The Start of a LONG Journey {Gastric Bypass, Lapband, etc.}

I havee not had anything myself but two very close friends (co-workers) have had each of two. I'd def recommend from an outsider if you're going to risk it & get the surgery instead of losing it on your own, go for the gastric bypass!!

My friend who had the lap band totally cheated- she'd ea little amounts but very often. In fat one time she went & got her band loosened (you can get it tightened and loosened which i think is terrible because most people in that situation dont have discipline its too easy to cheat and too tempting, i know i would!). So she loosned her band before a trip and ended up eating so much (not binging just more than she should have) that the lab band BROKE inside of her & she had to have an emergency surgery to remove it when she returned home. It was a scary thing & I saw her cheat her way around it a lot. PLUS she never lost much weight, like 25 lbs in 6 months- to me that snothing for such a drastic procedure.

My friend who had the gastric (about 1 month ago) is already down 52 lbs and looks great! I always tell her that her meals are "cute" because its this tiny food in little containers but theres really no way to cheat it- your stomach is that big period, its a permenent way to live.

Those are my thoughts!

Hello,

I had gastric bypass surgery in 2003. I lost 80 pounds, but the sad news is I put it back on. I will be the first to admit, I did not do what I was told to do. I thought it was a free pass to eat what I like, only in smaller quantities. I joined MFP on July 5, 2010 and have managed to lose 79 pounds. This time, I decided it was a lifestyle change, not a diet. I have starting eating less processed foods, exercising and drinking lots of water. Good luck on your surgery. I know you will love it here. Feel free to add me as a friend, we can help support and motivate each other.

She was considering the lapband but when she found out about the no bread or pasta EVER she said it wouldn't work. However there is no way to cheat the gastric bypass like monica said.

I had the lap band done 3 years ago. Believe me, I know how to cheat my way around it. I've even gained a lot back in the past year. But it still restricts me. I shudder to think where I would've been after 3 years at the rate I was at pre-lab band. I have no doubt that in that time I would've gained 100 or more lbs. Instead I have hoovered/maintained in a 20 lb radius.
I have a permenant tool that for emotional reasons I've chosen not to take advantage of over the last year, but I still have it. I can choose to use it, and I have that advantage for the rest of my life. That's not an advantage that gastirc bypassers have. I can adjust my band when the time comes for me to have my children, and after they are born, I can adjust that band right back afterwards... Growing up, baby weight was always one of my biggest fears - now it isn't.
I would never go back and un-do getting the lap band. It has been a huge blessing. As a binge eater I used to sit in my car and eat a pizza. Sometimes I still go and get that pizza...but now it lasts me 3 meals over the course of a couple days. The change is huge even if the scale didn't change drastically.
Just my thoughts. Whatever you choose, you'll see your life change. You're life is about to change! I'm totally excited for you!!

I have the lap band and have had it for about a year. There is no bread and meat tends to be hard to digest. I wouldnt change having it but it also can be gone around by drinking soda. Its not fool proof. You can eat a little often. Even with the lap band you have to work on your diet. My parents had gastric and have gained it all back. I have steadily lost.

I just read some more of the posts, and someone made a comment that there is no way to cheat the gastric bypass, that is not true. You can and people have. I can eat just about anything I want but choose not to. I do at times and pay the price by not feeling good. But you can cheat it and you can condition your body to go back to eating what you always did, it is not a quick fix that you will not eat again. At the beginning you don't want to eat, which the thought of not wanting to eat was unconceivable to me when I first started researching it but once I had it it's amazing how you just don't want the food. But you can go back and it is hard work, it's not an end all I'm going to be thin and not have to work.

I would recommend it to anyone who is serious, but there are plenty of downfalls as well I will take my health anyday but now instead of a ton of fat on me (which I do still have a bit to go) I have a ton of hanging skin, it's not a decision you make for looks, its a decision you have to make to be healthy.

I know several people who have had gastric bypass surgery. Some had no problems at all with the surgery and were only 'down' a few days to a week and others had lots of problems from feeling terrible, lots of pain, severe nausea and vomiting. They did all lose weight initially, but then after about a year or so starting regaining. You still have to make a lifestyle change and not depend on the surgery to be an easy way out. My friends that have had this surgery have said they would recommend it to others but they would stress that you really have to do what the doctor's tell you and that is eat healthy and exercise. Good luck with your decision!

I've watched two women in my life go through gastric bypass to try to lose weight. Both were severely overweight at the start (per the definition required to get the insurance companies to give a damn). Both had some success, and some very rude awakenings about how "easy" this is to live with for the rest of their lives.

Some basics: for the gastric bypass to work, you WILL adopt a high protein, low carb diet, for the rest of your life. Your digestive system cannot process enough protein if it doesn't get what it needs. It cannot process enough vitamins without supplements, every day. Big horse-pills of supplements. White sugar and white carbs will still absorb just fine. Your small remainder of a stomach will balk at things (at least at the start) and try to stop you from cheating. It will stretch out over time and make that cheating easier. You MUST be willing to change your diet permanently for this to work. So then you should be asking yourself - do you need the surgery at all? I don't know. If you can change your diet without the surgery, you should have similar results. Without compromising your body's ability to eat normally and process nutrients. I don't have the answers here, I just know, and want to make it very, very clear, that surgery is not the magic wand that makes all things better.

Wife 1 - started around 315. Had her duodenal switch surgery in Nov. Had a pre-existing sore on her tongue diagnosed as stage-4 cancer one month later. (NOTHING to do with the surgery, very bad coincidence.) By Feb she was on chemo and radiation, and had a feeding tube implanted directly into her detached fork of her intestines. (And went through a lot of extra trouble getting that done, because of how complicated the surgery had made her insides.) She lived on a 1750 calorie liquid diet for the remainder of her 18 months. She had dropped below 200 lbs by the end, but with that enforced diet, she would have anyway.

Wife 2 - started around 365. Had her bypass surgery and tries to stick to the diet, but still has lots of problems with not counting calories, sneaking small sweet snacks, and so on. She dropped to a low of 290ish and is currently back up closer to 320. We are both working on MFP together now. I started for myself back in Feb and by tracking my diet closely here, was able to loose 15 lbs (big deal, I know, but that's what I needed to lose). She's watching more carefully, knows that I help watch too. We plan meals together and try to stick to them.

Looking over my shoulder, she just added: "It bothers me more than anything else that people think this is the easy way out. If it was easy, I'd be skinny! I personally think I'd be more successful if I took care of my head before I took care of my gut. I never took care of what got me heavy in the first place." She is currently seeing a nutritionist and a therapist to cope with the emotional issues that led to her comfort eating and her current weight.

She adds: "What I recommend to my friends considering a bypass, is to eat a bypass diet for a week, see if you can stick to it, and see if you can lose weight without the surgery."

No matter what route you decide to take it is a LIFE LONG journey. There is no easy or quick fix.

I had gastric bypass in 12 of 2006. I weighed 397 pounds. In 2 years I got down to 175 where I stabalized. I was fine with that. I knew I would never get to 130 and probably not even 150 without having plastic surgery to remove all the extra skin around my middle. I have before pic on my profile. I think it is open to the public. IF not just send me a freind request.

It was the best decision I ever made. My recovery was easy and it forced me to learn to eat. To this day if I eat too fast or do not chew my food well it will get "stuck" and make me feel ill for hours. I chose GPS over lapband bacause I knew I would do what others have said and manipulate my way around it. I needed permanent.

I am on MFP now because, as I said, this is a life long journey. I had my firstborn son at the age of 39 (would not have been possible for me 4 years ago) and am now working on getting "baby" weight off. But, 20 pounds vs the 200 I lost before should be a breeze LOL. I set my goal here at 150 even though I will be happy back at 175.

GL to you and your SO!

Hi all....I had gastric bypass 3.5 years ago. The smallest size I dropped down to was a size 6 jeans. (not for long). I stabilized at a size 8 and now comfortably sit at a size 10. I have not religiously followed the plan..., the reason I gained some weight back, I am not happy with the weight gain, and I need to get back on track. My goal is to feel comfortable at a size 8 jeans. A few girls from my Bunco team have started a weight loss jourmey. I want to get back on track so I can start feeling better about myself. My problem is that I started to reintroduce unhealthy eating to my daily diet....snacking and carbohydrates. I need to refocus my efforts on drinking more water, eating protein and vegetables first, carboihydrates last.

Now that I know where I should focus on my efforts on, I hope to religiously track my foods and continue to exercise so I can lose the weight I have gained back. Thanks for yor support.

Hello-- I have a lapband. I got it last January (15 months ago)
I have lost 70 pounds. From 269 to 198. I have not been in the hundreds for quite a while.
:bigsmile:
I chose the lap band because
1- it is the only one that is reversibel.
2- it does not reroute my insides.
3- it is adjustable (hence the name "Adjustable Gastric Band")
4- I can eat whatever food I want. I do not have to worry about 'dumping'
5- I do not have to worry about malabsorption. I get all my nutrients.

Remember this...All weight loss surgeries are TOOLS to help you lose and all require work.
My lapband - with proper restriction- lets me know when I have had enough.
I could have lost a whole bunch more but I did eat stuff I probably should not have and had not really taken to exercising.
Now that I have lost the weight I lost, I have more energy and am finding it easier to move and do some exercising..
There are other options besides just the bypass and lapband. There is vsg (vertical sleeve gastrectomy), ds (duodenal switch), gastric plication...
There is a site called Obesity Help. They have information about all the different options.

Another point is with your insurance.. Some only cover certain surgeries and many needs a long prep time preop
-I had to have a 6 month monitored diet with nutritionist.

I hope this info helps :smooched: Oh and btw-- I am very very happy with my choice. Other routes might have been faster, but I know with the band that if (for example, I wnated to get pregnant) I could have the band loosened for baby sake..

I am pre-op for the gastric-sleeve. I have to wait 6 months too for nutrition classes, etc. I have been researching this for about two years. At first I thought I wanted the lap band before I discovered the sleeve. My concerns were leaving a foreign object in my body for the rest of my life and what problems that might entail. I really didn't want the re-routing of my intestines and all the problems with nutrition deficiency. The only problems I have now is knee problems because of the excess weight. I have only been getting bigger over the past year with my lack of exercise.

When I was 26 I lost over a hundred pounds and kept it off for over 5 years but now at 47 I need some help to get me jump started because of knee problems. It sounds like Laura needs that help like I do because she has quite a bit to lose eventhough she is young. But Laura weigh all your choices and choose what is right for you.

Laura

I had Gastric Bypass in July of 09. I've lost 165 lbs reached my goal and have maintained that weight loss. Here are things I've figured out on my own journey:

The first year is the "Honeymoon Period and you can't stop your body from dropping weight rapidly.

Respect the tool, you don't have this surgery done without consequences. Follow your Doctors instructions to the letter during the Honeymoon period.

Seek out a therapist and find a support group in your area, this is an emotional roller-coaster.

Take all your vitamins, get your Protein in first, and drink at least 64 ounces of liquid a day!

Keep a food and exercise diary...it keeps you accountable.

Now that I'm at my goal weight I have learned the tricks...they are the same as "normal" people. If you gain a few pounds over the holidays or on vacation you need to double up your exercise or cut out carbs to lose that weight again.

i work with two gals who have had weight loss surgery... the one who had gastric bypass lost a ton of weight, but had medical issues because she could no longer absorb the nutrients her body needed. she actually died about 5 years ago, although i don't believe it was related to the surgery. the other girl had the lap band surgery about two years ago -- still eats way more than she should and is still very overweight.

i had considered weight loss surgery myself because i felt like i couldn't do it on my own and i really wanted a magic fix. what i learned from these two is... there is no such thing as an easy, magical fix for losing weight. i wish you the best in whatever you choose.