Weightloss surgery

Bariatric surgery is the only clinically proven way for a morbidly obese person to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off over the long term. What that means is that in clinical studies, only approximately 5% or less of people who try to lose weight with diet and exercise alone will lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. A much higher percentage of people who have bariatric surgery will successfully lose weight and keep it off.

That doesn't mean it is impossible to lose weight with diet and exercise. Many people here have done it, and 5% of the people trying to lose weight is still a lot of people. It also doesn't mean that everyone who has bariatric surgery will lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. But clinical studies show that your chance of losing weight with bariatric surgery is greater than your chance of losing weight with diet and exercise alone. If you have repeatedly unsuccessfully tried to lose weight, surgery might be the answer.

Some people will tell you about the health risks of bariatric surgery, but what they may not realize is that living with morbid obesity carries its own health risks. If you have diabetes or hypertension, surgery may have a lower risk of death than just doing nothing. Bariatric surgery is the only known treatment that can put diabetes into remission. However, just being obese does not necessarily mean you are unhealthy. It is better to look at your health rather than your BMI to decide whether surgery is a good risk or a bad risk for you.

I agree with the posters that say surgery is not a decision to take lightly. It is also expensive and many times insurance does not cover it. In order to be successful, you truly have to change your lifestyle. You also may not lose the weight you want to. The average weight loss with bariatric surgery is 20-30% of initial weight over the medium- or long-term. (With diet and exercise alone, average weight loss is only 3-5%.)

Personally, I had weight loss surgery about 6 months ago. Within the previous year, I had been diagnosed with hypertension and pre-diabetes (my mother and grandmother have diabetes). I was winded from even minor physical activity. My joints were giving out and I was afraid I would lose my mobility. I had also recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I knew that it was very important for my health that I lose weight. With weight loss, I successfully reversed my hypertension (my blood pressure is now excellent even though my BMI is still quite high). I successfully avoided diabetes. I am no longer worried that my knees will give out and I'll lose my mobility. I am having my sleep apnea re-evaluated because my doctor thinks it may be successfully resolved. Even if I never get to my goal weight, I consider my greatly improved health to be worth it.

I started losing weight 6 months before surgery. Knowing that I was going to have surgery gave me a boost of motivation that allowed me to say "it will be different this time" and really believe it. I lost about 75 pounds before surgery. I have lost about 60 pounds since surgery, for a total of 135 pounds in the past year. Some people wondered why I chose to go ahead with surgery after losing so much weight before having surgery, but I am confident I made the right decision for me. I knew that losing weight was only half the battle (and honestly, the easier half). The hard part is keeping the weight off, and surgery gives me a better chance to do that.

If you want facts and statistics about weight loss, I highly recommend a series of blog posts by a person who researches weight loss. He does a very good job describing the pros and cons of bariatric surgery using scientifically supported facts rather than anecdotes alone. This is where I found some of the statistics for this post. http://www.drsharma.ca/obesity-if-you-think-bariatric-surgery-is-a-quick-fix-dont-do-it.html

This thread is from 2013 but I'm going to answer anyway.

When you weigh 360 pounds and already have sagging skin like I did.. It's NOT going to bounce back no matter how fast or slowly you lose weight.. Either way, if you want your skin to be tight, you will need plastic surgery.

When you have VSG surgery 75-80% of the stomach is removed. It will never EVER stretch back to its original size or even close to it as has been claimed by some people in this thread. In fact, the stretchy part of the stomach has been REMOVED so your stomach has very little stretch at all. It will relax in time to accommodate about a cup to a cup and a half of food. Which is basically like eating a lean cuisine.

When you have weight loss surgery the weight loss is not always super fast. I lost weight at a very normal pace then I took a year off and went into maintenance and am now back to lose the last 80 pounds.

Weight loss surgery is NOT a quick fix. It is not a magic bullet or a miracle cure. It simply provides you with a way to comfortably eat less and for many it reduces your appetite to a more normal level. For me it has been a wonderful tool which has allowed me to maintain a 120 pound weight loss for a year and helps me have the confidence that I can lose the remaining 80 pounds of excess weight also. Now, I CAN EAT anything I want... my surgery does not stop me from drinking milkshakes, or eating ice cream, or chips, or candy or frosting right out of the tub. In fact I could easily consume thousands of calories a day of these things without even feeling full because they are so calorie dense and easily slide right through the stomach. Of course I choose not to eat those things except for an occasional treat in moderation. The weight loss surgery is a boost to my own willpower. It took away the overwhelming drive to eat that I previously had. I still get cravings.. I still sometimes want to indulge in certain foods when I'm feeling emotionally overwhelmed but takes the edge off so that the willpower I do possess is usually enough to resist such indulgences... and if I DO slip up... and it's rare, but I have... The amount of damage I can do is lessened due to the size of my stomach.

As with any surgery there is a risk of complications and even death but the risk is much lower than people on these forums would have you think. I feel absolutely fantastic. Within hours of the surgery I was up and walking around and discharged the next day. I never took anything stronger than a regular tylenol for pain... which was more of just a discomfort. After six weeks of a diet which slowly introduced foods to my new stomach, I was cleared to eat anything. There was not one food that I couldn't tolerate and have never had any problems maintaining a balanced diet. I never experienced "dumping" as it is not a side effect that is common with VSG surgery. My blood work for vitamin levels is perfect and that's with just taking a regular old multi vitimin and a calcium supplement exactly like I did BEFORE surgery.

For the first time in my life, I feel NORMAL. I don't obsess about food constantly. When I go a wedding, my mind is on socializing and congratulating the bride and groom, not "when do we eat?"... When I'm in a business meeting, I'm actually paying attention to the subject at hand and not distracted by the plate of sandwiches and cookies I can see out of the corner of my eye. I am free to eat a meal that consists of a balanced variety of foods until I feel satisfied and not have to leave the table hungry... or force myself to eat six cups of broccoli because that's the only thing that will both fill me up and fit within my calories.

Lastly for all of you who suggest that people "try mfp" or "try losing weight on your own first".. Are you freaking serious???? I am 42 years old and was on my first diet at 6 years old. I have tried every method out there.. including calorie counting, low carb, low fat, points, eating nothing processed, I have stuck with certain programs for over a year and it was nothing but MISERY as I tried to convince myself that it was a "lifestyle change"... but I could never get behind a lifestyle of constant hunger, misery, and deprivation... which is what eating within my calorie limit felt like to me... even after a YEAR of doing it. I tried being strict, I tried "all things in moderation", I tried having cheat days, I tried filling up on low calorie foods, in the end it was always the same... THROUGH THE ROOF hunger and inevitably, me giving in to it. Now with the surgery, for the first time EVER, I can honestly say that I can see myself eating this way for the rest of my life.

catecholamine wrote: »

Don't get lapband, whatever you do. It has the worst stats for losing weight, keeping it off, and quality of life. Also it is only designed to last 10yrs, then the contraption has to be replaced or removed. Another surgery.
The one with the best stats for weight lost and keeping it off long term is Duodenal Switch. But with that one, you have to take more vitamins. But with gastric bypass, you cannot take NSAIDs any longer. With Duodenal Switch and the Sleeve, you can.

Duodenal switch was recommended for me due to my BMI of 60 but it just felt too extreme for me. I opted for the sleeve instead and it was definitely the right choice for me. Of course DS is the right choice for some people and I think anyone who qualifies for it should learn about it and consider it. All of the different weight loss surgeries have their place and have pros and cons with the exception of lap band which like you said is nearly all "cons" and is fortunately falling out of favor with many bariatric surgeons.

mandimahoney5 wrote: »

If you choose that route. Do lapband. My sil did and she is down 100 in a year. I also had a friend who had gastric bypass's on the same day. He is down 90 lb.
so simply you can get the same results with both. And plus size. Lapband is reversible. Gastric bypass isn't and you could have life long complications.

There are other options besides Lapband and Gastric Bypass. As one who has carefully researched ALL options I would NEVER recommend lapband to anyone. Lapband is falling out of favor with bariatric surgeons for a GOOD REASON. When I went for my VSG surgery, about half the other patients there were having their lapbands removed and getting VSG instead.