I went to the dr yesterday and told my GP I'm considering WLS. He said I wouldn't be successful unless I controlled my eating first, or else I'd gain the weight back. He recommended Weight Watchers. I've done that a few too many times already, and told him that it wasn't sustainable for me--I always gained it back. He said if I couldn't be successful on WW, I wouldn't be on WLS either. I said I the sleeve would give me an advantage that would allow me to be successful. He responded by saying I'd lose weight at first but then I'd learn to eat around it, and the whole thing would be a waste. A heated discussion ensued.

When I was researching WLS, the first thing I did was look up the five year outcomes of diet and exercise alone (specifically Weight Watchers) compared to WLS. There's no comparison. WLS has a success rate of 50-80%, depending on the type of surgery. Diet and exercise is under 5%. Also, the definition of "success" was much more strict for WLS.

I'm so frustrated. I think I'm doing the right thing. I need some encouragement, folks!

EDIT: He seems to think I sit around and eat donuts all day.

Edited February 19, 201610 yr by careya123

Get a new GP!!! You need a doctor that will be a team player. It seems to me that he may be misinformed about WLS and the struggles of food addiction.

Heidi,

I'm really sorry about your righteous effort to find an informed, supportive counselor.

The candidate you interviewed last night is neither informed about WLS or obesity nor supportive of people who suffer from obesity

I found my therapist through my WLS surgeon's office / practice. I asked my surgeon's nurses and office staff who was the best of the three shrinks affiliated with the WLS practice, and consistently was told one guy's name.

Needless to say, his schedule was full at the time I inquired. And I was advised by said nurses / staff that I should wait until his schedule opened up. So I did. And boy, am I glad I did.

That was my experience. Maybe you could work some angle similar to that.

Again, my sympathies about your disappointment last night. You really deserve someone as wonderful as I found. Everyone does!

But good on you for starting the search process!

I concur! You need a new doctor. You really need to be supported during this time. I am 7 weeks out today and we have similar numbers. I am so thankful that the medical technology is there to assist in the eradication of obesity. My only regret? I didn't do it 10 years ago. It would have saved me a lot of exhaustion, stress, and self loathing. Good luck on your journey and remember: You are your best advocate, Don't be afraid to ask for what you want and need, lastly, You are the best expert when it comes to YOUR lived experience.

Wishing you wellness,

Leilie

It is alarming to me just how many mental health counselors purposefully remain so ignorant about WLS. The information is a click away and yet they cling to their ignorance. WLS is very successful and a huge tool in combatting obesity. Is it a cure-all? Nope, but it is a very strong tool that I am so grateful for.

Leilie

Sounds like to me you need to see a different weight loss dictor.

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One PCP made me cry the way she was but I went to another one and she supported me and ended up that she went to med school the the surgeon and so that was very helpful.

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?

I am so sorry this was the response you got.

Definitely let your insurance company know about your experience. Did they just refer her because she was in network? I don't know if they rate providers but this seems like important information to know for patients -- whether not she is even open to the idea of working with weight loss surgery patients.

What a quack. I wanted to find a counselor that would be knowledgeable about eating disorders, food addictions. I asked the Dr that did my eval for surgery and he suggested a counselor that worked with addictions, like drug addictions. I never went, but I was disappointed there weren't professionals available in my area that could help me.

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?

A big local hospital has a bariatric support group that is Co facilitated by a therapist counselor type. I haven't seen him as a patient but he struck me as...not an idiot. Perhaps call a hospital with a bariatric support group and see if they have a decent therapist.

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Time to change your GP.

Seeing a therapist might not be the worst thing if you are concerned about sliding back to old habits once you out of the WLS honeymoon phase. However if this was your surgeon's concern then he should have recommended therapy in addition to the WLS not in addition to WW.

You would do better to do a 3 or 6 month pre-op diet supervised by your surgeon's NUT than to do WW. At least she can teach you how you will need to eat after surgery and you can get a jump on weight loss while waiting for the surgery.

In looking at your stats you are on the lower end of the BMI range so maybe he thinks that surgery isn't appropriate since you are only at 37.5. Once again he should be able to better articulate that.

He just sounds like he is not up to date on WLS or maybe has had 1 or 2 patients that it didn't work out for. But how many patient's has he had that don't lose weight on WW, Jenny Craig, Medifast, South Beach, Atkins, Zone, cabbage diet etc... or gain it all back. He may not even realize how many since they likely don't tell him about their many diets so he likely doesn't realize the much higher failure rate of these diets. The WLS failures will stand out to him.

I considered a therapist for eating issues in the past, but never went through with it. Mostly because I didn't think I had eating issues, aside from really liking food! But after researching bariatrics, now I'm convinced that it would be a good idea. I found someone I really like, but my insurance doesn't cover her, and she charged $250/hr. Ouch! I guess I'll keep looking.

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?

Unbelievable! When I was researching WLS, the first thing I did was go straight to PubMed. Here's one article that states it pretty well:

The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of bariatric (weight loss) surgery for obesity: a systematic review and economic evaluation compares conventional methods of weight loss to WLS and says, "Bariatric surgery was a more effective intervention for weight loss than non-surgical options. In one large cohort study weight loss was still apparent 10 years after surgery, whereas patients receiving conventional treatment had gained weight."

Here's another review of the literature:

Surgery for weight loss in adults concludes that "surgery results in greater improvement in weight loss outcomes and weight associated comorbidities compared with non-surgical interventions, regardless of the type of procedures used."

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

@@4dogcrazy No one is claiming that WLS has a 100% success rate, but a medical doctor should not be ignoring the fact that study after study shows that WLS has a much much higher long term success rate than straight up diet and exercise. If every single person who failed at diet and exercise was guaranteed to also fail at WLS, then there would be no WLS performed. What would be the point of it? It's not a guarantee of success, but it certainly gives a better chance of success on average.

I am sorry it hasn't worked out for you. If severe acid is an ongoing problem for you despite various medications, have you asked your surgeon about a potential revision to gastric bypass? That surgery is shown to aleviate acid issues.

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.