GASTRIC BYPASS

I've never had this, although I know people who have. What I've ALWAYS been told is that if people followed the strict diet that you have to follow after the gastric, BEFORE the surgery, they wouldn't need it at all.

Gastric is definitely NOT the easy way out. It's VERY tough (or so i've seen & heard). It's a very strict diet that you're on afterwards that you cannot sway from. No pop, no carbonation, no alcohol, limited food, etc. It's very rough.

If I were in a situation where I needed to lose a large amount of weight, I personally would never go the surgery route simply because I wouldn't want to give up the sweets and treats as much as I would have to on the diet following the surgery. I like having a pop here and there, I like to have alcohol here and there, and I like to have days where I overeat just to spoil myself. This type of thing isn't allowed after the surgery if you want it to be successful. It's so limited, and I know that I could NOT follow that for the rest of my life. Definitely not for me, however, I've seen people have great success. It's really personal choice.

For some people, it may be their only hope. But the only person, in real life, I've ever known to have it had serious complications from it, had a heart attack, and died. It was my best friend's dad, and it was very sad.

I also had a friend die (27 years old) from complications of gastric surgery. It's terribly sad

I posted the following in my Newbie Post. I hope it helps:

Well, this is my last shot. I have been doing this weight loss "thing" over and over and over. I have done so many different diets that I think I should qualify as a dietician. I say this is the last shot because my work just switched health insurance carriers and the new one covers bariatric services. I immediately started investigating more about these options and honestly they just don't sit right with me, but if I keep up what I'm doing now I won't be sitting much longer. I'll be laying down taking a dirt nap!

I think that people who think that bariatric methods are the easy way out should look in to what it takes to commit to something like that and it is something that is A LIFETIME CHANGE and there is no real backing out. You make a lifestyle change to exercise, but if you want to take a day off, you can. If you want to take a day off from a gastric bypass or band, think again. There are no days off. That is the MAIN reason why I am doing this. Other reasons: I have seen the surgeries fail and people gain weight back (yes it was their fault for eating too much sugar or drinking too much water to dilute the food more but if there's a cheat to be had I will do it!!), I know a man who had two people in his family die on the table during the surgery (and he still did it anyway, lost a bunch, gained 85% back and is now trying to lose it again doing well too), I know a woman who had bypass done and could not STOP losing weight so they had to do a reversal and the excess skin from losing weight so rapidly became infected and she had to have drains on her arms and legs for months. She has gained all of her weight back and has given up. The majority of her family (like 90%) die by the age of fifty something so before she turned 50 she had the surgery and almost died anyway! Okay, so these are only a few that failed out of millions that succeeded so why am I so nervous? I don't know, but I am.

So…..

Not only are these services now covered but the monthly premiums went down significantly and I am taking the savings and hiring a person trainer for as long as I can see and feel results and believe it's working. (Sorry A.T., I don't mean anything personal by that comment. I know you can and will help, it's just going to be up to me to commit and that's where I usually lose myself.) My PT suggested this site so I can print out/show reports and info for tracking progress. I also have a device like they use on Biggest Loser (I believe they call them body bugs) and I use that to better track my calories burned during workouts and my sleep patterns since I am on a CPAP (for now!). The device works, but it is expensive and if I could do it again I probably would not buy it again. You also have to pay for a subscription to get the data.

I have done the diet and exercise regiment before and lost 70lbs. I decided at that point to go at it on my own and give up the nutritionist. Big mistake. I gained it all back. It took a while, but I did it! The good thing is that I didn't gain any extra like I usually do.

Today was my first session with my PT and I think someone put out a hit on my life because I thought I was going to die! I made it through most of it and almost tossed my cookies. After the 30 minutes with the PT I was instructed to do cardio at a good heart rate for me for at least 45 minutes to an hour. I did 50 minutes. And all that after nearly losing it 30 minutes before that.

I live in Virginia in rural town in the outer DC metro area. If you want to send friend requests by all means do so. We all need support.

So that's all about me.

at my heaviest 386... i wanted to have this done bad, i thought this was the only way. insurance wouldn't approve me because i was to fat. several years went by....takin 10 plus pills a day with diabetes, high blood pressure (i could go on) i bascially woke up one day and said i hate who i see in the mirror and i'm gonna do something about it. i joined a gym, went everyday after i got a workout routine under my belt i changed my eating habits. today i am 170 pounds lighter without the surgery.....

so what i'd like you and everyone else to know is that you CAN do it without the surgery. its not easy by any means, BUT IT CAN BE DONE ON YOUR OWN WITHOUT A TRAINER OR SURGERY ETC., with research and determination ya'll can do whatever you want.

Yeah....I would do all over again. Because I have gained quality of life, so many things I can do now that I had not been able to do in years. Tie my shoes, no more slip ons, cross my legs, paint my toenails, walk up and down stairs with out gasping for air, carry groceries in to my home, walk 15 miles in the same day, jump up on my counter top and sit! Excerscise longer that 3 minutes, with out the sensation I am going to drop dead! Good luck in your journey! I hope this helps some, feel free to add me as a friend if you would like!