Why is surgery considered so wrong???

Your post made me realize that after over 2 years on MFP I've never once seen anyone "slam" people who have undergone surgery for weight loss, but I've seen countless exclamations of support.

Do you guys just make up stuff to get upset about, or am I blind?

People see weight loss surgery as wrong because it's basically handing over the responisbility of how much you eat to something else. You can't eat a lot, not because you choose not, but because you have a smaller stomach.
A lot of people, including myself have been obese, morbidly obese, and lost the weight by sheer grit and determination. Also by doing a hell of a lot of research, reading books, experimenting with different foods and methods, talking to people who have lost the weight. My mothers best friend was 28 stone, she is now 10 stone. Not because she had weight loss surgery, but because she decided enough was enough and chose to not eat bad foods anymore. She is incredible and a weight loss hero.

I spent £3,000 training to become a hypnotherapist...in order to cure my depression, find out how to be a better person and explore the reasons behind my compulsive and obsessive over eating.

By getting sugery, you are fixing your body, not your head, which is where overeating and obesity comes from. You still have the urges to eat junk food.

IMOH, if every person had explored every possible way to gain a healthy relationship with food and exercise before getting the surgery. Then no surgeries would happen.

I think people, especially in the UK, are unhappy about weight loss surgeries, is because the funding for these operations comes out of the taxpayers pocket.

Yes, people still have issues with "head hunger" but a good bariatric program will screen for this. I had to get "team approval" from my bariatric program before they would say I could have sleeve surgery. I had to see a physcologist, a nutritionist and a physical therapist. They all three had to sign off/agree I was ready for surgery. If one doesn't agree than you have to do more work. Also after surgery you still see these same people 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and then yearly post op or more often if you need to.
I have tried every diet there is with no success. Yes, I would loose weight but then never reach my goal and then start eating bad again.
I know surgery isn't for everyone but for some it is the only way to get to healthy weight.

I feel that if I change who I am on the outside the natural way, then I'd have to change who I am on the inside. The long road ahead of me is going to benefit me far more then calling a magical fairy to put me under surgery, I'll still be the same insecure and depressed person.

But, I'm not saying it's wrong to go into surgery, I am saying that's how I feel about it personally related to me. Anybody else can do what they want but I would never do it.

No judgment here. It's whatever works for you. The key is not losing it, it's keeping it off and the only way to do that no matter what you do is with lifestyle change with a healthy diet (portion control) and exercise. Good luck to you! Keep up the good work.

I don't know about everyone else, but I think it depends on why the person gets surgery. Of course the point of surgery is to loose weight. But the person has to be ready to do the lifestyle change. Like you said, you can still eat rubbish if you want to. But that isnt the point of the surgery. I know people who have done surgery so they could drop the weight but they still eat crappy food. And then they get mad at people who say that they took the easy way out. In my opinion, they did. But there is a HUGE difference between doing it for personal reasons vs. medical reasons

most people have no clue how much work it really is. I think a lot of them see people like us (WLS recipients) losing the weight that they can't seem to lose, so they get jealous and say, "oh, you're doing it WRONG" or "You're CHEATING."

WLS is a tool- we still have to deal with the mental issues and the emotional issues. We still have to eat properly, and we still have to exercise. I'm 14 months post op from lap banding, and I am VERY happy and very confident in my ability to continue on this path. It's not been easy, that's for sure.

I also feel a bit of an outcast here, because a lot of people have seen my loss, and they immediately ask me how I did it, and when I tell them lap banding, they get all miffed and don't want to talk to me. Sorry, buddy. I didn't do this for YOU - I did this for ME. I tried and failed all those other ways (WW, highly restrictive calories, working out all the time) and they didn't help. Nothing worked for me. I had to tell my WLSurgeon about EVERYTHING I had tried. I had to see a psychiatrist. I had to (and STILL DO) speak to a dietitian.


OP - I totally get ya

It appears you have tried hard conventionally and you still needed help. You made a good choice. I have seen successes and failures with surgery. It appears you are committed to it's success. If you feel you can't share enough on the community site, maybe you can befriend a group of folks who can share privately with you. I certainly do not condemn surgery. I would support the individual if they have chosen to have surgery. My biggest concerns with bariatric surgery are the types that you can't reverse. Taking away parts of our bodies that cannot be recovered if it doesn't work. Yet, there have been some successes for people who have had this type of surgery so I would say it is my own hangup over it. My daughter has a good friend who had bariatric surgery. Her friend encouraged my daughter to have it done. I encouraged her to come to "My Fitness Pal". She chose my advice and in a month has lost 12 pounds. One of the biggest misconceptions that I see with surgery is that a person can go on living the way he use to and not change. I have seen another friend have this surgery and gain a great deal of the weight back because of failure to continue to eat properly. Please continue on your quest for a healthier life. I applaud you. Seeing my friend go through the surgery was a difficult process. Not an easy decision but one that is a good tool when nothing else is working for you. Don't ever give up. When any of us give up remember to return the next morning to start all over again. If we fail today remember tomorrow. Don't let the unhealthy beast win. "My Fitness Pal" is the army who is battling the beast. We will win. Stay with us and fight with us. We need your success too. It encourages the troops.

You got to do what is right for you and don't listen to all the @Holes out there. NO one has the right to judge another person till they have walked in their shoes. NO ONE!

I think what many people here are missing with the "Lose it the old fashioned way" tone is that many of us HAVE lost it that way, and gained it back, lost it again that way, gained more back, etc. I think you would be hard pressed to find many people who have had weight loss surgery that haven't tried, had some success, many failures.

I had the sleeve 13.5 months ago. I watch what I eat, I take my vitamins, I exercise EVERY day. This is a tool, just like MFP - just like Weight Watchers. I have to work these tools for the rest of my life to maintain my loss. I see a dietician regularly, I have taken many classes on nutrition, I have labs drawn frequently, I attend support group as well as Weight Watchers weekly, I seek out support here on MFP. These are all tools I have in my tool box.

Guess what? I used to be one of you who believed it was the easy way out. Ha. So not true. As the saying goes, walk in my shoes for a few days.

I think what many people here are missing with the "Lose it the old fashioned way" tone is that many of us HAVE lost it that way, and gained it back, lost it again that way, gained more back, etc. I think you would be hard pressed to find many people who have had weight loss surgery that haven't tried, had some success, many failures.

I had the sleeve 13.5 months ago. I watch what I eat, I take my vitamins, I exercise EVERY day. This is a tool, just like MFP - just like Weight Watchers. I have to work these tools for the rest of my life to maintain my loss. I see a dietician regularly, I have taken many classes on nutrition, I have labs drawn frequently, I attend support group as well as Weight Watchers weekly, I seek out support here on MFP. These are all tools I have in my tool box.

Guess what? I used to be one of you who believed it was the easy way out. Ha. So not true. As the saying goes, walk in my shoes for a few days.

But I think what's lost by some is that pretty much every overweight and obese person has tried to lose weight in the past and failed or gained it back, etc. I've been overweight since I was a pre-teen (with a small amount of time being a skinny teenager) and obese or morbidly obese for almost my entire adult life. I've failed at several diets. I've lost and gained back (plus some).

But I would still not do surgery. For one, I know people who've "failed" at weight loss surgery. So there's no guarantee of success but lots of added risks. But most importantly, I'm determined that this time I can keep it off. Partially because I'm not dieting this time. I'm not doing atkins, or south beach, or whatever. I'm simply eating less and exercising more. Something I'd be asked to do with surgery anyway. So why would I possibly put myself into situation that could kill me or seriously damage my body when I have a less risky alternative?