my last resort: liposuction?!

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shadowlydarkness
shadowlydarkness Posts: 243 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys,

Before you judge me, read my story below, i need some honest and helpfull feedback...

I have got a back injury, 2 slipped discs in my spine, its incredibly painfull all the time but the doctors refuse to operate as the risk of operating the spine is to high. The problem is that the pain makes it impossible to do the exercise i need to do to lose the weight, and the weight is making my back worse. I try to eat healthy but its not enough without excersise.

I have been laying in bed for 2 days, unable to walk properly.... my partner saw how much pain i was in and he was unable to help me cause of my weight, he said he now understands why i want liposuction, not to become thin but to lose enough weight for my backpain to stop crippling my life....

I want to know if you guys think i should do it and what your own experiences and thoughts are regarding this.

I dont want to be skinny, i just want for my back to stop hurting so that i can life a normal life.
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Replies

  • hamoncan
    hamoncan Posts: 148 Member
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    I don't think you have any choice but to get your food intake in line with where you want to be otherwise it would seem to be inevitable you will gain the weight back anyways.
  • shadowlydarkness
    shadowlydarkness Posts: 243 Member
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    Thanks guys, i havent made a decision yet, just doing research and getting feedback. I have been on diet and do stick with my calorie goal but its not working...
  • redfisher1974
    redfisher1974 Posts: 614 Member
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    Then you are taking in too many cals if its not working.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
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    How long have you been on MFP and sticking to a calorie goal? I know you feel desperate right now but surgery and medical procedures should be a last resort. You want to avoid it if you can.

    There are plenty of people on MFP who have lost significant amounts of weight with calorie counting and zero exercise. I know your situation is unique, but I think you would find a lot of support here from people with physical limitations who have succeeded with diet alone. Don't give up yet.
  • scottkjar
    scottkjar Posts: 346 Member
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    I read up on lipo a couple of years ago, and most everything I read said that while it can sculpt your body, it does not really take more than a couple of pounds off. Lipo is more about your shape than about your weight. You should check up on that, because it might have an impact on your decision.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    redfisher1974 wrote: »
    Then you are taking in too many cals if its not working.

    ^This.

    Also, liposuction isn't an automatic success deal. The sustainability of it is zero if you don't know how to deal with your intake. I understand about back issues, but even getting liposuction might not be possible because some doctors may require you to still lose some weight or take your health into account as a risk.

  • tracie_minus100
    tracie_minus100 Posts: 465 Member
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    If you are unable to lose weight without exercising, you need to lower your calorie intake.
    You can absolutely lose weight without exercise.
    I don't know a whole lot about liposuction. But I do know it's a surgery that comes with risks and that is not something to be taken lightly.
  • RinnyLush
    RinnyLush Posts: 389 Member
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    I have a back injury as well (although it is not nearly as bad as yours - slipped discs, yikes!) and the pain was terrible when I was at my heaviest. I was being prescribed codeine just to get through sitting still on an airplane for a 2 hour flight. My doctor suggested that I start off really slowly with an extremely low impact exercise like swimming and work my way up. I also registered for a senior's strength training class, which was a huge help. I felt a little silly being decades younger than everyone, but it is what my body needed at the time. Very gentle and gradual strengthening of my core and legs. Eventually I could use the elliptical, walk, or even ride a bike.

    Fast-forward a few years (and 80 lbs later) and I am now an avid runner and hot yoga attendee. My back still bothers me after a bad sleep or if I don't stretch properly following a run, but those moments are few and far between as long as I stay active and keep my weight down.

    Best of luck to you - you can do it! And remember, in the end, the choice is yours. It's your body. <3
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    pinklotus_56 wrote: »
    If you are unable to lose weight without exercising, you need to lower your calorie intake.
    You can absolutely lose weight without exercise.
    I don't know a whole lot about liposuction. But I do know it's a surgery that comes with risks and that is not something to be taken lightly.

    This...
  • shadowlydarkness
    shadowlydarkness Posts: 243 Member
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    Im on 1460 cals a day as per mfp recommendations, granted i dont stick with it everyday, but i have had periods where i lost heaps of weight, but once i stop exercise it piles back on. Im on codine and several other pain meds.

    Im not giving up yet, thanks for the feedback and support :)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    There is another surgical option: Gastric Bypass or something similar. It is also a radical surgery but it will help you lose a significant amount of weight. You won't be off the hook for lifestyle changes afterwards, however.

    I have lost eighty pounds with the surgery and lifestyle changes (40 lbs before surgery) and I have another thirty to go.

    I will be eligible for some plastic surgery once I am at a stable, lower weight.

    THAT is when you might consider liposuction or something similar; when you are at a stable weight. Your improved lifestyle also means you will have the background muscle to support the trimmed-up you. Not to mention strengthened core muscles to support your poor back.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Look at this guy's muscles under his excess skin.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpKDteQ3FIQ
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I should mention a year ago my mobility was seriously compromised though I was lucky that I wasn't in more pain. I had heel spurs (plantar fasciitis) in both feet. My knees crackled, and my hips were sore. And I kept falling down. On the ice. I had bursitis in one knee from a bad fall.

    Once the first twenty pounds came off, my mobility improved quite a bit. I started to exercise a little bit, and then a bit more.

    I would not have believed how far I have come just one year later.
  • shadowlydarkness
    shadowlydarkness Posts: 243 Member
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    I know someone who has had a gastric bypass but the limitations on his food choices afterwards i know i cant do, i cant give up certain things forever, so i know thats not an option. I am looking at the different types of liposuction and seeing if its worth it.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
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    redfisher1974 wrote: »
    Then you are taking in too many cals if its not working.

    I agree with this. You don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. I didn't start exercising until I lost a considerable amount of weight. It's more about calories in/out. If you're not losing, it likely means you're eating more calories than you think you are. But while exercise is preferable along with a healthy diet for overall better health, it's not mandatory to lose weight.

  • raysputin
    raysputin Posts: 142 Member
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    You don't need to exercise to lose weight. Get your calories below expenditure and you MUST lose weight. If your exercise expenditure is small; eat less. Arithmetic does not lie!

    I had trouble losing even though I had the theory down pat. My problem was that I was operating in a factual vacuum and was actually eating more that my estimation. As soon as I started weighing and recording everything that I ate or drank so that I had facts at my disposal, I started losing successfully.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I've been very lucky. About the only things I have trouble with is soft breads and steak. And if I prepare them right I can have them too.

    It's awful easy to give up something if you can't tolerate it, LOL!

    My new favorite food post-surgery is watermelon.
  • shadowlydarkness
    shadowlydarkness Posts: 243 Member
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    Thanks guys i will do some research into the things you all have mentioned.

    Regarding the calories; i know i probebly eat more than the 1460 that i think i am, i will definitly try to start logging more accuratly again. Your stories about having lost weight without exercise has given me hope again that it might be possible for me to do the same :smiley:
  • raysputin
    raysputin Posts: 142 Member
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    Have you ever seen a doctor doing liposuction? It's brutal! Do you really want someone using a sharpened metal tube to chop up your fat and suck it away even while you are asleep? Not me.

    I'll lose my weight by myself thank you.
  • opalsqueak007
    opalsqueak007 Posts: 433 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Hello there.
    I am sorry to hear about your back injury. I feel that lipo is not the answer for you, in that it does not take much weight off. I had dreadful back pain from November last year due to carrying extremely heavy items at work, and could not climb the stairs unaided, or get out of a chair without help. Doctor said it was a mechanical injury and nothing could be done. I started to lose weight in July this year and since losing 35lb, my back is so much better. Please stick at the calorie counting if you can. Good luck whatever you decide, and don't despair.

    Edit: I have done no exercise whatsoever while losing 35lb.

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