Should I get gastric sleeve?
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It really hit home when my bf got the clots. At first I didn't realize how serious it was. They dissolved the clots in her other leg, and stopped one of them that had broken loose. They were able to get the large one down to 2 foot in length, rather than the entire leg, but, it doesn't matter. If the vascular surgeons cannot do something, then her leg will be taken. Then, to make it worse, she was on massive doses of heparin and Coumadin to thin her blood. Of course, there was a very real risk of her sleeve bleeding from the inside due to the medications. It was enough to keep her in critical care for 2 weeks before she was moved to the floor. It is NOT worth it. I get it, your overweight; but are you healthy? I had 90lb to lose, and I have already kicked 50lb just by using mfp and eating right. I feel guilty sometimes because I did it this way, and she went the other route...and now her life is so messed up. We have been best friends since 5th grade, and I cannot even imagine her being gone. Especially over something as stupid as a gastric sleeve. If you are going to get it done, at least see a hematology doctor, and have a full clotting factor panel done. This will tell you if you have a genetic mutation that predisposes you to clots. It is very common.0
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cupcakecomatose wrote: »this is something I've been debating with myself for a while...
I've been struggling with my weight my entire life. The last time I was at a normal weight was when I was 5.
I've started a lifestyle change and I've been eating clean and exercising regularly for about a year and I'm very comfortable with it, but I'm not losing any weight. I lost 10 lbs, and then that's it. Once a couple years ago I lost 30lbs, but gained it all IMMEDIATELY back!!
I'd say no to the surgery. To me that is something I would only do in very dire health circumstances and would have many conversations with a doctor about it.
10 lbs is progress.
You don't have to eat clean to lose weight. You can eat that way if you want but losing weight is all down to calories not the type of food. You just need to eat fewer calories than you burn. You are capable of losing weight based on your past. If you aren't losing weight now then you are eating more calories than you burn.
I would give MFP a solid try for a year before talking to a doctor about surgery.
Give MFP your stats. Set a reasonable weight loss goal and being patient. If you have more than 50 lbs to lose than 2 lbs a week might be okay for you but 1 lb a week is good too. If you aren't losing weight after several weeks check your logging for inaccuracies, check your calorie goal to make sure it is right, or check that you are not overestimating how many calories you burn.
Weigh and measure what you consume and log everything as accurately as you can. Eat a portion of the calories you earn from exercise. Try to eat in a way that you can for the rest of your life.
I find planning meals and pre-logging my day to be helpful.0 -
The gastric sleeve is not a miracle solution. If you don't change your diet afterwards, you will gain the weight back too... and you'll have wasted money on surgery... plus all the risks... not worth it at all.
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Agreed with all the posters encouraging you to speak to your doctor instead of going by Internet opinions.
I will point out that even the show My 600 Lb Life, which tends to "pimp" gastric bypass, also cites the fact that only 5% of patients see long term success. Additionally, one of the things they highlight is that many responsible doctors will make you lose weight before you ever go under - just to prove you know how to do it and are committed. (So losing is something you need to learn how to do, regardless of your decision.)
It's another tool in the shed, essentially. If you have a healthy and clear perspective on what the surgery can and cannot do (via the discussion with your doctor), then more power to you. Just be sure to educate yourself.0 -
The risks are pretty high with the surgery. It's just not worth it. My best friend had it done on August 17th. Seven days later she was in the icu with a blood clot from her ankle to her groin, and a pulmonary embolism. She spent 2 weeks in icu, and now she is meeting with specialists at UofM who are going to try and save her leg. If they cannot fix the massive 2 foot clot, she is going to have her leg amputated. She was a perfectly healthy 35 year old that needed to lose 100lb. No high bp, no other comorbid conditions. Now, she may be a skinny 35 year old woman with 4 children and no leg.....hmmmm.
Wow that is so sad. I hope she doesn't have to get to that.
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The gastric sleeve is not a miracle solution. If you don't change your diet afterwards, you will gain the weight back too... and you'll have wasted money on surgery... plus all the risks... not worth it at all.
Yep.
I know four people who've had it done. All viewed it as 'the easier way' rather than alter their diet. I'll qualify this by saying that three of the four went to Mexico to have it done, so take that for what it's worth.
One landed in the hospital with multiple organ failures (they think it was caused by sepsis, but it's a chicken and egg problem). Interestingly, this one is the one that had his surgery in the US. He was lucky to survive and come out the other side OK - at one point, they were discussing the likelihood of needing to do a transplant. The rest had no complications.
Of the four, all dropped a bunch of weight initially on the liquid diets. All kept losing slowly for about 8-12 months. Then they must have gone back to more normal eating habits, because all gained at least 75% of it back.
One of the four who used to be an athlete decided that enough was enough and went back to the diet and exercise he'd refused to do before. He lost all the weight and is in great shape. It's just a shame that he put himself through surgery instead of just doing that from the get-go.0 -
ManiacalLaugh wrote: »Agreed with all the posters encouraging you to speak to your doctor instead of going by Internet opinions.
I will point out that even the show My 600 Lb Life, which tends to "pimp" gastric bypass, also cites the fact that only 5% of patients see long term success. Additionally, one of the things they highlight is that many responsible doctors will make you lose weight before you ever go under - just to prove you know how to do it and are committed. (So losing is something you need to learn how to do, regardless of your decision.)
It's another tool in the shed, essentially. If you have a healthy and clear perspective on what the surgery can and cannot do (via the discussion with your doctor), then more power to you. Just be sure to educate yourself.
Once someone gets to point of the people on My 600 Lb Life, I think WLS is a good solution. It has a built in system of structure, accountability and incentive that has the potential to replace the current system of massive overconsumption and enabling by family members.- Want to get the surgery? Lose X pounds first.
- Follow up. Pointing out that according to the scale, patient is not following the diet.
- More follow up.
- Want skin surgery to remove loose skin and/or lymphedema? Lose X pounds first.
- Follow up.
- More follow up.
I can't tell what the OP's starting weight is, as there is a flower over it, but it looks like 260 or 280 pounds, and for this amount, I think the "pain" of devising her own system of structure and accountability outweighs the risks and complications of surgery. Some people find Weight Watchers good for accountability.0 -
I would agree if the risks were minor, but there is no way that the pain of accountability could be worse than ohhhh....death. Not a die in your sleep death, but a holy cow my sleeve staples opened and I died a horrible and painful death from sepsis; Or the myriad of other awful complications.0
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My usual response unless someone's weight is actively and currently causing them serious and permanent health problems that are so severe that they warrant a surgery that can have dramatic and devastating complications...then, no.
I do understand, I do....that weight loss can seem overwhelming. It can seem like a mountain that you just aren't able to climb, however...and I mean this...if I can do this, so can anyone else. I am no one and nothing special. You just have to do it though. I'd talk to your doctor about more support. I'd get a dietitian. I'd talk about a referral to a support group. I'd be asking for anything and everything before I even considered going under the knife.
All of this.
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I say no. The problem will still be there and you will eventually gain it back. Ask my sister. I guess it was important to her to be "thin" for one year and not change her bad habits than it was to be healthy for life. I'm not shaming; just stating what I saw and still see.0
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My mother had gastric bypass not the sleeve but from my rudimentary understanding they are surgeries with the same goals just executed slightly different, (i.e. Connecting straight to a digestive organ vs altering stomach size) she had the produce when I was 8 years old and every year of the last 15 years I had doctors telling me to say my final goodbyes at every hospitalization, which was several times a year. She couldn't keep any meal down for more than 20 minutes and threw up everyday for 15 years, she existed on dry crackers. It caused her esophagus to corrode and she almost ended up with a hole in the side of her neck, the excessive throwing up caused damage to her heart and lungs leading to diminished breathing capabilities and having to be on oxygen at all times. Before we found out about the oxygen problem she was passing out from not getting enough and it caused damage to her brain, she doesn't remember parts of my childhood anymore. She is still overweight after all of this but through some miracle she has been getting better the last two years and hasn't been hospitalized again thankfully and has been keeping food down, she still throws up every couple of days but it's a vast improvement. We are all thankful that she might actually live to see a grandchild now, my mom is 41. Who would risk this outcome? It's hard even if you do get the surgery and you're not better off by any means, unless you are in a life threatening situation I don't see why someone wouldn't just watch their calories, you have to be careful about what you eat after surgery anyways so you're still counting calories and on a restrictive diet. My mom wasn't even 100 pounds overweight and now she has severe medical difficulties at a young age, it just makes me sad. I hope everyone makes the best choice for them and has good health regardless, I just hope you'll remember the bad things that can happen and seriously consider if the rare chance what happened to my mom happens to you, would it be worth it? Would you be willing to live that way?0
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You are going to get a lot of opinions here from people who have no first hand experience, or who have only heard the bad stories.
I had gastric sleeve surgery two years ago. The key to being successful with this tool is realizing its a tool, and not a crutch. I have lost over 200 lbs, and I am still slowly losing. I am super healthy, and my quality of life has improved SO much. I have made all the necessary lifestyle changes to stay successful, including therapy, because in my opinion and experience, if you don't get it right on the inside, it won't matter what you do on the outside. I believe that surgery is right for some and not right for others. Like others, I know people who haven't been successful, and that is mostly for one reason only - they did not do what they were supposed to do. It isn't easy to lose weight unless you are ready to, with or without surgery. Surgery is NOT a magic pill, there is still work involved, but in my case, the tradeoffs were worth the results. If you have any questions feel free to PM me, also, these two MFP groups are very helpful -
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1052-vsgers
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/637-gastric-bypass-vsg-lapband
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Of all the stomach surgeries, the sleeve is the least bad.
But how about trying what's worked for hundreds of other people:
calories in, calories out
weigh / measure your foods
log accurately
*************
Read sexypants, at least.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1
"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html
Goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045
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BTW, calories in < calories out has worked well for me.
When I first met my weight doc, he offered to start me on the track for surgery.
Nope. I'd done my homework. No way.
And BTW, when I hit 50 lb down, he told me that I'd lost as much as they'd expect from someone who'd had surgery.
And I'm still whole.
And I've lost more weight.
.
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Huh?NotGnarly wrote:I now eat 1700 cals on non workout days and 2000 cals on workout days and am losing weight.
I had to do a metabolism reset a couple of weeks ago because I wasn't losing weight at 1200 cals.
How exactly do you "reset" metabolism?
If you weren't losing weight on 1200 (were you really weighing & measuring everything?),
how can you be losing weight on 1700-2000??0 -
Huh?NotGnarly wrote:I now eat 1700 cals on non workout days and 2000 cals on workout days and am losing weight.
I had to do a metabolism reset a couple of weeks ago because I wasn't losing weight at 1200 cals.
How exactly do you "reset" metabolism?
If you weren't losing weight on 1200 (were you really weighing & measuring everything?),
how can you be losing weight on 1700-2000??
I just followed the "eat more to weigh less advice". Usually they advise a "reset" if the scale isn't budging and you're eating in a deficit. Could be my body was retaining fluid, thus no movement on the scale. Ate at a surplus for a couple of weeks, then reduced down to a number where the scale started moving down again which is 1700 on non workout days and 2000 on workout days. Yeah I know it sounds crazy and counter intuitive but it worked for me and now the scale is moving again and I'm able to eat more. My tracking habits have stayed the same. Wish I would of tried it years ago.0 -
If you're still asking "should I?" then the answer is no. If it's just an option and not your only option, it's something you should try to avoid. Here are some things to know before going this route...
1. You'll be on a supervised diet 6 months before surgery. You'll have to learn CICO, proper logging, behavior control and modification methods, nutrition and macros, all to ensure that you're doing things right after surgery.
2. The surgery won't matter if you don't learn the basics and then follow them forever. Basically, if you can't deal with CICO, logging, etc. now, you're wasting your money on the surgery.
3. It's not magic and VSG doesn't make you lose weight. CICO makes you lose with VSG; VSG just ensures portion control. You'll still need to follow diet principles forever.
4. It's painful, expensive, and dangerous. Surgical complications happen. Please pay attention to those complication possibilities.
5. You need to have the mental game or you will fail. Again, WLS isn't magic. If you can't successfully avoid problem foods, be able to say "No", and generally ignore those things that don't fit your new WOL, WLS will be another diet failure.
There are groups here on MFP and I think links were posted. Otherwise, do a search, join, and learn. There will be lots of learning and hard work. Might as well start now.
Full disclosure... I had RNY in January.0 -
I had no supervised diet prior to surgery. No liquid diet prior to surgery (though I did one to support a friend the year prior). I had to take a one hour nutrition class but apply almost none of it to my diet. Eating sugar free messes with my IBS so I avoid all artificial sweeteners (plus they are bad for you). Eating low fat dries my skin and hair out. So I eat healthy fats, and some not so healthy fats. Portion control and the lack of ability to binge is the main reason I went through with it. I'm 3.5 months post op. I'm basically eating "normally" and have been since week 8. I also have many friends that have had the VSG and they too eat just like me and have hit their goal weight if not surpassed their targeted weight loss goals. Some are many years out others just 1 year post op.0
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Except for people with major mobility issues due to their weight that will lessen when they lose weight and severe Type 2 diabetics, I don't see the point. After the first six months to a year it seems like everyone who has these surgeries is back to struggling with hunger, exercising like crazy and counting calories to keep losing, then they hit goal weight and they keep on fighting to not gain it back, sometimes unsuccessfully.
Of course my only 'expertise' in this area is watching every single weight loss program I can get my hands on and a few lectures. Which might be a good idea, OP, if you haven't already.
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I had no supervised diet prior to surgery. No liquid diet prior to surgery (though I did one to support a friend the year prior). I had to take a one hour nutrition class but apply almost none of it to my diet. Eating sugar free messes with my IBS so I avoid all artificial sweeteners (plus they are bad for you). Eating low fat dries my skin and hair out. So I eat healthy fats, and some not so healthy fats. Portion control and the lack of ability to binge is the main reason I went through with it. I'm 3.5 months post op. I'm basically eating "normally" and have been since week 8. I also have many friends that have had the VSG and they too eat just like me and have hit their goal weight if not surpassed their targeted weight loss goals. Some are many years out others just 1 year post op.
No they aren't.
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If you're still asking "should I?" then the answer is no. If it's just an option and not your only option, it's something you should try to avoid. Here are some things to know before going this route...
1. You'll be on a supervised diet 6 months before surgery. You'll have to learn CICO, proper logging, behavior control and modification methods, nutrition and macros, all to ensure that you're doing things right after surgery.
2. The surgery won't matter if you don't learn the basics and then follow them forever. Basically, if you can't deal with CICO, logging, etc. now, you're wasting your money on the surgery.
3. It's not magic and VSG doesn't make you lose weight. CICO makes you lose with VSG; VSG just ensures portion control. You'll still need to follow diet principles forever.
4. It's painful, expensive, and dangerous. Surgical complications happen. Please pay attention to those complication possibilities.
5. You need to have the mental game or you will fail. Again, WLS isn't magic. If you can't successfully avoid problem foods, be able to say "No", and generally ignore those things that don't fit your new WOL, WLS will be another diet failure.
There are groups here on MFP and I think links were posted. Otherwise, do a search, join, and learn. There will be lots of learning and hard work. Might as well start now.
Full disclosure... I had RNY in January.
I wish this had been what my friend went through. She was on no supervised diet for six months, hasn't started being more active, hasn't changed her diet (she went out to eat a lot and had lots of high-calorie food). No new healthy habits learned pre-surgery. She didn't get information on the side effects, like needing to take vitamins (I told her about the nutritional deficiencies that can cause things like hair loss). She spent a lot of time looking at "before and after" pictures of post-surgery patients. Post-surgery, she's lost some weight, but is really struggling to keep food down and is exhausted all the time. I just want her to be healthy and OK.
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Hi, I had the RNY surgery and I just passed my first year anniversary. The surgery boosted my weight loss to the point that I am off all medications, I lead an active lifestyle, and my type 2 diabetes is in remission.
http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/obesity-related-diseases/dear-doctor-can-bariatric-surgery-treat-type-2-diabetes
Whether you go for this surgery is highly personal and since it is elective not even your doctor should make this decision for you.
If I were in your shoes I'd have all my children first as the surgery comes with the risk of vitamin deficiencies.0 -
Just wanted to post as all your replies seem very much against it. I was on MFP for almost three years and lost only 15 pounds. I recently had gastirc bypass surgery and have never been more certain that it was the right decision for myself.
I have been trying to lose weight since the birth of my daughter 13 years ago and nothing helped. I heard of the surgery long ago but really researched it for about 5 years before talking to my doctor. It was a decision I made on my own with out consulting my family or friends. Once I was on the path towards surgery I told everyone my plan and said this is something I have decided for my self and I hope for your support but don't need it.
Personally I have had zero complications since having the surgery and weight loss is going well. A close friend who had it done also has had very good results including her diabetes being brought under control. I also know someone who had a rough experience with it.
The best advice I can give you, is to do your research, talk to doctors and websites (trusted) and make the decision that you feel best about in the end.
You can always get a referral and start the process to get more information and decide it's not for you at any time through it.
I wish you luck on your journey0 -
My significant other had the sleeve done and she has lost 75 pounds and has had no trouble keeping it off. She also had no complications from the surgery and was very careful to follow the doctors orders. She was 45 and weighed 275 pounds and struggled her entire life with losing weight. She lost the 75 pounds within the first year and has not lost any more since. That was three years ago. What it has done for her is to keep her from eating a lot during any given meal. But it hasn't kept her from snacking which is why she doesn't lose any more weight. I on the other hand started on MFP at 254 pounds and I am now down to 198 and still losing. I am able to do this my making true lifestyle changes that are easy for me that I know I can stick to forever. Yeah, I'm not losing weight as quickly as she did but the changes I've made are permanent because I've changed the way I see food now. The biggest part of weightloss is mental. If you get your brain in the right place you will lose weight and be able to keep it off. If you see it as a diet or a miracle surgery then it will be a temporary fix and you will regain the weight whether you have the surgery or not. Either way you can regain the weight. For her, I believe it was the right choice...for you I'm not so sure. You're still young. Give MFP a serious try and see how that works for you. But remember it's not a diet. It has to be a plan that you can do and want to do forever. So make it easy and reasonable and stick to it.0
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Given the expense and the risks of the surgery, I propose that it would be far more cost-effective for insurance companies to pay for a full-time team of people to swat food out of the hands of overeaters for 1-2 years (or even infinitely) than surgery.0
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Given the expense and the risks of the surgery, I propose that it would be far more cost-effective for insurance companies to pay for a full-time team of people to swat food out of the hands of overeaters for 1-2 years (or even infinitely) than surgery.
I can totally visualise this. A great new business idea for the innovative entrepreneur.0 -
Given the expense and the risks of the surgery, I propose that it would be far more cost-effective for insurance companies to pay for a full-time team of people to swat food out of the hands of overeaters for 1-2 years (or even infinitely) than surgery.
Someone swats food out of my hands, he/she better be wearing one of those suits they use to train attack dogs!
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Given the expense and the risks of the surgery, I propose that it would be far more cost-effective for insurance companies to pay for a full-time team of people to swat food out of the hands of overeaters for 1-2 years (or even infinitely) than surgery.
Before I started MFP, I wished and wished that a program like that existed. I also did a lot of googling about fat camps. No joke.0 -
Given the expense and the risks of the surgery, I propose that it would be far more cost-effective for insurance companies to pay for a full-time team of people to swat food out of the hands of overeaters for 1-2 years (or even infinitely) than surgery.
Bariatric surgery is the cost effective solution for many, including diabetics. I am off all medications for instance.
My weight gain was gradual, perhaps 100 calories over maintenance daily. How easy is that to do? Which snack should have been slapped out of my hand daily? And could your "cost effective" approach allow for a reward every time I made a better choice?0 -
I was verging on qualifying for it, and I had a good friend successfully go through a gastric bypass. She had a very good experience with it, so I'm not anti-surgery at all.
After "living" (via the internet) through the experience with her, I just didn't see the point in having the surgery. I realized that the fundamental changed needing to be made would still need to be made. I just wouldn't suffer adverse physical consequences if I overate if I didn't have the surgery.
I decided to tackle my inner demons and learn new habits and here I am, 28 pounds from a total of 95 pounds needing to be lost.
To the OP, you've tried losing weight before, but have you REALLY tried? Have you figured out why you overeat?
Have you logged your food? Have you used a food scale?
I had a conversation once, before I started on MFP, with my doctor where I swore up and down to consuming a certain number of calories. When I started actually logging and weighing my food? I found out that I was WAY off in my estimation. There was a reason I weighed as much as I did and there was a reason I wasn't losing weight.
I was eating way too much food.
Learning that I could accurately assess how much food my body needed to balance my energy expenditure (I've upped my exercise, so I get to eat more now than I did when I weighed more and I still lose) was a turning point for me.
Why don't you try it for yourself too?0
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