Is having surgery to lose weight hard work?

I had VSG on march 28th, I feel the best now that I have had surgery, and now I'm preparing myself to return to work just 3 weeks out . I spent years thinking if I just watch what I eat and exercise more the weight will come off, that was not the case. I peaked at 374.8 lbs fine if your a pro football lineman and are 6'7" but on my 5'6" frame, not a good combo, it was to the point my knees and back were giving much more that occasional aches and pains. I fully recommend not only the VSG but I was required to diet 6 months before surgery. If your can stick with the 6 months program before then the next steps are I don't want to use the word easy, but it, it is. I am on a restricted diet of what I should eat as my stomach heals but it is all about protein, which is what you should be eating first regardless if you have had surgery or not. The mind set is the key you have to want to improve your health, I'm one of the " healthiest" people to go through our bariactric program, only because I got proactive to get ahead of the high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart problems that are coming if I didn't do anything. So get into a program that gives you plenty of information up front and ask questions, my wife and I have both had this surgery and are working forward to have a great long healthier life with our children, I just got back from a 2.25 mile walk that was not possible even two months ago. So you decide is it a cop-out .... I think not it is a tool to allow me to keep my health and enjoy my kids..

Everyones opinions are different. I had the VSG, Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, done on December 19, 2011. It was painful the first few days, then the adjustment to the way of eating, the portion sizes and just getting the mindset, "when i eat, I need to eat protein items". Basically the same as when you are dieting but the new sleeve keeps the portions to a minimum. I had started with a goal of 74 lbs to lose, I am currently at a loss of 53 lbs and feeling great. It is a new way of life, a new way of thinking and a new way of eating. I myself would do it again and have had no major issues with my new sleeve. Some may say its the "easier" way, but then, they havent been in my shoes or know what its all about. Again, everyone has different opinions and mine is that if you have tried all the other options and/or have health issues, I fully recommend the VSG.

Exactly!!! I had the VSG 7-11-11. I've lost 64 lbs. It's still hard with surgery. Your body still has stalls. This is only a tool. And its the hardest thing I've ever done. But after all "diets" failed me, this was the last resort. I would do it again in a heart beat.

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.

The risk of death is definitely a cop out. I'm so glad you pointed that out (Please note my sarcasm button is turned on here.)

I had gastric bypass surgery in 97 and lost a125lbs. Most within the first 10-12months. Recovery was painful - but I've had more painful surgical recoveries. (Tummy tuck - OUCH!) The difficult part is adjusting to your new microscopic size belly. You WANT to eat (lets face it, most of us probably love food so having surgery doesn't take away that desire) but you CAN'T eat. So it can be very frustrating for a while. You learn really quickly to NOT overeat because if you do, you'll throw up. For the first month or so, I had to eat all soft mushy foods. Eventually you add normal things in to your diet.

I've had 2 babies since then and over the years have gained maybe about 15lbs back from my lowest weight. I never got super skinny (wasn't my goal to) but I was able to fit into size 12 and very happy with that. It worked for my frame. But now I'm trying to drop at least 25 lbs and it's a HUGE struggle. It's no easier at this point than it would be if I hadn't had the surgery. I'm able to eat normal amounts of food now....no longer eating child sized portions. It's just that your body digests it differently, having had your insides rearranged.

So is it easy to loose weight with weight loss surgery? Yes and no. The first 6 months are difficult b/c you're adjusting to so much. But you do drop a ton of weight. But later down the road, if you're not careful you can gain weight back and loosing can be just as hard. I have no regrets at all about my surgery.

I know several people who have had lap-band or bypass surgery and they say they have to work just as hard as someone who is changing their dieting habits and working out. Is this true? I am not saying that they don't but just wondering the point of the surgery?

I had vertical sleeve surgery last August, which is a different surgery than the two you mention above. It involves removing 80 percent of my stomach. While I was healing from my surgery, I was on a liquid diet for about a month and then mushies (soft foods) for another couple of weeks.

In the weeks before and after the surgery, I attended nutritional classes and spent time with a personal trainer. I learned how to eat right, and I learned about foods I had never even heard of before (protein shakes!). These classes helped me learn what I needed to know about nutrition and exercise. I had to re-evaluate and change my entire diet.

In addition to the changes in my diet, I began working out regularly. I now log everything I eat, how much I drink and the exercise I get. I had to change the way I eat, and I had to exercise more. The smaller stomach lets me feel satisfied with smaller amounts of food, which makes me more likely to stick to a reduced calorie diet. The six weeks it took me to recover -- when my diet was mostly liquid protein -- allowed me to have time to shift my way of thinking about my diet and exercise.

I am doing the same diet and exercise changes that others do. The weight doesn't just melt off.

Why did I do surgery? Losing weight is not just a matter of calories in/calories out. You can have a 3500 calorie deficit in your diet and NOT lose a pound of weight. There are other factors that go into losing weight, and genetics plays a big part of it. I was noticing that I was not losing weight despite efforts to do so. The surgery and the initial weight loss that accompanied it (25 pounds in the first month), helped me become successful with my weight loss. My second month, the weight loss wasn't as significant, but it was still a loss. Right now, I'm in a stall. I am eating right and exercising well, and I'm not seeing changes in weight on the scale, however, I am seeing changes in my body composition (more muscle and loss of inches overall).

There are studies out there that explain why obese people are less likely to maintain a weight loss. A recent article in The New York Times described it this way, "A full year after significant weight loss, these men and women remained in what could be described as a biologically altered state. Their still-plump bodies were acting as if they were starving and were working overtime to regain the pounds they lost. For instance, a gastric hormone called ghrelin, often dubbed the “hunger hormone,” was about 20 percent higher than at the start of the study."

My surgery removed the portion of my stomach that produces ghrelin, so I don't feel hunger. It means I can be satisfied when eating smaller portions. That isn't to say my body doesn't produce any ghrelin, but I don't get this increase that the study reports happens.

The link to the complete article I quote above is http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?pagewanted=all