Weight loss surgery

[kwelz]

Maybe this isn't the best place to ask this but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained right?

Has anyone here ever had any kind of weight loss surgery? Maybe a family member?

I am giving it some strong consideration after a number of other attempts at losing weight have failed. Frankly I am at the worst shape I have ever been in my life and am almost to the point of desperation here. So I am giving this some serious consideration.

[Firefly]

Do what you can to lose it healthy and properly. Consult your doc and have a real man to man with him. Everybody goes through this. Life happens. I was waif then, then toned, then looked like a pro wrestler, then a Falcons lineman, now I look like Stan from American Dad. Was in real good shape but age and Pibb and Mexican food got to me.

Stress plays a lot. The Fitness forum people helped me here and there with some injury questions.

You're not alone. Try to do it natural if possible.

Good luck. You only quit when you give up.

[sewvacman]

I have not had anything done but know people who have. The fact is you are going to have to change your diet, there is no other way around it. If you get lap band or gastric sleeve then you will be forced to change your diet in an extreme way so why not keep trying to lose it naturally. I, my wife and mother-in-law got healthier using Advocare products and following their meal plans.
https://www.advocare.com/24daychalle...lPlanning.aspx
I say healthier because even though the girls lost weight I actually gained 10lbs but it was all muscle(because I worked out as well as dieted). The appetite control vitamins helped me not snack all day but the high protein, low carb diet itself makes the biggest difference.
Maybe start slow so you don't let yourself down taking on everything at once. Try only drinking water from now on, then after that is no longer difficult to do move on to no eating after 7pm or switch out sugary snacks with a piece of celery or a carrot. A single change is not as hard as a whole lifestyle change and small victories can add up to big weight loss over time.
Best of luck to you. It gets easier when you get into the swing of it.

[chuckman]

First, consult an expert who can help you manage with diet and exercise. I mean, like someone who can tailor your diet and exercise, not a cookie-cutter one-size-fits-all approach. After you have exhausted all non-surgical options, then look for a surgical option. Take a look at this website for more info:

https://asmbs.org/

Just know, bariatric surgery is not a cure-all nor panacea; their are a lot of potential side effects and bad things that can happen.

[TommyG]

I have just started working with a legit trainer and it has made a world of difference. He did exactly what Chuckman describes. I had to provide him with health history and the whole bit. He set up a meal plan and workout plan designed just for me. It is working. I have been able to loose weight at will to a point and then I hit a wall. I am four weeks in on this plan and blew through the wall this past week. I feel better than I have in years and am also feel like I am getting stronger every time I go to the gym. I would give it a serious go before considering surgery. You are going to have a meal plan for that too and I would bet it is not nearly as satisfying as what I am eating now.

[WillBrink]

Maybe this isn't the best place to ask this but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained right?

Has anyone here ever had any kind of weight loss surgery? Maybe a family member?

I am giving it some strong consideration after a number of other attempts at losing weight have failed. Frankly I am at the worst shape I have ever been in my life and am almost to the point of desperation here. So I am giving this some serious consideration.

Member here, Hmac, does that for living. He'll be the guy to ask.

[OH58D]

OP, no one in my family but there's a co-worker of my wife at her hospital who had the Gastric Sleeve surgery. Done by some Doctor in Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada. This was done @ a year ago. So far he has lost about 85 lbs. It seems the weight loss happens rather steadily over months but then starts to slow down. You're also drinking a lot of protein drinks from what I have been told.

In addition to the smaller stomach (which they call a pouch), there are some other changes that take place. This guy was a Coca Cola drinker, and now he has no taste for it. He tells my wife it taste bad to him. Other foods just don't taste the same, but others are just fine. Some kind of bio chemical change as well. If you start to "fall off the wagon" and eat more, you have to do something called a pouch "reset", where you start slowing down food intake again.

I never had any kind of weight problem until I hit my 40s. I'm 6 ft 2 and about 230. I feel much better when I am around 200 to 205. If I want to drop the pounds, it's a combo of more activity and fewer Hostess Ding Dongs. Little Debbie also has my interest from time to time:

"Whenever you get snack hungry, Little Debbie has a snack for you"®

[Arik]

My sister had the surgery. It's the one where they take out a portion of the stomach.....or something. She did it after years of trying different things. She never ate bad. No fast food no sodas, had a job where she was constantly moving but she was always fat and couldn't get rid of it.

The surgery itself was fast. Only an hour or so. She was home the next day. Recouping wasn't easy. Hard to keep anything down, no desire to eat but you had to put X amount of nutrients in the body in X amount of times a day. Mostly liquid with some soft food. I think she was home for something like 2-3 weeks.

This was about 1.5 years ago. Today she has lost A LOT of weight but she forever cannot eat certain foods. Nothing carbonated with the exception of a little wine. No beer, no soda.....the gas expands the stomach and makes it hurt. Nothing too fatty/greasy. That too gives stomach problems and a nausea feeling. Her stomach has adapted and expanded a little to accommodate more food than originally and the doc said this would happen but since it's still small she has to always make sure she's getting ALL variety of food to compensate for less space and less nutrients. A little salad and a little meat. Vegetables, fruit...etc.. All has to be accounted for and you have to make sure to eat enough fiber. She used to measure it all out but now she knows what and how much.

Some side effects are heartburn and occasional constipation. Even though she now eats lots of fiber she'll still have constipation from time to time. She fills up fast. Often leaving food on the plate because you can't really shovel more in. Normal stomachs can still expand to where we feel like we overate, hers not so much. If she doesn't stop it will cause hours of pain.

For the most part she's gotten the hang of it. Learned what, when and how and lives a normal life, goes out to restaurants with friends, eats normal food... etc.....etc. Just have to realize there are limits to how you will eat

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[platoonDaddy]

I personally know 5 who had the surgery, one even had the tuck surgery.

Everyone single one of them wiitin 3-4 years are heavier than they started. They all returned to their previous eating habits

Very sad

[Hmac]

Weight loss surgery is an excellent option for those who are unable to volitionally sustain the lifestyle change necessary to achieve and sustain a healthy weight, which is about 94% of the population. It's important to emphasize that it won't make you lose weight...it will help you to effect a lifestyle change, diet/exercise, and that is what makes you lose weight. The biggest mistake you can make would be to go into such an adventure with the thought that all you have to do is have the surgery and you will automatically lose the weight and keep it off. It doesn't work that way.

The place to start is to find a Bariatric program in your area. You do not need a referral or the blessing of your doctor. Be sure that the program and the surgeons are accredited by MBSAQIP. Give them a call and find out when they are having their next public informational seminar and go to that...it will be an overview of the disease, the operations, the potential complications, and their program. The program is subsequently designed around your health problems, if any, as well as your expectations and your insurance company's requirements. It can be a long process. Be very careful about the centers you might see that advertise outpatient sleeve gastrectomy and definitely stay away from the Lap Band. Call your insurance company and ask them if your policy has benefits covering weight loss surgery. They'll likely tell you that that determination is make when pre-authorization is requested, but you tell them that you only want to be sure that your policy doesn't specifically exclude it.

Weight loss surgery is a great choice for many people, a bad choice for some. A good Bariatric program will help you to make sure which category you fall into. It can truly be a life changer. Bariatric surgery is only about 20% of what I do, but it the most gratifying part of my job.

Good luck. Feel free to PM me anytime. Send me your location and I can advise you on surgeons and programs close to you.