Why do people consider weight loss surgery cheating?

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  • stephygetsfitt
    stephygetsfitt Posts: 38
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    I don't consider it cheating, I consider it, a smart person who is making a desperate decision to do what they need to do for the better of their health.

    Personally, I would love to have the weight loss surgery but I can't face my 'demons' and correct the problem inside that has caused me to gain this weight. I'm learning to change my eating habits.

    If you're overweight because of a chemical problem I'd say getting the surgery is a great idea. If you're overweight like me because you're an emotional eater, the surgery might not be the best answer.

    However, doing something positive for your body is always a step in the 'right' direction.

    Best of Luck on your surgery and success! :)
    ♥
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
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    What I don't understand is how so many people think that they still eat junk. I process these claims all day and the process is far from easy.
    You have to be on a strict diet and exercise program for at least 6 months to a year before you even qualify for surgery. You have to take nutrition classes. After surgery you can't go to McDonald's and order a big Mac. A lot of food is restricted for weeks. You have to take a cocktail of vitamins everyday. You still have to work out. No one leaves gbs and is eating crap the next week. In fact, most people are warned against eating solids for a few weeks.

    II don't think it's cheating and doctors do not let you go into it without proper talks, documentation, and insurance approval. If you do well on the diet and exercise, the insurance will deny authorization.

    II have friends that have had it and they aren't sitting around while the pounds come off.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    how is it cheat who would you be cheating this isn't a game your not on the biggest loser
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    People enjoy feeling superior to others and nitpick at things that are none of their business in order to feel that superiority.
    This is the best answer I've seen.
  • annwyatt69
    annwyatt69 Posts: 727 Member
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    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 don't just "magically" lose weight after gastric bypass/lapband/gastric sleeve surgery. You work your behind off. The surgery only changes a few things. You still have to watch every morsel of food your put in your mouth--it in no way means you will lose weight and keep it off! Just look around MFP and see how many people are on here who have had the surgery and failed to do the work that the "tool" helps them to achieve. For me, as a type I diabetic with dozens of other issues that caused my weight to go from 115 lbs (at 5'5") to 246 lbs in about 10 years while still following my healthy diabetic meal plan, the surgery became my only hope. Don't tell me I haven't put in the work. I work my butt off every day to lose this weight and ensure that I NEVER wind up where I was again. Could I have lost the weight on my own? NO.
    For the people going into the surgery that think it is a "fix all" they need to do a bit more research. If unhealthy eating is your problem, emotional eating is an issue for you, those things need to be in check before going into surgery, otherwise you will ultimately fail and wind up right back where you were.
  • Susieout
    Susieout Posts: 102 Member
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    I have a lap band. If I go out for dinner and only order a salad with chicken on it and someone says "Is that enough?" I say "yes, I have a lap band" I am 100% straight up with mine. I needed it - I could lose weight no prob with out it. But couldn't keep it off. It is just another tool to use during our weight loss journey.

    I think you look amazing now!!!!
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    OP, you did what you had to do to survive.........you use it as a tool, just like all of us

    I use the gym for a tool, I use this site for a tool, I use the internet for information as a tool

    If you saved your life doing it the onlyway you know that will work for you, then that is what it is.........You owe no one any explanations...............congratulations
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    Sharon Osborne had WLS. Now, she's a spokesperson for Atkins Weight Loss Program.

    I think that's a fail.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 667 Member
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    Sharon Osborne had WLS. Now, she's a spokesperson for Atkins Weight Loss Program.

    I think that's a fail.

    Sharon Osbourne had the lap band surgery in 1999 & lost 100 lbs. Since then she has had colon cancer, aged 14 years, had a double mastectomy, & just generally lived. She is a spokesperson for Atkins now & has lost, what about 30 lbs? I think that is a success. Nobody ever said that the weight wouldn't come back if you didn't maintain good eating habits. I think that a 30 lbs regain in 14 years is not too bad. Especially considering that she is losing the weight again. WLS would not have been appropriate for the amount of weight she had to re-lose. She is once again watching her eating & striving to be healthy. I think that people hold WLS patients to a standard that others are not held to. If they regain then obviously the surgery was a failure & they act like it wouldn't have happened if they had just lost the weight the "right" way. How many people say that the regain is a failure for those who lose the weight without WLS? They are not vilified at all.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    Sharon Osborne had WLS. Now, she's a spokesperson for Atkins Weight Loss Program.

    I think that's a fail.

    Sharon Osbourne had the lap band surgery in 1999 & lost 100 lbs. Since then she has had colon cancer, aged 14 years, had a double mastectomy, & just generally lived. She is a spokesperson for Atkins now & has lost, what about 30 lbs? I think that is a success. Nobody ever said that the weight wouldn't come back if you didn't maintain good eating habits. I think that a 30 lbs regain in 14 years is not too bad. Especially considering that she is losing the weight again. WLS would not have been appropriate for the amount of weight she had to re-lose. She is once again watching her eating & striving to be healthy. I think that people hold WLS patients to a standard that others are not held to. If they regain then obviously the surgery was a failure & they act like it wouldn't have happened if they had just lost the weight the "right" way. How many people say that the regain is a failure for those who lose the weight without WLS? They are not vilified at all.

    Then perhaps she should be a spokesperson AND include: "I had weight loss surgery, but I gained some weight back and now I'm doing this program". Carnie Wilson is another one who gained a lot back after WLS.

    WLS needs to come with a caveat: "If you do not follow directions precisely, the weight COULD come back -- there is NO quick fix here".

    An interesting article that gives hard data about the percentage of weight gained back post surgery: 20-25% of original weight. Also, some interesting information about the criteria for weight loss surgery and why it has a lot of controversy surrounding it:

    http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26076054/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/miracle-weight-loss-isnt/#.UaQIQ8U9iSo
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    is this osburne the mother or the daughter...........I can't remeber the daughters name, but she lost in on Dancing With The Stars.........

    did she gain it all back?
  • zinatara
    zinatara Posts: 76 Member
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    Posted to the wrong thread. Sorry!
  • flakkybaby211012
    flakkybaby211012 Posts: 14 Member
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    So what is it? Hard work?
  • Bootjockey
    Bootjockey Posts: 208 Member
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    I am not certain if anyone else on this thread has had weight loss surgery or not, but, I'll be upfront about it. I have (RNY). My wife has (RNY). My sister has (lapband). My wife's cousin has (lapband or sleeve?).

    Ten years ago, I thought it was "the easy way out." To some degree, I still think that.

    Does that matter?

    No, I don't think it does.

    I think it's a tool like any other. If it's what you do and it gets you where you want to go, that's all that matters.

    I think education is key. I've seen every variety of people, from those fully committed to the program, to educating themselves, to really taking it on and making the changes, to those who think that the surgery is a fix in-and-of itself, and don't follow-through on the lifestyle changes they need to make to be successful.

    I'm happy to answer questions if I can. Anyone is welcome to. "Friend" me, or PM me, or you can ask here, though I may, or may not, see it...

    -David / BootJockey
    -257 pounds.
  • FittyFitFitFit
    FittyFitFitFit Posts: 25
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    Successful weight-loss (and maintenance) requires a "lifestyle change" whether surgery is undertaken or not. Cheating? Quite the opposite I would think - to be a success, not only do you still have diet and exercise but you also have to undergo a rather drastic and probably painful surgical procedure.
  • JTutz
    JTutz Posts: 69 Member
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    I personally know only one successful post-op person. Unfortunately, although she has been successful in losing almost 100lbs & maintaining her weight loss, she has not done & is not doing so healthily. She exists on the same unhealthy foods she ate pre-surgery, but now she can only manage to have a bite or two at a time instead of large quantities (calories in/calories out). She is thin, but has lost (literally) all muscle mass, & her hair & skin are desiccated. This particular situation feels dishonest because if asked, she will credit her weight loss to "lifestyle changes & portion control" which are both *technically* true. Perhaps similar people/situations are what give rise to weight loss surgeries as cheating.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
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    I don't consider WLS to be an easy way out at all, or a quick fix.

    Let's see - somebody will cut you open, and then rearrange your insides. When it's done, you will most likely lose your hair, because you will not be able to get adequate nutrition. You will not be able to eat certain foods at all, and if you do end up eating them or eating too much, you will vomit it back up.

    Look up "dumping, as a side effect" Yeah, that sounds fun too.

    You may even die when it's all done, making it a moot point after all.

    Yep - definitely not a quick fix compared to standard portion control, getting adequate exercise and focusing on your macros.
  • Jmchao
    Jmchao Posts: 27 Member
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    As long as you know what you are getting into for the rest of your life, it's a great tool for those who need it!

    I know someone who had duodenal/pancreatic switch several years ago. Lost 120 pounds. Still looking fabulous. Still taking vitamins/minerals/nutrients daily. No hair loss. No funky skin issues. Is successfully pregnant with baby #2. Monitors everything she eats, follows low carb lifestyle (carbs give her awful gas!).

    Know another friend who had it done a bit over a year ago. Lost nearly 100 pounds. Looks great. Goes to the gym regularly. Is more active now than she ever had been. Eats great. Takes her vitamins/minerals daily. No issues with hair or skin. She had Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery.

    Both of these ladies struggled for YEARS trying to take off their weight. Anyone on this board who knows nothing about either of them can stop right now before blowing the "eat less, move more" crap into a post. It's not just that simple for some people.

    Good luck to you with your journey!! I applaud you for your courage!
  • dagolifts
    dagolifts Posts: 42
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    If it gives you the boost to make a drastic lifestyle change and helps you then I say it's a total win. however if you go back to the unhealthy eating habits then I say yes it was a way of trying to "cheat"
  • toothpastechica
    toothpastechica Posts: 250 Member
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    I think it's a useful tool for people who are emotionally ready and mentally ready to accept the lifestyle changes that it requires to maintain it.

    There's a guy I work with who had surgery and by a year later. When I met him....eats like no tomorrow and has gained most if not all the weight back. Will eat dinner, and then order pizza, and then dip into the snacks for the clients and then brings his own sugary or fatty snacks.....and doesn't get out the chair in the office all day (while the rest of us are running around getting everything done because he has no energy to help us). If his stomach can't handle it he is known to puke at work, and then go right back to eating. I would hope that a WLS would be a wake up call, not an excuse to prolong unhealthy habits.

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