Gastric Bypass & Weight Loss Surgery

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jenny0599 wrote:

I had gastric bypass surgery 9/22/14. I am down 60 lbs and couldn't be any happier with my life changing decision...
I have to have more self control now more than ever before my surgery. I can't drink carbonated drinks, certain meats/veggies/fruits, etc., if I do, I will get physically sick.
Before surgery, yeah I could intake these things and run the risk of gaining weight. I would just tell myself, "I'll start eating and exercising better Monday", well Monday would come and go and no changes. After surgery, you learn to adjust and figure out what foods work for you. I have more will power now than I've had my whole life.

So you couldn't have figured out what foods "work for you" without surgery?
You didn't have the ability to control your intake before surgery?
You couldn't have taken control of your life, stopped procrastinating getting healthy, without surgery?


At my last checkup, my doctor introduced me to an intern who was doing his endocrinology rotation, a young doctor who'd never seen anyone succeed at losing weight without surgery, apparently didn't believe it was possible.
It is.
Doesn't take permanently wrecking my body for me to exercise willpower, learn to eat less & exercise more.
.

I had the gastric sleeve 1/13/15. At my heaviest I was 249.9lbs I'm now down to 203.8lbs. It was a super hard choice, it took almost a year to get and its been a lot of hard work but I love my sleeve!

Hey everyone. My surgery will happen on March 9th. I plan to have the RNY. It's taken me almost 15 years to get to the point where I was satisfied with my choice to have the surgery. I've tried so many tines to lose the weight, and have done just about every program out there. But I always manage to put it back on and then some. I am looking forward to having a tool that will assist me in a way that nothing else has. I have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, which I pray will be resolved with this surgery. In addition I have a hiatal hernia that will be repaired at the same time. No more GERD!! I am currently in the liver shrinking diet stage. 900 calories, 30 grams of carbs, a day, but amazingly, I am not hungry at all. The only problem I've had was a little low energy the first couple of days. I'm excited for my journey!

MKEgal wrote: »

There are groups for this sort of topic.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/groups
.

jenny0599 wrote:

I had gastric bypass surgery 9/22/14. I am down 60 lbs and couldn't be any happier with my life changing decision...
I have to have more self control now more than ever before my surgery. I can't drink carbonated drinks, certain meats/veggies/fruits, etc., if I do, I will get physically sick.
Before surgery, yeah I could intake these things and run the risk of gaining weight. I would just tell myself, "I'll start eating and exercising better Monday", well Monday would come and go and no changes. After surgery, you learn to adjust and figure out what foods work for you. I have more will power now than I've had my whole life.

So you couldn't have figured out what foods "work for you" without surgery?
You didn't have the ability to control your intake before surgery?
You couldn't have taken control of your life, stopped procrastinating getting healthy, without surgery?


At my last checkup, my doctor introduced me to an intern who was doing his endocrinology rotation, a young doctor who'd never seen anyone succeed at losing weight without surgery, apparently didn't believe it was possible.
It is.
Doesn't take permanently wrecking my body for me to exercise willpower, learn to eat less & exercise more.
.

of course it's possible without surgery. I lost over 170 in a fairly short period of time without...but bashing people for choosing an alternative route? preeeetty sure that's not what this thread is for

@ldobkins0513 What are some of the requirements in order to get the WLS? Did you have supportive spouses/family that helped make the life changing decision easier? Any thoughts/comments are appreciated.

Each clinic will have it's own requirements. Mine takes patients with a BMI of 35 or higher, and there can't be serious mental health issues that might interfere with the discipline of aftercare. I was also required to take a series of nutrition classes and demonstrate that I could lose weight from diet restriction alone.

My family's reaction was mixed, and my daughter was opposed to it. My husband simply let me do what I wanted and over the months I have come to value that more and more. This is a life-changing surgery so don't be surprised if it changes relationships. Because you will be a changed person. You may no longer be a wallflower or a doormat for instance. The great people in your life will be thrilled for those changes, and the unhealthy people may have to go by the wayside.

@jenny0599 You hear about people that can't physically tolerate the changes to their body and systems to the people that are thrilled with their results...it's a 50/50 chance

I can guarantee the risk ratio is much lower than 50/50 otherwise the medical community would never go through with this sort of radical surgery. Of the hundreds of patients in my city that I've met, there's several rejects from the program and one failure from surgery. The failure will need to go on a feeding tube soon.

@meganjcallaghan, thank you

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/637-gastric-bypass-vsg-lapband

@‌ MKegal
You realize your questions sound like a drill sergeant's? Few people undertake this solution without fully exploring their options. I am the most sober of women, mature, in my fifties. If "will power" alone would have done it, I'd have followed that route long ago. You are welcome to follow your path to full success. Allow me and these fine people to follow theirs.

MKEgal wrote: »

There are groups for this sort of topic.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/groups
.

jenny0599 wrote:

I had gastric bypass surgery 9/22/14. I am down 60 lbs and couldn't be any happier with my life changing decision...
I have to have more self control now more than ever before my surgery. I can't drink carbonated drinks, certain meats/veggies/fruits, etc., if I do, I will get physically sick.
Before surgery, yeah I could intake these things and run the risk of gaining weight. I would just tell myself, "I'll start eating and exercising better Monday", well Monday would come and go and no changes. After surgery, you learn to adjust and figure out what foods work for you. I have more will power now than I've had my whole life.

So you couldn't have figured out what foods "work for you" without surgery?
You didn't have the ability to control your intake before surgery?
You couldn't have taken control of your life, stopped procrastinating getting healthy, without surgery?


At my last checkup, my doctor introduced me to an intern who was doing his endocrinology rotation, a young doctor who'd never seen anyone succeed at losing weight without surgery, apparently didn't believe it was possible.
It is.
Doesn't take permanently wrecking my body for me to exercise willpower, learn to eat less & exercise more.
.

Sadly, I expected a comment like this. Unfortunately, I find a lot of people do not quite understand WLS. It is in no way the easy way out, nor is it lazy to get it done. Who says that people never tried to lose weight before? Most people who get WLS are people who struggled with their weight for quite a long time. Not to mention a good amount of WLS patients have an underlying condition worsened or brought on by obesity. (PCOS, diabetes, high blood pressure, Sleep Apnea, etc.) WLS is a tool, nothing more. You have to put the work in to lose the weight. I have tried every diet you can possibly think of before and it either not work or gain the weight back.

I am sorry but I just do not like it when people who obviously know nothing about WLS come in and act so condescendingly about it. Do some research and maybe just maybe you wouldn't have that attitude about people who just want to be healthy. Yes, I have had WLS and yes it was the best decision of my life. I am healthier than I have been in a really long time. I do not believe WLS is permanently 'wrecking' my body. It simply modifies it. WLS did not give me willpower, I already had it. Thank you.

Anyways, have a nice day and try to be more understanding and kind next time.

I had Gastric Bypass RNY surgery in 2006. I'd have to say it was a lot easier than having to lose the weight on my own. I don't know how, but this surgery changed everything. It changed my perception on food. It is indescribable. I have no cravings for fried fast food. I went down the wrong road of eating sweets again, but I have no desire for any fast food restaurant, which I used to eat 3 times a day. I know how important it is to choose better foods because I can only have so little. I'm very lucky that I had no complications and I've only gained 15/20 lbs back which I'm getting back off now. The reason why I gained was because I stopped following the rules. Follow the rules! If you fall off track, remember the rules. Protein first, don't eat with your meals, take your vitamins and smaller portions. Good Luck!! I get so excited to hear people having the surgery! I'm so happy for them! They are making a decision to improve their health and changing their life forever!

I had gastric sleeve surgery 2/2/15. It was not an easy decision to make but after researching and interviewing people who had the surgery I made the decision to improve my health. I've yoyo dieted for the past 20 - 30 years. Lose 50 gain 50. My goal is to use the tool (that's what I call it) to help me maintain my loss. The diet is no different than any other diet I've been on, watch what you eat, portion control, and exercise. I'm very good at dieting but have struggled to keep the weight off. I had a well documented weight loss and insurance approved me within 30 days. They did not require me to lose weight prior to surgery or make me jump through lots of hoops. I know there are many people who are against weight loss surgery. I personally believe each person has to decide what works for them and it may not be surgery. I would support anyone who had found something that works for them and support them on their journey.

I don't understand why people are opposed to WLS. It helps save lives. It's a personal decision, a serious medical choice made with your doctor. It requires a lot of dedication and courage. People who make this difficult choice and succeed are to be admired. Others who do not need it or choose it for their own reasons should respect those who choose a different path for their own reasons.