Possible stupid question, but I was wondering...

gingerlaurie
gingerlaurie Posts: 19 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
...if a person can "pretend" (just to themselves, NOT others) that they had bariatric surgery and eat the reduced amount of food that people seem to eat after the surgery without it affecting your health? If your stomach hasn't been surgically downsized, is there a physiological reason why one cannot attempt to do this with a normal sized stomach?

My sister had bariatric surgery six years ago, and her recovery was horrible, with troubles still happening today. So many strictures which required multiple times being put under in an attempt to resolve the issue. I know others have the surgery and are fine, but I know I could never do it just because I've seen what she's gone through.

Replies

  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Why not just use MFP as it is set up, eat at a reasonable calorie deficit, and join one of the many success stories here?
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited February 2015
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    Why not just use MFP as it is set up, eat at a reasonable calorie deficit, and join one of the many success stories here?

    this works :)
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
    Just imagine how hangry you would be!! No thanks
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Trying to replicate gastric alteration does not sound healthy or fun. Eat at a caloric deficit with reasonable goal.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Recovery is so personal. Some have intolerances to certain foods, others hardly at all. My dietitian had me get back to 1200 calories ASAP to prevent complications. Now just seven months out I am eating 1650 a day or more just like regular dieters.

    If you want to eat like a Bariatric patient, try PGX and fill up on fiber before you eat.

    There are restrictions about drinking during meals that does not help with weight loss but is accomodating to the smaller stomach. I would not recommend you mimic this.

    There is a change to metabolic chemistry after surgery that is not fully understood. Ghrelin is increased for instance. My blood sugar normalized almost immediately. You would not get these effects.
  • kyta32
    kyta32 Posts: 670 Member
    MFP's goal is safe weight loss, which is why it will not recommend under 1200 calories a day.

    Eating less than this may result in malnutrition, as it is difficult to get necessary fiber and micronutrients when eating this little. Rapid weight loss can also increase the risk of gallbladder stone problems, or cause lethargy (you can google malnutrition symptoms and other risks of VLCD diets). Hunger goes away for most people eating this little after a few days, but the social impact, and feelings of deprivation, can make it difficult to stay in such a low calorie range.

    Exercise helps maintain muscle mass when losing fat. It is difficult to get the nutrition needed for workouts if your calories are too low. Anyone wanting to attempt a VLCD (under 800 calories/day) should discuss it with their Dr. to come up with a realistic and safe weight loss plan. Good luck :)
  • Unknown
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  • Pootler74
    Pootler74 Posts: 223 Member
    If you are susceptible to hypnotherapy, you could have a couple of sessions where they convince you to eat ad though you have had surgery. You can buy apps and audio that do the same thing.

    I used hypnotherapy apps and CDs for months, and visited a hypnotherapist. They didn't work entirely as intended, but even as someone who is sceptical about religion and new age things, I am positive that they did help me change the way I eat. Your milage may vary. :)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Here you go paulmckenna.com/hypnotic-gastric-band
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Here you go paulmckenna.com/hypnotic-gastric-band

    wut
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    It exists already

    No idea if it works ...I'm a CICO success convert
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Here you go paulmckenna.com/hypnotic-gastric-band

    Was going to post that.
    Someone had a thread about it the other day.

    I imagine it isn't very successful, but there is a place for everything under the sun.
    Wouldn't be my strategy but OP - if you do try this, please report back. Always interested in people's experience.
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
    I've often wondered this because it isn't actually the surgery that makes them lose weight, it's the vastly reduced food intake. So couldn't they just make a power or a drink that you take once a day and that's all you have?
  • Kazzsjourney2
    Kazzsjourney2 Posts: 22 Member
    Yes I was gonna suggest gastric banding via hypno. No idea on the success rate tho, i do have a friend who gets plain old hypnotherapy and she has had a lot of success
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Sure, why not, I guess.

    But if it doesn't work, OP, MFP's worked for people. See the "Success Stories" forum for inspiration.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    kyta32 wrote: »
    MFP's goal is safe weight loss, which is why it will not recommend under 1200 calories a day.

    Eating less than this may result in malnutrition, as it is difficult to get necessary fiber and micronutrients when eating this little. Rapid weight loss can also increase the risk of gallbladder stone problems, or cause lethargy (you can google malnutrition symptoms and other risks of VLCD diets). Hunger goes away for most people eating this little after a few days, but the social impact, and feelings of deprivation, can make it difficult to stay in such a low calorie range.

    Exercise helps maintain muscle mass when losing fat. It is difficult to get the nutrition needed for workouts if your calories are too low. Anyone wanting to attempt a VLCD (under 800 calories/day) should discuss it with their Dr. to come up with a realistic and safe weight loss plan. Good luck :)

    But why is this not a ((too) big) issue for those that have had gastric surgery? And as the alteration is permanent, it must have a great impact on quality of life and life expectancy?
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Eating the same amount of food that a person who had surgery eats would cause you to lose weight. What the surgery does is it gives you a reason to force yourself into that diet.
  • gingerlaurie
    gingerlaurie Posts: 19 Member
    Thanks, everyone. I'm not going to do it, it really just was an honest question. I'm a curious human, I guess. :) I am 100% committed to MFP with no plans on doing anything extreme.

    A lot of good suggestions here from everyone, though. Onwards and upwards!
  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
    A crucial part of surgery is the malabsorbtion that comes with most bariatric surgery. That plays a VERY large role in the weight loss. If you just eat the tiny amount that most patients eat, you will be very hangry.

    Best just to find a reasonable deficit and take your time losing weight.
  • kyta32
    kyta32 Posts: 670 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    kyta32 wrote: »
    MFP's goal is safe weight loss, which is why it will not recommend under 1200 calories a day.

    Eating less than this may result in malnutrition, as it is difficult to get necessary fiber and micronutrients when eating this little. Rapid weight loss can also increase the risk of gallbladder stone problems, or cause lethargy (you can google malnutrition symptoms and other risks of VLCD diets). Hunger goes away for most people eating this little after a few days, but the social impact, and feelings of deprivation, can make it difficult to stay in such a low calorie range.

    Exercise helps maintain muscle mass when losing fat. It is difficult to get the nutrition needed for workouts if your calories are too low. Anyone wanting to attempt a VLCD (under 800 calories/day) should discuss it with their Dr. to come up with a realistic and safe weight loss plan. Good luck :)

    But why is this not a ((too) big) issue for those that have had gastric surgery? And as the alteration is permanent, it must have a great impact on quality of life and life expectancy?

    As for the alteration being permanent, many bariatric patients eventually learn to eat around the surgery (depending on surgery type). Some can stretch out their stomach, others just eat small snacks of high-calorie foods regularly. The intention is not for patients to eat very low calorie for the rest of their lives...

    The potential complications of surgery are weighed against the real risks of remaining morbidly obese, or obese with weight-related health conditions (heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc.) - which are the requirements to be considered for surgery. There are ways to manage the risks, but even with a team (GP, surgeon, often nutritionist or nurse) ensuring that the patient is taking supplements, exercising, and eating healthily, there is still a greater than 33% risk of gallstones, and 30% risk of malnutrition complications, not to mention the risks from the surgery itself. Keep in mind that the surgery by itself does not generally get patients to a healthy BMI. Most lose enough to go from morbidly obese to obese or overweight in the years after the procedure (so they are still eating enough calories to maintain that weight).

    Someone who is morbidly obese will lose mostly fat at the beginning, but someone closer to a healthy BMI will start to lose lean mass, especially if they are losing too quickly. Lean mass includes all muscle, including the heart. Malnutrition side effects from very low calorie intake (especially if not enough protein is eaten) can include brain damage. Anorexics and bulimics can damage the hypothalamus, making it difficult to manage hunger, lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

    As much as I'd like to lose 15 lbs a week, 1-2 lbs/wk is safer when someone is in the overweight range, and 0.5 lbs/wk for anyone already in a healthy weight range. The risks of losing faster outweigh the benefits at this point. For the obese and morbidly obese, a Dr. supervised VLCD can accomplish faster weight loss, but does not necessarily prepare the patient for a maintenance lifestyle, and is time-limited for safety reasons (about 8-16 weeks - it won't get the patient all the way down to a healthy weight). Severely limiting calories without Dr./nutritionist supervision is risky no matter what starting weight.

    Losing at a healthy rate will help you practice the skills that will support long-term maintenance (logging, exercising, learning what foods help you meet your goals). For many people weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. Best wishes and happy Valentines Day :)
  • efwolfcub
    efwolfcub Posts: 99 Member
    At 4 weeks post-op, I'm eating about 500-800 calories a day, with my protein intake at least 80gm/day. If I didn't have ready access to a dietician and have recent surgery, this would be *dangerous*. So, that's 1 reason you can't just "pretend" you had the surgery - to eat like a post-op patient is, at least at first, to eat a really small amount of food.

    However, realistically, the bigger reason is this - if people could just "pretend" they had the surgery, why would they have the surgery at all? I was on an 11 day pre-op diet where I was eating about 110 grams of protein a day and less than 1200 calories - I was *miserable*. Like "I want to kill everyone" kind of miserable. Now? I'm eating less than that and am doing really well - sure, my energy level isn't great, but no-one who is eating what I'm eating can go and run a marathon. But I'm not having the irritability, the hunger pains, the teeth-grinding frustration, etc that I was having before the surgery when I was eating more than I am now.
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