Why do people consider weight loss surgery cheating?

JimLeonardRN

Its the cowards way out
when we are out here working our *kitten* off cuz we gotta lose weight- the real way

And here we go with the ignorance. Its a freaking tool lady. Just like your treadmill, elliptical, MFP. Use it correctly or fail! And its easy to judge when your hiding behind a computer.

RoadsterGirlie

I don't view it as cheating - I just don't view it as the right option for most people and for many it's a flat out mistake. Why do you have to be cut open and have your insides rearranged in order to eat at a calorie deficit?

If you eat the right foods and plan your meals accordingly, you shouldn't ever go hungry.

missymakayla

Everyone's stroy is different. You have to do what is right for you. Don't let people decide your future, that's for you to decide. GOOD LUCK with eveything......

musycnlyrics

I don't see WLS as a cheat. The surgery (the qualify and then live with it afterwards) is hard work. Not "running 7 miles and living off a low cal diet" hard, but still hard, nonetheless.

This issue that I have with it is that it is recommended for those who don't need it. Those who are simply lazy and want a quick fix. There isn't enough education around the surgery.
My aunt, who has been obese her entire life, had a host of health issues: diabetes, knee problems, back issues, high blood pressure and other ailments. She was very active: karate, zumba, walking, running, 5k's, you name it! She ate healthy, turkey products, veggies, fruit smoothies, low carb, low fat, around 1500-1750 cals a day, has her doctorate. Very gorgeous, educated, overweight woman. She had the gastric band done about 7 years ago. She lost over 100lbs. She didnt have to change her diet, she stayed active, she looked great.
Today she has gained about 85 of those pounds back. She still works out 5-6 days a week and eats healthy. Shes still gorgeous and educated, she's simply fat.

I, on the other end of the spectrum, would try to lose weight, lose a few, then gain a lot. When my scale tipped over 300, I went to the doctor and begged for a solution. She said: Lap Band.
The fact that she thought I qualified for weight loss surgery cured my inherent laziness and I kicked myself in the butt and started changing my ways for good. It has been 7 months since then. I have lost 32lbs and I am glad to say those pounds are gone forever.

If I had opted for the surgery, it would have been me looking for an easy way out. I have had an unhealthy relationship with food my entire life. I had to re-learn how to eat to live and not vice-versa. I had to learn to cook healthier options and fill my home with things that are good for me. I had to stop saying "diet" and realize that I am in this for the rest of my life.

Because I am healthy (even at 307lbs I had no diabetes or blood pressure issues) I wasnt forced to have surgery. As long as the recipients understand that the weight loss won't be magical and that they have to still make changes and deal with their food issues, then the surgery will be great for them.

It's a personal choice: opinions are just like a**holes, everyone has one. Only you know if youre cheating or now.
If you dont feel like youre cheating, then do it and be happy about the positive change youre making.

Good luck!

karen_golfs

I don't consider it cheating - we need whatever tools it takes to be healthy! Good luck - I'll be thinking of you.

chellec23

If you have a medical condition that is preventing you from exercising or losing weight through eating healthy and exercising, then it is understandable to get the surgery.

However, for the people who do not healthy and do not exercise, the surgery is a cop-out. I have personally known people who just refuse to eat right or move their *kitten* off the couch and complain that they're "so fat" ...so they go get surgery. Well, maybe if you had done more than stuff your face with pizza and ice cream and your only exercise was going to the fridge or car to hit the drive-through.............. (sorry, have a specific person in mind here LOL)

And please don't think I am criticizing bad eating habits because I am so guilty of it myself which is why I am overweight in the first place! But I am making the effort to eat right and exercise. It is not something that happens overnight, and it takes work and commitment... if there is a legitimate medical reason that eating right and exercising are not working for you, then it is not cheating to have the surgery. BUT, have you tried medication to correct the problem? If it is hormonal I don't see how a weight-loss surgery would fix it but medication wouldn't. I'm not a doctor either, though lol just thinking out loud, if you will.

kmuree

Its the cowards way out
when we are out here working our *kitten* off cuz we gotta lose weight- the real way

Rude.

Also, I do not find it to be cheating.
The fact of the matter is, yes, you will lose weight quickly through surgery.
It is STILL a matter of changing your lifestyle. It is NOT possible to eat the way you did before and keep it off, whether through surgery or working it off. The journey to the loss might be different, but there is still a lot of work to be done to keep it off.

onwarddownward

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 don't understand how weight loss surgery will achieve something which strength of mind cannot achieve? What has this to do with PCOS? I don't understand this at all.

You can eat less using willpower. Or you can eat less because it is not physically possible for you to eat any more.

Clearly the former is more worthy of respect, surely?

"Willpower" is easier if you don't have the hormone imbalances that a person with PCOS has. I can understand why she wants to do this - doctors like to prescribe carby, limited calorie diets that put those with insulin resistance at a metabolic disadvantage, spiking their blood glucose and inducing hunger. And then we ridicule them when they're tired of being hungry all the time. She's tried, and it didn't work out. I say do the surgery if you're mentally ready.

I agree, but as a 48 year old woman who was/is severely hormonally imbalanced, I am somehow managing to do it without WLS. 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.

It's a shortcut and playing the hormone card is just an excuse.

I can't sounds an awful lot like I won't.

Kayla_292to165

I have a friend with PCOS and she has lost a lot of weight just using MFP....

Also, I know some people who have had the surgery and they have gained the weight back and more....I feel like if there is a 100% medical reason (as in you'll die without it) then do it...But I also think that everyone needs to step up, take responsibility for themselves and own up to their past mistakes when it comes to weight. Only you can change yourself. If you don't have the ability to do it before surgery, I see it as setting yourself up to fail. So yep. I do 100% think it's the easy/cheating way to lose weight.

meadow_sage

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.

So you're saying that you need to be disciplined with your eating after the surgery? If you can pull that off, then why not start now, and avoid the surgery altogether? See the problem?

Ummm, people that have the surgery don't always adhere to the plan and eat whatever they want. Not smart but they do it. People have the surgery that are really overweight and are hungry all the time and when you are hungry it is even harder to make good choices. I think that it's not worth the risk unless you can not exercise or have a serious food addiction that you can't beat. doctor's have tried to get me to do it. But surprise I'm losing it without the surgery, it's hard but I'm doing it. I think the surgery is a bit of a cop out but I am not going to judge people for doing it....I have my own issues. It's just not right for me. Especially, after my sister died from complications related to a surgery, screw that.

grim_traveller

I tried every other way to lose weight, and all failed. And the clock was ticking. I turned 52, had high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, needed two new knees and a hip.

I don't care if other people consider it cheating. Most of the time, I consider it cheating too. But if I had to cheat to save my life, I'm glad I did.

And it's not an either/or proposition. It's not about giving or taking credit. As I said when I started this post, I couldn't have done this without surgery. I also never could have done this without working my *kitten* off too, exercising every day, eating better, eating less. The only thing I'm sorry about is waiting so long to do it.

Carnivor0us

PCOS makes it more difficult for the body to use the hormone insulin, which normally helps convert sugars and starches from foods into energy. This condition -- called insulin resistance -- can cause insulin and sugar -- glucose -- to build up in the bloodstream.
http://women.webmd.com/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-and-weight-gain

Oh, so it's like type 2 diabetes. Guess what? I'm type 2 and loss 60 lbs before with hard work and discipline.

Yes I consider it cheating. It's only forcing you to eat smaller meals more often. Why can't you do that on your own? And start moving. Nothing helps more for insulin resistance than exercise.

It's the lazy way out...that's my opinion.

..except that PCOS isn't diabetes, and in most cases, appropriate dietary approaches (ie: those for a diabetic) aren't emphasized by doctors unless she's been seeing an endocrinologist. She's tried hard and exercised for a year, and I think that's long enough to see if something's going to work or not, and a year is certainly long enough to develop good eating and exercise habits.

Beckyloo80

I tried every other way to lose weight, and all failed. And the clock was ticking. I turned 52, had high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, needed two new knees and a hip.

I don't care if other people consider it cheating. Most of the time, I consider it cheating too. But if I had to cheat to save my life, I'm glad I did.

And it's not an either/or proposition. It's not about giving or taking credit. As I said when I started this post, I couldn't have done this without surgery. I also never could have done this without working my *kitten* off too, exercising every day, eating better, eating less. The only thing I'm sorry about is waiting so long to do it.

Very good perspective! Glad it worked for you and you are now healthy!

chellec23

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?

grim_traveller

Its the cowards way out
when we are out here working our *kitten* off cuz we gotta lose weight- the real way

Two of my most inspiring MFP friends had weight loss surgery. I did not. They have both lost about the same amount of weight as I have.

The ONLY difference between us is that they had the surgery and I didn't. All three of us log food religiously. All three of us workout all the time. All three of us have made lifelong changes in our approach to food and fitness. All three of us have to approach every challenge with willpower and hard work. All three of us are at risk of regaining weight if we fail to retain our new habits - in fact, studies show that of the three of us, I am the most likely to fail.

We all lost weight "the real way." We all worked our *kitten* off.

Fantastic post, very well said. Good for you.

Tuffjourney

I cant imagine people think that having surgery is the easy way out. I havent had any WLS, but I have had two surgeries in the last two years and my third is in June. Surgery sucks and I would not willing go into surgery if I didnt have too. The pain, the loss of work and months of rehab. Ugh, I pray June will be my last one. :frown:

jmc0806

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.

So you're saying that you need to be disciplined with your eating after the surgery? If you can pull that off, then why not start now, and avoid the surgery altogether? See the problem?

This exactly.

kiesha22001

I don't see it as a cowardly way out, however, I REALLY dislike the idea.

We had a woman at work that gained all of it back +50 pounds within the year. Another woman had it done and she said she was in the hospital with a broken rib saying that due to being restricted to the hospital bed for 6 weeks and eating their food jumpstarted her weight loss, yeah... I'm sure. One of my close friends had it done. She was almost 350 pounds and about 5'8. She's constantly in and out of the hospital - at least once a month - since she's had it (about a year and a half now). She posts on Facebook that she's lost about 180 pounds and she looks good in shorts now. Great! I'm happy that she's comfortable in her body, however, she's ALWAYS in the hospital. She's a single mother and her two boys stay with her parents while she's away for a week. I feel bad for her boys missing out on 1/4 of her life.

From what I've seen, it's not a healthy choice due to the consequences of that action. Perhaps if I'd seen more positive outcomes, I'd have a different opinion.

txjg

WLS patients - don't listen to the ignorant people on this thread. Unless you have personally gone through it, you don't know what you are talking about. With WLS, it is NOT easy and you must treat it as a tool and change your eating and exercise habits or you WILL gain the weight back. Losing weight is not about "will power" or "discipline" for the seriously obese. When you are that heavy, your metabolism and hormones have changed. WLS resets you so that you can lose weight. The human body is hardwired from thousands of years of feast and famine to not give up excess weight. When you lose weight, your body wants to put it back on asap. WLS is a method of shortcircuiting this process. WLS helps very quickly with high blood pressure, diabetes type II, high cholesterol, and many other morbidities. Bypass in particular immediately resolves diabetes because you cannot digest the sugar (and if you do eat it, you are very, very miserable). WLS is not for everyone. However, for some people, it is a godsend. Those of you who would criticize should educate yourselves before slamming others on a procedure that could save their life. Studies show that "normal" weight loss efforts result in 95% of people gaining their weight back, and those that did not gain it back have an average long term loss of 4 lbs. Get your facts straight before maligning others.

Carnivor0us

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 don't understand how weight loss surgery will achieve something which strength of mind cannot achieve? What has this to do with PCOS? I don't understand this at all.

You can eat less using willpower. Or you can eat less because it is not physically possible for you to eat any more.

Clearly the former is more worthy of respect, surely?

"Willpower" is easier if you don't have the hormone imbalances that a person with PCOS has. I can understand why she wants to do this - doctors like to prescribe carby, limited calorie diets that put those with insulin resistance at a metabolic disadvantage, spiking their blood glucose and inducing hunger. And then we ridicule them when they're tired of being hungry all the time. She's tried, and it didn't work out. I say do the surgery if you're mentally ready.

I agree, but as a 48 year old woman who was/is severely hormonally imbalanced, I am somehow managing to do it without WLS. 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.

It's a shortcut and playing the hormone card is just an excuse.

I can't sounds an awful lot like I won't.

Maybe is sounds like it, but "I can't" isn't "I won't" all the time with all people. She needs to do what's best for her, and to hell with the concept of 'cheating' if it can assist her in being healthier in the long run.