Should you get WLS if you are lazy with no plans to follow the program?

[Tootsietoes 84]

Opinions wanted...

Mine may be unpopular, but YES. Do it. I went into it fat and lazy, not wanting to conform, just wanting a smaller waist size. I broke every single wls rule possible, and lost 70 lbs, am a size 4. It got me on smaller portions, which is all it took to drop the excess. Portions only. Didn't exercise first 8 months- it was hard enough on the body, but was able to pick it up again and it's much easier. Got me thin enough to never want to go back. Got me thin enough to actually want to eat healthy for health reasons (not vanity). Just got my labs done, and everything is normal except my cholesterol. Now I am on the Mediterranean diet and feel good. I don't want to lose any more weight. So for those in the overweight category (not critical folks) I say if you have the money, just do it! You waste far more money on pills and fads, try it out. Eat less. We are a fat society, we eat too much.

[Babbs 14,681]

Yup. Sometimes it's just the kick start some people need to finally change. As long as they understand they HAVE to change to make it work in the long run.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

It sounds like even though you didn't go into it with any plans of changing, you have changed. You say you are exercising now and sticking to a Mediterranean diet. Bet you wouldn't have been able to do those things pre-op! While I definitely think it's best to go in with the commitment to stick to the plan right off the bat, it's good to know that the surgery itself can be a jump start for some people. Obviously not everyone. Since some people go into the surgery with all the best intentions and DO stick to the plan in the early months/years, but eventually fall off the bandwagon and regain weight.

[sam1016 10]

Thank you for this post. I feel that I have not done enough prior to a surgery commitment to prove that I am "worthy" of WLS. I struggle with my eating habits as I've bee an emotional eater my entire life. Could I be doing better in terms of a pre-op diet? Sure could be. I often feel that I will never loose this addicition that I have. I want to feel that if I was to have this surgery that there is some way I can become a more healthier version of myself. I am not doing it for vanity reasons, well yes maybe, looking better is a plus however I want simple life tasks to no longer be a struggle for me. I tell myself all the time if I just loose 50 pounds I will be more motivated to eat better and work out. Maybe the surgery is the kick start that I need. Maybe some feel differently, however not following doctor orders is a risk that an individual takes. I personally do not judge anyone on their dieting habits, because who am I to judge? If a person has WLS and does not work at it before or afterwards, is that my issue? No, it is that individual's journey, a journey they must travel themselves to be who they want to be.

[VDLT 244]

@@Tootsietoes how far out are you?

@@sam1016 keep trying and know it is a lot easier to do the right thing after surgery because you are not as hungry, it helps tremendously

[AvaFern 3,516]

Lol, the title of your post made me laugh.

I went from deciding I might want a sleeve to being in the OR in under 3 weeks. I was self-pay so there was no diet, no nutritionist, no real discussions about Protein and such, so my decision was fairly unplanned. I broke the rules I thought were not valid, such as the no straw rule and the no drinking with meals rule. I exercised regularly because I enjoyed it, but now that I've been at goal for 6 weeks short of a year I don't workout as much. I generally eat what I want to in smaller portions. The sleeve gave me the ability to eat less, and while part of that is the fact that my sleeve doesn't like certain foods, overall my success has not been because I made any huge changes, but because I just eat a much lesser volume of all of the mostly healthy foods I enjoyed in the past.

Why people get a sleeve is a personal decision and for those who get it knowing they don't care much about following the plan- that's their call and not mine to judge.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Not following the eating and behavioral WLS instructions re what and how WLS patients should eat post-op obviously hasn't stopped some people from losing all their excess weight and maintaining that weight loss -- as evidenced by some posts above. But it seems clear that those "independent" folks have indeed reduced considerably the amount of food and the calories they ate pre-op.

But this "independent" approach to navigating WLS is disastrous for others -- particularly those who have diagnosable eating disorders, who can't stop drinking significant amounts of "liquid calories" (think sweet tea, sugar sodas, high-calorie coffee drinks, sugary alcoholic drinks, beer, etc.), who snack continuously ("graze") on "slider foods" (those foods that have lots of carbs, are heavily processed and have little Fiber in them, and that move rapidly through the stomach into the intestines -- leaving the stomach empty and wanting more).

I don't think it's a question of proving one's "worthiness" for surgery. I think if you have eating disorders and/or horrific eating habits pre-op that you know you're still going to be challenged by post-op you really will have to build some very different new habits and tools. One of those additional tools IMHO is the support and guidance of a therapist who knows what bariatric patients are struggling with and can support the changes you're trying to make in your lifestyle.

None of us is guaranteed an excellent result post-op. But we can increase the odds of our success if we know our own personal challenges and try to reduce the risk of failure by pushing all the success levers we possibly can.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I definitely think success of WLS does depend a lot on how you were consuming calories pre-op. I was a binge eater. I would eat a MASSIVE amount of food in one sitting, like an entire pizza and a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Obviously, I can't more than a single slice of pizza now. So binging is completely off the table. I was never a grazer, so I haven't struggled with that post-op other than having to eat more times per day now. As it is, I find it hard to eat the 5-6 times a day now that I need to get my Protein and calories in. Eating between those scheduled meals/snacks just doesn't appeal to me. And as for drinking my calories, I had given up soda years before I was sleeved.

So for me, the sleeve keeps me from the one really destructive eating habit I had pre-sleeve, which makes it really easy to stick to. I did, however, make a very focused effort to stick to all the guidelines I was given for pre-op and post-op food stages. I also stick to most of the life-long rules: Protein first, 100 grams of protein a day, no eating and drinking at the same time, and no carbonation. I do a WHOLE BUNCH of things in maintenance that I am sure my nutritionist wouldn't love, like eat pizza and fries and cake and ice cream and chips. But I also always get my 100 grams of protein in and I'm training for a half marathon! So you really have to figure out what works for you and how best to use the tool you've been given to live your life happily and healthily.

[Sharon1964 2,530]

Thank you for this post. I feel that I have not done enough prior to a surgery commitment to prove that I am "worthy" of WLS. I struggle with my eating habits as I've bee an emotional eater my entire life. Could I be doing better in terms of a pre-op diet? Sure could be. I often feel that I will never loose this addicition that I have. I want to feel that if I was to have this surgery that there is some way I can become a more healthier version of myself. I am not doing it for vanity reasons, well yes maybe, looking better is a plus however I want simple life tasks to no longer be a struggle for me.

@@sam1016

I've been there. Before surgery on 8/8/15, I was certain that I would fail. I was certain that I would not be able to have the self-discipline to stay away from my trigger foods (creamy Desserts and crusty bread - not at the same time!). But I also knew this was going to be my one and only chance, I'm 51 years old, and dammit, I was going to do this! So every time I doubted myself, I came here and read the success stories, particularly the ones where people started around where I did, around 400 pounds.

My best friend and I decided to have a "food celebration" to get it out of my system (for the near future, anyway). We went to every restaurant we could think of, and I had lasagna, thai food, sushi, steak and lobster, you name it, we went there.

Then I had surgery. And waking up in pain in the recovery room, moaning very loudly, I thought, "what the hell have I done?"

Then I took it hour by hour, day by day. I had no hunger. Fear was my motivating factor - I hate vomiting, and I didn't want to have to go back to the hospital for a complication or a blockage. So I "behaved" myself. I ate what I was supposed to. After a few weeks, food really didn't matter anymore. Eating was another chore to do, like brushing your teeth. It has lost its hold on me. The grip that food has had on me for 51 years is no more.

Now I'm 6 1/2 months out, and I've lost 134 pounds. My diabetes is completely resolved. My blood pressure is awesome. I still can't believe it.

I bought a new chair for my desk at work, and when I was sitting in them trying them out, every single one fit me. None were too narrow, and they all had arms. I never worry anymore about where I'm going to sit when I go out.

You can do this. Know what your triggers are. Is it bread? Then skip it altogether. Is it late night eating? Have a sugar free popsicle. Is it a grande mocha caramel frappe with extra whipped cream? Find a substitute drink that is low sugar.

Then take it day by day.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Sharon1964

[Tootsietoes 84]

@@VDLT I am over a year out. I have to add, I don't drink my calories, but I do love to eat my calories. The food addiction never left.

I have to emphasize that even though I did lose the weight, and I succumbed to my weakness, it was still an outright battle. I've watched my body literally waste away, and with that came a lot of pain from muscle loss. That pain was big Kickstarter in getting healthy too. If you think fat is a bad look, try skinny fat for size -I looked like a flaccid corpse.For those that can follow the rules right away, more power to you, but it shouldn't stop someone from considering surgery, especially if they are stubborn as heck like I was..well am. I still cheat, but better.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

What is with this resurgence of the "Mediterranean diet"? I thought that was the fad 10 years ago?

I feel like this is some setup for some sales pitch down the line or something.

The Mediterranean diet for bariatric patients, a simple ebook for $5 or something.