Medically Supervised WL Success - why get surgery?

[ExplosiveAmnesia 8]

I read so many people's major successes during the medically supervised weight loss portion. People with under 150 pounds to lose and they report they lose 50+ pounds during their medically supervised weight loss.

Why in the world would you get the surgery if you have such good success without surgery? Seems crazy to me. I'm on month 6, and only have lost 20 pounds and people half my weight lose 50-100 pounds and think they need surgery....WTH.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I can't answer for other people but, based on my experience and observation, most of us are pretty good about losing weight. But, keeping it off is the biggest struggle. When your body and metabolism fights every successful weight loss attempt with even more weight it is a losing battle.

[imsoglad56 402]

The vast majority of us have been able to lose weight many times on various different diets. I personally lost 110 pounds once on Slim-Fast, for example. However, as is repeatedly said, we don't KEEP it off. I fully expect surgery to be the tool that finally allows me to keep my weight where I want it to be.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

It is easy to lose weight hard to keep it off. I hope this isn't another troll thread, they all seem to start the same way.

[jane13 2,256]

@@OutsideMatchInside - I agree I am so over the malicious trolls....

@@ExplosiveAmnesia - I think like said by other we can lose just cant adapt the lifestyle to maintain, surgery is a tool

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I can only answer for myself here, but if losing weight was an Olympic sport, I would be a multi-gold medal winner. I am a PRO at losing weight. World class weight loser over here!

However, when it comes to weight MAINTENANCE, I am literally THE WORST. If there's one thing I've failed at most in my life, it's weight maintenance.

For me, WLS had nothing to do with losing weight. It maybe helped make the weight loss a little different (wouldn't even say "easier") this time around. But, the key is that I now have a tool to help me MAINTAIN my weight once I am at goal. I won't be able to go right back to eating and entire pizza and pint of ice cream the moment I am "done" losing weight. I am forced to maintain the new style of eating that I've developed as a result of WLS. My sleeve is for life! I can never be "done" with it!

[beingfree 30]

ehhhhh boyyyy......let me moon walk out of this thread........???????? Lol

Edited August 13, 2015 by beingfree

[ExplosiveAmnesia 8]

Sorry, if I offended anyone - I'm not trying to troll. Please, let me clarify:

I guess I have a different understanding of what this surgery is. My understanding is that this surgery is meant to be a tool to lose weight; however, this tool is not meant for maintenance. The underlying problem with my weight (and I believe this is true for 99% of people) is psychologically based. It is irrational to think surgery in your digestive track will cure a psychological problem. Probably a bad analogy, but I think it's like treating a Migraine with knee surgery. Unrelated.

The psychological problems need to be addressed and treated (or be under control) because all the surgery is meant to do is help correct damage done by the psychological problem. I've spent the past 2 years delaying surgery until I felt I was ready mentally.

It makes me a little nervous for the people just using this for maintenance help. If you lost weight using Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, or whatever, why is now different? Those programs are a tool just like the surgery, but you weren't successful with maintenance, so why do you think this weight loss tool helps with maintenance? If the answer is because it can temporarily, psychically prevent you from binge eating, then that effect will eventually have diminishing results as you stretch your stomach. And the real root cause of your weight issue / binge eating is NOT addressed.

I'm new here, but I'm guessing this place was either bombarded by trolls at some point, or people here don't tolerate any critical thinking, only allow unconditional support (maybe enabling). I dunno if that's healthy for anyone. I really value complete honesty and I'm just trying to figure this out, and this topic seemed to be very, very common in these forums.

I sincerely apologize if anyone thought my question was rude or trolling. I've had several discussions with my whole team of doctors about this, and they all seem to be in consensus, so I find it curious people aren't having this discussion already.

[brittanyflower 0]

@Explosive - YES, you get it. I had the same questions and my therapist give the same answers you talked about.

[her1981 448]

Well idk about all that mental stuff, but I needed the physical reminder to stop eating. I just never felt full (unless I ate a ton) and now I do.

[cindyw41 761]

I'm getting the surgery because every time I've lost weight my body fights me. I have insulin resistant PCOS. I loose very little and then nothing. I have never been able to drop below 180. (180 on a 5'2 frame). The thought of this surgery helping me get my hormones in check, metabolism rebooted and help keep the weight off is a breath of fresh air and gives me hope.

Cw is 207.2 HW 215. I have HBP, sleep apnea, pcos, pre diabetes & copd

Edited August 14, 2015 by cindyw41

[Babbs 14,681]

Okay. I'll bite.

You are correct. If the person isn't in the correct mindset psychologically, yes the person will not maintain their weight.

If the patient has the correct support, information and knowledge, they will use the all important honeymoon period (12-18 months post op) when hunger is low and restriction is high to cement healthy eating habits for when the time comes when the sleeve is less effective (for lack of a better word).

Sleeves don't stretch necessarily, so your stomach will NEVER return to its pre op size. That in turn gives the patient the opportunity, if they are still choosing healthy options 95% of the time, to continue to maintain their weight. It gives them more of a fighting chance per se than someone with a "normal" size stomach. And statistically, it's proven that people who have had WLS are more successful at keeping weight off than peopke who haven't. Honestly, I'll take those odds for a relatively low risk, low complication surgery.

Just a reminder, this is a weight loss surgery support site. Most people have either decided to have WLS or have already had WLS. And yes, we have been bombarded with many posts lately discouraging people from getting WLS by posters throwing out bogus information and basically trolling the site. So on behalf of all of us who use this site, we apologize if we are a little skeptical of your post.

[ExplosiveAmnesia 8]

@@Babbs thank you for replying.

The amount of hate that was privately sent to me was overwhelming, so not sure where the support is. Either way, people have made it clear I'm not welcome here.

I guess my sleeve and I need to keep looking for a home base. I really thought people here would have been my " tribe" but I was wrong.

I won't be logging back in and disabled email notifications so please stop sending me terrible things.

[Babbs 14,681]

Oh yes, I'm sure there were people emailing and messaging you left and right you about your post. Don't flatter yourself.

Jeez, what is it with these people lately? Me thinks me smell another troll in our midst....

We (I) need to just stop responding and feeding them.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

@@ExplosiveAmnesia I get what you are saying about the psychological aspect of weight loss/maintenance. Here are the differences for me.

In the past, I have successfully lost weight through diet and exercise many times. My most successful "diet", I lost 90 pounds in one year (more than I lost in my first year post-WLS). The way I lost those 90 pounds was to literally track every single bite of food that I ever ate and every minute of exercise I ever did. I had a BodyBugg to help with tracking my calorie burn every day. I had to be perfect and meticulous and it worked!

However, that's not a realistic way for someone to live their entire life. No one can be prefect every day forever, especially not me! One of the main things that sustained me mentally through that period was the belief that one day I would be "done" and that I wouldn't have to keep tracking every single thing I ate and did every single day for the rest of my life... just until I reached goal.

With my sleeve, I still have to eat right 95% of the time. I still have to exercise regularly. But I don't track my food every day. If I miss a day of exercise here and there, I don't beat myself up about it. I don't have the same "all or nothing" mentality that I did in the past, because I know my sleeve is forever. I'm not going to be "done". There is no end in sight. This is my new life and I will just live like this every day. So if I miss a day of exercise or I eat something "bad" one day, it's only one day in the grand scheme of my whole life. It has allowed me to have a much more realistic outlook and not be so OCD. So it has definitely helped me with the psychological component as well.

Also, I've really had to find other ways of processing and dealing with my emotions. When I was on diets in the past, I could technically still eat my emotions when things got really bad, I just tracked it all and tried to make up for the extra calories with exercise. So the opportunity to eat my emotions was still there.

With my sleeve, I couldn't eat my emotions if I wanted to, so I really did have to find other ways of coping.