Gastric Bypass Surgery

I didn't read the other replys to you but I don't think surgery is a good option for her. I myself have toyed with the idea- I started this at 273 pounds and I'm 5"7", but I knew that if I couldn't control my eating now how would I control it after. Surgery is not a fix all. I'm a comfort eater, I thought about food all the time, what was I going to eat, when was I going to eat. I only looked forward to family gatherings and parties because of the food, I have never said that out loud. But it's true. You still have to fight those demons that make you eat. Until your daughter understands why she's turning to food she will not be able to control it even with surgery. She may only get more discourged if the surgery fails to control her weight for the long run. She should talk to someone and then she may be able to make a decision to help herself.

Agreed. She needs to find out WHY she sneaks food with help from a profession. I have friends and family that have had the surgery. NOBODY has been successful and I have a friend with the lap band that just vomits and keeps eating. Others drink soda like crazy and eat crap food. Some lap band people I know became alcoholics. This is a quick-fix method without solving the underlying issue.
How about having no fatty food in the house? That way there is nothing to sneak. Everyone should be supportive here. It's not punishment to have a house full of healthy food. It's a way of living. Chips, soda, and junk food don't need to be in the house. She is not an adult and still needs parental example and guidance. It needs to be a concerted family effort. And yes, it is hard. But she will see you are all supportive and serious.
Also having lifestyle and/or exercise buddies her age is a great idea. That's why I joined Myfitnesspal.
I don't mean to sound cruel. There are just lots of better options.

Ok so I went back and scanned the replys I was wondering about- the future- How does weight loss surgery effect pregnancy? Most of the people I know have problems with nutrition- I have alot of people who need monthly injections of vitamin B- and they have problems eating some types of foods. She is so young it would be awful to do this now and then find out you couldn't carry a pregnancy because of it. Or that it effected your health in your later years. Just a random thought.

I had lap band surgery 3 years ago and have no problems with vitamin deficiency.

I can say that it is ALL about life style change. Gastric bypass and Lap band are just tools. Most of it is MENTAL. SO counseling definately helps.

Side note--I was also about 300lbs and 5' 3".

I've had a few friends who has GBS and Lap Band. They never learned how to eat properly. Instead of eating healthy, they eat unhealthy foods in small portions all day long so it really doesn't help.

Instead of paying for surgery, I would recommend counseling, a nutritionist/dietician, and/or a personal trainer.

I also agree that if she is living at home she needs to be in an environment where everyone else is committed to exercise and healthy eating. If there are others in the house who are eating poorly then she will feel like she is being singled out or picked on in some way.

Try to do fun family activities that are active: going on hikes, playing basketball/soccer, etc at the park, going on family walks

Instead of making celebrations or rewards around food try to make them full of fun activities. That way the whole family is changing their lifestyle together and can bond together.

I hope these ideas help. Best wishes:flowerforyou:

if she is sneak eating now she will probably then as well. I work in the beauty industry and over the years I have had many clients go that route. Most of them looked like death and had a lot of health problems as a result. I would not recommend it for a 17 year old. I know how painful weighing 300 pounds can be but IMHO the rist is too great. I did know of one girl who did well on it but she was extremely dedicated to doing everything by the letter and did a lot of research to insure her success. I would look at counceling to find out what is making her eat to begin with. It seems to me most extremely overweight people do it as a form of self medicating. I know I did, I could have just as easily had been an alcoholic or drug addict. Food was my drug of choice, it's cheap and to a degree acceptable. I wish her the best of luck

all I know is that Carnie wilson had the surgery done and when she had a baby she gained all her weight back and still hasn't got it all off because her stomach stretched back out.

I have had weight loss surgery, a lap band rather than a bypass thoguh. And as usual you will have everyone jumping on you about WLS. I would probably go and talk to people on a WLS forum, those that have been through or are thinking about it, and those that have real experiences of living life after WLS. You will never get an unbiased opinion on WLS on MFP. We are seen as cheats and the stigma attached to WLS on these forums are pretty bad. From what I have experienced.

I had gastric bypass at the age of 36 and as an obese person as long as I can remember I wish now that I had been able to do it so much earlier. Being an overweight obese teen/young adult is a very painful journey.

You will find many posters on here who talk about the risks of GBS but I implore you to do your research yourself. Like any surgery, there are risks, but overall today GBS is really a safe surgery; and compared to a lifetime of being obese and yo-yo dieting I came to realize the benefits of the surgery outweighed the risks. I would suggest that to minimize the risks do your research, particularly about your surgeon. What is their complication rate? How many deaths (if any) have they had? How many of this type of surgery do they do each year? A great resource for information in general that some other poster pointed out was obesityhelp.com . I found this website extremely helpful during my journey.

As others have pointed out, GBS is just a tool to managing weight. For me, it has been very successful. I have lost 125 pounds. I am here on MFP to lose a few more and then to maintain. After 5 years of surgery, the tool is still working for me. I would caution you, however, regardless or surgery or not, to get your child therapy with a cognitive behavioral therapist who specializes in eating disorders. The underlying root of why she sneak-eats needs to be addressed. Additionally, the therapist can assist your daughter in determining whether the surgery is right for her. There are factors such as is she mature enough to play by the rules (and there are pouch rules) that the therapist can help sort through. Additionally, if she does have the surgery therapy will be helpful with dealing with body image issues and social issues that emerge from losing so much weight after being so heavy.

Many women has gotten pregnant after having GBS without complications to the pregnancy.

I wish you the best in helping your daughter be the healthiest that she can be~

I would not do it unless EVERY other meathod has been tried. and not work. It will take time and work. But the surgery is not easy or without risk. She needs to learn a new life style how to live without surgery

Ditto!