Before doing the gastric bypass...ADVICE

Hello there, I'm preparing for lap band surgery and the NP at my dr's office actually told me about this site. From what I understand dumping syndrome happens when you take in too much sugar, or even chips but I think the risk of that is highest in the first year post op. Getting in 1200 cal will be a challenge, but I have purchased a juicer and will be getting protein shakes to make smoothies with. I'm nervous as well, but also excited to get healthier. I would be glad to share information with you and may have questions for you as well. Anything I can do to help feel free to ask. I think the key is planning. We will have to several small "meals" for a while, I am just thinking now in advance what to have on hand for that. Good luck with everything and keep me posted.

No one can make the choice for you, but I would advise DON'T.
Your body is a compex machine that was built to process food efficiently. If you cut out bits and piecesof modify the way that your gut works, then it will stop working efficiently. I agree with those that say this is not the cure, just a cure for the symptoms.
I know several people who have had GBP and it has ruined them. The agony of spending the rest of their lives thinking constantly of what they cant have was too much. One friend had surgery for all the loose skin and now has a body that looks like a map of the London Underground - not good for self esteem.
If you are convinced its for you, then get a good support group, but we have that here and there are hundreds, nay thousands of success stories.
We who are succeeding have changed the way we think about food and how we use it. That is the real "cure".
But - I wish you luck in your journey, whichever way it takes you.

I work for surgeon's that specialize in bariatric surgery and I work one on one with the patients daily. It really is a life change and you need to be ready for it. The main reason why any respectable doctor would recommend gastric bypass surgery is to help reverse, improve or prevent comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, cardiac issues, sleep apnea, etc.). I would seek advice from a doctor that has a lot of experience with weight loss surgery and make sure that if you do pursue GBP that you are in a very conservative and thorough program...lots of pre-op clearances and testing, closely monitored, long term post-op care and follow-up, offers support groups and so on...if you're still not comfortable with the decision then maybe now is not the time to proceed with surgery. It is very common for patients to question this decision but you want to make sure that you are mentally prepared as well because it is a permanent procedure. My sister has struggled with weight her whole life but she truly turned over a new leaf with great determination...she has lost 30+ and looks amazing. She exercises self-control everyday and will have to continue to do so for the rest of her life (which we should all do no matter your size) but some people need to lose 100+ lbs and the difficult part is they have to keep it off for the rest of their lives to maintain good health. There are a lot of things people don't understand when there is a lack of knowledge and experience when it comes to this particular topic. Sometimes surgery is necessary in order to prevent further health issues and whatever route you take it will require intense discipline. Everyone will have an opinion but this is your health and your future...only you know what's best for you. Hope this helps and I wish the absolute best for you.

No one can tell you what you NEED to know. A lot of people have their own experiences (either their own or someone they know) and will say 'DON'T DO IT' or 'It is the best thing that happened to me' and neither are wrong...but that's not you. Do a LOT of research, join any group you can find to talk to others who have already had it, make sure that this is your last option before you do it. You can always have it a few months down the road, but once it's done you can't undo it. Maybe you should try the pre and post operation diet for a few days and see how you feel. I have a friend who had it done, and was so excited and gung ho about it and was dying for food to the point of making herself sick by 'sneaking' it and spitting it out. You have to mentally ready to make a HUGE lifestyle change, this isn't a get skinny quick scheme, it is a lifetime commitment.

I am not being critical, but all the items you listed as not being able to give up are probably the reason you have failed in previous attempts. One of the things they don't really say much about as you are preparing for surgery is the fact that your taste buds will change, and many things you felt tempted by in the past just are not that interesting any longer. That being said, if you are having this many misgivings about the surgery, you need to think really long and hard about moving forward with it. The changes you have to make are for a lifetime if you want success at this. I am only 3 months out, and it is a lot of work. However, as my body continues to shrink and my food options are opening back up, I am happy every day I made this decision.

There are some serious issues with gastric bypass surgery but bariatric surgery can be a helpful and life-changing and saving option. I would NOT recommend the Roux-en-Y which is usually referred to as the "gold standard". Part of the way it helps people maintain their weight loss is by bypassing the most important sections of the intestine (the duodenum and upper jejunum). While it is quite effective in keeping weight off (second only to Duodenal Switch), it is very difficult to compensate for the nutrient deficiencies that ultimately arise. In fact, after two years, more than 90% of RNY patients have a nutrient deficiency. And compliance with supplementation is less than 35%. Moreover, if you ask your surgeon, 'how much extra calcium and magnesium should I take to compensate for my lack of absorption ability?' he/she will not be able to tell you. I would recommend investigating the Sleeve Gastrectomy which still reduces the stomach size so you get the restrictive help but without the malabsorptive component. One of my biggest issues with RNY is that surgeons don't tell you it quadruples your risk of developing alcoholism, depression, mood disorders, suicide and attempts, as well as substance abuse and behavioral addictions. And if you think this is just a psychological transfer because you wish you could still eat, you'd be wrong. There is no added risk of these problems with restrictive only procedures (lap band, gastrectomy). They only occur when you bypass the intestines.

On the emotional eating front, I'm not sure I buy into that ("It's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you?" type silliness). Some of the comments here would have me believe that America (and similar western societies) have rapidly developed obesity epidemics because their citizens suddenly become a society of emotional wrecks whose only coping mechanism is eating. Whereas the Japanese (30 years ago before adopting our diet) and rural Chinese have no emotional issues? Then why, when they adopt a western diet do they too quickly develop obesity and obesity related illnesses?

I would postulate a different idea. It's the "American" food supply. Starting in around the 1960's we stopped eating "real food" and switched to fake "food-like products". Sadly, it is now cheaper for a mother of four to buy a box of Swiss Rolls than four peaches to pack in a school lunch. We've genetically modified our corn to be roundup resistant to make vast quantities of cheap high fructose corn syrup, which then must be added to everything to make it tasty because it's not actually food. Instead of giving children water at lunch, we give them Juicy Juice in a pouch or Strawberry flavored milk (even though milk is a poor delivery mechanism of absorbable calcium). We have Coke machines in our schools. I could continue this rant, but I think it's evident that it's not that America has an emotional eating problem, but rather a lifetime of eating fake food has made changes to our metabolic processes as well as body/brain chemistry. This doesn't mean making healthy food choices cannot be done, but our society sure does not make it easy, does it? And those high sugar, high salt foods are proven to be actually addicting. The healthy choice is rarely the easy choice nor is it the cheaper choice. Even worse, once the weight is gained and the damage is done, an overweight person must forever eat fewer calories than a person who was never overweight in the first place.

Bariatric surgery does work, usually in spite of you, not because of you (if you could have done it on your own, you likely already would have). The amount of willpower that is required to lose such a significant amount of weight is often far beyond what most people are capable of.....or should be capable of.

I say, consider bariatric surgery, but research the various options as well as all the pros and cons.

This is your choice and non of us should either criticize or tell you what or what not to do. You will find alot of people who do that here. You came here to ask about advice for your surgery and I hope you can find it. I have also known people who has had the surgery successfully. Some people fail, and gain weight back again, but I can guarantee that many many people gain weight after losing weight the MFP way too. In other words, do what is right for you and hopefully you can find support from people who has been through the same thing.

good luck

Thank you for this! Weight loss is never easy, no matter how you do it! But so many people on here act like their way is the only way! Yes, gastric bypass fails for alot of people, but it works for alot of people too! Same with calorie counting, bariatric prescriptions, restrictive diets, etc. You have to find what is right for you, no matter what that may be. The hardest part will be keeping the weight off no matter which avenue of weight loss a person chooses. But having something give you an extra boost like bariatric meds or surgery can help you get on the right path. Just because it may not be one person's chosen method doesn't mean it is wrong for everybody! I hope the OP has good luck!

I'm not sure what your diet looks like now but this video really resonated with me and I always share if with friends considering surgery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ

Reducing foods that are high in macro nutrients (meat, dairy, processed carbs) and replacing them with foods high in micro nutrients will help improve your overall health. If you can't make these changes to your diet I doubt gastric bypass will be of much help either. You will still be eating the same unhealthy foods regardless of the size of your stomach. Good luck on whatever option you choose!

Hello,
I am getting ready to do a gastric bypass...I am dieting for years and I can't make it, so my doctors recommended the surgery and I was OK with it.
BUT reading about it made me very scare...the liquid diet before the surgery, the liquid and puree diet after the surgery for months, I don't know if I can make it.
Scare me the dumping, not to be able again to eat any sugar or not to drink and eat together (I choked otherwise)...I am scared
Someone has an advice for me? I am very confuse, as they say here: not to eat less than 1200 calories, but after doing this surgery for months you need to eat so much less...so I don't know.
HELP!
Yam

There are actually 5 weight loss surgeries, so before you make you mind up, look at all of them. The main thing to remember is that weight loss surgery (WLS), any of them, are tools, not cures. They will cause you to lose a lot of weight quickly at the beginning and then eventually any further loss and keeping it off is all up to you.

I had the gastric sleeve 3 years ago. I am now way past the point of the surgery being responsible for my weight loss. I lost 15 pounds in the last 12 months, so I am still actively losing, but now it's all my diet and excercise. It's slow going now, but I am only 64 pounds from goal now! That's the other thing about weight loss surgery, everyone loses at their own rate and there are people like me out there who had surgery years ago and are still working towards goal. And just so you know i DID NOT ST"OP LOSING AND REGAIN. I just haven't made it to goal yet.

Baggy, saggy skin? Not for everyone who has WLS has this issue. It depends on how much you have to lose and how old you are. I am in my late 50s and when I am all done I will have lost 226 pounds. I already have baggy/saggy skin but I also have my mobility back and am in better health than I've been in years. So for me the trade off is no big deal. You can have excess skin removed, but you can't have obesity surgically removed.

Again, look at all your options. I really could not do this without the surgery. I weighed 386 and no amount of diet or exercise would work. At that high an obsity rate, surgery was my only option.

One more thing. As I said I had the gastric sleeve. Gastric Bypass is a more invasive surgery with more restrictions. My sleeve simply took the stretchy part of my stomach away. Nothing was disconnected or rerouted. I also don't have any of the malabsorption or dumping issues. So make sure to explore what the possible side effects are to each surgery as well.

Feel free to message me if you have questions.

Pat

I wouldn't do it. I know two people one male (I went to school with) and a female who both regained. So now both are again obese but with added health problems. I encourage you to try to lose here instead.