Weight Loss Surgery or Weight Loss without

I am also a Christian and gave my weightloss concerns and burden over to God after years of struggling with it on my own and I give Him all the glory for my new healthy lifestyle.

Here is my journey and I hope it will help you in some way with yours.

I am 52 y/o, have been obese (up to >325 lbs) my whole life. I had my thyroid removed when I was 19 due to a tumor. I have strong family genetics for obesity and I didn't always eat well or exercise well. But, I was generally very active and committed to losing weight throughout the years. But, I lost the same 50 lbs over and over again. I had personal trainers, gym memberships, eating plans, etc. and was truly diligent and gung ho about losing weight and getting healthy throughout much of my life.

Dispite my best efforts, I could not push past the hormonal and metabolic imbalances that kept me from finding lasting success.

Finally, over a short period of time, two different doctors confronted me and asked what I hoped to gain trying and failing at the same thing over and over again. They both essentially said that I was literally dying while trying to lose the weight. I had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, sleep apnea, needed two knee replacements and needed steroid shots in my back every 3 months just to walk. And with this decline in my healht over the last 2 years I had become seriously depressed to the point of at least entertaining the thought of suicide which I knew was not God's plan for me.

After much, much time in prayer I felt like God's provision for me was to have gastric bypass surgery. Not so much for the sake of having a smaller stomach, but for the re-routing of my intestines which has now been proven to majorly alter some individual's metabolism and the way they process their foods.

It worked for me! Immediately after my surgery I no longer had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high triglycerides as my body now metabolized food differently than before. I didn't have to lose the weight first to experience the health benefits. The way my body was processing food was broken and I needed the surgery to correct what did not work properly.

I have lost 162lbs and am at a weight of 163lb and would like to lose about 15 lbs more. I now do weight training 3 times/wk; Zumba 5-6 times/wk; jog 5K races, etc. My knees and back are much improved. I no longer take any medications except vitamins. My life has totally changed. I now feel that I can more fully serve God in so many ways that my weight, poor health and depression limited me before.

NOW--having said all of that you probably think that I am going to recommend that you have the surgery.

Actually, I AM NOT necessarily recommending it.

First, it is a very personal decision that only you can make. Secondly, it is not really the answer for most people who choose this option in my opinion---most could lose the weight without surgery if they were truly committed to a healthy plan. What I would say to you is BE VERY HONEST WITH YOURSELF---if you can do this without surgery, then by all means do it that way--it will always be the best plan for the majority of people out there.

However, if you are like me and are running out of time, energy , and solutions, and you have TRULY TRIED EVERYTHING--seek out God's word for your life and doctors who will give you good medical advice as to how to be successful (including via weight loss surgery).

But, know that weight loss surgery is not an easy fix---it is HARD. And you still have to do all the same things you are now doing thru MFP (monitoring intake, reduce calories, eat less, exercise more, strength train, etc.).

The only difference for me is that now my metabolism and hormones have been reset and are working with me and my weightloss plan instead of working against me.

I hope this gives you some food for thought. You are welcome contact me if you have any questions that I might help you with.

God's blessings!

Hi there! I don't respond to a lot of threads on here, but I really felt like I should repond to yours...

I am also a Christian, a pastor, in fact. I'm also a 39-year-old wife, mom, full-time employee in the investment industry, and a college student.

I personally understand the struggle of having a lot to lose and wondering if surgery would be the best option, even though I am typically very anti-surgery if it can possibly be avoided. I have a goal of losing 221 pounds from my starting weight. I started with MFP at my highest weight in June 2011. As of this morning, I have lost 98.7 pounds in 11 months doing nothing but using MFP to track my food every day and following it's nutritional goals and daily recommended calories...and a lot of prayers for strength along the way! I just joined a gym last week to help with muscle strengthening and toning as I lose the next 100+ pounds.

I had a check-up with my primary care doc last week, and as he commented and congratulated me on my progress, he told me how proud he was of me for losing the weight in a healthy, natural manner. Although there are certain medical exceptions where surgery is truly the best option, he talked about how most people could actually lose large amounts of weight on their own through food and exercise choices.

Now, to anyone on here and has had the surgery, believe me when I say that my coments are not meant to offend anyone. I simply hope to encourage others with a lot to lose that it really can be done without surgery and to pass along information as shared with me by my own physician.

Renee, I pray that you are successful in your weight loss endeavors and that you hear the voice of God speak clearly into your heart the direction and path that is best for your life!

If you're interested in following my blog, you can find it at: www.polyestertospandex.blogspot.com

Blessings!
Kimberly

You have proven you can lose weight without surgery. Keep up the good work, and don't stop.

I know people that have had the surgery - it worked for some, and didn't work for others. My personal opinion is that surgery is not necessary. While I like to believe that all doctors are ethical, the fact remains that it is the doctors that conduct the surgery that tend to recommend it...can they really be unbiased about their recommendations? They don't do the surgery for free - they make money doing it.

Again...you are losing weight the right way...keep doing it! It's not easy, but neither is the surgery option.

From a medical perspective, if you're losing weight without it...keep it up and wait on the surgery. Weight lost through exercise and diet is the best method and avoids all sorts of complications associated with surgery. For one, you avoid all the pain and recovery time and problems with enzymes and vitamin absorption issues. Gastric bypass patients aren't allowed to take NSAIDs, I don't know about you, but I'd miss the ability to take Advil when I really need it. Also, even after the surgery, you need to maintain the diet and portion control or it doesn't work and then things can really go wrong.

I'm not saying no one should have it done. But if you're at all able to lose weight on your own and avoid the surgery...that's definitely a better way to go.