Is having surgery to lose weight hard work?

I dont think anyone has really answered the OP.........I have read through it all and I guess I still want to know......It seems like with surgery and non-surgery you have to monitor what you eat and work out........Then I ask again.......What is the added benefit of the surgery. For all of the people in here that have had it done what did the surgery do for you that you could not have physically done without the surgery. Not trying to offend just really trying to understand the reasons for taking this risk.

Those that qualify for this surgery get to a point where “normal weight/activity” just seems out of reach. I felt like I was always on a diet and would lose 50-70lbs, but still be morbidly obese - talk about discouraging. I always told myself that if I could get to a “normal” weight, I could maintain the loss and stay healthy.

All people who are morbidly obese aren’t just fat and lazy and have no regard for what he/she is eating. Everyone has to deal with his/her own reasons, or triggers for getting to that point. It was my own responsibility for being at that point in my health, and finding the right solution to address the problem. The “added benefit for the surgery” is the restricted intake that you don’t have. By limiting the amount of food that someone can humanly consume (at least early on) the result will be weight loss. Simple as that. I don’t feel that physically or emotionally I could have ever lost 150 pounds on my own. The surgery provided the added benefit of restriction for me.

I think I adequately answered both of your questions. Thanks, for the opportunity.

My opinion; it's a cop-out, an easier way out. No different than someone taking steroids to gain muscle. Not to mention the potential life altering complications of surgery even death.

If you haven't walked a mile in someone's shoes..... You have no idea what you are talking about.

I agree! It is a personal, individual choice. Everyone has different medical conditions that may or may not merit needing this tool to help them. Skinny people who have never had weight issues look at overweight people and think we just eat too much and we are lazy. Aren't we doing the very same thing if we say bariatric surgery is a cop-out?

bump

For some people, gastric bypass or lap band isn't really a choice, it's a procedure that MUST be performed to save a life, just like a heart bypass or something similar. I personally haven't considered it yet, because I want to exhaust all options first, but I have known people with diabetes, high blood pressure, even severe arthritis in their knees who have had this surgery and been successful. Yes, it is hard. It requires the exact same mind-set and lifestyle changes that 'traditional' diets do, but this is typically a surgery for people who have tried all those and still can't lose. My friend's mother had such severe arthritis in her knees that the surgery was suggested to her by her doctor. She had never considered it, because she didn't want to be seen as lazy and not willing to do the work it took to get the weight off, but she had been trying to lose weight for years. Now, with the surgery, she is MUCH better off with a good bit of weight lost. She hasn't gained any back, and she isn't a rail, either. She chose to stop losing at a certain point, because she just wanted to get to a healthy weight that wasn't detrimental to her health. She pays strict attention to food and exercise, and it's becasue this surgery enabled her to do what she wasn't able to do without help before.

Those of you who say it's a cop out must not have ever been morbidly obese. It's a serious health issue, and though I'm currently choosing a different way, I support ANYONE who wants to lose weight for their health in any way they deem necessary.

Understand this:

A BMI of 40 will get you on the surgery table. Any lower and the risk is too great for the reward.

There is a studied MORTALITY rate of 0.5% within 6 months of surgery in 2005-2006. This means in every 1000 people who get the surgery, 5 are guaranteed to DIE. Or, 1 in 200. This may be less or more depending on the current medical research and post-op procedures. You *are* cutting into your body.

The long term rate of MORTALITY (basically due to continued morbid obesity) is REDUCED by 40% in patients who go through the procedure.

This is a last-step drastic measure. In medical school, all my professor tell me that surgery (esp the surgeons) is the last resort. When chemicals, physical therapy fails left and right, this is the LAST RESORT. So until you feel like you're there, DON'T go there.

I hope you don't use this as an excuse to pig out. If you do you have not learned anything.

I had LapBand surgery. I did well and lost 50 pounds. Then we went on vacation, and I ate junk food again. Two years after surgery, I haven't been able to lose any more weight (but MFP is helping!). I still have to diet, and sweets are my downfall. But here's the biggest advantage so far -- I can't REGAIN the weight. Even when I pig out, I can't eat that much, so I haven't regained any weight. Though my lack of getting to my goal is depressing, I think the LapBand is worth it. I'd be even more depressed if I had gained back that 50 pounds. It's a tool, not a crutch.

I have been trying to lose weight my whole life, and nothing has done it. I was desperate, and surgery was my only option. Anyone who has not walked in my shoes has no way of knowing what I've been through. Someone who says "If I can do it, anyone can" has just NO clue. Every body is different.

i've know a couple of people that done it and they did it to save their life...it's not easy. all your meds, foods and anything you need to digest has to be liquid for a while...big adjustment.

Yes, it's just a slightly different form of hard work. Surgery isn't an easy way out.

Yes, having surgery to lose weight is hard work IMO. I just had my Sleeve surgery a month ago and it has changed my life already. I have to think completely differently about food and amounts. I actually have to remember to eat! The part of stomach removed during sleeve surgery is the producer of Ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Now that it is gone I am rarely ever hungry and have NO cravings for anything.

I was 330 lbs when I started this journey. I looked and felt terrible. I actually KNOW how to lose weight, it's the maintenance that gets me. The Sleeve is great for both weight loss and maintenance. I've lost 100 lbs in the past and gained it plus another 60 back. I felt like I needed this surgery to save my life,

I've also found that most naysayers have no clue about what the surgery entails or what aftercare is like. It's fine to have an opinion but please educate yourself before you trash something!

she said it was her lack and ability to exercise threw no fault of her own do you know how to read!!!!!!!