GP says to do Weight Watchers instead

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

If I take my car to a mechanic and he says he doesn't know about BMWs. I take it to the dealership. Unless you live some place with one doctor I don't see the point I educating a doctor. Information is readily available. If they wanted to know they would.

I'm not going to educate a professional and pay them for their services also. What am I paying for?

[needtorecover 574]

@@Inner Surfer Girl I'm a huge research geek and have spent a lot of time reading journal articles about obesity and WLS. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll find it!

As for me, my PCP discouraged me from seeking WLS. Said I was too young (late 20's at the time) and that I should seek other options. She recommended the South Beach Diet

I asked my OB after I had my baby if she'd recommend bariatric surgery. She said "Why don't you just stick to the gestational diabetes diet? It's not fun but it's worked for you." She said this because I lost weight during my pregnancy by quitting sugar. Yeah, and I was crawling out of my skin with cookie/cake/doughnut cravings. The only thing that stopped me from diving head first into a vat of brownie batter was the fear of giving my son type 1 diabetes. I wasn't going to allow my appetite to hurt my baby. But once that incentive was gone, so was my ability to continue with that wretched diet.

The issue with my PCP and OB is they're both rail thin and I don't think either of them has ever had to worry/think about their weight. They probably just think all it takes is a bit of self control, dietary education, and a walking program for the weight to just fall off. If only it were that easy.

[perforce 243]

I didn't ask my GPs opinion, I rang and told them I was having the surgery and did they have the facilities to help me post op. Fortunately my GP was willing to help me, but I would say that getting another doctor if you have a choice.

[Sajijoma 1,324]

You totally need a new GP! Mine was behind my getting wls so was my Obgyn. The surgery is a great tool to lose weight and if you take good care of your tool and use it, it will always work for you! He is wrong to say if you eat too much now you'll eat too much afterwards, because for many of us, the malfunctioning vagus nerve is what caused us to primarily overeat to begin with! The sense of never ending insatiable hunger! Once you have surgery and that connection is cut, your sense of hunger changes and it is so much easier to deal with now than it was before. If you are an emotional eater, you may have some work to do post op to keep things in check, but we all have baggage and it's about gaining a little perspective and getting a little assistance. My rny has literally saved my life and it's sad to know there are still doctors out there who just believe we eat all day and do nothing and that we just need more willpower to succeed!

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

My GP told me I just needed the right cookbooks... yours is a rocket scientist by comparison. I got a new doc, was sleeved in Dec 2011, lost about half my body weight(150) and been maintaining last 3 years.

I am not saying it's easy, and maintenance is a lifelong deal, but decades of dieting ( I am a WW pro!) never got me to a normal weight/ size and I couldn't maintain longer term.

[reinventingmyself 47]

With all the new technology and advancements in medicine it is going to be impossible for a GP to keep up with everything going on. Yes, obesity is a huge epidemic but so are a lot of other issues. We cant count them out because they don't know everything about thousands of diseases and diagnoses. I have a child that was born with a rare disorder. She is 21 now and I still educate drs. to this day because they just don't know everything. My daughter gets frustrated because just last mth for example she was admitted twice and after 7 days the second time they still didnt know how to treat her illness. Could I have been mad, of course, but at least they were honest enough to let us know and they were calling all around to find specialist that can give insight and to possibly send us out to. After 21 yrs, you would think Drs. would be knowledgeable but it is simply impossible. So since GP's does not specialize in anything it is their job to refer us to specialist that does. My PCM was receptive and had no issue referring me. She also stressed to me how many patients that she has seen that has had surgery and has gained the weight back, to the point that she had no clue they ever had the surgery. So it is understandable that there may be some hesitation if they see real life statistics (their patients). That is why we have to take control of our own health. Like one poster said there are plenty of GP's so find a good one that has no problem referring out.

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[Floripa 1]

When I first asked my primary doctor about it she told me to diet, that the surgery was not for me. I went straight to the bariatric doctor, gave him my authorization to get my medical records and went back to my primary doctor for the 3 months supervised diet. She could not say anything more than I think will work. I will probably do my surgery in mid March and I can't wait.

[BarrySue 602]

I did WW. Atkins. South Beach. juice fast. And I failed at every one.

My issue was wanting to eat until I was full, only full was waaaaay more than any regular person ate (Binge eating disorder). No cutting back, no moderation, none of that junk worked. I even cheated on my 21 day pre-op diet.

And you know what? I still did fine. Everyone says "make lifestyle chances," but I couldn't DO that until I was given tools. And the ONLY tool that ever worked for me was the sleeve. And I'm doing just fine.

[LaDivaDev 129]

@@careya123,

I felt frustrated just reading your post on this. I think what some practitioners miss is the fact that we have been in our bodies since we were born, and there comes a time (usually by adulthood) when we begin to better understand our bodies and what it responds to. Simply put, it seems as though you may be in need of a new GP/PCP. Fortunately, it isn't all too difficult to select a new one that is aligned with your goals and desired outcomes. I'm wishing you the best!

[Catmom4 149]

I'd find a new GP!!

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

@@careya123,

Sorry about this. It’s always easier when your GP is on the same page as you!

It sounds like you’ve done the right things so far: you discussed WLS with your GP, you seriously considered your GP’s point of view, and you did your research on WW vs WLS. If you’re still intending to get WLS and your GP does not support you, it may be time to find a new GP.

Some patients have told their GPs about WLS only after getting the surgery and losing a lot of weight, and often their GPs have been more positive after seeing the results. That’s a hard way to go, though! It can be guilt and pressure that you don’t need.

It’s also possible your GP will support you once you make your final decision and there’s clearly no point in trying to talk you out of it. Hopefully that’ll happen.

I would seriously consider what your GP said about permanently changing eating habits. What do you feel the sleeve will do for you that WW can’t in terms of adopting a new diet? (Believe me, I’m not arguing with you; obviously I also felt that WLS would help me while diets didn’t).

Good luck

[careya123 260]

My main problem is that I eat too much at every meal. I'm not an emotional eater, but I am a celebratory eater. However, celebrations don't happen every day so I don't think that's a big problem for me. I was raised with a lot of brothers, and eating was a competitive sport. I ate as much as possible as quickly as possible, because I knew there wouldn't be any later. I haven't been able to break that habit. That's why I think the sleeve will work for me: it will limit how much I can eat at any one time. Oddly enough, I think my biggest caloric "sin" is milk. I drink a lot of it every day, and that's a lot of calories. I am cutting back there. I do love ice cream and baked treats, but I don't eat it every day. I don't especially like fast food, fried foods, chips, crackers, etc. I actually have a pretty good diet. I eat more fruits and veggies than most.

What really bothers me about my GP's comments is that he's never even asked me about my diet. And, ironically, most of my weight gain can be attributed to medications I've taken, one of which was prescribed by him. So for him to tell me to get my eating under control leaves me in a state of disbelief.

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

My main problem is that I eat too much at every meal. I'm not an emotional eater, but I am a celebratory eater. However, celebrations don't happen every day so I don't think that's a big problem for me. I was raised with a lot of brothers, and eating was a competitive sport. I ate as much as possible as quickly as possible, because I knew there wouldn't be any later. I haven't been able to break that habit. That's why I think the sleeve will work for me: it will limit how much I can eat at any one time. Oddly enough, I think my biggest caloric "sin" is milk. I drink a lot of it every day, and that's a lot of calories. I am cutting back there. I do love ice cream and baked treats, but I don't eat it every day. I don't especially like fast food, fried foods, chips, crackers, etc. I actually have a pretty good diet. I eat more fruits and veggies than most.

What really bothers me about my GP's comments is that he's never even asked me about my diet. And, ironically, most of my weight gain can be attributed to medications I've taken, one of which was prescribed by him. So for him to tell me to get my eating under control leaves me in a state of disbelief.

Changing those habits, now will help you be able to benefit from wls. WLS is only a tool, it will not change habits, that comes from you.

[Dr-Patient 830]

Your doctor is ignorant and ill-informed. Ignore him. Tell him I said so.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Dr-Patient

[heidikat72 935]

Had a similar experience last night with a counselor. I knew that part of this journey was going to have to be dealing with my emotional eating and that unless I did that, the surgery wouldn't help in the long run. So I set up an appointment with a counselor - recommended by my insurance company. Last night was the first session. As soon as I said the words weight loss surgery she cut me off and said "you know the surgery doesn't really work, right? you'll gain all the weight back. you should just join weight watchers and a gym. WW has a much better success rate than surgery"...I was floored. then I told her that actually many people are successful with surgery but that the surgery isn't a simple fix, that I need to address my emotional eating in order to make the necessary lifestyle changes along with the surgery"...her big advice for how to deal with emotional eating? "Just don't eat"

I left feeling very defeated. I'm trying to deal with the underlying causes for my over eating but how do you find a counselor who will actually take it seriously?