Bariatric Surgery...have you thought of it or have you had any of them done?

RiveraMarylou
RiveraMarylou Posts: 181 Member
edited November 22 in Chit-Chat
Hello, I have been as many of you been, dieting and losing weight like a yo-yo. Lately, I have been seriously thinking of the gastric sleeve and have been seeing a surgeon and dietician. Is there anyone else out there?

Replies

  • HalloweenHighness
    HalloweenHighness Posts: 53 Member
    edited November 2017
    My issue with Bariatric Surgery {for anyone under 400 pounds}, is that eventually you'll have to do what everyone whom doesn't have the procedure done; has to do to maintain the lost weight & that's why, many whom've had it done; regain the weight because they didn't choose, to learn how; to manage their calories instead & eventually their stomachs'll expand again, to be able; to over consume!
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,645 Member
    My mom had it done. Seeing her still yo-yo is what made me decide against it. There are things it will accomplish and things it won't. It won't correct yo-yoing. That requires conscious effort.
  • jaci66
    jaci66 Posts: 139 Member
    RiveraMarylou wrote: »
    Hello, I have been as many of you been, dieting and losing weight like a yo-yo. Lately, I have been seriously thinking of the gastric sleeve and have been seeing a surgeon and dietician. Is there anyone else out there?

    When I was at 350 lbs, I seriously thought about it. But, after a while of thinking of it and knowing someone personally who had it done, decided against it. The person I knew used it as a tool to just eat whatever she wanted anyway. She never learned to control her out of control eating. Yeah, she lost a lot of weight initially. But, last I saw her, she had ballooned up again and I believe it was for more than she had lost with the procedure.

    If you don't learn how to eat properly, no cheats out there will ever help you lose the weight and keep it off.

    Just say NO to the cheats and say YES to learning how to properly eat. That in itself will help you stop the yo-yo effect. You have to WANT to really lose the weight and eat properly. If you don't, you won't. No cheats will help that.
  • Scubaprincess1
    Scubaprincess1 Posts: 1 Member
    I had bariatric surgery done 6 years ago and am proud to say I have kept the weight off (over 130lbs).

    This is not a solution for everyone and is difficult physically and mentally for both you and your friends and family (all who will have concerns). I have seen people where this was not successful or they lost weight very slowly (especially with the sleeve as you can still have sugar, etc..), that have lost and gained (some or all of the) weight back and ones that are yo-yoing. I also know people where this has been successful tool for them.

    The key is that you HAVE to approach this as a tool to learn how to live and eat healthier and with correct portions and understand this IS a lifestyle change. To be successful you must be prepared mentally, be willing to follow doctor's instructions and utilize the tools provided to make these changes.

    To this day I do not drink soda, eat items with refined sugar (baked goods, candy, ice cream, etc...), greatly limit any fried foods (rare treat to have a couple of fries) and aim for balanced meals and take my vitamins to get the recommended amounts of protein, calcium and other nutrients that are difficult for absorption with gastric bypass.I track my food and aim to exercise regularly. I also have annual check ins with my doctor including specific blood tests and seeing the dietician all which ensure my nutrients are balanced and helps me tweak my diet if necessary.

    If interested I recommend finding an experienced doctor(do research). Most that I have seen have support groups that you can attend to get additional information. There are people people at all stages in the groups from those who are interested, to people both pre and post surgery.

    I hope you found this helpful and good luck!
  • RiveraMarylou
    RiveraMarylou Posts: 181 Member
    Thank you all for your thoughts and your feedback. I have been thinking, as well as educating myself about WLS since 2008. I have seen different doctors from 3 different states and countless dieticians. I have seen mental health specialist and have met, as well as, personally know people whom had the gastric bypass or the sleeve. I have seen the bad side of it and I have seen the good side of it. In the past year, I have been slowly changing my eating habits to much better ones. I have lost 30 lbs on my own since July and even joined a Training for More program and I had my first 5K marathon. Unfortunately for me, I have really bad arthritis of both knees and have diabetes. I have been controlling my sugar, and had to stop running for now, as per my orthopedic. She wants me to lose the weight so that I can prolong total knee replacements. She feels it is way too soon, as I will outlive the replacements and will end up needing new ones again. One of my biggest reasons of wanting the surgery is because I took care of my grandmother whom lost both legs due to diabetes. She lived 10 years this way. My father has diabetes. Because I have lived with the diabetes and seen what it can do, I decided I needed to take control and take better care of myself and develop a better eating lifestyle. I have been doing great with it, although there is always room for improvement. Because I have been contemplating WLS since 2008, I feel I am ready for that next step. I have been in support groups this past year and learning from others whom had their surgeries. I believe this is the right choice for me.
    I had been debating and prolonging it even though I wanted the surgery and this time I am absolutely sure of it. I have a few friends who've had the surgery and out of five of them, two didn't do well. The three success stories have been my rocks and have been advising me and guiding me. My family is 100% behind me, and I feel that this is important for someone opting for the surgery. I think that if you give yourself time (at least a year) to change your eating habits and change your eating lifestyle, that you would have a much better success weight loss. I have been getting myself ready and not just my food intake, but also exercising, and building myself up to have a successful surgery. If I really do go through with the surgery, I will most definitely stay in touch, and win or fail, I will keep you updated on my journey.
  • MARILYNENA
    MARILYNENA Posts: 53 Member
    I am on the list to have it done....but have changed my mind since my cousin had it done and she has managed to lose wt. but she can barely eat now, she is malnourished and very sorry that she did it. My other friend eventually gained all her weight back and more. So I am trying to lose the weight through diet and exercise. My calorie has been cut to 1000 so now my metabolism has been catching up and recovering from two years of optifast. (which helped me lose 150# but I gained them all back as soon as I started to eat regular food at more than 800 calories a day.)
  • jcstevens86
    jcstevens86 Posts: 3,338 Member
    I personally think the bad with it out weighs the good therefore think its a bad idea
  • lizzy8102
    lizzy8102 Posts: 16 Member
    I have struggled with my weight most of my life. I made the decision December of 2015 to start the process to have the gastric sleeve done. I did my homework, researched the benefits and risk and decided to go through with it. Their is a process before any insurance will approve someone to have it done. But I am so glade I went through with it. I feel better than I have in years, I am more active than I have been since high school. I feel like I have a much better quality of life. You need to know its not a quick fix to weight loss. It is a very useful tool to a lifestyle change that will greatly help anyone struggling with losing weight. The biggest change you will need to be ready to make is preparing yourself mentally to make this lifestyle change. As in change what you eat, how much you eat, willing to exercise, cut carbs, cut sugars, cut carbonated drinks, cut alcohol. But I am 15 months post op and I am down 80lbs. No, I am not at my long term goal yet but I am still working out and sticking to my diet. fill free to send me a message if you have more questions or want to discuss it more. I am happy to share.
  • RiveraMarylou
    RiveraMarylou Posts: 181 Member
    lizzy8102 wrote: »
    I have struggled with my weight most of my life. I made the decision December of 2015 to start the process to have the gastric sleeve done. I did my homework, researched the benefits and risk and decided to go through with it. Their is a process before any insurance will approve someone to have it done. But I am so glade I went through with it. I feel better than I have in years, I am more active than I have been since high school. I feel like I have a much better quality of life. You need to know its not a quick fix to weight loss. It is a very useful tool to a lifestyle change that will greatly help anyone struggling with losing weight. The biggest change you will need to be ready to make is preparing yourself mentally to make this lifestyle change. As in change what you eat, how much you eat, willing to exercise, cut carbs, cut sugars, cut carbonated drinks, cut alcohol. But I am 15 months post op and I am down 80lbs. No, I am not at my long term goal yet but I am still working out and sticking to my diet. fill free to send me a message if you have more questions or want to discuss it more. I am happy to share.
    Thank you so much for sharing your story. I feel I am ready for this change and the surgery. As with any other surgery or anything else in life, there is always a risk of something. Nothing in life is 100% guaranteed. I have done my homework and so much more. I have researched my surgeon and checked his stats. I feel confident with him and his work. I have always been a big girl, and I am not overweight because I eat too much or have emotional eating habits. I am simply big and even when I lose the weight on my own, it seems to follow me back. I am in for a huge change in life and I am anxious to begin the new year, a new woman. I would love to share my progress with you once I have done the sleeve. :wink:
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