Gastric Bypass...

I have one friend that got it and when she lost all her weight she became an alcoholic, a year later had a mental break, has attempted suicide multiple times, her husband left her and she had to move back in with her mother in another state and is currently in a hospital from yet another suicide attempt.

On that note, I also have a friend that had it, lost all the weight, looks fantastic and is almost the same person.

Long story short: It works for some people, it doesn't work for others. Make sure you have all your ducks in a row before going through something that changes your mind and body so drastically.

I would never get anything cut that doesn't NEED to be cut. It's too risky, and I think long term complications could arise, and we don't know that much about them. I've also heard of a lot of people who get this done, or the lap band done, and then because they're eating because of emotional issues, the manage to gain the weight back.

That being said, if you're having severe health complications because of your weight, and this is the only way to save your life...then, it's a necessity and you gotta get it done.

I just heard of someone who'd got the lap band 6 weeks-ish ago, and she's already lost more weight in that time than I have. Is that healthy? I don't know. But I have to do what feels right for me. I hope you do the same for you and that it works!

I work as a nurse in a hospital that performs this type of surgery. For some people, it is quite successful, but I think it's getting too popular as an acceptable weight loss strategy. There are many complications associated with this type of surgery, and the long term effects are simply unknown. I often wonder how these people will function in their 70's or 80's with a major portion of their stomach missing. The other big issue is the fact that even after the surgery, people can eat their way to gaining back the weight.

In my humble opinion, if you are trying to loose weight with diet and exercise, focus on those 2 factors. It's hard, I know, but the rewards for doing it yourself far outweigh the risks in having surgery.

Just my thoughts.

Honestly, yes I do think its lazy. I can't help it. I mean, I guess you know whatever gets you down to a healthy weight, I guess... but man its just such an invasive and permanent altering of your body. I also just wonder how much do they teach you after the surgery? Are people required to go to weekly or monthly meeting to make sure they understand what it means to eat healthy? Or do they get the surgery and then kick the person with a serious eating disorder out the door?

Anyway, I try not to judge because I don't have to do it. I hope that people just take it very seriously after going through that massive change.

Had it... went through a traumatic experience one year after and began binge eating and stretched my stomach out. I can tell you that i still have the side effects even though i have a "big" stomach again. I don't absorb nutrients well, became anemic, have "dumping syndrome" sometimes even now.... and a huge scar but then again i had mine in 2000 about 2 months after carnie wilson and i was a case study. You lose the weight quickly and the body cannot catch up. I can tell you first hand that while slow and steady may seem tedious the body will look better and feel better if lost naturally. message me if you have any questions. This is a VERY serious surgery with life changing outcomes that last forever.

In my opinion, if u really really need to loose weight, u need to set ur mind to it, make u r plate small, exercise and get going, and the weight will come off...,,i mean its easy math dont consume more food then u need to and the weight will come back off gotta put in that sweat, sorry but whoever thinks there is a quick fix to this problem, is very wrong and needs a reality check, i know i wasn't as heavy as i am now 10 hears ago, its my choice if i will let it go on and if i want to be 20-30-40 lbs the next 10 years or will i stop this cycle once and for all...these are OUR choices, so if u need counseling if u need a shrink if u need dietitians to teach u what to eat, how to exercise, GET THEM...but the point is changing our lifestyle, and if we dont do that no surgery will help sorry!!!

If you can't get the eating right then you won't be successful with gastric bypass, so why not get that down and do it on your own! I am so glad I didnt go through with it, I'm almost 70 lbs down and it's all thanks to my own hard work! ;-)

I am almost afraid to post here. I had gastric bypass on Feb. 7, 2011. There are many reasons to have gastric bypass done, including health issues. You must attend nutrition classes and see a nutritionist for 5 years post op. You communicate with your nutritionist anytime needed between appointments. You have to take vitamin and mineral supplements for the rest of your life. You have to have a psychological exam with a psychiatrist. The process to have the surgery is quite involved and can take up to a year depending on your insurance company. I began eating right and exercising a year before the surgery. I eat 6 small meals a day. I can eat anything within moderation (no fried foods or sugary foods). It depends how committed you are before and after the surgery. It is not a cure all. It is tool just like MFP. You only get out of it what you put into it.

i am (possibly)pre-op,(i have my name down on nhs in uk)i have done all th classes for it ect,you still have to loose a fair wack of weight before hand,,, and you only loose something like 80% of your EXECSS body fat!
on top of that you will never be able to "stuff" your face again,like xmas day! also some foods you just wont be able to eat at all as your body will not tolerate it(could be crusty bread could be lettace!)pot luck on that one! and the main thing that puts me off is that you have to chew your food till it is like liquid in your mouth! OH JOY!

so this is why i am giving it one more big push between now and may if i aint done it by then my date will be nearly up to gwt it done!

For me it is very simple, I didn't have surgery to put this weight on, I'm not gonna have surgery to take it off.

For me it is very simple, I didn't have surgery to put this weight on, I'm not gonna have surgery to take it off.

It's not healthy to have surgery.

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 obese is a vicious cycle, trying to exercise, but hurting too much to exercise, so stopping exercising. Having a metabolism that is on the floor. I had also tried every diet imaginable out there. Losing weight was not really my problem--keeping it off was~ AND when the pounds came back, it was always more than what I had lost!

As an ER nurse, it took me about 3 years to decide that surgery was the right choice for me. I would see people with complications in the ER, but I did not see any of the successes; and believe me, there are more successes than complications.

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 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. However, it is not a nirvana~ Over the past 6 months I have gained 10 back due to my not following the pouch rules. Since on MFP I have lost 8 of those back and hope to lose a few more. After 5 years of surgery, the tool is still working for me.

I would caution you, however, regardless or surgery or not, to get therapy with a cognitive behavioral therapist who specializes in eating disorders. While genetics and other factors may play into obesity, there usually is also an underlying root psychologically to obesity. The therapist can assist you in determining whether the surgery is the right choice. There are factors such as are you mature enough to play by the rules (and there are pouch rules) that the therapist can help sort through. Additionally, if you do choose 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.

Wishing you the best~

For me it is very simple, I didn't have surgery to put this weight on, I'm not gonna have surgery to take it off.

yeh but the way i see it till your flying over the 300/400 lb mark you cant really know what you are talking about!

At my biggest, I weighed 341, currently, I weigh 304. And I was speaking for myself, not telling everyone to not have the surgery. It is a tough decision, I've thought about having it done. I decided it was not an option for me. That's all I meant. Sorry if any of you misunderstood me.

I have read several opinions on the Gastric Bypass and since I have had this procedure done I felt like I need to share. In 2001 at the age of 24 I had this surgery. I was a last ditch effort for me. I had not always been obese. I was a high school athlete and had a very serious spine injury while playing college sports. Once I had the injury the weight just poured on. I would like to say it was just due to the injury but it was not, depression from the injury had a lot to do with it. Once I got to the point of being 300 lbs. I discussed it with my back surgeon because it seemed like the only option to help me if I did not want to have back surgery. My surgeon agreed and I made the decision. My family and friends DID NOT support me on the decision at the time since it was fairly uncommon to have such a surgery. I had known people who had it and it did not work for them and in one case I knew someone who died from it. I did my research and ound a surgeon that was very well recommended and had done hundreds upon hundreds of these surgeries. Once I had the surgery I dropped the wait very quickly and it made my back and health way better. I would like to tell people that you have to make the life decision that goes along with it. I was given a meal structure to follow and to tell you the truth I was so paranoid about the complications that I had heard about that I took everything to the extreme. If it said to be on liquids for a certain amount of time I doubled it. I wanted to take it slow re-introding food into my system. I did not eat bread products again for over a year. I am now 34 years old (10.5 years later) and I am consistently watch my weight. I had my first child this past year and during my pregnancy I watched my weight as well to make sure that I did not gain too much. Not only for keeping weight down but watching my back and how much I could carry along with the weight of my child. I had my baby a year ago and I am back to my pre-baby weight of 150 lbs. Even though my friends and family did not support the surgery when I was plannng on doing it, based on how I have maintained it over the past 10 years they say it was the best decision that I have ever made. My mom tells me that she believes that mentally I was prepared for the task at hand. For those who think it is a cop out, just remember that there are sometimes reasons for people to do this surgery. The only advice that I can give to people considering it is that I really think that you should discuss with your physician prior to and get their advice on if you are a good candidate. Mine told me that there was no physical way that I could exercise enough to get the weight of based on my back issues. You need to make the life changing decision to commit to loosing the weight and keeping it off.

Good luck to those who make this decision!

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I have been on so many programs over the past 20 years and been able to loose the weight but not able to keep it off. I have over 100 lbs to loose and I am thinking of having gastric bypass surgery. I am in the process of going through all the paper work and appointments. I know I can do this and will make a life change for myself with eating healthy and exercising. That I am looking forward to. My concern and the one thing that is making me hesitant is the people that have had this surgery and are like 15- 20 years out of it. You dont hear much about it.. this surgery has been done for 30 years. I want to hear what a 60 year old has to say about how their health is after surgery over the 20 or 30 years. What are the medical complications that have happened if any. There have not been any studies on this. I am glad I read your post because 10 years is a long time and it sounds like it is going very well for you. Keep up the great work.