Weight loss surgery or NO?
jennyc777
Posts: 10 Member
I have been struggling with my weight for years. I am a yo yo dieter. In order for insurance to cover my weight loss surgery, I need to gain 25 pounds. Should I do this? Has anyone had the sugery done? What are the pros and cons? I am capable of losing weight. I have lost 80 pounds in 2010 only to gain it back. It just seems like the older I get, the harder it is to lose.
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Replies
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you've done it before, why not just lose on your own again. gaining 25lbs to qualify for surgery is insane. you do realize after surgery you'd have to change your eating anyway, right? why not try that first?28
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To each their own, but I think that if you need to GAIN weight in order to be eligible for the surgery it's totally counterintuitive. Why not try logging in MFP and eating at a reasonable deficit for a couple of months? Focus on losing 25 rather than gaining 25 ...11
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Gain weight to qualify? Errrr.....no. Really. No.16
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Yeah... no. This is not a good idea.3
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WLS can be effective for those who would literally die without it, but there can be a LOT of side effects after the surgery. You should only consider it as a last resort. And if you have to gain weight to get it, you should not be getting it.9
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Wait, gain wasn't a mistype?5
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Weight loss surgery is meant for those that have been unsuccessful in their weight loss attempts in the past and desperately need to lose weight NOW to ease their health problems.
You are not in that category, so you shouldn't use it as an "easy way out". Why risk the complications of a surgery, the loose skin from abnormally fast weight loss, and the sudden requirement to eat significantly less to maintain your new body when you don't have to?9 -
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »
I've read it all. Dropping out of this one to avoid a ban, enjoy guys.21 -
NO!!! WLS is not a magic cure. It is not magically going to solve all reasons you had in the past yo-yoing. After the surgery you are still going to have to put in exactly the same discipline and effort as before the surgery.6
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You don't "need to gain 25 lbs to qualify for surgery." You're 25 lbs short of needing it. Therefore, you don't need it and shouldn't get it. WLS is a life-long commitment, with life-long consequences. It doesn't fix anything on its own. You need to commit now to taking that 80 lbs back off, and this time, have and follow a maintenance game plan. If you're willing to sit back and let the weight gradually come back on without the surgery, that's exactly what will happen with the surgery.10
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You'd still have to diet, track and log your calories, and watch what you eat after surgery...to gain 25lbs is crazy and a step backwards. You're already 25lbs ahead of the game, so why not log, track, and diet now, at 25lbs lighter?? With surgery you still lose weight at a rate of about 2lbs a week, do you realize it would take you like 12 weeks to lose the 25lbs you gained for surgery, before you even started losing anything additional? That's three entire months of losing weight you wouldn't have had on your body in the first place. Not to sound rude, but are you insane?9
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WLS is a tool among many. People who have weight loss surgery but don't change their relationship with food will regain whatever they manage to lose after the surgery.
Don't eat one way to lose weight and then go back to your old way of eating after you reach your goal. Take your normal way of eating and tweak things so that you eat basically your normal way but with smaller portions and/or satisfying substitutions. Experiment to find a way of eating that works for you and is sustainable long-term.1 -
Not if you have to gain weight in order to do it and lose weight. It doesn't make sense. Both of my parent's had gastric bypass and they were told to lose weight before the surgery.1
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I am usually a lurker on the boards and don't post much but felt the need to reply on this one. My story is similar to yours in that I have lost weight previously only to gain it back. I am 44 years old, 4-11.5" and got up to 222 back in 2004. I quit smoking and joined Weight Watchers at that time and lost 93 pounds, getting down to 129 lbs. I then went through some medical issues over the past few years and have since put all my weight back on and then some. As of June of this year I hit my all-time high of 240. I also have high blood pressure, prediabetes and borderline high cholesterol (although I know from previous experience that will all go away with diet and exercise). Of course at my height and weight, I clearly qualified for WLS. My doctor talked to me about it and I actually talked to my husband about it and was seriously considering it. However, then I realized that discipline is discipline no matter what way you look at it and that I would rather do it on my own and be able to still enjoy food. For the most part, I have made an agreement with myself that I'm just going to try to eat healthy foods for the rest of my life. However, if we have a cookout or an event on a certain weekend, I want to be able to splurge once in a while. I was told with WLS that you can't do that because you can only fit small amounts of food in at a time. I also enjoy a diet Coke once in a while. My understanding is you can't drink anything carbonated. I suppose it depends which surgery you have.
I have a friend who is going to be having WLS done at the end of the year and I don't knock her at all. Each person has their own decision to make. However, she was telling me all the things she has to do and the way she has to eat before she can have the surgery done. Guess what? It's all eating healthy and cutting portions, which is what doing it on your own is about anyway!
Again, I am NOT putting the surgery down as I believe it helps A LOT of people who have a lot of metabolic syndrome issues that are hurting their health. However, I decided it wasn't for me.
I restarted my new eating and exercise lifestyle on June 6th, 2016 and have lost 27 pounds so far. I started at 240 and am at 213 now. I have my calories set at 1200 but I usually have a day on the weekend where I go up to 1800. I also walk at least 10,000 steps a day (which I have to make an effort at since I have a desk job), try to get 2-3 days of light strength training in, and I eat back about half of my calories. After I am down under 200, I am going to set my calories at approximately 1400, which will be my TDEE when I am at goal weight. That way I know that is where I need to be at, ON AVERAGE, for the rest of my life. Basically, if I want to eat a lot more on a specific day then I need to step up the activity. I don't really look at it as a daily thing but as a weekly thing. I also don't rely on the scale but on my measurements.
Like I said, I urge you to really consider all the pros and cons before you make any decisions. WLS has helped many people; however, I think if your BMI is not high enough (you stated you need to gain 25 lbs before even qualifying), surgery should not be something you should consider.
This is completely my opinion. I just felt I needed to comment on this one. Good luck!40 -
In your particular case, I'd say a big fat NO. Sorry.4
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When you think you have seen everything.10
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@wwkwag. Great post. I also qualified for surgery at my highest weight. Instead I used MFP, eating how I plan to eat for the rest of my life, and am back to my high school weight. I'm still overweight and still have 20 or 30 lbs to goal, but I already have people telling me to stop losing because I'm getting "too skinny."10
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Unfortunately, now that the surgery has become much more popular I know too many WLS individuals who are heavy...again. They never learned to portion control/eat right/make sustainable choices. The reality is if those are things you do not fix: YES you may lose weight in the beginning, but long-term you will end up right back where you started... So I vote: NO. Work right now on making you a better you, skip the WLS (you DON'T need it!), and make your weight loss stick this time around.
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@PaulaWallaDingDong GREAT job! What a difference in your pics!2
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I would not gain weight to get a weight loss surgery- doing so may actually disqualify you for the surgery. Additionally any surgery has risks, weight loss and lipo included. And if you don't change your eating habits afterwards, it won't help. You say you are a yo-yo dieter, what exactly did you mean by that? You do extreme diets, lose the weight then go back to eating how you did before and gain it all back? If so, this surgery will just be one more yo-yo. After WLS, your whole diet need to change. And if it doesn't, you can seriously damage yourself, as well as not lose weight.
Before doing an unnecessary, possible dangerous surgery, commit to making lifestyle changes- 5 fruits and veggies a day, staying in your calorie limit, and exercising three times a week. If all of that does not help, and you track honestly and faithfully, then talk to your doctor about surgery.1 -
When I hit 340+ pounds, with a goal weight of 180, I considered WLS. My wife had it, but she has some nasty side effects and scares. I saw how much pain she was in, how much she got sick, how much she suffered, so I decided it just lose it on my own. I've been fat my entire life, I had a huge journey ahead of me.
I joined this site and ate the recommended amount of calories. In less than 9 months I hit my goal weight. It's easy to lose weight, but mentally it's one of the hardest things you will do. There are so many temptations, holiday's, birthdays, anniversaries, friends inviting you out. There are so many ways to slip and just give up.
I committed to a week. I figured if I could make it a week I could make it two. By the time I knew it, it had been a month and I lost 22 pounds that month. That gave me the motivation to keep going. By then my body had become accustomed to the lower amount of calories. My cravings went away and I was super excited.
WLS is a tool and a life long commitment. You don't have surgery then eat whatever and lose weight. You have to be on a strict diet for the rest of your life. You have to take supplements forever, see your WLS doctors forever, have blood tests, see a dietitian. To me, that sounds more awful than just sucking it up and doing it yourself.
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My husband had the lap band installed about 4 years ago. It is not a panacea. He lost just over 100 lbs and then as things settled, he regained a few. The lap band restricts the amount of food you can eat, definitely, and he can no longer eat the quantities he once did. Oftentimes after a meal he will vomit it up because he ate too fast, or because something plugged the opening. Unfortunately, he still hasn't learned that proper eating is crucial. Some foods (like Nachos) he can still eat a huge amount of. Also, chocolate chip cookies seem to slide through quite easily as does ice cream. Because of these things, he has regained probably a third of what he originally lost. He's still a lot healthier than he was, but he still has to be quite careful or he will be back where he was. He knows this, but he struggles to control his intake. I know at least 3 others that have the same sorts of issues. It's a temporary solution to a life long problem. As a means of improving the health of the morbidly obese, I think it's great. I think it should be offered under all medical insurance. But it's not a cure. It's another tool. I believe it has gained my husband a few years of quality life, but it's not going to solve all the problems.6
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Well here's what your in for if you decide WLS:
You eat even way less than you eat now.
Any food you think you can scarf on, will violently cause a physical reaction.
You can't eat certain foods even if you love them.
You are on a regimen of vitamin and mineral supplements.
You LOSE muscle fast (since fast loss happens and you aren't supposed to do intense exercise).
You MAY substitute food for another "go to". Many who've had WLS and not solved their eating issue substitute smoking, alcohol, gambling etc. to resolve their habitual behavior of excess.
You MAY regain the weight because you can't stop thinking about food and eat even if it hurts. And if you regain, you'll look worse than previously.
Having worked with several clients who were obese (and my success rate wasn't 100% with all of them), the ones that I did do work with who lost a lot on their own, were pretty weak (muscle loss). And building them up caused some weight gain and that played havok in their thought process.
The thing is, you're going to have to learn how to eat less BY FORCE rather than by decision. It's not difficult, it's just takes a commitment on your part.
So which sounds more appealing to commit to?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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As several people have already said, surgery is just another tool in your toolbox, NOT A MAGIC CURE. I've seen several people in my life get the surgery, only to have continued to eat as much as they could (rather than change their lifestyle) and stretched out their stomach after 10+ years and now even heavier than they ever were. Not to mention the side effects for the rest of your life.
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You have never learned the right way to lose weight and keep it off, which is why you will continue to yo-yo. WLS is not going to fix that lack of knowledge.5
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I have been struggling with my weight for years. I am a yo yo dieter. In order for insurance to cover my weight loss surgery, I need to gain 25 pounds. Should I do this? Has anyone had the sugery done? What are the pros and cons? I am capable of losing weight. I have lost 80 pounds in 2010 only to gain it back. It just seems like the older I get, the harder it is to lose.
Sounds like a horrible idea to me, no idea of your current health situation but what if those 25lbs put to much stress on your heart that's probably already being overworked...Just start working out and eating right, also ask your doctor what he/she thinks of your idea.2 -
Have a friend. She had the surgery- did really well but it was NOT easy having to be forced to change lifelong habits. Actually, painful a lot of the time. She never got to a normal weight however.
Now Im watching her creep right back up there just a few years later
This is a big deal. Its not like lipo when you come out smaller. You still have to put in the work and eat less...forever.
The fact that you typed gain 25lbs so you can have weight loss surgery that will be covered by insurance is bad enough. But then you follow it up with you know you are capable of losing weight and have done it before?
Reading that prompts the question of, so what makes you think life after surgery will keep you successful- long term?
And what differs from applying those things to today as opposed to opting major surgery?
Edit: To expand on Ninerbuff- many people to take up a habit to replace the eating. For my friend it was smoking and more drinking. Not exactly a trade UP. Just something to consider. I think you are more capable than you think- most of us are. Tighten up those tennis shoes, walk and log your food!!3 -
im trying so hard to maintain my blood sugars and weight loss since july 16 ive reduced over 113 units of insulin drop per day compared to 3oo daily. but im on a list for bariatric surgury now for health problems is there any positive feed back about this surgury.0
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I know several people that have had WLS. The majority of them are larger now than they were before the WLS. Yes, it worked wonders for a while and they did lose the weight, but over time they were able to eat more and more... and they did. The months after surgery were often miserable for them as they would get sick so easily. My cousin had complications from the surgery itself and was in the hospital for a few weeks afterwards.
The ones that I know that it has worked for still don't eat normally, they bring their own food to dinner parties, they are going to meetings years past the time of surgery. I know I have read testimonials of people on here who it has worked much better for, but my experiences with people that have had it makes me extremely leery of it.1
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