When they advertise weight loss surgery by giving case histories, there is a small (well, maybe not so small) problem. Many patients die from the surgery which is supposed to induce an artificial case of anorexia so the patient either cannot eat much or as in the more invasive procedures like gastric bypass, cannot eat much and doesn't digest much of what they do eat.
One patient who had been followed since being featured on the first show in 2010, was a Haitian lady named Dominique Lanoise. Lanoise weighed in the 600 lbs range and was bed bound. From what is known about her, she was slim when younger and ended up having 6 children - she apparently gained after pregnancy.
She was a charming lady, who though bedbound, would sway to the music in her bed. The documentary showed her eating large amounts of food, rejecting the diet food (they put her on a 700 calorie diet in order to reduce her for surgery) and kidding with her daughters who adored their mother.
Dominique was convinced that a gastric bypass would save her life and be a quick fix for her obesity problems which she felt was out of her control, so she searched until she found a surgeon willing to operate on her, at her current weight.
She lost weight after surgery and was transferred to a rehab facility but two weeks later, she checked herself out and returned home. A couple of months later, she died, apparently from a heart attack which WLS afficionados assured us was "unrelated" to the surgery.
However, the nutrient shortage from the gastric bypass can raise the risk for heart attack significantly, because the heart is starved from essential nutrients, including protein. That seems the "elephant in the room" when one researches Dominque's story - certainly those providing weight loss surgery do not want to admit that this "life saving surgery" actually hastened her to an early death.
Another TLC patient, Donald, also had weight loss surgery. He was also around 600 or 700 lbs. Donald did try to move after surgery and do what the doctors told him to do. Patients are told that unless they make lifestyle changes (like dieting, counting calories and exercise), the surgery will not work for them. Ironically, those same changes will work for weight loss without invasive surgery.
But then, suddenly and mysteriously, Donald went into a coma and emerged with Guillan Barre or "French Polio" - which put him into a wheelchair. Disease after gastric bypass is common but again providers tell us it's unrelated to denying the body of proteins, fats and vitamins. Last seen, Donald was getting around in a wheelchair and rapidly regaining weight although trying to exercise it off - another myth one sees on TV - exercise doesn't take much weight off us - how well I know about that one. It does make us healthier but it's not really good for weight loss.
That some are still selling a surgery which hasn't been done for years on non obese patients, a surgery which the inventor thereof dropped in 1980 because of the high complication rate, truly amazes me.
There seems a conspiracy of silence among patients as well as providers. Patients who regain and live, are reluctant to tell about their surgeries because both the public and their doctors blame them for their gain. Patients who have become ill from the surgery and live long enough to be reversed and get back normal digestion, are often reluctant to talk about their bad experiences because new ops and providers can get mean to those who talk too negatively about weight loss surgery.
Patients are so sold on this surgery that until they get really ill, they refuse to admit that it has a high complication rate and a higher recidivism rate. When I began to research it in 1999, I was shocked that many studies were on line and told the truth openly, but patients were not reading the studies and only listening to new ops who were excited and seemingly successful. Even successful patients who have suffered difficult complications and talk about them in blogs, have taken a lot of criticism from "the community".
So people continue to jump on the table for a surgery which sounds like the ultimate cure because many do not encounter the "other side", i.e. the dark side especially if they do not have internet access or know where to look.
Informed consent information on all surgeries can be found at:
http://obesitysurgery-info.com
In conclusion, a friend of mine who weighs over 500 lbs but has refused weight loss surgery, says she's outlived 48 of her friends who had weight loss surgery.
23 comments:
I am first of all thrilled that you publicly claim a person who weighs over 500 pounds a friend. That is one of the stigmas of being overweight, that you are not "worthy of friends", especially people who aren't morbidly obese! Even when you have friends in public, you will most times find thin people with thin friends, and fat people with fat friends. That is because the thin people (most at least from what I have found), treat you like a freak of nature who has done this to yourself,not worthy of their time, nor attention.
Secondly, I am surprised, (or maybe I missed this), that you have not mentioned that they are now calling weight loss surgery a CURE for diabetes. I nearly flipped, when I saw this on of all sites, Dr. Mercola. I get it that Dr. Oz, though still respected, (unbelievably), sells himself out, but Dr. Mercola, the most radical of all naturalists? A CURE for diabetes???? What efficacy studies are they talking about, because the last time I read, the diabetes almost always comes back, regardless of the weight lost.
Finally, you are correct about people who have reversed the surgery are reluctant to talk about it, not because of the bad experiences, but because they again are considered of lower human value than people who would never need such a surgery. You are also incorrect in the fact that normal digestion comes back. Maybe with a lap band, but certainly not with the "gold standard", a Roux en y". You still suffer from malabsorption. Just not as bad. My digestive system will never be the same, and the surgery induced neuropathy gets worse each year. Soon, I won't be able to walk, and I DO NOT have diabetes, and never did have it.
I refuse to get weight loss surgery and I am near 500lbs. What makes me horrified is I suffer from medical problems that it would seem doctors would never push this surgery for, including digestive problems [now diagnosed as severe IBS technically] but includes projectile vomiting and days of bowel pain that necessitates medication] With my food allergies and other problems what would be left to eat? I will never do WLS, and I am probably what they consider one of the prime candidates...
1. Everything I know about nutrition, adds up to WLS being bad news, and I agree the lack of protein leads to some of these folks having heart attacks so soon after.
2. No decent answers to questions like, "I have serious blood sugar problems now, how will this NOT happen with weight loss surgery"?
3. No good answers related to my own personal difficulties with endocrine and hormonal illness. I know from times of severe illness when my caloric intake has dropped to lows either from my digestive problems for a week or infections for a longer period of time that no weight has been loss. So why would this work?
4. I believe I have MALABSORPTION PROBLEMS NOW. I go anemic all the time, low Vit D to the point of having to take 50,000 units once a week, low B vitamins-from B12 to B3 and other various problems in that arena never having had weight loss surgery.
5. I know so many people who have died from this surgery either on the table or the FIRST year after, I am horrified. This includes a 30 something year old woman at 300lbs who died right on the table, a friend who was near 500lbs and needed a respirator for days right after and then died only some months after, losing only 60-80lbs, but having other health problems include heart ones grow worse and worse, another supersized man in this case dying only a few months later, who had multiple complications and several others including the most severe diabetic I ever have known, who required amputations AFTER having had weight loss surgery.
I won't do it, I've had enough suffering in this life, That is what I tell the doctors, and I do think there are legions as to the silent of the real results. A few of the healthier types, may lose a first 100 or 150lbs if they are supersized but the regains are intense.
I've had enough digestive problems in life to know its not something you want to mess with.
I saw this woman who only weighed probably around 260lbs who was otherwise healthy and active get this surgery, and saw her mixing a powder with her coffee to just get it down. I shook my head. So much suffering.
Fat people deserve better then this. Now I am not one of those size acceptance idealogues who denies that weight can affect health, but we need something better. It's like they sat down and thought of the most suffering and torture they could bring to fat people and came up with this. Yeah I said it. Wonder what the doctors would think of that?
And it makes big big money.
Think about this tens of thousands of dollars for WLS--what's the average cost, 60,000? half the price of a house, and we don't even have centers that any fat people can afford to go to for help with their weight outside of ones like Duke for the extremely wealthy?
Ponder that one a bit.....
Hi all
I am a two times weight loss surgery patient. I had the band 5 years ago that did not work for me and I had that removed 2 years ago and a sleeve performed. I am now 52kgs lighter. I was Diabetic on medication and with a fatty liver, polycystic ovaries and metabolic disorder. My deck of cards were stacked against me. I was killing myself with my weight. As a mother of 4 active boys I needed to ensure I would be around for my kids and grandkids.
I am off the medication and my liver has returned to normal. I no longer have back ache or hip pain and feel amazing. I did completely change my lifestyle in the final year of my band and joined a gym started running and have continued doing both.
So yes the surgery helped but it was a tool, how I used it was up to me. I didnt view it as a "cure" either. Yes I agree its not all plain sailing I did lose a lot of hair due to malabsorbtion at the very beginning. I have to watch what I eat to ensure I have a balanced diet. I do suffer from dumping syndrome which can be very very painful and 2 of the other 8 people I personally know who had the surgery are the same.
However if you ask any one of them if they would do it again they would answer with a resounding yes.
It isnt for everyone I agree and I would never push anyone towards it. Mine was a long journey to prepare myself Psychologically to a huge change in my lifestyle and to change my relationship with food.
My kids now have a mother who cycles with them and will go on fair rides instead of standing at the side watching. I swim and we run marathons together.
I have no idea what the future holds like I say I am 2 years in but I am a qualified PT now and my whole family are fitter and more active. What I do know is my fatty liver isnt being flogged trying to produce enough insulin, my joints are not struggling to keep me upright, my heart isnt racing at the thought of a flight of stairs. How can that be a negative.
To Lady LeFeu, Your message is very wise but I guess I'm wondering why you felt you needed surgery at all when it was the changes in your life you made that took off the weight and fixed your liver etc. You did admit that even WITH all the work you are putting in (and yes, as Dr Terry Simpson says, "success with WLS is 10 percent the surgery and 90 percent the patient"), you still have malabsorption issues and a worry about what the future may hold as you are yet an early patient. You also have to deal with dumping syndrome which you described as "very painful".
That most folks who have had WLS say they'd do it again is understandable - to admit one may have made a poor choice in a surgery which "cripples the digestive system" as Dr Fox, a WLS surgeon puts it, and is not reversible, is hard to do because surgery is a forever choice. I've seen many folks who are very sorry they had the surgery but it takes them getting very ill from it to be able to admit it.
We don't know the long term on the sleeve - it's much less invasive than the gastric bypass but I suspect protein deficiency and other things usually digested in the stomach which are no longer digested there, might be a long term problem. It's a risk that many, understandably, don't want to take.
I also noticed that you are a runner who does marathons - this in addition to your lifestyle changes is what took off the weight rather than having changes done to your digestive tract. There actually is a treatment in which the person gets hypnotized and is told they have had weight loss surgery which can be quite effective. Running burns a lot of calories, true but as you age, you will no longer be able to do workouts like that and will have to depend solely on what you eat to keep off the weight.
If there are no more immediate issues with the sleeve (am surprised to hear that "dumping" is an issue - I didn't know this), the long term of any gastrectomy includes malabsorption, esophagal issues and more. None of which are fun but all of which tend to encourage the eating of things which "go down" easily like cake and ice cream and which are very caloric.
As I mentioned, they don't know the long term on the gastric sleeve since it's such a new procedure and as you found out with the adjustable lap band which was the miracle procedure of the early 2000's, it can have a dark side in the long run. Keep up the hard work and keep up the good nutrition - health trumps thin, any day of the week. Also when you have to quit running (that tends to tear up the hip joints - as an orthopedist told me - her most prevalent hip replacement clients are 40 year old runners), understand you will have to log your food or you WILL regain. Counting "points" is easier than calories, trust me in this.
This is exactly why this surgery is generally not recommended. Because of the issues in the long run of any modification of the digestive system. One of the patient members of my WLS listserve had a plain stapling... that didn't take out most of the stomach as is done in the "sleeve" but just called for stapling across the stomach... she was found deceased, having choked to death (esophageal issues)... yes, even with that non invasive surgery.
I am on calorie restriction alone (Weight Watchers ) to control my severe GERD and it does work well to do that however, even WITH a normal stomach and FULL absorption, I find it's a lot of work to make sure on that amount which is not that restrictive like 1400-1500 calories a day, to get in the protein and other nutrients I need. So even calorie restriction alone is not a walk in the park. I can only imagine that it seems to make things harder, adding the issues of a modified stomach to the mix and dealing with that. I wish you the best in the future with your surgery.
I am 47 had VSG at 41. I am 5'3 and 235. Lowest was 189 and at surgery 305. Highest 355 plus. I HAD diabetes now it's gone. My bloid pressure was normal at 189 but now I am on meds again. I started eating sugar again and that put the weight on quickly. Thar surgery saved my life. I could not walk or even remotely be close to happy. Food is not happiness; it's a drug for people that are afraid to live and be hurt. I was that person. WLS works and works well for those committed to their own success. It's not for anyone deluding themselves that this is a quick fix for life.
As a medical researcher, please try an unbiased review of the literature regarding running. Your orthopedist friend is extremely misinformed. Cartilage actually thrives under the pressure of running. The vast majority of total joint replacements are performed on folks who have been overweight their entire life, not on runners. It may be counterintuitive, but the research in favor of running's benefits is overwhelming.
My heart breaks for everyone who suffers with morbid obesity & an addiction to food so powerful that eating is a non stop obsession! With only a 5% long term success rate, I have to wonder if gastric bypass should be the choice for most morbidly obese people? I have a dear friend who had lap band surgery then GP. She lost weight for a while but now she's heavier than she's ever been & she admits she eats more than ever. Its really sad! The possibility of a 500+ pound, immobile person living into their 60s is slim. However, the same stats are true for a heroin addict & an alcoholic who drinks a gallon of vodka every day! Anything to extreme excess is not what our bodies were designed for. My prayers go out to everybody who struggles with addictions to whatever substance! In this case, the addiction is food & eating WAY too much of it! The saying, "eat less, move more" is easier said than done when you've eaten your way up to 500+ pounds!
First, thanks to all for reading this blog and commenting - it is appreciated. To answer some of the latest comments:
To kslrdzins, who had gastric sleeve weight loss surgery - if you are 5'3" and 235 lbs, you are still clinically obese - so, no the surgery did not save your life and if you don't embark on a healthy program of diet and exercise, the surgery will likely TAKE your life sooner because of the added medical issues you get after Weight Loss surgery which you did not have to suffer when before surgery. My husband has a cousin who up until a couple of years ago, have a BMI exceeding 70 (she appears to have lost some weight recently but still is likely clinically obese) and she just had her 80th birthday - other than a hip replacement, she's doing well. It's a myth-conception that obesity alone is deadly - that's a hard sell because weight loss surgery is a huge cash cow for the providers.
to P.T. Crew.. With all due respect, I've read many books on exercise, many articles and I would believe an Orthopedic surgeon who had done multiple joint replacement surgeries on 40 year old runners over someone like you, who doesn't even bother identifying yourself with a profile description or photo.Running is an inappropriate exercise (because of the stress on the joints) for most folks unless they weigh less than 115 lbs. With every running step, you put 4 times the impac of your weight on your hips and knees so do the math. Best exercise - low impact aerobics which lightly stresses the joints combined with non impact exercise like swimming or a rider or glider machine. While individual cases are not really significant, they are of some interest... I am 70 years old and have had no joint replacements despite the familial osteoarthritis I've had since the age of 9 (nearly everyone in my side of the family has it). Exercise is like other things - you need to do it after a certain amount of education. The calorie burn is the least important - because for those with genetic obesity or otherwise messed up metabolisms (I have both), exercise does not take weight off us however it DOES make us stronger and healthier IF we exercise intelligently. That involves reading and studying a lot. When I embarked on a daily exercise program, I not only read a lot of books but also all the articles in the Fitness and Muscle mags for several years. I was clinically obese (wt 230-267, height 5'5") until I was 64 at which time, due to the illness of a dearly loved one, I lost my appetite and discovered by serendipity that caloric restriction (not weight loss) caused my severe GERD to go into remission. I actually didn't think I'd lose any weight since I'd tried multiple diets and programs etc (was unwilling to have weight loss surgery as I've known too many people who died from it and if they didn't die, they gained back the weight). However, in forcing myself to eat what Weight Watchers said I should eat daily, I had no GERD, remained healthy (had been making healthy food choices for years - no fast food or junk food etc) and ended up losing 114 lbs, 104 lbs of which I've kept off now for 5 years. (Weigh 163 now and it seems to stay pretty steady) And still no GERD. I like being this weight but felt fine at the higher weights (have been exercising daily cardio and resistance since 1994) with the exception of suffering severe GERD - was born with a hiatal hernia. The bottom line with GERD is, like many WLS patients I have difficulty swallowing... but keep in mind, this NEVER worked to help me lose weight... digestive problems are merely annoying and painful but do not keep off weight in the long run which is another reason why I feel weight loss surgery is a very bad idea for most folks - I didn't have a choice with my digestive problems - but had I had a choice, I would never choose it! So creating artificial digestive problems with weight loss surgery is something people should really re-think before signing on the dotted line. To help eating disorders, we work in the brain and not the mutilation of our digestive tract. JMO
I commend you for your dedication to fitness, and I am very happy you have found the best types of exercise for yourself. However, reading lots of books and articles are not necessarily the best sources for determining running is "an inappropriate exercise" as you put it. That is a very pervasive old wives' tale. With all due respect, you attack me for no reason. My name is Amy Anderson and I am quite happy to give you my credentials. I have a doctor of physical therapy degree and I work with orthopedists daily. I am not anonymous, but my name does not pop up on Google+ because I don't typically comment. In my 16 years of clinical practice, I have never seen a 40-year-old receive a knee replacement, as you state twice in your comments. It is extremely rare for doctors to even consider performing knee replacements on 40-year-olds because they would need multiple revisions, destroying more and more bone each time. I would truly love to discuss why your orthopedist friend would even consider doing joint replacements on people that age. His or her claim also lacks credibility because even if running were the cause of arthritis, it would not progress enough by age 40 to cause a problem requiring such extreme surgery. http://www.thearthriticknee.info/2009/04/too-young-for-knee-replacement.html is an interesting commentary on that issue. I am not being a smart alec, these are truly the facts and your orthopedist would not be able to deny the veracity of my statements. Just because I do not automatically have my credentials pop up on your blog, does not mean you need to attack me. You are quite sure of your opinions, but you have completely closed your mind to the possibility that you do not possess all of the answers. I trust the vast number of orthopedists that I consult with every month, as well as over 12 years of training in my field, over your research from books and magazines, which you state as fact. Your closed-minded beleifs keep you from the beautiful possibilities of growing and learning from others. Good day, ma'am, and allow yourself to be challenged, because this is how we all learn. I am glad that you are encouraging folks not to undergo WLS, I am thrilled you have found low-impact exercise that makes you happy and I wish you the best.
to Amy Anderson: With all due respect, I don't think you can accurately comment on the number of joint replacements done in 40 year old runners, like an orthopedic surgeon can do who has actually done these and was speaking from her years of experience - just as the surgeon may not have the knowledge of exercise that you have. I respect all opinions including yours and I thank you for reading and commenting on my blog. Even if you did call me "closed minded" - you do have a right to your opinion! :)
I wont speak on Gastric Bypass as I have no experience with it.
I have a lap band though and choosing to have it implanted 5+ years ago has been one of the best decisions of my life.
For someone who doesn't have a food addiction it may seem unnecessary but for someone struggling with a psychological pull toward eating (even to excess) having a tool to help prevent over-eating is very useful.
I've lost over 160 lbs and am going strong.
I don't advocate all WLS or even the lap band for everyone. For me though it has been a true blessing.
Please don't condemn all WLS as if its the same for every person.
It is an individual thing so don't dog something just because it may not be for you.
Christy Strickland, there is a world of difference between the lap band and any of the bypass surgeries or even the sleeve. The band has its drawbacks but nothing like the other surgeries. I'm not condemning the surgeries - but trying to portray the "other side" which usually is the "elephant in the room" so to speak. With the lap band, if you do not diet and exercise, you don't lose weight and I've known lots of lap banders who either lost very little weight or gained it back. That you have lost 160 lbs and kept it off, is mostly to YOUR credit and not the surgery - I am a lifetime weight watcher who has now kept off 104 lbs for 5 years but I have noticed that everyone who keeps weight off with surgery does exactly what I do - count calories or points plus and exercise - my favorite lap band surgeon says "success with WLS is 10% the surgery and 90% the patient" and I've found this to be true of the scores of patients I've known since I got involved in the research and support groups etc. Congrats on your great weight loss and best of luck in the future for keeping off the weight - thanks for reading my blog.
In 2006, I weighed 420 pounds. I could barely climb the stairs and no longer could climb a ladder to perform household improvements like painting, etc.. Walking around was very hard on my legs and back, and I would be out of breath after only a few steps and in pain.
I was taking two high-blood-pressure medications, one asthma medication, and had to use a sleep apnea machine at night.I was taking thyroid medication because I was Hypo. My doctor diagnosed me as border-line diabetic.
I felt that if I didn’t try to lose the weight, I would end up dead. At first, I tried dieting by eating only salads for lunch without dressing, no eating between meals.
However, I was not eating breakfast, and would eat a portion-controlled dinner. I managed to drop her weight down to 366 pounds.
But then my husband went into the hospital for a medical problem at the same time that I was working full time, while going back to school part time. My busy schedule caused me to regain weight to 400 pounds.
Shortly after my graduation from college in 2007, I attended a bariatric surgery information session. I started attending the mandatory presurgery program. I went to meetings and weigh-ins, and used the journal provided by the program to keep track of my daily meals. Also, before you could join program, you had to attend Counseling classes with a Psychiatrist.
Eventually I used an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my daily goals, including eating habits, steps on my pedometer, exercise, and protein. Slowly, I started to see the weigh come off as I had more days at or below the targeted 1,200 calorie goal.
After five months, I weighed 400 pounds and was approved for surgery.
In February of 2009, I had my gastric bypass procedure. We were required to eat our protein food choice before any other food. I was faithful and did whatever they requested of me. During the year following my surgery, I lost 150 pounds and was feeling much better. Some of my exercises included walking in place while watching TV, walking around the parking lot at lunch, and walking during breaks at work.
During the second year after surgery, I worked very hard, and lost another 100pounds, bringing my weight down to 150 pounds. I have successfully kept this weight off for the last 6 years!
I no longer have high blood pessure, not pre-diabetic, thyroid condition cured and no sleep apnea!!
Now, what i have given up for the last 6 years are the following:
no soda, no fast food, no fried food, all desserts. I don't miss any of those choices. I eat a Mediterranean Diet Plan. I walk everyday. I park the car across the parking lot and walk a distance to wherever I am going. I move every chance I get. People who fail on this plan are the people who do not follow their Dr's requests. It's a no-brainer, eat what you want/ignore your Drs' requests/live a crappy Life/possibly die OR eat healthy, follow your Drs requests amd have this most amazing Life! I chose the latter.
Bariatric surgery saved my Life and in the process, gave me a new Life - a better Life. I would do it again without hesitation. I am
healthier than ever.
There were 50 people in my bariatric class and all but 3 have kept the weight off and had a successful surgery. Those that didn't succeed, were the ones that went back on old eating habits. They didn't accept change.
Someone asked if I was a physician... you don't need to be a physician to read the internet or observe your friends and many others dying from these procedures or getting very sick, and anyone who is involved with the weight loss surgery community, knows the picture of post op successes, weight loss wise, past the first couple of years is poor. Sadly, the surgery also starts causing repercussions. Most surgeons are doing the sleeve gastrectomy now - gastrectomies are much safer procedures than those procedures which bypass the stomach and bowel - best for the surgeons, the repercussions on gastrectomies can start much later than those from gastric bypass etc - my best friend in life had a gastrectomy (VBG which is not done anymore but similar to a gastric sleeve only it left more stomach). First of all, by 11 years post op, she had regained all her weight but the worst thing was she had all kinds of repercussions because the digestive system is NOT MADE to be cut up like that... she died much too early, at the age of 53 - the surgery likely cut 20 years off her life! Her husband found her dead one morning - it was that quick. The years after the 11th year post op, were very difficult for her but she courageously spoke out to save others from these procedures. We only can lose weight by surgery on the brain because we didn't get fat because our digestive system worked ... I am 71 and have kept off my weight in a healthy manner (weight watchers) since 2010. If you are considering surgery, please reconsider - the sleeve is safer than the bypass but it's not reversible. Our stomachs are a certain size probably because nature needed that which is why the inventor of WLS, stopped doing all procedures and advocated going on programs like Weight Watchers. Just saying...
I am reading many of the messages left on this site and I felt compelled to volunteer some information to you all regarding people I have known who have had the Bypass Surgery (myself included.) 5 teachers that I work with and myself decided to have this procedure done. We were all suffering from high blood pressure, joint disease, diabetes, intestinal problems, thyroid problems, etc. All of us have done very well after the surgery. We have all kept our weight off. We do not eat fast food, sugar/desserts, soda, - in other words, we eat very healthy now. One teacher lost 450 lbs, she is down to 125. She has joined a Gym and just recently met a male friend. She is very happy with her new body and life. Weight puts a tremendous strain on the body, especially the heart and joints. One of the teachers who had diabetes 2 w/daily insulin no longer has the diabetes problem - no more daily insulin! This is a wonderful surgery IF people follow the Drs instructions. The problem with overweight people is that they can't change their food choice habits. Being overweight is very dangerous - why would someone want to do that to themselves?
Sandra, If you have a gastric bypass, I suggest you consider getting your bypass reversed before the long term repercussions hit you. In the UK where the government pays for health care, they force a reversal within 3 years of the procedure or so. And overweight people CAN change their food choices... if you have kept off the weight it's mostly the work YOU are doing ... you said you'd lost a bunch of weight and then, gave up when the stress happened. One person I heard on TV said when he got the cravings, he studied Hebrew and in time, became a Hebrew scholar! That's kind of what you have to do, to divert your attention from food cravings. The fact that only 7% of gastric bypass patients can keep off the weight (just 2% higher than those without surgery) and that a WLS surgeon friend of mine says "success with weight loss surgery is 10% the surgery and 90% the patient" shows that the work is really done by you and that works without surgery. I know - I have been keeping off 1-6 lbs since March 2010 using the Weight Watchers program - no surgery but believe it, it's a fight on a daily basis. As Beverly Sills has said "there is no easy road to a place worth going to". thanks for your comment. Sue
Sandra, that's 106 lbs I'm keeping off... not sure why it didn't print right. Couldn't be my error... lol
Sue, I am happy for your weight loss. Really, for anyone who successfully takes it off. My Gastric Bypass was done 11 years ago - no problems. I had a problem absorbing Vitamin B, but it has been corrected. I couldn't be happier. I am down to 120-126 lbs from 475lbs. With the initial weight loss, I gained some very healthy results such as, thyroid condition gone (no more meds), High Blood pressure gone ( I average between 117 -120 over 70), no more sore joints, sleep apnea gone, pre-diabetes gone - just this wonderful feeling of being healthy. I realize not everyone is the same - but for me and the group of teachers I work with - this was "Life changing!" People ask me about it and I tell them, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I think people have to find what works for them. I respect Weight Watchers - but I know people who have failed on that program. Again, people have to find what works for them. Bottom line, being overweight is not healthy. No one should become complacent with being overweight - find something that works for you!
Thanks again Sue for your input.
Sandra, if you are down to 120 lbs, you may be suffering malnutrition - sounds like you have lost too much weight. You should be seeing a gastro enterologist on a regular basis with that surgery - that way if something IS going wrong, you will catch it before it's too late. I get that you are happy with the weight loss - most folks are until the repercussions of the RNY start biting them. I've have too many friends who did not get medical help in time and succumbed to the surgery. PLEASE CONSIDER A TAKEDOWN!!! You will still have restriction because it will become effectually a sleeve gastrectomy but you will likely GREATLY lengthen your lifespan.
Although I have NO OPINION regarding WLS for anyone, I DO KNOW FOR A FACT that Amy Anderson is 1000% correct about knee replacements!!!
I am currently 46, have NEVER been a runner, but have always been a bit overweight. 5'9 165-190lbs and have always had bad knees!
4 years ago, while waiting at a red light, I was rear ended at a HIGH rate of speed. This caused my knees to smash into the dashboard.
As I said, I had always had bad knees. I guess just from years of being a "Tom boy" playing football etc. Anyway, my Left knee was basically destroyed! I had 5 different surgeries, by 5 different Dr.s and I had NUMEROUS 2nd opinions. ALWAYS, after EACH SURGERY, I was told, " you NEED a knee replacement, but you are TOO YOUNG!"
It did finally get to the point where I DID have to have a replacement, but I CAN TELL YOU FIRST HAND.....IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FINDING A DR. THAT WOULD DO IT!!!!
Even at the hospital, IN PRE-OP, the Dr who was doing the procedure said to me, "This surgery is designed for 70 year old ladies, NOT 40 year old ladies!
While I am NOT trying to attack ANYONE, I just felt compelled to add to the debate about ANY Dr. Replacing 40 year old knees, simply because someone is a runner!
If MY knee, which was DESTROYED in a car accident was THAT HARD to get replaced, I just can't fathom RUNNERS lining up for Knee replacements!
Sorry, I KNOW I GOT OFF TOPIC! Didn't mean to offend anyone, just felt Amy Anderson was correct, and needed SOMEONE in her corner. 😁
To "in my opinion ", the surgeon only replaced knees and/or hips when it was medically needed. Her point was apparently many runners NEED joint replacements around the age of 40 or so. Just clarifying this...
The documentary about Dominique Lanoise was shown on UK TV last night. It was the first I knew about her. I was very moved by the whole tragedy. What doesn't seem to have been addressed too much anywhere (either in the documentary or comments on blogs/websites) is the fact that Dominique's food addiction was barely addressed. I wonder if she could have got through this if she'd been 'detoxed' under strict supervision with full emotional and psychological support throughout. I hope lessons have been learnt. Love, light & peace to all sufferers, Jeanette H, Manchester, England
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