GP says to do Weight Watchers instead

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

Your doctor has a point. I was sleeved but have managed in two years since then to lose and to gain back the 70 pounds I lost. I was never a grazer till I had this done, I had a problem with Portion Control prior to VSG. I have become a grazer due to after I had the VSG I got sever acid reflux that feels like hunger pains and the only way it goes away is to eat so now my mind thinks I'm hungry all the time and its a struggle to try to break this habit. I will eat and 10 min later feel like I have not eaten all day. I have tried every acid medication from prevacid to tums and nothing helps. I went into this thinking this would be my cure all and at least my stomach will be small and I don't have to worry. I feel like Karma has smacked me down now. Please do not go into this thinking this will be your cure as I didn't think I would have this happen as I lost 70 pounds from Nov till March but then when the acid reflux started I stopped losing

I know what that's like, I have severe reflux, also. I have a prescription for Omeprazole, 20 mg twice a day, that helps. Have you told your doctor? Maybe a prescription PPI would help.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I have been very successful with the sleeve but was a complete band failure. I can relate to everything you say. In hindsight I would say my failure was a combination of a procedure that didn't suit me, with me not understanding what I needed to do for long term success. I hear the same thing in your post. You lost the reflux roulette AND you maybe didn't have the right coaching/expectations/education. When banded, I overate to put out the FIRE and I didn't even know it was reflux/acid!!

My number one advice is to not let shame keep you from seeking help. Don't just suffer through this alone....

Your doctor has a point. I was sleeved but have managed in two years since then to lose and to gain back the 70 pounds I lost. I was never a grazer till I had this done, I had a problem with Portion Control prior to VSG. I have become a grazer due to after I had the VSG I got sever acid reflux that feels like hunger pains and the only way it goes away is to eat so now my mind thinks I'm hungry all the time and its a struggle to try to break this habit. I will eat and 10 min later feel like I have not eaten all day. I have tried every acid medication from prevacid to tums and nothing helps. I went into this thinking this would be my cure all and at least my stomach will be small and I don't have to worry. I feel like Karma has smacked me down now. Please do not go into this thinking this will be your cure as I didn't think I would have this happen as I lost 70 pounds from Nov till March but then when the acid reflux started I stopped losing

[ebonymc 52]

When I told my PCP the first time he said join the "Y", (that's what I do). He also said that He didn't think that he would be able to continue to treat me. I didn't exactly know how to take that remark. I found a new PCP and this one keep saying over and over "just do WW". I've been that route several times b-4 as well as all of the other diets out there. So I thought OK, I'll try WW again and do this on my own. I did try it again but with my hunger issues and dealing with diabetes, I just couldn't do it more than a week. I was referred to an endocrinologist whom has but me on insulin and has encouraged me to have the sleeve. I went to my surgeons office 2 days ago and got the ball rolling again. I was told that I will be sleeved in June. Don't get discouraged as I did. Just go ahead and schedule with your bariatric Dr. and let your PCP know what you plan to do. Good Luck!

[lalajade 20]

My pcp was awesome. When I mentioned wsl to her, she said does your insurance cover it? It does. Her answer: *bleep* yeah you should do it. What are we waiting for??? She got me moving that same day. That's why I think she's the best.

[Christinamo7 4,041]

before my sleeve I was ALWAYS hungry, no matter what eating plan, no matter the level of activity. I am kind of amazed I held my weight as low as I did, all things considered, but I didn't eat processed foods, or a lot of junk. I was just HUNGRY.

2 weeks out, I am occasionally mildly hungry, NOTHING like before and very little food fills me up and I am SATISFIED. I doubt this GP has ever had this kind of struggle.

I wish you all the best, and hope you find a doctor who will support you.

[Cocomax00 0]

I'd find a diff dr...wls is a great tool for wt. Loss...I'm almost 15 mo post op...I still have to watch everything I eat and eat healthy...I've lost around 80 lb...I've was 228 and am 153

.I've got down to 146...I've could never have done that without the help of my sleeve surgery...don't let your dr discourage you...u go for it..you won't regret it

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[imadethelist 226]

You know your body and your mind best. So don't worry about your GP being a nay sayer.

I started following the post surgery diet 6 months before my procedure to prove to myself I could do it and lost 40 lbs. Now a year and half out I'm down a total of 130 lbs.

Your GP is right about one thing. You have to make the changes and totally change the way you eat. The surgery will help but ultimately those decisions are yours. So if your ready to do that, Go for it!!! Best decision I ever made.

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[daniotra 298]

Your doctor is right that you need to get your eating habits in order before doing surgery. That's why so many programs require 3-6 months of nutrition counseling before surgery. It sounds like he's dead set against it, though, when he should have outlined pros and cons and possibly suggested three months of weight watchers or another program prior to sending over the referral.

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[BabyNewYear 31]

I do need a new PCP. I almost didn't tell him about the surgery, because I knew he wouldn't be for it. I should have stayed with my plan.

I got my ob/gyn to be my referral source. It was an all female practice and they "get it"

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[Marisa1972 3]

I did WW on and off for years and always gained it back. It became increasingly difficult to lose weight each time. I finally gave up and pursued sleeve surgery. I am almost one year post-op, feel amazing and actually feel like I have a fighting chance at keeping the weight off. This surgery is definitely a tool - a very helpful one - that will help you to achieve your goal, but it does require work. It was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I sacrificed a lot - and I'm not referring to the food, but to the stress, time, and commitment it takes to go through this journey. I was in tremendous pain immediately after surgery - they gave me as much morphine as they could - and then for the first several months, I had pain with everything I ate. But you know what - - you forget about all of that when you are the happiest you have ever been in your life a few months later. All of the pain and suffering was well worth the reward. Good luck on your journey.

[Lacey09 17]

i am on 2 blood pressure meds and my psychologist who i have known for years totally encouraged me. he told me that i was a ticking time bomb ( not in a mean way) and wrote that letter on new years eve day for me right when i gave him the stuff. he called a week after the surgery to say congrats and how happy he was for me. oh, and my internist was very supportive. he has seen me come to him with different weight loss ideas and have to raise my blood pressure med. even dr. oz said its the most underused surgery in the US. i am a single mom of teens and cant wait for a long life watching their lives and meeting my grandkids in the future. i feel so lucky to get sleeved. i tried everything else for ten years.

[rubia72 200]

You should look for a different doctor.

[JupiterinVirgo 846]

He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about, when to comes to bariatric surgery.

There is a lot of personal inner work to do around losing weight and keeping it off, but weight watchers doesn't do any of those things.

Bariatric surgery doesn't just change your body. It changes your mindset. Being human and all that, even after sleeve you will sometimes fall into an old outdated habit, but your sleeve will hedge against the damage you will do in your temporary insanity. you will remember that unlike a diet, you have made a permanent change to your body, and there is no falling off the horse for any lengthy period of time.

The sleeve procedure also removes the part of your stomach that produces the appetite hormone. This means that you have help that goes beyond your sheer sense of will, which, no matter how strong, will break eventually. The suppression of your appetite will help you to get and keep the weight off.

There are plenty of doctors who would support your decision to have W LS. Find one.

Edited March 17, 2016 by JupiterinVirgo

[Earl Marinus 6]

My GP had lost his weight on MedFast. When I told him I was doing Sleeve he encouraged me to do it and said he will be with me the entire step. Now my Sleeve Dr is awesome. Strict and very caring.

[lachellove 486]

Did your insurance approve yet?