Just had my consultation for bariatric surgery...

I'm going to tell you a story that could potentially ruin your day...

I was always intrigued by weight loss surgeries, they sounded like such a quick fix.

Until...
My aunt had surgery about ten or twelve years back.
Lost tons of weight and looked great.

Then...
She died on August 20, 2010.
Since she couldn't eat anything, she became a major alcoholic.
This in turn, weakened her stomach so much that it ruptured her scars in the middle of the night.

Even worse...
Her 8 and 10 year old daughters found her that morning on their first days of school that year.

That was my wake up call. If I'm going to lose weight, I'll do it the right way.

I just turned 23 last week so we're essentially the same age. I have not graduated college, or been proposed to, or married. I have also not become a mother or a grandmother. All of which I want to do!
I have been big since birth. I have dieted forever. I'll lose weight and then gain it all back and then some. I'm really getting in gear now and in ten months, I know I won't need surgery, I seriously doubt you will either. Just the other day I read a success story of a woman who was in a wheel chair, then a cane, then hiking in the bad lands. If she can do that, anyone can.

I promise I'm never this negative and I do like to support people as much as possible but there are better ways to lose weight! We're in this together, you can do it.

I wouldn't do it just yet, if they are doing the surgery its pretty much like a rubber band squeezing your stomach to the size of a grapefruit so you get full faster, but if you overeat then the rubber band breaks, nothing too serious but then you need to spend more $$ just to get it redone, lose as much as you can on your own and then save the money for skin fold remove if you drop a lot, hope this helps!

Jesse Short
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer

Please clarify... you came to this site and lost weight, in order to have surgery to shrink your stomach so that you'd lose weight?

Not everyone is on this fitness site for weight loss, alone. If she has or had surgery, she will need to incorporate the fitness aspect into her lifestyle. This is where her involvement with MFP comes into play.

For those contemplating surgery, I WOULD NOT let others drag you down. From what I have studied, it is not a bad idea. The failures at the surgery usually are the ones who fall back into their old habits. This can be detrimental to their health. By weight gain and by creating additional problems because of re-routed plumbing.

The success stories are amazing for those who do it right. For most, fitness is the way to go, for others, the surgery is just a little boost that requires just as much maintenance, if not more than the average Joe or Jane.

I suggest joining a WLS group here or WLS forums as you will get nothing but b1tching on MFP.

I had the sleeve single incision performs on Jan. 10, 2011... Over 100 lbs down and counting (trying).. Its alot of hard work and dedication. If you need any help along the way stop by and say hi..

One of the first things you will notice on here when posting about bariatric surgery are all the people with "my friend" anecdotes. Then you will also notice that all the anti surgery people know nothing about it other than what they "heard". However, there are also many folks on here who have had surgery or, like myself, are on the road to getting surgery. It's not an easy decision and one that should not be taken lightly.

The first thing a person should ask themselves is "why am I fat?". If the answer is because I love food, because I can't control myself, because I have a need to eat even when not hungry, then surgery is NOT a good path for that person. Not until those issues are dealt with.

Be sure you are educated in what your options are. I would not go anyplace for the surgery that is not a center of excellence (a certification given only after many many surgeries, years of training and inspections). Also, research the surgeon. Remember, with all but the lap band, this is a one way surgery, it can't be undone if you change your mind or they do a booboo. Know what you are getting into.

I wish you luck. And I hope it helps you be successful in you mission to get healthy and live a long and productive life. I still have 60 pounds to drop before I can schedule my surgery so it's a while out for me.

Just because I'm not understanding, why did you gain it all back? What happened when you got off these programs?
To me it sounds like you went back to your old habits, thus the weight gain. PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong. I'm just curious. vytamindi

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The answer to your question is not simple or easy. The complexity of obesity is HUGE! There are common threads amongst us all but we are all also very different in the "why's," the "how's" etc. There are lifestyle components, genetic components, environmental components, and spiritual components.

If it were as simple as just diet and exercise then there wouldn't be as many obese people in the world.

Diet and Exercise alone works for many and to them I say BRAVO!!! Good for you!!! And I wish that were me.

WLS is tool, not one to be taken lightly, but it is just a tool. WLS in combination with diet and exercise increases success for many people out there. Not everyone will succeed unfortunately.

The decision for me has been part of a long, long journey to which I had some measure of success and some setbacks. The addition of the WLS to my plan, I believe, will greatly increase my odds of success this time around. javascript:add_smiley('flowerforyou','post_body')

Here in Australia we are fortunate with our health care system providing gastric band surgery and the like, if you go on the waiting list for it.
2 years she waited and didn't do anything about her weight but like everyone else has always had the opportunity.
Had her surgery and now 2 years down the track she is still obese.

Her behaviour is damaging not only to herself but her family and friends as well. Do you think it wouldn't hurt to watch someone put themselves through something like I've described?
When family and friends have been supportive to her cause (I might not seem it but I can be much gentler in person) and she continues to throw her health down the toilet (literally).

Everyone on this message board is fighting everyday to make themselves a better person. My post was a warning, not a dig.

Just because I'm not understanding, why did you gain it all back? What happened when you got off these programs?
To me it sounds like you went back to your old habits, thus the weight gain. PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong. I'm just curious. vytamindi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The answer to your question is not simple or easy. The complexity of obesity is HUGE! There are common threads amongst us all but we are all also very different in the "why's," the "how's" etc. There are lifestyle components, genetic components, environmental components, and spiritual components.

If it were as simple as just diet and exercise then there wouldn't be as many obese people in the world.

Diet and Exercise alone works for many and to them I say BRAVO!!! Good for you!!! And I wish that were me.

WLS is tool, not one to be taken lightly, but it is just a tool. WLS in combination with diet and exercise increases success for many people out there. Not everyone will succeed unfortunately.

The decision for me has been part of a long, long journey to which I had some measure of success and some setbacks. The addition of the WLS to my plan, I believe, will greatly increase my odds of success this time around. javascript:add_smiley('flowerforyou','post_body')

I guess my question should have been worded better. I do not know your past or am I a doctor, but if it is a weight LOSS tool, and you do really well losing weight, why have the surgery? It would seem that the most important thing right now is to find out why you keep gaining it back.

However, if you are working close with the help of your doctor, and are totally honest about your habits with him/her, and they suggest it for you, I will trust your decision. The LAST thing I want to do is to discourage you from something that would add years to your life. I wish you nothing but the best!

The first thing a person should ask themselves is "why am I fat?". If the answer is because I love food, because I can't control myself, because I have a need to eat even when not hungry, then surgery is NOT a good path for that person. Not until those issues are dealt with.

THIS makes sense. I've seen you post around the forum and you seem to have a very good grasp on your health and what you need to do to be the best you can be.

Food sucks. Unlike other addictions, it's very easy to relapse into bad habits because we need food to sustain ourselves. I hope everyone finds a way to deal with its temptations and learns to eat to live, not live to eat.

Hi, Annette,

My name is Robin and I underwent a slightly different procedure 9 years ago. I weighed 444 pounds, and the reasons I decided on the surgery was because I had several medical conditions that either prevented exercise, or required exercise for function, and I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I was told I'd continue to decline until I died. I researched the various surgeries, including the one you are going to have, and my doc, hesitant to do anything too radical because of my health, gave me a rny with a very conservative bypass.

I made the choice to go through with the surgery because I was trying to outrun which medical condition was going to do me in, so I understand why you made the choice you did. What many people don't understand, is that while one could lose weight through diet and exercise, the surgery changes the hormonal process that assists with weight loss as well. In other words, there's a good side effect to the surgery other than limiting food intake.

I had no illusion it was a "quick fix." It's a lifestyle change like no other, but the day I realized I could go up a flight of stairs with no problem was exhilarating. When I could exercise a whole aerobics session, I was high for the whole day. But I had to have a guarantee if I failed, there was a failsafe. I had no other options. If there's a ton of weight to lose, a negative to the weight loss is hanging skin-can't get away from that, but if one wants to live, I think it's a side effect I can live with.

I lost over 200 pounds, which was my target loss. My docs did not want me losing any more than that. Because I had to go on steroids and chemotherapy for severe psoriatic arthritis in 2008, I gained 100 pounds back. Part of it crept up on me. 70 pounds was related to the meds (and gained in two months). Until my condition went into remission, I was damned if I could lose weight at that point, and it was demoralizing.

The arthritis went into remission and now I can get some results from dieting. I've lost 30 of the 100 I need to get back to my original goal, and my pouch has kicked in again. I would like to lose another 40 more on top of the 100, but this time, I'll do it one minigoal at a time, and not worry about how fast I'm losing so long as I'm losing. My self esteem is fairly robust, and I don't care any more about beating myself up with negativity.

The emotional side of obesity is so overlooked, and I think for most folks with the most to lose, it's the biggest issue. My depression drug me down, and my self esteem was shot. I had to heal those emotional issues, and it was the hardest thing I've done. The diet is easy-it's my self regard that is my demon. I think I've got that devil shoved into a corner right now, but I try to remain humble so that demon don't sneak up on me.

Annette, I've been there-if you need support, you can friend me-I promise I'll friend back! And there are some other people here who have been where we've been and who've offered wise advice, such as really continue to research what your life is going to be like after the surgery, and make a good plan to make the most of the switch.

Much, much good health and happiness!

Metta, Robin