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I don't think it is an easy way out, more like a dumb way out.
Before you get surgery, you have to show you are committed by losing weight. But if you can lose weight on your own, why do you need surgery? You don't.
WLS is a tool, a drastic and barbaric one, imo.
I lost over 150lbs without WLS. It isn't rocket science. Once I stopped lying to myself about how much I was eating and committed myself fully to weight loss, the pounds came off. I didn't follow any crash diet or fad diet or eat only cabbage soup. I didn't spend hours on end at the gym. I just learned to eat less of whatever I wanted and count calories. Forget surgery and get on My Fitness Pal. Use the diary, recipe calculators, the community. Way cheaper than WLS and your guts aren't irreversibly altered for the worse.
Location: Los Angeles>Little Rock>Houston>Little Rock
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OP, you can research the different kinds of bariatric surgery at BariatricPal - Weight Loss Surgery Forums & Support Community. After reading the research and articles you can read through the forums for real life patient perspectives and make up your own mind.
I can only tell you what I've seen from my sister-in-law who had such surgery.
She's put on half the weight back, her internal system with regards to eating is all messed up, and she hasn't taken any true steps to better herself through stricter dieting and exercising. Now, I say this not as a woman, and not truly comprehending what it's like to battle through dieting for years and the scale only showing that you are a yoyo. That mental anguish must be extremely difficult.
There are always risks from surgery. My wife's grandmother died on the operating table from a ridiculously simple toe surgery. There is staff infection. There is post surgical infection.
As an armchair quarterback so to speak, I would always try to guide a person to find it in themselves to work extremely hard losing weight naturally. I'm not saying you may ever look like a model, but I truly believe through research that even with genetical issues (which are real), you can work hard and make huge progress. It's not easy, it never is. Athletes who are in the best of shape (pros, Olympians) work extremely hard. I'm a 56 year old male. Once I had a weight issue, that being when I turned 27 and my metabolism changed and I put on 25 pounds "overnight". Since then, through many hard years of working at it, exercise and logical eating is part of my daily lifestyle, and I'm at the weight I was when I got married 35 years ago. It has not been easy motivating myself, as I could easily be an over eating couch potato. But I just continue to work hard at it.
Would your journey be harder? I bet it would. But I am not a believer in quick outs, or fad diets, or someone telling you their way IS the way. You need to find what works for you. Trial and error. I would think very hard before going the surgical route. A healthy lifestyle is a combination of a mindful diet and exercise, the higher % focus on eating.
I don't think it is an easy way out, more like a dumb way out.
Before you get surgery, you have to show you are committed by losing weight. But if you can lose weight on your own, why do you need surgery? You don't.
WLS is a tool, a drastic and barbaric one, imo.
I lost over 150lbs without WLS. It isn't rocket science. Once I stopped lying to myself about how much I was eating and committed myself fully to weight loss, the pounds came off. I didn't follow any crash diet or fad diet or eat only cabbage soup. I didn't spend hours on end at the gym. I just learned to eat less of whatever I wanted and count calories. Forget surgery and get on My Fitness Pal. Use the diary, recipe calculators, the community. Way cheaper than WLS and your guts aren't irreversibly altered for the worse.
Sorry if I offended anyone about saying its the easy way out. Based on what I read, I know its a VERY difficult journey afterwards. Your life really isnt the same anymore, it is very restrictive. I read personal stories and some of them were so extreme that they had to go to therapy. Eating just isnt the same and causes an emotional break down.
The only reason I said it was an easy way out is because like someone mentioned you have to lose weight 2 weeks prior to surgery, and if someone is able to lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks, why cant they just keep on going? If they werent able to lose anything in 2 weeks, that would make sense. I know it has to do with motivation. The surgery motivates them to lose lbs for the procedure, otherwise they wouldnt qualify.
I dont know what I am saying anymore, I just know that its not for me. I should stop thinking about it because I cant live with the restrictive style for the rest of my life. No, I dont live to eat but I really want to enjoy those special occasions where I dont have to worry about being sick after the second bite. Kudos to those who have had it and maintained the lifestyle. I know it takes a lot of willpower. Its just not for me.
Sorry if I offended anyone about saying its the easy way out. Based on what I read, I know its a VERY difficult journey afterwards. Your life really isnt the same anymore, it is very restrictive. I read personal stories and some of them were so extreme that they had to go to therapy. Eating just isnt the same and causes an emotional break down.
The only reason I said it was an easy way out is because like someone mentioned you have to lose weight 2 weeks prior to surgery, and if someone is able to lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks, why cant they just keep on going? If they werent able to lose anything in 2 weeks, that would make sense. I know it has to do with motivation. The surgery motivates them to lose lbs for the procedure, otherwise they wouldnt qualify.
I dont know what I am saying anymore, I just know that its not for me. I should stop thinking about it because I cant live with the restrictive style for the rest of my life. No, I dont live to eat but I really want to enjoy those special occasions where I dont have to worry about being sick after the second bite. Kudos to those who have had it and maintained the lifestyle. I know it takes a lot of willpower. Its just not for me.
Well, I can't tell you anything first hand about weight-loss surgery but I sure can about trying to get to and maintain a healthy weight through diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle, and I can concur wholeheartedly about how hard that is. It's a slow process, squashing those cravings when you love to eat as much as I do is mind-boggling sometimes. But it gets to be a habit, looking and feeling so much better provides motivation to keep going, and you are not on a timetable to be "the biggest loser", you will get to your personal best when you get there and you are improving as you work towards that goal.
And you can even enjoy that special occasion or event, have that high calorie meal loaded with carbs, or a special dessert once in a while, then go right back to eating healthy, exercise and it won't derail you from your healthy lifestyle.
My two sisters had wls. Both believe the surgery saved their lives but one sister is more successful in maintaining the weight loss than the other because she is totally committed to a new life style. But even the heavier sister is glad she had the surgery.
I don't see why anyone would go through the surgery unless they were facing a near certain death and this massive weight loss could help.
from reading your notes my guess is that you probably should stick to calorie counting and exercise.
Sorry if I offended anyone about saying its the easy way out. Based on what I read, I know its a VERY difficult journey afterwards. Your life really isnt the same anymore, it is very restrictive. I read personal stories and some of them were so extreme that they had to go to therapy. Eating just isnt the same and causes an emotional break down.
The only reason I said it was an easy way out is because like someone mentioned you have to lose weight 2 weeks prior to surgery, and if someone is able to lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks, why cant they just keep on going? If they werent able to lose anything in 2 weeks, that would make sense. I know it has to do with motivation. The surgery motivates them to lose lbs for the procedure, otherwise they wouldnt qualify.
I dont know what I am saying anymore, I just know that its not for me. I should stop thinking about it because I cant live with the restrictive style for the rest of my life. No, I dont live to eat but I really want to enjoy those special occasions where I dont have to worry about being sick after the second bite. Kudos to those who have had it and maintained the lifestyle. I know it takes a lot of willpower. Its just not for me.
Well, I guess I learned most everything I know about weight loss surgery ( not much, LOL) from watching episodes of "My 600 Pound Life", so that is my disclaimer here, I guess. But as I understand it, it seems requiring a candidate for weight loss surgery to lose some weight prior to the surgery ( seems to be in the range of 30-75 lbs on that show depending on the initial weight of the candidate), might be to get them into the range where weight loss surgery is less risky, and also to see if they have the motivation and discipline to stick to a weight loss diet which they certainly will have to maintain after the surgery.
I've wondered too where it seemed patients on that show lost significant weight loss in order to qualify for the surgery, why they could not keep going with the diet and not have the surgery. But I'd figure with the amount of weight they have to lose-and there we are talking about patients who need to lose 250 +++ pounds, it would be much more difficult without the surgery and most wouldn't do it.
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