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Bariatric Surgery?

Have any of you had this or thought about having it? At this point I am just really worried about my health, and haven't had much luck losing weight the "conventional" ways, so I'm considering it. Thoughts?
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Re: Bariatric Surgery?

  • I know it works for some people. A friend of mine had the surgery over two years ago and actually had skin reduction surgery yesterday afternoon. She also is mindful of what she eats and drinks, but I think this was a change she could handle whereas for her, at that stage in her life, conventional methods had not worked. I couldn't tell you if she had given conventional methods enough credit, but the surgery instigates a massive lifestyle change. My friend is doing really well with it, but I know FI's aunt had the same thing done and she's gaining weight back because she didn't change her habits.
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    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Bariatric Surgery? : Sticking to the program is essentially going to be the "conventional" way of losing weight that you've said you aren't able to do.   Why would you be able to stick to it after the surgery if you can't do it now?
    Posted by dumdumfroggie[/QUOTE]

    This.  Exactly.  You stick to the program after surgery because you have to.  If you just make yourself stick to it without surgery, you can lose the weight.  Weight loss surgery is something I personally have just never agreed with. 
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    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Bariatric Surgery? : Sticking to the program is essentially going to be the "conventional" way of losing weight that you've said you aren't able to do.   Why would you be able to stick to it after the surgery if you can't do it now?
    Posted by dumdumfroggie[/QUOTE]

    Right now I am just too hungry all the time. I do eat healthy food, I just eat too much of it because I end up being hungry. After the surgery I will still be working out, it will just be easier to feel full on less food.
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  • It has worked well for one out of the 5 people I know who had it done because generally people who arn't willing to lose weight the right way won't follow the lifestyle change required after the surgery. However it seems you have already decided you want to do it. There are actually 2 types of bariatic surgury, one is the "small tummy" which is 30 cc's or roughly the size of a medicine cup or the "large tummy" which is 240 cc's about the size of a cup. While the small tummy will cause a huge weightloss really fast the larger tummy over time following the diet will result in about the same weightloss. Large tummy is definitly the safest option, but you will not lose weight if you don't follow the program
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    [QUOTE]It has worked well for one out of the 5 people I know who had it done because generally people who arn't willing to lose weight the right way won't follow the lifestyle change required after the surgery. However it seems you have already decided you want to do it. There are actually 2 types of bariatic surgury, one is the "small tummy" which is 30 cc's or roughly the size of a medicine cup or the "large tummy" which is 240 cc's about the size of a cup. While the small tummy will cause a huge weightloss really fast the larger tummy over time following the diet will result in about the same weightloss. Large tummy is definitly the safest option, but you will not lose weight if you don't follow the program
    Posted by mollyehren[/QUOTE]

    Yeah, the place where I am going through screening offers 3 types, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, and lap band.
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  • I think TOO MANY people do this as a "Quick Fix" to the issue of wanting to be skinny, and thinking that would just fix all of their problems... 

    I also  think that a lot of people who have this surgery done, gain it all back, and sometimes even more...which is a serious health risk at that point, but it's because the underlying issue still remains....

    We all know that, aside from a medical condition that may cause us to gain weight, the reason we are all struggling with our weight is because we like food... or we like to eat....

    In this day and age, most anything we celebrate, a promotion at work, a birthday, anything, we celebrate it with.... food!!!

    If people use the surgery as a "quick fix" to make them lose weight, what do they learn from that??  How do they cope with the REAL issue of  plain ol' over eating??

    I also struggle myself with my weight, and dieting, and I personally would NEVER do the surgery unless I was told by a doctor that if I didnt I was gonna die!!  I would try anything and everything possible first!!!  But again, that is MY personal opinion!!

    Good luck to you! 
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  • I think it's healthier to do it the tough way (diet and exercise), but I do have a friend who has undergone the surgery.

    They partitioned her stomach so she physically can't eat as much as she could before. She has legitimately lost weight, but she looks extremely uncomfortable when she comes out to dinner with friends etc. because she has to be SO mindful of how much she is eating. She can also only drink so much liquid within a certain amount of time, which seems insane to me.

    Also, I'm sure she'd be losing more weight if she actually ate healthier and exercised. If you're not going to change your lifestyle after the surgery, why even bother getting it at all?

    I highly recommend just sticking to a healthy diet and regular exercise. I personally did medical weight loss about 4 years ago, and while I dropped 90 lbs in 7 months it was EXTREMELY unhealthy for me and the minute I started eating real food again I gained back almost all of the weight. Not to mention my hair drastically thinned (makes me want to cry!). Now I'm doing it the way I'm recommending. The weight is coming off painstakingly slow but I know that I'm setting myself up for a healthy LIFE (not just a quick fix).
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    [QUOTE]I know it works for some people. A friend of mine had the surgery over two years ago and actually had skin reduction surgery yesterday afternoon. She also is mindful of what she eats and drinks, but I think this was a change she could handle whereas for her, at that stage in her life, conventional methods had not worked. I couldn't tell you if she had given conventional methods enough credit, but the surgery instigates a massive lifestyle change. My friend is doing really well with it, but I know FI's aunt had the same thing done and she's gaining weight back because she didn't change her habits.
    Posted by heroeswearbrown[/QUOTE]

    Yeah I know a bunch of people who have had it (mainly coworkers) and it definitely doesn't work for everybody. A lot of them have gained the weight back. I met with a surgeon a while ago, and he stressed that the surgery doesn't lose the weight for you, you lose it yourself by sticking to the program. I also know people it is working for, so idk I'm just a little torn about it I guess. One the plus side my health insurance will pay for everything.
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    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Bariatric Surgery? : Yeah I know a bunch of people who have had it (mainly coworkers) and it definitely doesn't work for everybody. A lot of them have gained the weight back. I met with a surgeon a while ago, and he stressed that the surgery doesn't lose the weight for you, you lose it yourself by <strong>sticking to the program.</strong> I also know people it is working for, so idk I'm just a little torn about it I guess. One the plus side my health insurance will pay for everything.
    Posted by angele4200[/QUOTE]

    <div>Sticking to the program is essentially going to be the "conventional" way of losing weight that you've said you aren't able to do.  </div><div>
    </div><div>Why would you be able to stick to it after the surgery if you can't do it now?</div>
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  • I had lap band surgery about 8 years ago now.  I initially lost 100 pounds and have kept it off.  That certainly hasn't put me to goal weight, but has made me much more healthy and active.  It was a good choice for me and if you are thinking about bariatric surgery I recommend the banding, since there is no actual cutting of your stomach or any other organs - it felt safer for me. 

    It is a massive lifestyle change because you will have to eat much slower than a normal person, you will be very aware of what you are eating, and you will limit your liquid intake while eating...if you don't, your body will make you throw up.  So when people say, "If you can't do it now, what makes you think you will do it later?"  The answer is, because your body will physically not allow you to eat the same way post-surgery.

    I wish you the absolute best of luck in figuring out what you want to do and suggest finding some weight loss surgery (WLS) support boards or groups in your town so you can talk to people who have been through it.  The hospitals that offer the surgery usually also have support groups and meetings for people who are interested.  It's a great route to get all the information you need to make an informed decision!
  • I did the lap band and it is not a magic cure, I found that it did not work for me because I have alot of work to do on how I use found and how I relate to food.  I found that my problem is portion control and food choices, and that weight watchers works better for me.  as for restriction from the band, I never found that that was the case and became very discouraged.  I was upto 10cc in a10cc band and no restriction at all.
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  • Well I had to comment.. this is long :)

    I had a full gastric bypass 3 years ago.... I went from over 365lbs to 180 in about 9 months.  I had to lose 50lbs before surgery and be on a liquid diet for a month prior to surgery.  I lost 75 in a month and I was MISERABLE.  So now 3 years later I have gained some weight back but have held steady at 220.   I went from a size 30/32 to an XL top and size 16/18 pants.  I'm still not skinny by any definition of the word but I am HEALTHIER than I have ever been.  I was diabetic and had high blood pressure and I was only 27...   My blood pressure is actually LOW now and my diabetes is gone.

     I throw up at least twice a week - not from over eating but because my tummy is very sensitive.  I don't drink anything carbonated, limit portions and I simply cannot eat certain things becuse I know it will make me sick.  Any food that is too fatty is going to cause immediate discomfort.  I have a lot of extra skin around my waist and my arms and would probably lose a good 20lbs if it were gone but the pain and scarring isn't worth it to me. My FI loves me as I am ( i met him after I lost weight btw).  I was married when I had the surgery to an unsupportive jerk.  The weight loss gave me the confidence to realize how badly he treated me and move on with my life.   I was able to lose weight on my own before surgery - but I just couldn't keep the weight off.  Going on a diet for the rest of your life is difficult - but gastric bypass kind of forced me to have to tick to it - otherwise I pay a really big price.  

    The surgery itself was extremely painful afterwards, and 2 days after surgery - I caught C-DIF in the hospital and had to be admitted for another 7 days  If you don't know what C-DIF is - google it.  This surgery is not for everyone, I went through a lot of pre-screenings, psych evals and  met a lot with a dietician.  Anyone who thinks this was the easy way out is sadly mistaken. 
  • Oh my gosh - I got C-Diff after my surgery too. Only problem was that my Dr didn't properly diagnose it for 2 months...he kept saying that I must have a bug or maybe was lactose intolerant. Finally he figured it out and got me a prescription and that took care of things after a couple of weeks. That was the worst experience of my life...I was traveling for work a lot, which made it that much more miserable. They must really be heavy handed with the antibiotic or something during these surgeries??
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_bariatric-surgery?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:f4e6b0f9-673e-473c-8fa8-ffdc14cf6655Post:ec16101c-dff4-4fe7-abb4-ac717361ac82">Re: Bariatric Surgery?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Bariatric Surgery? : Right now I am just too hungry all the time. I do eat healthy food, I just eat too much of it because I end up being hungry. After the surgery I will still be working out, it will just be easier to feel full on less food.
    Posted by angele4200[/QUOTE]

    Best trick to fight that?  Drink a bottle of water 30 minutes before every meal.  Your stomach will fill full.
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  • I can't find the OP but I am going to post my opinion anyway, because that is what I do.
    This is a MAJOR surgery, and has risks involved. The only way this surgery will work is if you can commit to a lifestyle of healthy eating and regular exercise. If you are unable to do this now, this won't change after surgery. I had an aunt who had gastric bypass, but she didn't give up her poor eating habits and inactive lifestyle. She gained all of her weight back. Please do not think of this as an easy option. 
  • No, I wasn't on clarithromycin or any other antibiotic. The Dr said it was related to the antibiotic he used during surgery, before closing. As far as the comment about the WLS enforcing that the weight stays off...that's kind of the point of it! If I eat something I shouldn't or too rapidly, yes I do vomit (this isnt a regular occurrance, though) but it doesn't piss me off that the band caused me to vomit, rather it pisses me off that I have made a bad choice and caused my own discomfort when I should know better! This "enforcement" is why I chose WLS - so that the weight lost wouldn't be gained back. I truly respect those who are able to lose the weight on their own and if I really felt that I could have lost the weight and keep it off myself, I would have chosen that route, but I had been unsuccessful for so many years and always gained back more than I lost and was so unhappy that I had to make the best decision for me, and WLS ended up being that decision. To the OP, I'm not going to advocate WLS over losing weight naturally...that is something you wIll have to figure out for yourself after doing some research and soul searching, which is probably why you were asking the questions in the first place. I wish you the best of luck in figuring out what is right for you!!
  • I had bariatric surgery (rny) on September 19, 2011.  I have lost almost 70 lbs. and feel it is the best thing I have ever done for myself.  I was on cholesterol and high blood pressure meds with severe sleep apnea.  After only 3 months, I am done with all the meds and have gone from morbidly obese to moderately overweight.

    Gastric bypass surgery is not the easy way out, it is only a tool.  I have committed to eating slower, concentrating on low-carb high protein food, and maintaining an exercise program.  Yes, I would have lost weight had I committed to this lifestyle without the surgery, but it was too easy to "wait until Monday to start the next diet".   I never got there on my own, and this surgery reminds me what I need to do to maintain a healthier weight.

    It was not something I jumped into lightly.  I did a lot of research and had to meet with dieticians, multiple doctors and psychiatrists to decide if this was a lifestyle I would be able to maintain.

    I would do it again in a minute.
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    [QUOTE]I think TOO MANY people do this as a "Quick Fix" to the issue of wanting to be skinny, and thinking that would just fix all of their problems...  I also  think that a lot of people who have this surgery done, gain it all back, and sometimes even more...which is a serious health risk at that point, but it's because the underlying issue still remains.... We all know that, aside from a medical condition that may cause us to gain weight, the reason we are all struggling with our weight is because we like food... or we like to eat.... In this day and age, most anything we celebrate, a promotion at work, a birthday, anything, we celebrate it with.... food!!! If people use the surgery as a "quick fix" to make them lose weight, what do they learn from that??  How do they cope with the REAL issue of  plain ol' over eating?? I also struggle myself with my weight, and dieting, and I personally would NEVER do the surgery unless I was told by a doctor that if I didnt I was gonna die!!  I would try anything and everything possible first!!!  But again, that is MY personal opinion!! Good luck to you! 
    Posted by osubuckigrl78[/QUOTE]

    It's learrning with a dietitian, learning through experience, both good and bad, and experiencing the weightloss. One thing I found through it was myself. I didn't think that the fat made a difference, but it did. A big one. I was funny - at my own expense. I was the one with all the guy friends, because girls didn't find me a "risk."

    I had a RNY (traditional bypass) in 2004 and lost 230+ pounds. I need to remove some excess skin now, but other things are more important.
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    [QUOTE]Have any of you had this or thought about having it? At this point I am just really worried about my health, and haven't had much luck losing weight the "conventional" ways, so I'm considering it. Thoughts?
    Posted by angele4200[/QUOTE]

    My mother looked at all the options and ended up going with the lap-band because it's a much less invasive procedure, quick recovery time, and reversible.

    She's had quite a bit of success on it, losing 80lbs in the first year.  She could have lost weight quicker but they didn't fill her band as much so that slower weight loss would equal less need to fix saggy skin later.

    That being said, she then gained back 4 in the next year.  i think she got too confident in the magical powers of her surgery.  Sure, she can only eat so much food.  But when the food you but in your body is crap, the results are not generally going to be good.
  • I had a Duodenal Switch in September of 2003 and lost about 130 lbs. I've been playing with gaining and losing 10 - 20 since I got to my lowest. I didn't have any complications. Life is great. I would recommend that any one who is considering it, look into it. It's not right for everyone, but to me, it truly saved my life.
  • For me, I would never do it, and I would highly discourage someone I know from having the surgery. I've been part of a wellness program for just about a year now and have lost 50+lbs. I've got another 30 to go.

    My program includes a dietician, a counselor (with weekly one-one one sessions in the beginning, then group sessions after a month or so), and fitness trainers. The combination of these three things have have contributed to my permanent lifestyle change.

    It hasn't been quick by any means, and it's taken me about two months to lose the last three lbs, but I know I'll get there because of the lifestyle changes I've made.

    Someone said something about being on a diet for the rest of your life. That's where people falter. You can't think of leading a healthy lifestyle as "being on a diet". It's a change in lifestyle, which includes activity & mental wellness, not just food.

    I know people have had much success with these types of surgery, but I would do everyting in my power to try and lose the weight first before having the surgery. Ultimately, you have to make the decision for you.
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    [QUOTE]I think TOO MANY people do this as a "Quick Fix" to the issue of wanting to be skinny, and thinking that would just fix all of their problems...  I also  think that a lot of people who have this surgery done, gain it all back, and sometimes even more...which is a serious health risk at that point, but it's because the underlying issue still remains.... We all know that, aside from a medical condition that may cause us to gain weight, the reason we are all struggling with our weight is because we like food... or we like to eat.... In this day and age, most anything we celebrate, a promotion at work, a birthday, anything, we celebrate it with.... food!!! If people use the surgery as a "quick fix" to make them lose weight, what do they learn from that??  How do they cope with the REAL issue of  plain ol' over eating?? I also struggle myself with my weight, and dieting, and I personally would NEVER do the surgery unless I was told by a doctor that if I didnt I was gonna die!!  I would try anything and everything possible first!!!  But again, that is MY personal opinion!! Good luck to you! 
    Posted by osubuckigrl78[/QUOTE]

    I had a friend who had the surgery and yes she lost ALOT of weight very quickly but she has not really changed her eating habits and she has developed many health problems she never had before. The one big thing I have found that many who have the surgery don't take into account is that with less intake of food you have to be more selective with what you eat in order to get all the required nutrients and vitamins to keep you healthy.

    "<strong>I personally would NEVER do the surgery unless I was told by a doctor that if I didnt I was gonna die!!  I would try anything and everything possible first!!!"  </strong>---I completely agree!
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