having gastric bypass surgery in September
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I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
So much judgment in this post, which is clearly based on opinion. I can say from experience, bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. I lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, as I said in previous posts. Yes, you do have to make commitments, yes you do have to make lifestyle changes, but just because you personally know people who failed to be successful does not make bariatric surgery a bad thing. I have never vomited or gotten sick from eating, I take fewer pills than before because my health is so much better, and if I can't eat three slices of pizza in one sitting, that's fine, I have done that a lot in my past and it didn't feel any better than when I get full now. Enjoy your pizza, but save your judgment.0 -
MamaMollyT wrote: »This surgery causes a host of health problems and won't change the underlying problem. I hate to see that happen to you.
Can you be specific? What kinds of health problems? What is this comment based on? I'm curious because in the two years since I have had surgery, I have had decreased health problems and no surgery related health problems.0 -
I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
So much judgment in this post, which is clearly based on opinion. I can say from experience, bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. I lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, as I said in previous posts. Yes, you do have to make commitments, yes you do have to make lifestyle changes, but just because you personally know people who failed to be successful does not make bariatric surgery a bad thing. I have never vomited or gotten sick from eating, I take fewer pills than before because my health is so much better, and if I can't eat three slices of pizza in one sitting, that's fine, I have done that a lot in my past and it didn't feel any better than when I get full now. Enjoy your pizza, but save your judgment.
Wish I could love this like 1,000 times.0 -
newyorkcitymom wrote: »
.... It is NOT the case that people who lose weight with weight loss surgery would still be able to do so if they are willing to "eat at a calorie deficit to lose, and to eat at maintenance to maintain weight" without surgery....The whole point is that there are people for whom obesity is a life long problem - often starting at a very young age - and for whom traditional calorie in/calorie out management DOES NOT WORK....
Sorry, I think most here will disagree with this. This is the fundamental principle of this site. For myself, and I will guess for most of us, continued success at weight loss and maintenance is when I realised I wasn't special, I was obese because of the choices I made.
What is your basis for this?
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I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
So much judgment in this post, which is clearly based on opinion. I can say from experience, bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. I lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, as I said in previous posts. Yes, you do have to make commitments, yes you do have to make lifestyle changes, but just because you personally know people who failed to be successful does not make bariatric surgery a bad thing. I have never vomited or gotten sick from eating, I take fewer pills than before because my health is so much better, and if I can't eat three slices of pizza in one sitting, that's fine, I have done that a lot in my past and it didn't feel any better than when I get full now. Enjoy your pizza, but save your judgment.
I cannot roll my eyes hard enough when people say that bariatric surgery is not the easy way out.
The weight loss will result from the same method as it would have before the surgery-- the same way that it works for everybody else (essentially CICO). After this surgery, it is completely possible to not alter one's lifestyle and still lose weight.
Why would one considering the surgery not just make the lifestyle changes and commitments that they will ultimately still have to make and forgo the surgery? Because it is much easier for somebody with weight/food issues to go through surgery and have their stomach reduced so that they cannot physically overeat than to tackle their relationship with food. I understand that there is recovery and pain, etc., but to somebody who has yo-yo'ed on that scale for years, for somebody who has a warped relationship with food, for somebody who is just tired of being tired, for somebody who has been discouraged with the number on that scale over and over again, it seems much easier to go through the physical discomfort of a surgery than the emotional and mental discomfort of tackling your relationship with food and putting forth effort and commitment in that aspect as well.
Sure, you can be successful after the surgery. Sure, you may start eating well and exercising , etc., but a large part of that is due to the fact that there are almost immediate results from this surgery. I'm sure that if I spent the money on a surgery and initially saw myself drop a significant amount of weight, it would be a lot easier to stay encouraged. On top of that, even if I did have a bad day, I couldn't even go to the kitchen and binge on cookies.
It's just so messed up.
Additionally, I am not forming my opinions of bariatic surgery based on the results of a couple of people I know- they were just used as an example. My education on this subject is not lacking (due to my background, not because I have ever considered this procedure for myself)0 -
newyorkcitymom wrote: »
.... It is NOT the case that people who lose weight with weight loss surgery would still be able to do so if they are willing to "eat at a calorie deficit to lose, and to eat at maintenance to maintain weight" without surgery....The whole point is that there are people for whom obesity is a life long problem - often starting at a very young age - and for whom traditional calorie in/calorie out management DOES NOT WORK....
Sorry, I think most here will disagree with this. This is the fundamental principle of this site. For myself, and I will guess for most of us, continued success at weight loss and maintenance is when I realised I wasn't special, I was obese because of the choices I made.
What is your basis for this?
I don't think there is necessarily a fundamental principle of this site, maybe a popular principle or two, but I always felt this site promoted choice and helping people decide what is best for them. Not everyone is the same, and not everything will be effective for everyone. Anything anyone offers here is personal opinion which is sometimes based on experience, sometimes not. I agree that I became obese by the choices I made. I also made the choice to include the tool of weight loss surgery in my life to help me be and stay successful. As individuals, we need to make the best personal choices. I stand by my choices and I am reaping the benefits of a healthy life now.0 -
I hate this thread so much. Bariatric surgery is definitely the "easy way out". I can understand the need for surgery in the instances when a person is so overweight that their mobility is affected, death is knocking at their door and a "quick fix" is needed to save their life. Otherwise, this surgery is ridiculous. If you are physically and mentally capable enough to get in your car and drive to the store to get the food that's making you obese, then you are able to start a little exercise routine, make better food choices, and get yourself to a therapist and nutritionist and work on your relationship with food.
If you've lost weight in the past and failed to keep it off because you've failed to truly change your lifestyle, then bariatric surgery is STILL not going to help. You'll still have a warped relationship with food, only this time your body physically cannot hold the volume as it did pre-surgery. I know SEVERAL people who have "eaten through" their surgeries (i.e. stretched their stomach back out) because the true issue was not addressed.
Your relationship with food needs to be evaluated and altered, NOT your body.
But have fun vomiting, feeling stuffed, and taking lots of pills for the rest of your life (if you are one of the small percentages who actually succeed). I'll be over here losing weight AND eating three slices of pizza
So much judgment in this post, which is clearly based on opinion. I can say from experience, bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. I lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, as I said in previous posts. Yes, you do have to make commitments, yes you do have to make lifestyle changes, but just because you personally know people who failed to be successful does not make bariatric surgery a bad thing. I have never vomited or gotten sick from eating, I take fewer pills than before because my health is so much better, and if I can't eat three slices of pizza in one sitting, that's fine, I have done that a lot in my past and it didn't feel any better than when I get full now. Enjoy your pizza, but save your judgment.
I cannot roll my eyes hard enough when people say that bariatric surgery is not the easy way out.
The weight loss will result from the same method as it would have before the surgery-- the same way that it works for everybody else (essentially CICO). After this surgery, it is completely possible to not alter one's lifestyle and still lose weight.
Why would one considering the surgery not just make the lifestyle changes and commitments that they will ultimately still have to make and forgo the surgery? Because it is much easier for somebody with weight/food issues to go through surgery and have their stomach reduced so that they cannot physically overeat than to tackle their relationship with food. I understand that there is recovery and pain, etc., but to somebody who has yo-yo'ed on that scale for years, for somebody who has a warped relationship with food, for somebody who is just tired of being tired, for somebody who has been discouraged with the number on that scale over and over again, it seems much easier to go through the physical discomfort of a surgery than the emotional and mental discomfort of tackling your relationship with food and putting forth effort and commitment in that aspect as well.
Sure, you can be successful after the surgery. Sure, you may start eating well and exercising , etc., but a large part of that is due to the fact that there are almost immediate results from this surgery. I'm sure that if I spent the money on a surgery and initially saw myself drop a significant amount of weight, it would be a lot easier to stay encouraged. On top of that, even if I did have a bad day, I couldn't even go to the kitchen and binge on cookies.
It's just so messed up.
Additionally, I am not forming my opinions of bariatic surgery based on the results of a couple of people I know- they were just used as an example. My education on this subject is not lacking (due to my background, not because I have ever considered this procedure for myself)
Unless you are in the position of someone who is considering surgery and/or part of their team (yes it's a team if done properly), your opinion is biased on some level. That's a fact. You can't understand a mindset that you have not experienced, no matter what your background is, not to mention experiencing the physical and emotional effects of morbid obesity. If you base things on whether or not you can eat three pieces of pizza or binge on cookies if you want to, that's pretty messed up in itself. You are entitled to your opinion, I am entitled to disagree, but if you do have any type of education or "background" as you put it, you should open your mind a bit and understand that not everything or every way of approaching a situation is right for everyone. I am assuming your "background" is in nursing of some sort? If so, you might want to consider re-reading the chapter on compassion, understanding, and bedside manner.
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@SLLRunner , the hard statistics say I'm the "rule". There are indeed surgery failures, and they can be horrible and visible. That's what people see. Many women in my post-bariatric support group don't tell many people they underwent the surgery, as there are people who won't understand. It's a major decision, with a great deal of work to qualify, wait for surgery (Canada has waiting lists; eighteen months after qualifying), and then work to recover. After all that, who would want a random stranger to blurt that they took the "easy way out"?
That's a powerful statistic @jgnatca. Especially in light of the research that says that only 20% of people who lose a substantial amount of weight through diet and exercise keep it off a year or more.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16002825
Everyone needs help sometimes. I see nothing wrong with WLS. It is a personal decision. No one should belittle anyone else for it.0 -
People here are astounding. CICO is indeed a fundamental principle - one that has worked quite cleanly (if not without effort) for me personally. But people's bodies are complex organisms affected by a range of factors and will react differently. For example, people who have always been extremely obese my have a glitch in their "calories out" mechanism where their body is able to achieve homeostasis on much Lower calories. There are all sorts of things we don't know exactly. We can understand and work with the General principle while understanding how much variation there can be. Take a look at the people who eat 2,000 calories each day and lose weight while people at the same weight/height eat 1,200 to lose. Clearly there are differences that are influenced by genetics, life circumstances, body shape, etc. The vast, vast majority of people who lose weight through exerciser and nutrition gain it back and then some. That is the reality. And they are not all a bunch of uncontrolled, unmotivated people who don't know how to use a good scale. The majority of people who have weight loss surgery keep the weight off over the long term and significantly improve their health and lives. It is not a decision that should be taken lightly and should be a last resort because it does permanently alter your consumption patterns (high fat, high sugar are pretty much out for life), but it is a valid and potentially life transforming option that people should not be shamed for taking.0
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To all the ones on this post who are just saying negative things you can leave... i am doing this for me. Yes it is a long a hard road basically im starting out eating as if i was a baby learning tp eat again and having a healthy relationship with food. I do plan on seeing a therapist and possibly a nutritionist after. I have known a lot of people with success but also a lot with regain. This is a TOOL not a fix. Im excited but nervous as this is my first surgery. And i am not a child i have done so much research and planning it would makd your head spin. And to the others giving great advice and support thank you
My best friend had the surgery. She had problems with her knees, and that made working out very difficult, and so for her it was a good option to help get her weight down to a point where she could be more active. She had tried for many years to lose weight, and lost 40 lbs on her own, but stalled there. She was required to see a therapist for a number of reasons before her surgery, to make sure she was mentally prepared for the procedure and lifestyle change, and for some of the negative feelings long term friends may have as you lose weight etc. you should see a nutritionist as well, my friend did and it made a big difference. She totally changed how she eats, lost 120 lbs and she has kept the weight off for years now, and just finished running a 5k the other day, so for some it can be a great tool, but I think it is a part of a packaged deal that comes with seeing a weight loss specialist, a nutritionist and a therapist so that you have the proper support and tools to really make this work for you.
Best of luck to you!
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And btw, I haven't closely looked at MFP guidelines but I find others to believe that some of the heart-sickeningly cruel things that have been said here aren't user violations. This whole thread is just more proof that suffering through painful life experiences oneself is by no means a guarantee of empathy or even basic human kindness to others in pain.0
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strong_curves wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »To all the ones on this post who are just saying negative things you can leave... i am doing this for me. Yes it is a long a hard road basically im starting out eating as if i was a baby learning tp eat again and having a healthy relationship with food. I do plan on seeing a therapist and possibly a nutritionist after. I have known a lot of people with success but also a lot with regain. This is a TOOL not a fix. Im excited but nervous as this is my first surgery. And i am not a child i have done so much research and planning it would makd your head spin. And to the others giving great advice and support thank you
I see people being realistic, which may come across as negative, but real life often is.
Major surgery would make me nervous too. Since you are planning to change the way you eat and your relationship with food anyway, why not do it first and push the surgery back? And maybe you will end up not needing the surgery after all.
Negative is probably the most overused here and I notice it's only thrown out when people don't agree with the OP.
Sometimes, but some folks were implying she is a child who just doesn't want to work for it, or that she is somehow misinformed. That is a bit inflammatory, and not really helpful.
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newyorkcitymom wrote: »And btw, I haven't closely looked at MFP guidelines but I find others to believe that some of the heart-sickeningly cruel things that have been said here aren't user violations. This whole thread is just more proof that suffering through painful life experiences oneself is by no means a guarantee of empathy or even basic human kindness to others in pain.
The moderators would like us to use Flag > Report for posts that violate the guidelines rather than call users out in threads.
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Weight loss surgery is not the easy way out. However part of the problem for some who are considering it is that they THINK it's an easy way out. It didn't appear the OP had done much preparatory work on the physical, psychological and emotional commitment needed for a successful result from this major surgery.0
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I'm new and just found your post. I was banded in 2010. Seems like you might have had your surgery by now. How are you feeling?0
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My guess is that there is going to be a drastic difference in activity level and accuracy and logging.newyorkcitymom wrote: »People here are astounding. CICO is indeed a fundamental principle - one that has worked quite cleanly (if not without effort) for me personally. But people's bodies are complex organisms affected by a range of factors and will react differently. For example, people who have always been extremely obese my have a glitch in their "calories out" mechanism where their body is able to achieve homeostasis on much Lower calories. There are all sorts of things we don't know exactly. We can understand and work with the General principle while understanding how much variation there can be. Take a look at the people who eat 2,000 calories each day and lose weight while people at the same weight/height eat 1,200 to lose. Clearly there are differences that are influenced by genetics, life circumstances, body shape, etc. The vast, vast majority of people who lose weight through exerciser and nutrition gain it back and then some. That is the reality. And they are not all a bunch of uncontrolled, unmotivated people who don't know how to use a good scale. The majority of people who have weight loss surgery keep the weight off over the long term and significantly improve their health and lives. It is not a decision that should be taken lightly and should be a last resort because it does permanently alter your consumption patterns (high fat, high sugar are pretty much out for life), but it is a valid and potentially life transforming option that people should not be shamed for taking.
The whole concept of WLS is that eating low calorie DOES work. I don't understand your insistence that some overweight people are immune to a calorie deficit. WLS just forces people to stay in a calorie deficit. It's essentially mandated portion control.0 -
I think slamming is wrong even if the slammer has a valid point.
What does get me is the statement I often read.
"Post surgery the person radically changed their way of eating and lost weight and kept it off for life."
The media headlines are all over the board which leads to confusion I expect.
To me it is more like having surgery to correct vision vs. glasses or contact lens. Some takes one option and some takes another option but on average most all are happy it seems. I stuck with glasses then for some reason my vision self corrected and now I do not need glasses to see at a distance per my driver's licenses and the OD.
We have so many things that works against us in life and weight maintenance is a huge one for most of us.
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atypicalsmith wrote: »I'm leaving. Self-control is a lot easier, less expensive, less time-consuming, and a LOT less painful than surgery, but it's definitely your choice.
Thank you for leaving... and like i said this is a tool not a fix. I will be working just as hard as everyone else here. Bye
Ohhhh snap...I support your choice if you feel it's the right approach..no one here will know what's good for your better than yourself and your doctors
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And that makes no sense to me. LASIK vs glasses seems more like using a liposuction vs. deficit over time. LASIK and liposuction will get you where you need to be ("at goal") pretty much instantly with no work, and both will likely revert over time. Glasses and defecit over time are long term solutions (although glasses typically don't acutally improve your vision, so it's not quite right).GaleHawkins wrote: »I think slamming is wrong even if the slammer has a valid point.
What does get me is the statement I often read.
"Post surgery the person radically changed their way of eating and lost weight and kept it off for life."
The media headlines are all over the board which leads to confusion I expect.
To me it is more like having surgery to correct vision vs. glasses or contact lens. Some takes one option and some takes another option but on average most all are happy it seems. I stuck with glasses then for some reason my vision self corrected and now I do not need glasses to see at a distance per my driver's licenses and the OD.
We have so many things that works against us in life and weight maintenance is a huge one for most of us.
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TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »Opinions are like butt holes. Everyone has one and most of them stink. In an ideal world we'd all live on foraged nuts and berries and the world would be a verdant haven and we'd all be naked and sexy.
OP, you need to do what you need to do. If you have talked to a doctor (or several) and you have discussed it with the people you live with, and your family, or whomever is important to you, and if your health is compromised more by not doing it than the potential risk of doing it, then you're the only person who can give the final go / no-go to the whole thing.
This, I couldn't agree more! There seems to be a lot of "Bro Science" slung by want-to-be doctor's and mean spirited diet bullies who think they know more than the OPs physician. They seem to miraculously know what she's thinking and are blurting it out for all to hear and proudly demonstrate their self- important opinions. All the while calling it caring advice, what a crock.
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