learn to treat yourself with other things other than food. Be adventurous. Do things you never did before (just don't go on cruises around Manhattan, get drunk, and dry hump gay boys half your age -- or if you do, don't let anyone take pictures).

Do not graze (which was my downfall). I got a sedentary job and would munch on crackers all day. Weight came back with a vengeance.

One thing I have noticed that apart from the grazing, I am really not all that interested in food. I always tell people after the surgery, I eat what I want -- I just want to eat different things than I did before. I was always a sugar fiend -- now I like crackers and salty crunchy things.

So, there we go. I am sure I could think of more. Feel free to write back if you have any questions or need a shoulder. Mostly don't stress. Enjoy life. :-)

Juliew518

Unfortunately your reasoning, while sound on many levels, is not entirely correct. Bypass surgery does change your body metabolically which is why the weight loss is so fast. Your doctor bypasses a portion of your intestines that digests food and absorbs calories which in turn causes your metabolism to rise. Basically, after a bypass, the 100 calories that a normal person eats registers at maybe 60 or 75 due to the actual bypass of the intestines. In addition, your body reacts as if it has been injured and your metabolism rises even more. This is why people lose so quickly with a bypass. Plus the fact that they can't eat but maybe 1/2 to 1/4 of what they ate before. However, eventually, your body adjusts to this. Also, there is a substance called ghrelin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin). After your surgery, your body no longer produces this, and studies have shown that this is a big factor in the curing of diabetes. Check out the research of D. Elahi and others before you talk about bariatric surgery being a cop out -- it saves lives. Because of RNY's success at treating diabetes (instanteously before weight is lost) have made researchers think about doing this surgery on normal weight people with out of control diabetes. And don't spout off that it cures diabetes immediately because people can't eat, blah, blah, blah. Check out the research. As any diabetic will tell you, after something traumatic such as surgery, your sugars almost always skyrocket and then level out. When people have this surgery, their diabetes is cured almost immediately with no evening out, and often, even if they gain weight again -- the diabetes does not return. This surgery is not a cop out. The fact that you keep saying that you wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out indicates you do think that. However, you are basing your "opinon" on an assumption without knowing all the facts. Yes, of course, people can lose weight strictly through diet and exercise, and most people can. But the fact is that there are also many people who due to diabetes and other metabolic disorders brought on through years of not eating right, genetics, or whatever can't lose the weight without the surgery. It is very very difficult for diabetes to "diet" because they have to maintain their blood sugars at even levels. I am not saying it can't be done, but in many instances having the surgery brings them to a safer point so that they can eat healthier and exercise -- which they may not have been able to do before. It's a very complex issue.

Don't insult the people who truly need the surgery due to your own prejudices.

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

Juliew518

Your body no longer produces ghrelin which kills cravings. Congrats on your success. :-)

I promise you the surgery is not ONLY about eating less. For me, they remove a good chunk of my intestine, therefore I absorb less calories than if you and I ate the same thing. Also, by having a smaller stomach, somehow it curbs cravings. I was a fast food junky and would love to have a whole chocolate cake to myself. After the surgery, I do not crave or want fast foods, I would never be able to eat a whole chocolate cake because I will get violently sick. Also, because I can only eat so much and have huge vitamin deficiencies, I tend to make better choices in what I eat. I will eat protein over carb because my body NEEDS the protein. I will also choose vegetables over chocolate (believe it or not) because I know my body needs the vitamins.

This guy is not knowledgeable on the surgery itself. It's not just a cop out. It does so much more!

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

FiveElevenClimb

Unfortunately your reasoning, while sound on many levels, is not entirely correct. Bypass surgery does change your body metabolically which is why the weight loss is so fast. Your doctor bypasses a portion of your intestines that digests food and absorbs calories which in turn causes your metabolism to rise. Basically, after a bypass, the 100 calories that a normal person eats registers at maybe 60 or 75 due to the actual bypass of the intestines. In addition, your body reacts as if it has been injured and your metabolism rises even more. This is why people lose so quickly with a bypass. Plus the fact that they can't eat but maybe 1/2 to 1/4 of what they ate before. However, eventually, your body adjusts to this. Also, there is a substance called ghrelin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin). After your surgery, your body no longer produces this, and studies have shown that this is a big factor in the curing of diabetes. Check out the research of D. Elahi and others before you talk about bariatric surgery being a cop out -- it saves lives. Because of RNY's success at treating diabetes (instanteously before weight is lost) have made researchers think about doing this surgery on normal weight people with out of control diabetes. And don't spout off that it cures diabetes immediately because people can't eat, blah, blah, blah. Check out the research. As any diabetic will tell you, after something traumatic such as surgery, your sugars almost always skyrocket and then level out. When people have this surgery, their diabetes is cured almost immediately with no evening out, and often, even if they gain weight again -- the diabetes does not return. This surgery is not a cop out. The fact that you keep saying that you wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out indicates you do think that. However, you are basing your "opinon" on an assumption without knowing all the facts. Yes, of course, people can lose weight strictly through diet and exercise, and most people can. But the fact is that there are also many people who due to diabetes and other metabolic disorders brought on through years of not eating right, genetics, or whatever can't lose the weight without the surgery. It is very very difficult for diabetes to "diet" because they have to maintain their blood sugars at even levels. I am not saying it can't be done, but in many instances having the surgery brings them to a safer point so that they can eat healthier and exercise -- which they may not have been able to do before. It's a very complex issue.

Don't insult the people who truly need the surgery due to your own prejudices.

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

You should have read the first line when i said that it is done solely as weight loss. That in fact means no medical reasoning. And I was not insulting anyone. I actually congratulated them. Reading is fundamental.

MissMary44

It is apparent from many of the posts that there is a lot of misinformation about weight loss surgery in general.
I would say most if not all weight loss surgery patients have had success with many many weight loss programs.
It is not just about the calories in and calories out.
There is also the mental work that needs to be done to be a successful weight loss surgery patient.

I chose the lap band as the surgery that would save my life. If I put the hard work into it.
With lap band surgery it gives you the satiety that starving yourself does not do, Google it if you care. It was a difficult decision but it is one that is saving my life. I have always been a yo yo dieter. I have lost large amounts of weight before.

To date I have lost 88-90 depending on the day. Hard work. Is it for everyone, absolutely not. It was for me.

Good luck. And if you care to connect with other bariatric surgery peeps that is pretty much all of my friends on here except for close family and friends. Add me and Ill hook you up:)

alsw

hi- first and foremost good luck!!! i am considering it myself due to health reasons. i know four people who have had this done. two have had amazing results. it really has been life altering for them. one gained more than half the weight back and the other now has some medical issues. issues she can live with but still issues. i don't know her that well so i can not go into greater detail as i do not know. as for my friend who gained the weight back- she had no support system. so make sure you have a great support system. she also never put in the time to exercise. the two who have done so well are husband and wife and they support each other and now make exercise a daily routine they do together.
i wish you a speedy recovery and a lifetime of good health!!!

Sunshine2plus2

No experience but I did lose 138pds by diet and exercise. Good luck to you!

Sunshine2plus2

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

I agree 100%!! I do not know how many times I went on a "diet" to lose 20-30 pds and gain it right back! I said I had done everything tried as hard as I could, but come we all know thats a lie. If someone truly wants it it will happen! so finally at 330pds I had finally had enough and lost 138 pds (100pds in a year). Maintained that weight loss for 5 years!! It can be done! I was over weight my whole life!

JustAGirlNASolution

While that is your opinion, please try to be open minded. I personally had VSG and it SAVED MY LIFE! There are numerous medical reasons why someone would make the decision to have surgical weight loss ie...metabolic syndrome, PCOS, etc

I respect anyone's decision to get healthy, regardless of the method they chose. We are not here to judge. We are here to encourage!

DoctorsaubeR

My sister had lap band & I have 2 brothers that had gastric bypass. My sister had a lot of problems keeping food down for the longest time. She lost down to her ideal weight but she didn't make the lifestyle choices necessary to maintain & she learned to "bypass" the benefits of the band by drinking fluids with the junk food to make it pass from her stomach quickly so she could eat more. She has gained all the weight back. Both brothers have lost significant weight with the gastric bypass. One brother had absolutely no problems with the surgery, but his weight loss was very slow...perhaps only 5 or 6 lbs a month because he was still able to eat a lot of food, but several years after the surgery his overall success has be great & with a weight loss of about 140 lbs. The other brother has maintained his weight loss from the surgery for over 5 years with a weight loss of about 90 lbs but he exercises regularly. He did have a life threatening GI bleed a few years after the surgery that nearly cost him his life, but he had emergency surgery to repair it & is doing great now. None of my siblings regret having the procedures done. I went on a diet / exercise program myself WITHOUT having bariatric surgery. I have lost 135 lbs. The surgery is simply a tool. It will give you a weight loss boost but you still have to make the lifestyle changes or you will gain it back. The body is an amazing creation & it will adapt to the structural changes of the surgery & learn to compensate over time. If you don't make the lifestyle changes - you WILL gain the weight back. I know many people who have done just that. Some people call weight loss surgery "cheating" but that simply isn't the case. It still requires discipline & commitment to a new healthier lifestyle to maintain the results. I wish you much luck with your procedure. It will force you to eat smaller portions & assist you in getting on the right track. You've been through counseling so you probably know the surgery is not a cure. It is only the tool that you & your doctor has decided is a good fit for your new life. I'm sure you will do great. I definitely want to see your progress pictures. I love inspiring stories!

Awesome post! Thanks for the honest -- but still respectful -- take on the surgery!

DoctorsaubeR

I second this emotion!

I respect anyone's decision to get healthy, regardless of the method they chose. We are not here to judge. We are here to encourage!

The1iceQueen

My husbands best friend had this done and he lost a lot of weight, 5 years later fast forward to today, he's gained all the weight back. Sad he gained it all back after all that. Wish you the best of luck though, hopefully you have better luck with it.

kirstie3281

A friend had the lapband and yes she has lost weight. However, she is no longer as much fun to be around she belches constantly, eats sweets all the time (cause they go down easy) and is FREQUENTLY throwing up because she ate too fast or didn't chew enough etc. She is much more short tempered and I would guess malnourished. I'm sorry if this wasn't what you wanted to hear and I know there are plenty of those that have had success but at what cost?

My mother had the lapband as well and her story is so similar to your friend! She eats more sweets and unhealthy foods, can't eat lettuce because it "gets hung up"? and throws up at almost every meal. I keep telling her to get the thing taken out or have it unfilled because there is no way that what she is eating/doing is healthy for her. Also she did great before the surgery with losing weight, so I asked her why she couldn't just stay on that path and opt out of the surgery, but there was nothing I could say to change her mind.

Juliew518

Again, in response to your lack of research. Insurance won't cover weight loss surgery unless there are underlying medical conditions that it will help, i.e., diabetes, hypertension, etc. It's not glamorous. And you just don't wake up and say, "oh, I'm fat. I'm going to have surgery." After you personally make the decision you go through MONTHS of preparation for it -- you have to take classes in nutrition, you undergo psychiatric evaluation, and you have to, yes, go on a diet and maintain so the doctors know you can. Research before you judge. Please.

Unfortunately your reasoning, while sound on many levels, is not entirely correct. Bypass surgery does change your body metabolically which is why the weight loss is so fast. Your doctor bypasses a portion of your intestines that digests food and absorbs calories which in turn causes your metabolism to rise. Basically, after a bypass, the 100 calories that a normal person eats registers at maybe 60 or 75 due to the actual bypass of the intestines. In addition, your body reacts as if it has been injured and your metabolism rises even more. This is why people lose so quickly with a bypass. Plus the fact that they can't eat but maybe 1/2 to 1/4 of what they ate before. However, eventually, your body adjusts to this. Also, there is a substance called ghrelin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin). After your surgery, your body no longer produces this, and studies have shown that this is a big factor in the curing of diabetes. Check out the research of D. Elahi and others before you talk about bariatric surgery being a cop out -- it saves lives. Because of RNY's success at treating diabetes (instanteously before weight is lost) have made researchers think about doing this surgery on normal weight people with out of control diabetes. And don't spout off that it cures diabetes immediately because people can't eat, blah, blah, blah. Check out the research. As any diabetic will tell you, after something traumatic such as surgery, your sugars almost always skyrocket and then level out. When people have this surgery, their diabetes is cured almost immediately with no evening out, and often, even if they gain weight again -- the diabetes does not return. This surgery is not a cop out. The fact that you keep saying that you wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out indicates you do think that. However, you are basing your "opinon" on an assumption without knowing all the facts. Yes, of course, people can lose weight strictly through diet and exercise, and most people can. But the fact is that there are also many people who due to diabetes and other metabolic disorders brought on through years of not eating right, genetics, or whatever can't lose the weight without the surgery. It is very very difficult for diabetes to "diet" because they have to maintain their blood sugars at even levels. I am not saying it can't be done, but in many instances having the surgery brings them to a safer point so that they can eat healthier and exercise -- which they may not have been able to do before. It's a very complex issue.

Don't insult the people who truly need the surgery due to your own prejudices.

I would like to amend my previous statement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cop out but I will say that it is never necessary when the reasoning behind the surgery is solely done as a mode of weight loss. It is not the surgery that causes you to lose weight, it is the fact that it forces you to eat in a caloric deficit. Nobody is a special snowflake. If you have the motivation to lose weight it is possible for everyone by simply choosing to eat less and move more. The surgery can force you to eat less or you can get a healthy relationship with food and simply decide enough is enough, you've had it and achieve the exact same thing by eating at a deficit of your own accord. People may say they have tried everything but the fact is they haven't. Why not buy a cheap food scale and actually measure what you are eating and make sure that is less than your TDEE. Then try incorporating more exercise into your day. I can say with 100% surety that if you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you hoped but it will happen. The upside to this is you are then forced to gain a healthy relationship with food, learn moderation, and gain some restraint when it comes to food. Thus you get to the root cause of why you eat more than you body needs. To those of you who say the surgery saved your life, I am so glad that you were indeed saved, but the surgery didn't do it, the calorie deficit did. Best of luck.

You should have read the first line when i said that it is done solely as weight loss. That in fact means no medical reasoning. And I was not insulting anyone. I actually congratulated them. Reading is fundamental.

Hazel2005

It takes willpower and determination to follow a diet and exercise regimen and it sounds like it takes courage, willpower and determination to have surgery if that is what you must do. I am diabetic, was on insulin, and as my weight has gone down, so have my sugars. I don't think it was solely the weight loss but also the types of food I am now striving to eat. I am now taking metaphormin. My starting weight prior to MFP was just over 300lbs. I am now 260. Not a huge difference and it has taken over a year with probably another 2 years before I get to goal. I myself dont know much about the surgery but wish you health and success in whatever you decide. :flowerforyou:

Juliew518

After I had my RNY, I had to attend support meetings of other patients the doctor had performed surgery on. I remember there was a couple there who had had the surgery and they were bragging about how they could each eat 10 M&M's without dumping. I was astounded that someone would go through the surgery and then compete with each other about how far they could go before dumping. You can't fix stupid.

A friend had the lapband and yes she has lost weight. However, she is no longer as much fun to be around she belches constantly, eats sweets all the time (cause they go down easy) and is FREQUENTLY throwing up because she ate too fast or didn't chew enough etc. She is much more short tempered and I would guess malnourished. I'm sorry if this wasn't what you wanted to hear and I know there are plenty of those that have had success but at what cost?

My mother had the lapband as well and her story is so similar to your friend! She eats more sweets and unhealthy foods, can't eat lettuce because it "gets hung up"? and throws up at almost every meal. I keep telling her to get the thing taken out or have it unfilled because there is no way that what she is eating/doing is healthy for her. Also she did great before the surgery with losing weight, so I asked her why she couldn't just stay on that path and opt out of the surgery, but there was nothing I could say to change her mind.

NYCNika

For drastic measures like surgery or lipo to work long term one must completely change the eating habits and lifestyle. But if you can do that, why would you need the surgery in the first place? You will get there in a year without any of the risks or negative health consequences.

jennielou75

I had vsg surgery June 2012. I lost 3.5 stones before the op and 6.5 stones since the op. It is tough. I have had to change my whole life, the way I eat, how much I eat and excercise. Yes I lost weight before my op. I went through a controlled eating plan with my GP to discover the calorie level I needed to be at to lose weight. I started at 1700 calories and reduced by 100 every two weeks until I lost weight. I started to lose weight at 1200 calories so did that to lose the weight before the op. There is no way on this planet I could have eaten that way for the rest of my life and actually I was already starting to eat the wrong things again in the last month before my op.

I also had the op in mind and was losing weight to be as healthy as I could before it. I was lucky I didn't have any comobordities but according to my surgeon if i carried on as I was I had a life expectency of 5/10 years. I was 37 and way too young to think about that. I was slowly killing myself with food. I have been overweight my whole life and had no knowledge of what being healthy is like.

I will have to watch myself for the rest of my life to ,make sure I eat the right things and keep excersising. I wear a pedometer every day and do at least 10,000 steps usually more like 15,000. Again it needs to become part of everyday life. It also helps a lot with side effects such as gas. Hair loss happens but when compared with the fact I can now walk without pain its a small thing which will improve.

I love my life now, I am fully appreciative of the second chance at life this has given me. I am no food saint but I just deal with bad eating by moving more. I will never be that way again....I am in control of my eating with the support of my sleeve for the first time in my life. There is no way this would have happened without the surgery. It is not for everyon and there are plenty of people out there who still abuse their bodies even after the op and have to have further surgery. I can't this is my only chance and I am going to make the most of it. The sad fact is that I am the same now as all you healthy eaters and dieters out there I just have a smaller stomach!!!