Why do people consider weight loss surgery cheating?

skinnyforhi

I don't think it's cheating at all. I think it has to be the most painful way possible to lose weight. I could never see myself choosing a major surgical procedure that will affect the quantity/timing of food I can eat for my entire life over diet and exercise, but I've never had to lose more than 15 pounds and even then I was within a healthy weight.

I think someone who is at the point of surgery probably has some pretty compelling reasons to go through with it.

Best of luck to you.

momofJandA

As someone who suffers from PCOS . . . . your PCOS is not making it "IMPOSSIBLE" for you to lose weight- it is making it harder and a longer process, but not impossible

For the sake of the conversation I am curious how you manage your PCOS and weight loss. My initial thought is through hormone therapy. Is that correct?

actually no . . . . I manage my PCOS and weight loss through DIET and EXERCISE- a strict diet and a whole hell of a lot of exercise- I work my a** off each and every day (literally and figuratively)- hence why I said it is a harder and longer journey than someone without PCOS. My point was stop making excuses- if someone wants surgery, then get the damn surgery but don't say "its because of PCOS- I can't lose weight :sad: "

Jerrypeoples

actually no . . . . I manage my PCOS and weight loss through DIET and EXERCISE- a strict diet and a whole hell of a lot of exercise- I work my a** off each and every day (literally and figuratively)- hence why I said it is a harder and longer journey than someone without PCOS. My point was stop making excuses- if someone wants surgery, then get the damn surgery but don't say "its because of PCOS- I can't lose weight :sad: "

but everybody is different. my caloric intake and exercise may not produce the same results for someone else who has my general size and dimensions.

Susan823

It's not cheating it's a tool to help. In the end it's still you that's doing all the work of eating heathly and exercising! When I mentioned it to my family the 1 person I thought I would have to convince was all for it. The ones I thought would support me are against it
In the end it's your body and you need to do what's right for you! Where I live I had to go to an info session first before starting the road to GBS; I asked some of my family and friends to come with but no one would so I went by myself to learn more about the procedures. Unless someone has been in the same postition with struggling with their weight they will never understand.

getrealforme

This is what irritates me. I worked for many years as a server in a restaurant. You would not believe how many people say......I have had WLS or I have a lapband and I can not eat as much. I do not want to pay for a whole meal since I can't eat it all, will you discount the meal? Ummm NO! That gets me every time. I have 3 friends who have had weight loss surgery, and 1 that had lap band. They have all gained their weight back. I think if you lose weight, either by surgery, or diet and exercise, you will gain it back if your mind set has not been changed. The bottom line is if you can lose weight, it will improve your health. If you will keep it off, is completely up to you.

jrniven

I think that only cheating is cheating yourself at a new chance at life by not getting the surgery if all else fails. I have a few friends that had it done, and their quality of life is so much better. You only live once. Why cheat yourself out of a better life?

annwyatt69

I only think it's cheating when people hoop and holler about how great it is that they lost a big chunk of weight without acknowleging the surgery being the main reason. Similar to me taking credit for walking 37 miles into work when I drove a car. I know people I work with that have lost 150 lbs after surgery, but act like they did it on a treadmill.


Own it. If it's part of your process at getting healthy, then who cares what they think.

You work just as HARD, if not HARDER, after weight loss surgery than anyone does to lose the weight. It is only a TOOL. You still have to do the work. The weight doesn't just fall off. It means completely changing your life--immediately. ANYONE WHO THINKS THAT WE DON'T WORK AS HARD HAS NO CLUE.

WifeofPJ

I am scheduled to have a gastric bypass on May 24th. I have family and friends making snide comments about my decision. And I keep reading online posts about how weight loss surgery is so horrible because it is cheating.

I have followed a doctor supervised diet and exercise regiment for over a year. My PCOS is making it impossible for me to lose weight. I've seen and endocrinologist and several other specialists and all are agreeing that it is a good idea if I have weight loss surgery because it will change my hormone composition.

I see weight loss surgery as a tool...you still have to follow a strict diet and exercise program if you are going to be healthy. You have to be extremely diligent in taking your supplements and protein intake. You can never eat sugary or fatty foods again. It's not as easy as people think.

Sorry about the rant....I guess I'm just in need of some support or validation of my new journey.

I'm just woundering have you tried talking to a dietition who specializes in PCOS or trying the PCOSDIVA Jump Start Program. Trust me I know how hard it is to loose and maintain weightloss when you have PCOS as I too have PCOS. I have found when I remove most of the processed foods from my diet and limit my added sugar intake loosing the weight has been so much eaiser I'm down 50lbs in 4 months.
But remember you can't get rid of PCOS there is no cure just maintaing a healthy lifestyle to maintain symptoms so you are still going to have to eat low carb limit your processed foods greatly and stay away from simple carbs.
I do have a friend wit PCOS who has had the weightloss surgery she does stay very active and tries to watch what she eats, she is startign to gain a little back so she is going to see a dietition to get things back on track.

There is a PCOS group here on MFP I'd really suggest going there and getting ideas from the members us women with PCOS have to follow special nutritional guidlines and there are many women who are like me and in our journey to loosing the weight and figuring out how we need to live, but there are also some women who have figured it out, lost the weight and kept it off who have provided women with great advise. If your DR is saying weightloss surgery is the only way I'd really suggest getting a second opinion.

*** Edit **** Ps. I also get help from Metformin to control my insulin resistance.

BinaryPulsar

I don't think it's cheating. It's so far beyond my range of experience that I really have no business placing any kind of judgement on it. From what I have heard some people do all the right things and it's very effective, some people do not change their lifestyle and it becomes unhealthy, so it's not the method, it's the follow through. I have to admit when I first heard about it (and I was in my early 20's) the whole thing kind of freaked me out a little and seemed worrisome to me for young people. I've learned a little bit more since then.

Inshape13

It is each person's personal choice as to how they lose weight, but I must admit that most of the people that I have seen get the surgery have looked at it as a quick fix and are now back to eating the same way they used to because they refused the counseling and group support afterward because "they did not need it." Two out of the three have had to have numerous surgeries because they had complications due to overeating. The third has lost and maintained the loss because she followed through with support and exercises a lot unlike the others who "have no time and are too busy."
That is what makes it seem like cheating when a person knows what to do to make it a success and does not "feel like" doing the follow through and only cares about the short term loss. Basically a difference like having a credit card closed and not having physical access to the money vs setting up a budget and making sure to follow through and choose not spend even though physically you have access to the money.
It all comes down to changing your habits and your mind set...if you are not there yet it will not be successful.

Missjulesdid

This is what irritates me. I worked for many years as a server in a restaurant. You would not believe how many people say......I have had WLS or I have a lapband and I can not eat as much. I do not want to pay for a whole meal since I can't eat it all, will you discount the meal? Ummm NO! That gets me every time. I have 3 friends who have had weight loss surgery, and 1 that had lap band. They have all gained their weight back. I think if you lose weight, either by surgery, or diet and exercise, you will gain it back if your mind set has not been changed. The bottom line is if you can lose weight, it will improve your health. If you will keep it off, is completely up to you.

I'm sorry your paying customers are so irritating to you by requesting a service that is offered by many other restaurants. Many establishments DO offer a smaller size meal and discounted rate to WLS patients.. Why should it irritate you if someone asks? Does it also irritate you when people ask for a senior discount? Now if they are DEMANDING special treatment, that might be cause for irritation, but really you are so easily annoyed that you can't handle an inquiry?

taso42

I only think it's cheating when people hoop and holler about how great it is that they lost a big chunk of weight without acknowleging the surgery being the main reason. Similar to me taking credit for walking 37 miles into work when I drove a car. I know people I work with that have lost 150 lbs after surgery, but act like they did it on a treadmill.


Own it. If it's part of your process at getting healthy, then who cares what they think.

You work just as HARD, if not HARDER, after weight loss surgery than anyone does to lose the weight. It is only a TOOL. You still have to do the work. The weight doesn't just fall off. It means completely changing your life--immediately. ANYONE WHO THINKS THAT WE DON'T WORK AS HARD HAS NO CLUE.

Why couldn't you work this hard before the surgery??

bethfartman

I don’t know about the term ‘cheating’- this isn’t a competition, if you’re cheating anyone it’s just yourself for not learning how to be healthy the hard way (diet and exercise.) I do know my mom was in the hospital for over a month due to complication with her gastric bypass and I know I wouldn’t want to willingly put myself in that position (I’ve been in the hospital enough for reasons I can’t control as it is.) I also know you can eat sugar and fat again after the surgery- plenty of people get the surgery and gain the weight back after losing it (my mom is a great example of that.) When your doctor suggests you should get the surgery it’s because they don’t believe you have the willpower to lose the weight, not because they think it’s impossible via the usual means. Do what you feel is right, but don’t feel like it’s your only option.

moxiecowgirl

Could a WLS patient do an hour in the pool swimming laps? Probably not, because they become physically incapable of taking in enough nutrient at one time to actually do a decent workout.

That has got to be one of the most ignorant, uneducated statements I've ever heard.

I promised myself I would read all the way through this thread and read all the responses before I got on my soapbox, but wow...I'm not sure I made it past the second page. The sheer volume of unsupported, anecdotal, complete BS being spouted here just blows me away. The misinformation, it burns!

Just for the record, yes, a WLS patient can do an hour in the pool swimming laps. A WLS patient can also lift heavy, run several miles a day, dance for hours, or go on a full day hike. Or maybe it's just THIS weight loss patient, because you know what? Someone just apparently forgot to give me that memo that let me know I'd be an incapacitated, frail nothing barely capable of holding up my head. If a post-op patient isn't taking in enough nutrients to sustain a workout, someone's doctor isn't doing his/her job, and neither is the patient. I see my surgeon every three months for a full blood profile that ensures my body is still maintaining and holding onto everything it needs to survive...scratch that, not just survive, thrive. I'm far healthier and stronger now than I've ever been in my entire adult life, not JUST thanks to this surgery, but in large part thanks to the lifestyle changes I was taught to make while preparing for it. I'm willing to concede that it's possible that I could have made those changes without the surgery, but you know, people with broken limbs can walk without crutches, too, but you don't see too many people faulting them for not doing that.

Here's the deal: morbid obesity, whether you like to look at it this way or not (I know I sure didn't!), is a chronic medical condition. As such, it may not always, but often does, require extreme treatment measures. Why? Because IT'S NOT NORMAL. This is not your garden variety, average, every day "need to lose a couple of pounds". Some would argue, and I'm partially inclined to agree, that it's a psychological and emotional, as well as a physical, disorder. Ideally, treatment should include long term therapeutic mental health support. If you're doing it right, and making a commitment to fully turn your life around, WLS is not an "easy way out", and it's damn sure not a quick fix. It's also not a guaranteed ticket to lifelong illness. It's simply what many people have intelligently stated here: a tool. A rather extreme tool, yes, but just like some can manage, say, diabetes, with little to no intervention, and some need constant monitoring, some people needing to lose extreme amounts of weight require more drastic measures. Is it over-prescribed? Probably, but so are blood pressure meds, pain pills, and a huge variety of steroids and antibiotics, yet no one faults the patient for those. The fact that some doctors overuse a remedy doesn't render it ineffective or invalid as a treatment option. My surgeon has a nearly year-long prequalification process, and believe me, I was more than thoroughly vetted before my surgery was even scheduled.

I think the key here lies in the patient playing advocate for him/herself, and taking the time and energy to fully research and understand the program before making this an option. If you can't do that, by no means do you have any business having surgery of any sort, honestly. But I really wish people would stop demonizing the surgery and its providers on the whole. We're not all cut from the same cloth. Everyone's mileage may vary.

SteelySunshine

I have a lot of thoughts on WLS. More thoughts after reading through this tread, but I haven't seen many speak to the question. The question is why do people consider it cheating.

Here is the truth as I see it and I am probably right. People think that fat people should be punished. Even doctors they will suggest a 1200 calorie or lower diet in some cases. A lot of people have that mindset, that if you are obese you must be on a very strict VLC diet. Even though time and time again for millions of people this hasn't proven to be effective in fact most people on VLC diets do lose weight. However, when they quit the diet and most will the vast majority will, they start binging and their diets become worse than ever. And there is the notion that if a person is obese and wants to lose weight they must go through grueling amounts of exercise. They must not eat anything with sugar, fat, or even complex carbohydrates. If they aren't eating a salad and some lean meat they are cheating on their diets. If they don't run 5 miles a day they are lazy and not committed. We have all seen the sitcoms where a character has a weight issue and all they are allowed to eat on their diet is lettuce and it's played for laughs when they try to sneak eat a submarine sandwich or some other normal food item. VLC diets plus this workout til you drop attitude is I believe largely responsible for so many people failing to stick to a lifestyle change that will allow them to lose and maintain.

I have seen this attitude even here. People mocked for not cutting calories enough. People being disrespected for their food choices or the timing of their meals. People being told they must do cardio and lift heavy. There are a lot of issues people don't agree on here as far as what is healthy. And I think a lot of people even here really believe that in order to be effective a person has to be starving and dropping from exhaustion from over exercising.

Now that being said I think there are pros and cons to WLS and for me the cons outweigh the pros. But, YMMV.

moxiecowgirl

I can't believe some ppl think its the easy way out. WlS is one of the hardest things to do. Your life will nvr be the same again. You no longer enjoy food.... You will nvr again get to feel the satisfaction of talking a gulp of water when you're super thirsty. You can nvr have candy or sweets again....and if you do there are horrible consequences! I don't enjoy going to social gatherings anymore bc they always involve some sort of food that I can't eat and it makes me feel like an outsider. The surgery was painful and there was a long long recovery. I still have to excerisize.... I still have to manage what I eat....even more so bc now it's really important I get lots of protien. I have to do what everyone else is doing to lose weight plus the problems from the WLS! But there was no way I could've done it without it bc I was addicted. I would tell ppl that this is the harder road to take and if at all possible to try to do it the normal way.

Maybe you can see why some of us would think it's not a good idea?


Everyone can do whatever they want with their lives. But this^? I wouldn't recommend that kind of life to anyone.

...and again I say, mileages may vary. I was back at work within a week, so my recovery was nowhere even in the ballpark of "long". I can chug water like a champ, and I can still eat the occasional piece of candy or kid's birthday cake with no consequences, and have once or twice. I just choose not to do it all the time. I LOVE social gatherings even more than I ever did, because I'm a big attention *kitten* and I love getting compliments. I just plan my way around the food and decide ahead of time what I will eat, or whether I'll have something more fitting to my plan at home beforehand. Yes, it does require planning and dedication and modification, but so does any other long-term plan. I know far more post-op patients who live the lifestyle I'm living than the one described above. Please don't let the horror stories stand as the norm just because they stay fresher in the mind.

DrMAvDPhD

I know people who have had the surgery, lost 100+ lbs.....and gain it alllll back....just saying

My mother, father, and sister all had this surgery and have successfully kept their weight off for 2-5 years. My sister and mother now run half marathons. All three do triathlons. Just saying.

I said I know people.... I did not say everyone.

You give your anecdotal evidence and I'll give mine.

moxiecowgirl

I know people who have had the surgery, lost 100+ lbs.....and gain it alllll back....just saying

My mother, father, and sister all had this surgery and have successfully kept their weight off for 2-5 years. My sister and mother now run half marathons. All three do triathlons. Just saying.

I said I know people.... I did not say everyone.

You give your anecdotal evidence and I'll give mine.

^^This. I know people who lost 100 lbs or more without surgery and gained it all back, too. So your point would be what, exactly?

TheWiseCat

yummm

getrealforme

This is what irritates me. I worked for many years as a server in a restaurant. You would not believe how many people say......I have had WLS or I have a lapband and I can not eat as much. I do not want to pay for a whole meal since I can't eat it all, will you discount the meal? Ummm NO! That gets me every time. I have 3 friends who have had weight loss surgery, and 1 that had lap band. They have all gained their weight back. I think if you lose weight, either by surgery, or diet and exercise, you will gain it back if your mind set has not been changed. The bottom line is if you can lose weight, it will improve your health. If you will keep it off, is completely up to you.

I'm sorry your paying customers are so irritating to you by requesting a service that is offered by many other restaurants. Many establishments DO offer a smaller size meal and discounted rate to WLS patients.. Why should it irritate you if someone asks? Does it also irritate you when people ask for a senior discount? Now if they are DEMANDING special treatment, that might be cause for irritation, but really you are so easily annoyed that you can't handle an inquiry?

These are not polite customers asking if they can order off the the senior menu or kids menu. These are demanding customers that order the regular meal, then want it discounted because they can only eat a portion of it. I have never seen a menu with a WLS/Lap band section on it. Unless you have worked in food service, you have no idea how rude and demanding people can be.