Bariatric surgery... to do or not to do?

If you wish to put your money towards something, get a dietitian or nutritionist to help you out and keep you accountable. They will show you how to read food labels and what to watch out for and so forth, that is were my journey started and I am glad I went to one for a month to just figure out what I needed to start this journey all on my own and my ticker shows the proof.

I was told by everyone around me ( minus my husband and his family) that I would need surgery to stick to my lifestyle change and to lose weight and I have nothing done to me and I am happier I am doing it this way!! Teaches me responsibility

The only problem I have with many dieticians is that many of them counsel seriously obese people to go low-fat and high carb. Granted, going very low fat will take weight off, but it exacerbates obesity-causing blood sugar issues (and yes, ALL obese folk have blood sugar issues whether they are diabetic or not). Since the advent of the growth of the amount of sugar in Western diets, blood sugar levels have climbed and continue to climb. What are considered "normal" blood sugar levels now would have been considered elevated in the 1920s when they first began to measure those levels routinely. The rise in the prevalence of obesity perfectly tracks the rise in sugar consumption. Look at the labels of "low fat/no fat" food--sugar is almost always added to make up for the lack of flavor that taking the fat out causes. By the way, you need AT LEAST 45 grams of fat per day just to stay healthy. I once had a dietician tell me that anything over 25 grams of fat per day was "unhealthy"!

You can spend thousands of dollars getting the surgery just to eat less, and having to completely cut out some foods due to your body not able to digest (you get used to throwing up a lot, ive seen it firsthand with a friend of mine.....you like oranges? Forget about those guys) or you can use mfp as your tool, and its free.

The surgery only makes you lose weight, it doesnt attck the reason why you are obese in the first place. You can control one addiction with a surgery, but often addicts turn to another bad habit. Or often, people just eat themselves back to the size they were. People think the surger is easy, you just gomin, get snipped andnthen you lose weight.

Before the surgery, you have to go on a special diet for a bit, and then after you are supposed to work out and eat a special diet. So basically you are paying all that money just to do what you are supposed to be doing anyways to lose weight.

As a physician, I've seen a lot of things that go wrong with these patients. That said, I've also seen a lot of people who do well. There are many options, from the traditional Roux-en-Y to the more temporary Lap-Band to the hot new gastric sleeve. Some the initial questions you should consider are: how much weight do you have to lose? Is it enough that you are willing to live with an altered anatomy and in a malnutritive state? are you willing to give up your favorite foods? are you willing to eat very little? are you willing to put up with the potential side effects, including pain, nausea, and scars, which could lead to bowel obstruction and other issues of the sort? This decision remains your own, but be aware that if you choose this path, it will be a long and potentially painful course. Surgery is not the preferred solution, but if you have severe comorbidities such as diabetes and high blood pressure, this may be a good option.
Good luck!

The best option is to get added sugar out of the diet. It is addictive and obesity is the result but obesity is just part of the trouble that sugar causes. Research done by the team of Richard J. Johnson (head of the renal division at the medical center at the University of Colorado) has pretty well proved that it is sugar (and specifically the fructose portion of it--sucrose, i.e. table sugar is 50% fructose) that causes metabolic syndrome--high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. They discovered, somewhat by accident, that they could cause 60% of normal weight males to develop metabolic syndrome in TWO WEEKS when they gave them a special daily high fructose drink to drink, in addition to their meals. Dr. Johnson has been given an NIH grant to study the epidemic of renal disease and failure among sugar cane workers in central America. What he expects to find, as the base of the problem, is their habit of drinking lots of soft drinks and sugar-sweetened fruit juice, during their long days in the very hot sugar cane fields. Uric acid levels rise dangerously high under the condition of excessive fructose and dehydration. It apparently blows out their kidneys.

My opinion is try it on your own. If you see you are struggling then you may need the help. But keep in mind the struggles are what teaches you to be stronger and not give in to food for the comfort factor instead of the I'm eating to stay alive and healthy factor. You must eat to stay alive, but most of us who struggle with being over weight eat for other reasons. I also agree with the carbs. Stop eating complex carbs, rice, pasta, breads, flours. And enjoy the good carbs, fruits and veggies. Stay away from as much processed foods as you can. I can now bake sweets and goodies without eating the whole batch of what I make. I have a couple treats but mostly bake to give away to others. Weigh your food and be precise, log everyday, every bite. Good Luck

I like the fact that you are giving yourself 3 months of true dieting. Don't cheat yourself though just so you can end up having the surgery. If you have already made up your mind then go ahead and do it. I know several people who had the surgery and are doing great and I know someone who died on the table during the surgery. All surgeries are risky and come with possible complications. Save the $10,000+ to reward yourself after you hit your goal wait. I was up to 330lbs and had several meetings with surgeons who told me that I really needed the surgery. I decided to try dieting with MFP and I am now down 115lbs and feel great. When you work hard it is super rewarding. Good luck with what ever your decision is. You have a great support group here.

I have met too many people (through a previous job in social work) who had SERIOUS complications from various weight loss surgeries. No way. I would try everything else first.

Obviously I'm not a doc but I seriously think it should be a last resort for people over 400 lb. JMHO.

The amount of FUD and misinformation that gets spread on MyFitnessPal every time bariatric surgery is brought up is truly astounding... Seems everyone here knows a friend of a friend's uncle's friend's father's second-cousin-twice-removed who had surgery and nearly died. Well, having had surgery myself, having four close relatives who've all had surgery and been successful with it, and having volunteered at the weight loss center where I got my procedure done and talking and interacting with literally hundreds of patients in all stages of the process, I can tell you that complications do happen, but they're few and far between. Furthermore, if you actually talk to the people having those complications they'll tell you that it's a small price to pay for being healthier overall and that they'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Now, surgery itself is no magic bullet. The data shows surgery patients lose only about 50% of their excess bodyweight on average, in the long term. The surgery will only give you about one year of hardcore caloric restriction before your body adapts (the so-called "honeymoon period.") After that, you're pretty much on your own (that's when all the stories of weight gain after surgery happen.) This is what people mean when they say that "surgery is just a tool," you still have to do the hard work of eating right and exercising — before surgery, during your honeymoon period and for the rest of your life. Surgery just makes it possible for you to make those changes and stick with them long enough for them to become habit, but it's ultimately up to you to stick with them.

So go to your doctor, give it an honest shot at losing on your own and, if you end up deciding that surgery is for you, have realistic expectations. Good luck!

My wife had it in 1999. She was about a week from death last winter due to long term malnutrition. Most of her internal organs shut down. She had a partial reverse surgery in the spring and now she's ok.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. LOL. Only because of the small chance of dying. I lost 50 pounds in 2 months pre op. If you have a strong will power then go for it. I ate a high protein/low carb diet. around 1200 - 1400 cals a day and walked 2 to 4 miles a day. I had gastric bypass surgery done on 12/4/13 and so far I feel good, I'm not in any pain. Just discomfort. I was thinking if I can do 50 pounds in 2 months should I even bother with surgery. It's my life story up and down. Now I get a chance to start over and not stretch my pouch. Good luck in whatever you choose.

Bariatric surgery is very dangerous. Weight loss is mental and you will find lots of support on this web site. 3 out of 4 bariatric patients die of complications. I spoke with a very trusted physician who used to do the surgery and he told me the sad story of a woman who initially lost weight but began to gain again too soon. She was eating mayonaise among other things. She died of complications. He quit and started a clinic for weight loss. We are more than our stomachs. Good luck on your journey. Saying a prayer for you now. Sounds like your family cares for you greatly. Use them for support. You can do it!!!! This is not a diet; This is a lifestyle change that will bring you more joy than any donut or chicken wing