Bariatric Surgery

My mother had this surgery in 2004. I think that you should evaluate your eating habits--in other words, why is it that you eat? Do you eat for emotional reasons, is it an addiction, etc. My mother is an emotional eater, and without this, she took up other things, like drinking, to replace the habit. You just have to be mindful of all this. If it is an addiction, you may just find something to replace it.
Also--this is permanent! Once you reach your goal, you will NEVER be able to FULLY enjoy all the foods you once ate. You will also have to deal with a lot of loose skin, which would be easier to deal with when you lose slowly.

I would encourage you to do it on your own if it is possible. Add me if you'd like, for support =D

I have definitely considered it and also had it recommended by a doctor before. I currently have no weight related health concerns but we all know if I don't stay dedicated to changing my life I will. It is a tough decision but know that having it does not solve your problem I have friends who have had it and have successing kept the weight off and I have friends that have had it and had put every pound plus some back on. The same dedication you have to make to do it on your own you have to make when you have the surgery. Healthy eating and exercise is the only way to be successful whichever method you decide. Hope this helps!

Ever consider having the Lapband done instead of gastric bypass? It's a slower weight loss but less stress on your body because there is no re-routing of your insides.

Also--this is permanent! Once you reach your goal, you will NEVER be able to FULLY enjoy all the foods you once ate. You will also have to deal with a lot of loose skin, which would be easier to deal with when you lose slowly.

I call bull****.

You can always fully enjoy your food after surgery and you can still eat McDonald's, etc. Even more so after having surgery because you learn to slow down and enjoy your food and the people you enjoy it with. You take your time and have good conversation and savor all of the tastes. For certain surgeries you may have consequences like dumping syndrome, but eating in moderation and having small treats is not forbidden. I've learned to savor my food even more since I can't eat nearly as much as I used to, but I have always fully enjoyed my food. Before AND after surgery.

Not everyone has loose skin and if you do get it, it can go away if you have plastic surgery. I have loose skin and AM DAMN PROUD OF IT. I'll take this loose skin any day over being fat, miserable, unhealthy, and having no energy ANY DAY.

the though of never ever having pop really scared him too!!

I drink carbonated beverages all the time.

Pass judgement all you want. There is no way I was going to be able to lose 140+ pounds and keep it off. I've dieted my entire life and put a stop to it early so I can enjoy my life. I know many, many people on here who have had bariatric surgery and did it in their 20s.

Leighbie1987 is also in her twenties, and presumably much healthier to do something like this. I wonder what doctor approved such a young person when they clearly could have done it on their own, given how determined she seems (she's on MFP for one!).

^

Last fall my wife and I were thinking about doing and she did the research on the internet for it, we decided with all the issues that could arise and having friends that new a couple people that died from it, it wasn't for us. She then started googling medical weightloss and found a program at the local hospital. We started the program on January 13th and I am down close to 175 lbs and my wife is down about 125 lbs since then. The nutritional plan used meal replacements for 3 meals a day you get 4 meal replacements if you are over 300 and a sensible dinner consisting of 6oz of lean protein, 3 servings of non starchy vegetables, and a fruit. They slowly introduce cardio workouts starting on week 3 or 4 with 3 days and 15 minutes per day. You meet with doctors every two weeks, weigh in weekly with bp check and hr check. Blood tests every 10 weeks. You meet in a group setting with a licensed psychologists weekly, as well as meet with nutritionist and exercise physiologist by appointment. It was the best decision we have ever made, outside of getting married of course. The slowly ween you off the fast so that when you go back to eating all food you have learned basically what got you to the way you are now. I have nothing against people that go for the surgery to me it seems more difficult than what I did. It just wasn't for us.

Last fall my wife and I were thinking about doing and she did the research on the internet for it, we decided with all the issues that could arise and having friends that new a couple people that died from it, it wasn't for us. She then started googling medical weightloss and found a program at the local hospital. We started the program on January 13th and I am down close to 175 lbs and my wife is down about 125 lbs since then. The nutritional plan used meal replacements for 3 meals a day you get 4 meal replacements if you are over 300 and a sensible dinner consisting of 6oz of lean protein, 3 servings of non starchy vegetables, and a fruit. They slowly introduce cardio workouts starting on week 3 or 4 with 3 days and 15 minutes per day. You meet with doctors every two weeks, weigh in weekly with bp check and hr check. Blood tests every 10 weeks. You meet in a group setting with a licensed psychologists weekly, as well as meet with nutritionist and exercise physiologist by appointment. It was the best decision we have ever made, outside of getting married of course. The slowly ween you off the fast so that when you go back to eating all food you have learned basically what got you to the way you are now. I have nothing against people that go for the surgery to me it seems more difficult than what I did. It just wasn't for us.

Look at this dude, he lost 173 lbs!! And a girl in her 20s cant lose less than this? Seriously? There are also hundred of success stories on here that are similar, just browse through the forums.

I think I lost it quicker than people that have had the surgery, my starting weight was 376.4, my unofficial weight this morning was 195.6. I haven't counted it yet, cause official weigh in is tomorrow, don't get me wrong it takes hardwork and dedication, but seriously don't think that bariatric won't take that either, it forces you to or you can get really sick, if you slip up. When I said January, I meant of 2011 this year so a little over 10 months. It can be done and there are more people on here than me that have done it.

Last fall my wife and I were thinking about doing and she did the research on the internet for it, we decided with all the issues that could arise and having friends that new a couple people that died from it, it wasn't for us. She then started googling medical weightloss and found a program at the local hospital. We started the program on January 13th and I am down close to 175 lbs and my wife is down about 125 lbs since then. The nutritional plan used meal replacements for 3 meals a day you get 4 meal replacements if you are over 300 and a sensible dinner consisting of 6oz of lean protein, 3 servings of non starchy vegetables, and a fruit. They slowly introduce cardio workouts starting on week 3 or 4 with 3 days and 15 minutes per day. You meet with doctors every two weeks, weigh in weekly with bp check and hr check. Blood tests every 10 weeks. You meet in a group setting with a licensed psychologists weekly, as well as meet with nutritionist and exercise physiologist by appointment. It was the best decision we have ever made, outside of getting married of course. The slowly ween you off the fast so that when you go back to eating all food you have learned basically what got you to the way you are now. I have nothing against people that go for the surgery to me it seems more difficult than what I did. It just wasn't for us.

Look at this dude, he lost 173 lbs!! And a girl in her 20s cant lose less than this? Seriously? There are also hundred of success stories on here that are similar, just browse through the forums.

I didn't say people CAN'T do it. It's possible but the fail rates have shown to be very very high. A very select few who are extremely dedicated can keep it off. I was/am not one of those select few and I faced it. Why set myself up for failure, when I can have this wonderful tool to help me lose it and keep it off?

I wasn't knocking it, I considered doing it, just didn't want to risk the complications, some people might need it, I thought he was more asking people that have lost the weight how they did it. I also didn't want to restrict myself like people that have the surgery have to. I wanted to learn my triggers and psychologically deal with the triggers not just restrict them.

This is obviously a very personal choice. There are enormous health risks, implications, and complications of having surgery - just as there are enormous health risks, implications, and complications of being obese. It sounds to me like you are questioning your initial decision of having the surgery. You don't have to make the decision today, you still have a few months until you are required to decide (insurance purposes). I say, give it a good faith effort for the next few months. Then at that point you can make an informed decision about what is best for you. I mean really, I see two possible outcomes in March - 1. you have lost no weight at all or 2. you have lost weight and gained the confidence to keep moving forward.

Can you lose the weight? I believe you can. Would you rather lose the weight on your own or through surgery? You wouldn't be asking this question if you didn't really want to lose it on your own. You are in a supportive place on this site, but you are still the one who has to put in the work - make no mistake about it. Sometimes it takes people believing in us long before we believe in ourselves. My opinion is that you should go with your intuition - trust yourself, you know in your heart what is right for you.

I know you weren't. I'm glad that you also appreciate the fact that surgery isn't an easy way out. It is hard, especially in the beginning and we also have to watch what we eat and exercise like everybody else once we hit maintenance. It's just a tool, like MFP is.

Kiminita,

Who the hell are you to bash people for their choice of weight loss. This is not a cookie cutter process. Everyone has different needs and emotional make up. if you have been able to lose the weight by diet, that's awesome. But this is a site for support, not to bash someones choices. YES, I have had weight loss surgery, and have lost over 150 pounds in the last 11 months. It was the best thing I ever did and I should have done it years earlier. I have lost and gained 100's of pounds throughout my life. Lets quit the judgements and bashing and give people the support they need. The best thing to do is if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.

I think you should keep going with MFP and avoid the surgery if you can. I know several folks who have had the surgery, and only one who was actually able to keep off the weight. The others put it back on because they still overate. It seems healthier, although slower, to lose the weight by modifying what you eat than through surgery. Laproscopic or not, it's still invasive.

I don't know that any advice you receive should or could make this decision for you. It's very personal and you have to decide if you can accept the consequences. I went in to it knowing I could follow it for a time, and with nagging suspicions that I would fall in to old habits because so many other things I tried did not work. I had the surgery (RNY) in August of 2009 at 28yrs old and was able to lose over 130lbs with it. I also ended up with 20,000 in medical bills and lost my way with it over the last year and a half due to poor choices around trying to pay that off, going from 285 to 330. (I was 435 at my heaviest) Using the knowledge I've gained with this surgery and various diets, a previous site and now this one to help me, I've been able to get back down to 307lbs and see using this plan as a way of getting the nutrients I need and eating to be satisfied while also eating healthy things to reach my goal weight.

The surgery did it's job and helped me on this path. Two years later I'm able to eat what I was before and I never had dumping syndrome, which I recommend, if you decide to get the surgery, never testing. I also had laproscopic surgery, so I'm not sure why you need to be at 300 to have that done, but the scarring is minimal with 5 scarred lines.

I'm not a big pusher of gastric bypass, mainly because as stated above it's a personal decision, but I think whatever you decide to do you're making decisions to become healthier. Let me know if you have any more specific questions about my experience.

I know that gastric bypass was the right choice for me at the time I made it, and regardless of anything I'm glad I made the decision. I've also known people that have had tremendous problems with it, including multiple surgeries to correct various problems associated with the surgery. (RNY) So again, I hope you take the information and make the right decision for you.

Goodluck!