Diet and Exercise vs. Surgery. Thoughts?

I had surgery 3-1/2 years ago (duodenal switch). Most days I think it is one of the best decisions I ever made...some days I wish I hadn't done it and had just given diet and exercise one more chance. I was obese, although at 248 (weight on the day of surgery) I probably could have done it the old fashioned way if I had given it 110%. Maybe. Who knows?

But I'll tell you one thing, having surgery is one of the hardest things I have ever done. So for those of you who think it is an easy fix, you are mistaken. I was miserable for the first 4 months. I could barely eat, I threw up a lot, I was exhausted. I was very strict with my diet and followed an Atkins-type diet for the first year and lost 104 pounds. Could I have done that without surgery? I guess I'll personally never know.

My surgery has the least likelihood of regain (of a significant amount). I got down to an average of 144. In the last year I gained 11 pounds up to a weight of 155. I decided I was going to nip it in the bud and not let myself be a statistic like you're all talking about.

So here I am back at MFP doing a low carb diet and this time doing the 30 Day Shred and then Ripped in 30 when that is done. I am also going to the gym a few times a week. I want to be healthy and fit. I have lost 8 pounds of my regain and plan on keeping at it. I feel proud of myself.

I think we shouldn't be too quick to judge other people's choices. Live the best life you can and let others do the same.

I haven't read any of this thread so...

I think it does earn bragging rights. Even when you have WLS you still have to do a lot of work - you have to change EVERYTHING. You have to learn how to eat, to cook and you have to learn things sometimes the hard way. Mentally you have to work hard because you have to learn to change behaviours that may have kept you from losing weight in the first place. You also go through other things that non WLS people go through - hair loss, different hormonal changes and then like us, plateaus and the mind games we go through with that.

To me it's not a cop out - it's a tough decision to make and more power to them.

Personally its got to be diet and exercise, yes surgery might work but the person isnt going to learn to eat better and exercise so whats to stop all that weight coming back on. Hard work and determination never killed anyone (well it probably has but oh well).

I personally believe that Lap Band surgery saved my life. I was 24 and 295 pounds. Once I lost some weight...I was able to start exercising without pain in my back and began to learn how to eat properly.

EVEN with surgery, you can gain weight..so I believe that you still have bragging rights ..I worked hard for my 100 pound weight loss and still am!

It doesn't work for people who think it is a solution.. it is JUST a tool to assist.

Instead of having surgery, why don't people just eat LESS and learn how to do it the right way in the first place? Surgery isn't necessary, it's just a crutch for people who give up on themselves in most cases.

I am lucky enough not to suffer from disordered eating that would make me need to be a candidate for this surgery. So yes, I think people have bragging rights, because it was harder for them than it was for me to begin with. We praise athletes who overcome an injury or a medical illness because of that exact reason--it is harder for them than the other people on the field. We praise them for competing even if they come in last.

Why wouldn't we expect people with disordered eating to struggle after the surgery? That's why they had the surgery (in most cases.) They struggle with disordered eating. Until an insurance company is willing to pay the same amount of money for intensive inpatient eating disorder treatment for these people, it's tough to tell them to do it without medical intervention. The medical intervention is not a guarantee, but it does increase their chances of managing their disordered eating. WLS is actually the most "Successful" long-term weight loss measure.

It's not an option for everyone because of the safety risks. But for people that it truly is an option for, there are already safety risks. It's up to them and their doctors to decide which risk is greater.

At the end of the day, it's hard to say who did what "on their own." Someone else may look at your life and say, "Well, she was lucky enough to have loving parents who had the means for her to be able to focus so much on her health and lifting." Or, whatever. They'll find something. It's what people do. And all of us have an advantage that someone else doesn't have.

My problem with the surgery is it doesn't get to the root of why the person gained all that weight to begin with. I have two friends who have had gastric bypass and another who has a lap band.

All three lost a tremendous amount of weight...initially. But all three gained back their weight over time. Because their reasons for overeating never changed.

I don't necessarily think there's a "better" way to lose weight...everyone has their own journey to walk...but the only way to achieve lasting weight loss is to find out WHY we gained all that weight to begin with. If we don't permanently change those habits, the weight will slowly creep back on.

Excellently put. I fully agree that we need to change / adjust what we eat, the amount we eat, and how much we move. None of us has to become a marathon runner; a few little changes like taking a brisk walk during lunch or riding your bike to / from work will already make a whole lot of difference.

I also agree with you on this, I have had friends too who had the lap band and failed miserably, because they wanted the surgery to do the work, and they didn't accept the fact that they too would have to do most of the work. I have had the lap band for 5 years now and I have lost 100 lbs with it, but it took me watching what I put in my mouth. When you have the band, Sugar, chips, most all bad foods go down easy. Healthy foods are more challenging, you really have to take small bites and chew your food really well before swallowing. I did alot of research and some counseling before I chose to get the lap band. I made up my mind and was ready! I exercized 3-4 times a week as well. There have been rough patches where I would slip up and eat bad, but as soon as I gained a little I would go back to the rules. For me the lap band has helped me with portion control, and being able to maintain the weight that I lost. No one is perfect and I have alot of challenges like everyone else, that is obviously why I joined this site, becasue I needed to get encouragement and take charge of my Caloric intake again. But for me having this surgery had been the only thing that has helped me personally lose the weight. I am 36 and have struggled with weight since I was in elementary school. I remember when I was in 3rd grade my mom had me on herba life trying to help me lose weight. As the years went on I did weight watchers ( several times), quick weight loss, diet pills, exlax, throwing up you name it I tried it. Some people are not as strong willed as others and need help. I definitely would not recommend surgery to just anyone though, I dont think it is for everyone. You really really have to want to lose the weight and have to follow the rules. If a person is not good with this, then they shouldn't get it. Because they will fail. You can probably tell im very passionate about this subject LOL Thanks for listeneing and commenting

Instead of having surgery, why don't people just eat LESS and learn how to do it the right way in the first place? Surgery isn't necessary, it's just a crutch for people who give up on themselves in most cases.

Oh. My. Gawd!

Why didn't I think of that?? Why didn't I spend half my life struggling to learn how to eat right and just "eat less"? I wish somebody had told me that before I'd chosen to get myself cut open! It seems so obvious now that you've pointed that out!

Instead of having surgery, why don't people just eat LESS and learn how to do it the right way in the first place? Surgery isn't necessary, it's just a crutch for people who give up on themselves in most cases.

Sometimes, it is needed for people who don't have the mental/emotional ability to let go of their addiction to food right then and there. The surgery forced me to face WHY I was eating and helped me change my life.

Not everyone has the same will power.

I'm pretty sure that's the point that everybody is trying to make. People who choose the surgery option generally do not have the same will power as those losing it the "natural" way, therefore can be branded as 'weaker'. It doesn't make you a bad person, you just lost your weight in a different way than other people and had to use a crutch to get where you are now, whereas many others can do it solely with their will power.

Exactly, it's just an excuse to run circles around someone yelling "I'm better than you are, hahahaha!". I swear, some people never leave high school.

I have enough self-worth without having to steal someone else's, so weak or not, I'm satisfied with that.

Steve, your words in this thread have been so touching. It's good to see someone who so obviously loves their partner so much. :flowerforyou:

Best part?
Now when she looks in the mirror, she sees what I've always seen.

Steve, your words in this thread have been so touching. It's good to see someone who so obviously loves their partner so much. :flowerforyou:

Best part?
Now when she looks in the mirror, she sees what I've always seen.

And ...

:laugh: You don't fool me! Now you're just fishing for all the women to swoon!

Steve, your words in this thread have been so touching. It's good to see someone who so obviously loves their partner so much. :flowerforyou:

Best part?
Now when she looks in the mirror, she sees what I've always seen.

Every woman deserves this in their lives

Instead of having surgery, why don't people just eat LESS and learn how to do it the right way in the first place? Surgery isn't necessary, it's just a crutch for people who give up on themselves in most cases.

Sometimes, it is needed for people who don't have the mental/emotional ability to let go of their addiction to food right then and there. The surgery forced me to face WHY I was eating and helped me change my life.

Not everyone has the same will power.

I'm pretty sure that's the point that everybody is trying to make. People who choose the surgery option generally do not have the same will power as those losing it the "natural" way, therefore can be branded as 'weaker'. It doesn't make you a bad person, you just lost your weight in a different way than other people and had to use a crutch to get where you are now, whereas many others can do it solely with their will power.

Exactly, it's just an excuse to run circles around someone yelling "I'm better than you are, hahahaha!". I swear, some people never leave high school.

I have enough self-worth without having to steal someone else's, so weak or not, I'm satisfied with that.

It doesn't make anybody better than anybody else. The main argument here is that you can't compare someone who had WLS success with somebody who fought without help to get their weight loss. I understand surgery is not easy, but again, it's a crutch. It's just not comparable to put two people next to eachother who have both lost 100 pounds and say that their success was the same, though one used surgery and one did not. It is two completely different things.
That's the point.

Same fight, different tools.

VERY different tools.. like an extreme surgery that was not necessary for somebody who could have conquered the same problem mentally and chose not to.

Personally its got to be diet and exercise, yes surgery might work but the person isnt going to learn to eat better and exercise so whats to stop all that weight coming back on. Hard work and determination never killed anyone (well it probably has but oh well).

I personally believe that Lap Band surgery saved my life. I was 24 and 295 pounds. Once I lost some weight...I was able to start exercising without pain in my back and began to learn how to eat properly.

EVEN with surgery, you can gain weight..so I believe that you still have bragging rights ..I worked hard for my 100 pound weight loss and still am!

It doesn't work for people who think it is a solution.. it is JUST a tool to assist.

^^ You are so right about this! I also have the lap band and have lost 100 lbs and have kept it close to that for 5 years now. This surgery was the best thing I ever did. I will tell you this since having to eat less for 5 years, I now truely know what portion control is. Had I not had this surgery I would prolly still be overeating. So yes it has definitely taught me portion control. And I can exercize way better than when I was morbidly obese. I think it is crazy how people want to judge and say things they know nothing about! If you've never had the surgery then you have no idea what we go through emotinally or physically. No its not for everyone, but for me it was!

VERY different tools.. like an extreme surgery that was not necessary for somebody who could have conquered the same problem mentally and chose not to.

Do you really think the majority of people who choose surgery just wake up one day and go "Oh look, I'm fat. What am I gonna do about that? Hmmm....surgery sounds good!" Do you not think they've spent years trying everything they could think of to lose the weight?

Take two people, both who drink too much or too often. One of them realizes "Ok, I have a problem, I need to quit" and just goes cold turkey. Struggles, sometimes backslides, but never really relapses. The other realizes "I have a problem" and starts going to AA. Struggles, eventually goes back to drinking too much. Does this over and over again until one day things just get completely out of control and he ends up (voluntarily) going to rehab.

Is it fair to say the second man was just lazy and didn't want to do the work? Most people would realize that hey, maybe that second man has something in him that keeps him coming back to the alcohol. Maybe he really *needed* that outside help, not because he's weak, but because he's sick.

It's the same thing. Everyone is different so the solution for everyone is going to be different.

It doesn't make anybody better than anybody else. The main argument here is that you can't compare someone who had WLS success with somebody who fought without help to get their weight loss. I understand surgery is not easy, but again, it's a crutch. It's just not comparable to put two people next to eachother who have both lost 100 pounds and say that their success was the same, though one used surgery and one did not. It is two completely different things.
That's the point.

But you can't put any two people next to each other and compare them. If I got to the point where I had to lose 100 lbs, it would be because I stopped paying attention and really "let myself go," not because I suffered from a disabling binge eating disorder. I would just need to pull my head out of my butt and stop being negligent. The person with BED is acutely aware of what goes into her body but has been unable to find a way to control that. So her weight loss, with surgery, would be much more remarkable than mine in that situation.

I can agree that there are different levels of difficulty for things that you would need to face to lose weight. Using surgery would put somebody's struggles towards a very low end of difficulty because they have something that is literally forcing them to eat less.

Except you don't have to eat a ton to still eat the wrong things and gain weight. I could still eat half a gallon of ice cream if I wanted, because ice cream just slides right through the band.