Surgery or Not?

Talk to your doctor.

You will get both sides on here, and I need to say this is by no means a judgement on people that has had the surgery....

I did not want surgery - I had seen friends that had it - I have seen them struggle with the effects, and I have actually seen two of them totally fail at keeping the weight off....

It can be done with changing your eating and activiy habits ( which you need to do either way) without resorting to surgery.....there are many success stories on here of people that has done this without surgery, diet pills or snake oil....

Surgery is not a magic bullet - it still needs all the changes - but you also need to deal with some restrictions because of the surgery....

Good luck to you either way...... It can be done - have a look through the success stories on here!

I don't know your exact situation, but if you've only given this two days, you need to keep trying. I would think surgery would be a last resort!!! Seriously, portion control, calorie counting and good old fashioned exercise DOES work, but it's slow. It's the healthiest way to lose and when you learn to control portions and calories, it's more likely that you will keep the weight off.

Keep trying, but if I were you I'd give it at least six months before I'd even consider surgery. If after that long you've not lost much, then talk to the doctor. If you've lost over 40 pounds.... keep going!!!! You'll be glad you did!

I was once like you, I gained weight very very quicky and I looked at myself in the mirror one day and was just so dissapointed at how I had let myself go. I went to my doctor and got lab work done and also had a weightloss consult because I thought that weightloss surgery was the only way out . When I went that day I had a bmi of 60, my waist measured 68 inches and my whole body was a mess. He told me to start exercising and eating following the south beach diet, so I did. The day after I visited the doctor is when I found MFP, and started counting my calories and then soon after I started zig-zag counting both calories and carbs following the south beach diet (somewhat). After 2 months I lost 43 pounds... yes you read that right. I had really been ready to change my life at that time, because I have tried dieting before and I lost a little just to gain more back! I decided that if I can lose that much in that little time I could do it by myself. I really feel like this journey doing it on my own has been the best thing that I have ever done for myself EVER! I just don't feel like I would have felt so proud of myself if I would of had surgery. I'm not against it by any means, but I have talked to people who have done it just to gain weight after a year or so. I'm on a year and I still lose 3 or more pounds a week, and my self confidence is at the highest it has ever been! exercise is the best stress outlet I have ever found! Feel free to add me, i'd love to help you do this

Look through the success stories and know that it will take time (and lots of it) to reach your goal. I've tried before as well but this time is for real and I know that because I've changed the way I think about food and I've found friends who are doing this thing with me. I still have days when I eat (or drink) things I shouldn't but I always know that it's an indulgence and not my lifestyle anymore. Only you can decide if surgery is right for you. I've had friends that it's worked for and others who were not happy with the results. Whatever you decide...educate yourself, give it 110%, and know that we are here to support you all the way :drinker:
Marie

I was pretty serious about doing the lapband thing a couple of years ago, especially after I went to an intro session with the surgeon who'd do it. When he said "surgery is the only proven way to ensure long-lasting weight loss for really overweight people," I believed him.

I didn't take any action, though, and a couple of years later I had several epiphanies that made me realize NOTHING would be successful until I got my head around what I needed to do. Then a friend told me about this site and, with considerable skepticism, I decided to give it a try.

It's been about 7 months for me now, and I haven't looked back. More importantly, I won't ever GO back, either.

Is surgery right for you? Nobody here can tell you that. If you're serious about it, do your research. Talk with others who've had it. Meet with a surgeon (or better yet, two or three). If you decide to go that route, I encourage you to choose a surgeon that offers a post-surgery support group and fitness program. And realize that surgery is not a solution all by itself: you're still gonna have to change a lot of habits and think differently about food and exercise if you want to be successful.

If you're serious about seeing what you can do yourself first -- then I encourage you to go after it. Hard. Even if you eventually decide on surgery, any pounds you lose in advance of that can only help. Moreover, the new habits you'll be developing will serve you well down the road.

Me, I'm going down this path now; no more thoughts about surgery for me. As for what the surgeon said, well ... he was SO not talking about me.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/gastric-bypass

FROM THE ARTICLE:

After surgery, you'll need to make big, permanent changes in how you eat:

You can eat only a few ounces of food at a time. Your new stomach will only hold a tiny amount of food.
You must eat very slowly and chew your food to mush. Otherwise, you may vomit often and have pain.
You won't be able to drink for 30 minutes before you eat, during your meal, and for 30 minutes after you eat. There won't be room in your stomach for both drinks and solid food.
You probably will need to take vitamins and supplements.
You may have to avoid foods that contain simple sugars-like candy, juices, ice cream, condiments, and soft drinks. Simple sugars may cause a problem called dumping syndrome. This happens because food moves too quickly through the stomach and intestines. It can cause shaking, sweating, dizziness, rapid heart rate, and often severe diarrhea.


Risks
Risks common to all surgeries for weight loss include an infection in the incision, a leak from the stomach into the abdominal cavity or where the intestine is connected (resulting in an infection called peritonitis), and a blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism). About one-third of all people having surgery for obesity develop gallstones or a nutritional deficiency condition such as anemia or osteoporosis.3, 4

Fewer than 10 out of 1000 people die after weight-loss surgery.5

After a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass:6, 3

An iron and vitamin B12 deficiency occurs more than 30% of the time. About 50% of those with an iron deficiency develop anemia.
The connection between the stomach and the intestines narrows (stomal stenosis) 5% to 15% of the time, leading to nausea and vomiting after eating.
Ulcers develop 5% to 15% of the time.
The staples may pull loose.
Hernia may develop.
The bypassed stomach may enlarge, resulting in hiccups and bloating.

I'd never do it in a million years. I am not you.

Reading your profile, it sounds as if you've had weight issues for the past 11 years. Can you see a therapist to help w/ the anxiety issues? That in turn can help w/ the overeating.

You gained the weight relativity quickly... in a few years... as compared to some older people who gain it over 20+ years. I think you can loose it fairly quick (~2 yrs) by healthy eating and exercise.

Start small. See your doctor #1. Get your diet under control and eat 150-1800 calories. Start exercising; even 15 minutes of walking a day will be useful and increase it as the weeks go on.

Use surgery as a last resort. As others have set, surgery is invasive and then you MUST change diet habits. So why not change diet habits now and see how that goes?

I agree with the others here that the decision is highly personal and a weight loss doctor from a Bariatric Center of Excellence is the BEST place to start. Plan to attend the informational seminars, support groups (talk to the patients), meet with the doctor and check out some of the boards dedicated to WLS.

There are huge differences between Bypass and Lapband surgery. Most of the risks quoted in the article posted are not found with the lapband. And most MFP members are anti-wls. If you would like to contact me privately, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. I looked into the surgery three times prior to actually having it done. I am VERY happy with my decision.

One thing I CAN tell you about the band that NO ONE here seems to get is that the REASON for electing to have the band is because it actually helps curb your cravings for foods like carbs. It is really helpful for people who have seem to have food cravings and always seem to be hungry. It does NOT alter your digestive system and does NOT cut into your stomach. It simply tightens the route leading into your stomach, where the nerves that send messages of fullness to your brain are located. The food lingers there and you feel full much faster, so while you are eating a healthier food plan and losing weight so that you can move more and start to feel better, you have a tool to help you.

It's that "assist" that makes the big difference. I used to always crave bread, chips and pasta. Sure, I do sometimes, but I am able to resist most of the time and have gone from 310 pounds to 258, despite having the have the fluid removed from my band for a couple of months in order to have a serious ear operation. (When you have anesthesia, the fluid is removed to make it easier to get the tube down your throat....we weren't sure if I would have to go back into surgery on an emergency basis, so I had to leave the fluid out for some time). So, with about 4-5 months of the band being effectively filled, I lost the weight.

I do not know anyone who has died. My doctor does about 3000 operations a year and has not lost a single patient in 10 years. He is very conservative. But, as I said, YOU and YOUR DOCTOR can go over your situation to determine which procedure, if any, is best for you.

Best of luck.

I am so sorry about your situation.

My advice is ---

Do what you have to do to start living now the way you are going to have to live (eat/exercise, etc.) . . . now . . . and . . . the rest of your life:

(ii) to get ready for surgery
(iii) to avoid surgery
(iv) after you have surgery

(it doesn't really matter, the solution is the same)

If you can change your pattern for the better, then you don't need the surgery. If you can't, then surgery isn't the answer.

When I say, do what you have to do . . . I mean that. Get counseling, join WW, spend hours on this site, attend church more. Whatever you have to do. The situation is dire and it calls for dire action.

I wish you the best of luck whatever you decide. I hope you can find a solution that works for you.

((((HUGS))))

For the people who said they had friends who gained back the weight with the WLS, first off, how do we gain weight? By eating the wrong foods.

You can have a lapband and still cheat. It just something to help you with portion control, you still have to do the work of working out and eating properly.

So you personally have to do the work, go see a specialist, talk, meet others in support groups, get informative, research. Meet a nutritionist. I did that and I did a regular diet and lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks, but struggled to keep it off. So I ended up doing WLS, and now I'm only a couple days in from it, but I already am making changes, looking up smarter food recipes, and taking care of myself. Things I personally struggled with.

Only person who can make this decision is you. Good luck!