Lapband/gastric bypass surgery

Fatkat121212 wrote: »

I am not a cheater AJ I have lost 38 kg on my own since May this year. My body has stopped responding and I still have a long way

Why do you think it has "stopped responding" as you put it? Figure that out instead. You are obviously capable of losing weight, right? If that was true before, it can be true again. You don't need surgery!

Fatkat121212 wrote: »

I am not a cheater AJ I have lost 38 kg on my own since May this year. My body has stopped responding and I still have a long way to go. I don't want to have a heart attack before I reach 30 .

Bodies don't just "stop responding". Lower calorie intake or increase activity to remain in a deficit and you will keep losing weight.

Fatkat121212 wrote: »

I still have approx 50 pounds to lose. I would still reduce calories and exercise but just feel it may help me keep the weight off forever.

50 pounds is nothing, you can lose that by the end of 2015 and you can do it without any surgery.

Generally you need to be morbidly obese (BMI above 45) or obese (35-40) and have risk factors linked to obesity (heart disease, diabetes), or at the discretion of your surgical team. Due to the severe side effects, this is a decision you need to make with your Dr, or the surgeon your Dr refers you to. Keep in mind that there are possible side effects with the surgery, ranging from serious to uncomfortable to embarassing:

• 30% of patients end up with gallstones
• 20% of patients require follow-up surgery
• 30% of patients end up with complications leading to malnutrition
• The surgery may cause or worsen urinary or fecal incontinence
• Patients can end up feeling cold, achey, or moody, and their hair may thin out
• Patients are more likely to get diarrhea from eating fatty or sugary food
• Dehydration and vomiting
• Ulcers and stenosis at surgical site
• Increased rates of suicide and substance abuse (food is no a comfort measure)

The surgery does not guarantee weight will stay off. Many patients have learned to eat around it. The answer to long term weight management is a healthy, calorie limited diet and exercise, whether or not you have the surgery.

If you are having problems losing weight and the problem is hunger, be sure to eat protein- and fiber-rich foods (the MFP recommendation for protein intake may be to low - try for .8g/kg of body weight or 1 g/lb lean mass). You can also try weighing your food to be sure of your calorie intake. You may be eating more than you think.

There has been research supporting HIIT as a more effective use of workout time than steady state cardio for weight loss. There are a number of workouts on the internet you can use. The best exercise program is one you can stick to, however. Try to find a way to work out that does not seem like a chore. I like Karate because I feel like I'm learning something, and I'm mentally engaged. I also like dancing, because music motivates me...

Be sure to talk to your Dr and good luck

Fatkat121212 wrote: »

Hello all,

Does anyone know the minimum bmi to be able to have this procedure in Australia? I have looked online and can't find a definate answer. After constantly trying to diet and workout this may be the answer to my prayers.

I didn't read through all the replies so I apologize if this was said already.


Please think very carefully about the decision to have surgery and don't rush into it. It is not an "easy" fix (not saying you think it is). You have to weigh the benefits against the risks. Surgery can have life threatening consequences. I know some one who died 10 days after having gastric bypass because a clot (due to the procedure) got lodged in an artery that supplies the heart with blood. Not trying to scare you, just want you to make sure it is worth the risk.

Having my mother move in with us a few years after her surgery - I don't think it's an answer to prayers at all. However, it did convince me to lose weight without the surgery, and at a starting weight of nearly 150kg I was certainly a candidate.

I have now lost more weight without surgery than my mother has with surgery, (she's lost around 60kg, I've lost 72kg) and I don't have any of the nasty side effects that she has.

I have certainly hit some plateaus along the way, some have lasted for months. I kept going. You've already lost so much, keep fighting!

My mother had lap band surgery and is doing great! Lost lots of weight, kept it off and doing it slowly and healthily!
My uncle, who was very very large, had a gastric by-pass and lost a lot of weight very very fast. The lap band seems to replicate more natural results (slower weight loss, gradual, not all at once) compared to the by-pass. The lap band also restrict foods that you can eat, fruit, vegetables and meats are fine but heavy doughy foods like cakes and breads cause discomfort.
My family has a high risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol etc and surgery was a last resort for both my mother and my uncle, but has given great results as my mother is no longer pre-diabetic!

The surgery does not guarantee weight will stay off. Many patients have learned to eat around it. The answer to long term weight management is a healthy, calorie limited diet and exercise, whether or not you have the surgery.

^^Re this statement, there is no guarantee the weight will stay off no matter how you lose. The statistics are staggeringly low for keeping the weight off past 5 years. While I agree, the OP is probably not a candidate for a surgical weight loss procedure because of the relatively low number of pounds needed to lose, there are many who can not lose weight without this option. We are all different. Other than the basic eating less calories than you burn, which we all have to follow to lose, no matter which weight loss path we choose, we can not possibly know what will work for anyone but ourselves, long term.

Keeping the weight off long term, is the challenge most of us will fail at. The statistics prove this, and it is true for however you lose the weight. Whether you choose a surgical option or by less calorie intake than calorie burned.

For many of us, it will take lifelong commitment, and changes, in order to keep the weight off, and the statistics for doing so are definitely not in our favor.

Best of luck to us all, however we can accomplish this.

Fatkat121212 wrote: »

Thank you all for your comments!

This is more than eating less and exercising if it were that simple for my body I would do it. Although I admit it's my own fault I am in this position I hate living life like this. Too embarrassed to go out, people looking at me and wondering how I let myself get to this size. I will call some centres on Monday and ask for a consultation however I was hoping that someone here may know the upper and lower limits needed for the surgery as I had a friend who needed to lose weight first and may even fall into this category as even with another 50 pounds gone I will still be considered obese.

The idea of this has given me something to look forward too.

It is hard to be successful when a person is making decisions out of a sense of embarrassment and self-blame. Move on.
It is so much easier to go through this journey when one can be grateful for all that their body has done for them.

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Fatkat121212 wrote: »

Thank you all for your comments!

This is more than eating less and exercising if it were that simple for my body I would do it. Although I admit it's my own fault I am in this position I hate living life like this. Too embarrassed to go out, people looking at me and wondering how I let myself get to this size. I will call some centres on Monday and ask for a consultation however I was hoping that someone here may know the upper and lower limits needed for the surgery as I had a friend who needed to lose weight first and may even fall into this category as even with another 50 pounds gone I will still be considered obese.

The idea of this has given me something to look forward too.

According to http://www.aihw.gov.au/overweight-and-obesity/
60% of Australians are overweight or obese. 28% are obese. Obesity is not in any way rare enough for people to stare at you because of it. Most people are too occupied by what is going on in their own life to speculate for long about the life of a stranger. There is no reason to be self-consious in public. You need to be proud of your results so far, and appreciate everything your body does for you. Fifty pounds is unlikely to give you a heart attack before thirty if you have no other risk factors. Be kind with yourself. Obesity is less limiting than shame.

Please talk to your Dr about your weight loss stall, your medical concerns, and your embarrassment over your size. Hopefully you will be able to get help with everything. I wish you the best of luck in your journey

Fatkat121212 wrote: »

Thank you all for your comments!

This is more than eating less and exercising if it were that simple for my body I would do it. Although I admit it's my own fault I am in this position I hate living life like this. Too embarrassed to go out, people looking at me and wondering how I let myself get to this size. I will call some centres on Monday and ask for a consultation however I was hoping that someone here may know the upper and lower limits needed for the surgery as I had a friend who needed to lose weight first and may even fall into this category as even with another 50 pounds gone I will still be considered obese.

The idea of this has given me something to look forward too.

Except it really is that simple. How do you think the weight comes off after surgery? It is because you are eating less. It is not magic.

My pal who lives in another state had this done. She had to lose 20 before Dr. would do the surgery she had it done and put 9 pds back on so far