Gastric Bypass...

If you are going to resort to a surgery that slices you open then staples your stomach to a smaller size that can have complications like internal bleeding, consider going to a weight loss clinic or talking to your doctor about the prescription drugs available to help you (Yes Im expecting backlash over this) but something to boost you on your way and help you learn those healthy habits quicker can keep you away from surgery

It is a tool, like any other. It is invasive, and life changing (good and bad), but it is NOT a cure all. Do your research, but even after you have this done it is possbile to gain and hold a lot of weight. You still have the same issues with eating right, exercising right, etc. I had it done, and lost a lot of weight, but didn't learn how to eat right or exercise effectively, so I put on a lot of weight again. Not sure I would do it again, but???

Depends on the situation....but either way....unless it's some medical condition....it didn't happen over night, it's not coming off overnight. And since you have to get counseling and start a healthy lifestyle to even get started in that process, you should already have the mindset to lose weight and no longer need it.

I have very little sympathy....and I'm sure I'll get screamed at...but it's my honest opinion...it's not like you woke up one day and was so obese that you needed to have it.

I used to be completely against gastric bypass or lap band surgery. I felt that diet and exercise were the only way to go and altering your body was really extreme. And I had seen so many people get the surgery, lose the weight, then gain it back because they never dealt with the core issues of overeating and a sedentary lifestyle. HOWEVER...I have a client who has been committed to working out three days a week for a year and a half, gives it her all when she's there, gets her cardio in on her own the rest of the week and eats healthy and consciously. Her stamina has increased 100 percent and she has a LOT of muscle. But the weight loss has not come. She has many health problems which effect her ability to lose weight, caused by the excess weight. It is a vicious circle. I fully support her decision to have lap band surgery because I know she will continue to work out and eat correctly and the surgery will not be in vain. So in my opinion, there is a place for these kind of surgeries but the person doing it must be committed to change and have made serious lifestyle changes for at least a year prior to surgery.

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!!!

Personnally, I am terrified of ANY Weight Loss Surgery. My Mother had her stomach stapled in the early 90's and has had nothing but health issues since then. She never lost any significant amount of weight.
My Friend had a daughter who had some kind of Gastric Bypass surgery 3 years ago. I am not sure what type it was. She is having severe health problems, isin the Hospital frequently, and cannot keep any solid food down. She has had stomach ulcers twice related to the Surgery, and they have scheduled a Reversal for the surgery as soon as she is strong enough.

On the other hand, I have a Friend my age who had WLS in the early 90's and is doing beautifully. She has lost all her weight and kept it off for several years with no complications that I am aware of. Same with a Teacher I had in Nursing School. She had hers done in the Late 80's or early 90's and is doing Great.

As the others have said, Do your research, and make sure that you are prepared Physically AND Emotionally.
:flowerforyou: or the record, I do NOT Believe that Surgery is the "Easy" Way to lose Weight, nor do I think people who have it are "Lazy". It is just a Tool and it MAY be the Right Tool for you.

I have 2 relatives & 3 friends that have had the surgery; of those 5 only one has lost a considerable amount of weight. She has lost over 150 lbs & is now in the process of saving money to have her skin removal surgery. Hers will be very extensive, since she did no form of exercise while she was losing the weight.

I personally would not do this; the long term effects are still not known, since it is relatively a new surgery (compared to surgeries that have been around for decades). I would much rather have the sense of accomplishment that comes from doing it the right way, with a lifestyle change including exercise.

I may not have the stomach the size of a ping pong ball, but I can pretty much eat what I want to, when I want to and not have to worry about it tearing up my itty bitty, tiny tummy! Of the 5 people that I know that have gone thru this, not one of them can say that. They eat the wrong foods or too much & they are sick as a dog. Just not worth it in my book, but that is my 2 cents, for what it is worth.

The opinion of myself and many other trainers I know is that we are nervous of bands- there are no truely long term results out there, and many GPs believe that limiting food intake to such a degree will have a detrimental effect on lifespan and the ability to absorb vital nutrients later on (they weight this concern against the shortened lifespan from obseity when making judgements). It is also a major operation- as with all operations it carries associated risks including death. The biggest concern from my perspective is that the body absorbs nurients through chemical reactions (for example, when it processes fats and proteins, it uses the mineral calcium to aid this process amongst others). A deficiency in these vital nutrients would be easy to develop following this surgery.

It is also extremely easy to cheat a band- consuming only high calorie liquid foods for example.

Remember that with diet and excercise weight loss is gradual and you will it plateaus. Try changing your excercise to a Macrocycle format so that your body doesn't become tolerant to it, and good luck.

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! ;-)

This. When it comes downs to it, you MUST eat properly and excerise in order to be successful with this surgery. Sure, it'll be quicker. But then again, if you stay focused on your food and exercise program you will be successful too. I don't judge people because they choose weight loss surgery. I think that it is actaully necessary for some people, but not the vast majority. My mom had lap-band, but I don't think it was RIGHT for her because she didn't use it properly and her mindset wasn't right. I belive that she thought it would be some kind of miracle, but it wasn't and she didn't do the work it took for it to be an effective tool.

Another thing: I think it's important to have the mindset that this will be your life-long struggle. From my own experience, I lost 90lbs through diet and exercise and gained 80lbs back. I had to get in the mindset that THIS is the way I need to be every day of my life for the rest of my life: healthy and moving. And it's so rewarding because it's my hard work.