So, my mom sent this article to me from her diet website. After I reading it I'm really frustrated by the way they portrayed everything. I guess I think that some of this is true and sometimes the truth hurts. My Mom means well, she is being polite about the surgery but I know she does not want me to get it at all. I'm sad because I really don't think she understands me and I"m sure she feels like I don't understand her. She won't even talk to me about it, probably because it hits a nerve every time we do. Anyway do you guys really think that eventually everyone regains in the long run? I really feel like crying now, maybe I shouldn't have told her and found someone else to take the kids when I get my surgery.

Is Weight Loss Surgery For You?

You've been trying to lose weight for years. Every time you think you think you've got a handle on eating -- you blow it. If only there was something -- anything -- that would prevent overeating and force you to stick with smart food choices.

Are gastric sleeve, Roux-en-Y, stomach stapling or Lapband your best answer to lifelong obesity? You're tired of dieting. You're tired of falling off the wagon. You desperately want something that will guarantee weight loss for good.

So you figure weight loss surgery (WLS) will give you automatic portion control? Don't bet on it. People considering WLS have a distorted impression of what WLS can and can't accomplish. WLS can limit portions of certain (not all) foods. WLS cannot solve why you overeat. Those are important facts.

If you're considering WLS you should know there's plenty of high carb high calorie foods that are easily chewed to a liquid and slide right through your new 1" stomach opening: potato chips, mashed potatoes & gravy, chocolate, Cereal & milk, cheesy nachos, candy, milkshakes, rum-wine-beer, ice cream, cheesy grits -- you get the picture. Unlimited high calorie choices.

If you love these foods now, you'll still love them after WLS. If you have a problem with portion control with those foods, after WLS you'll still have a problem. WLS won't stop you from putting junk food in your shopping cart. You need a coping strategy.

Expectations from family and friends can be enough to stay strict (you do know you can still cheat after WLS, right?) Or, will the guaranteed inquiries from family and coworkers, "So, how much have you lost this week?" be bothersome (especially if it's less than expected)? Will your stress levels increase and trigger stress eating? Are you OK being the center of attention?

PRELIMINARY STEPS TO TAKE

* Go to a few internet WLS support forums. See the posts about "stalled weight loss" (wow, so many!)

* See how many WLS patients are using Alli and diet pills (what was the surgery for?)

* Notice how many have regained after WLS. How will you feel if this happens to you?

* Read the posts by people who had medical complications after WLS.

* Do a Google search for "Lapband failed" or "WLS didn't work" (there's lots).

Before you make a decision you should definitely talk to WLS patients -- especially those who have had problems. Ask your surgeon for a list of patients who lost weight initially and then stalled. Talk to them and ask why.

PITFALLS

After WLS your "new life" probably won't be exactly as you imagined it. Here's a few highlights:

Don't expect the "full feeling" from eating 1 oz of food to be like the pleasantly full feeling you have after eating a sandwich -- it's not. It's more like a heaviness in the middle of your chest.

Food need to be fairly liquid to pass through the new 1" stomach opening. Some favorite foods will be hard to eat and cause blockage. This is painful and triggers vomiting. Before WLS food was held at the bottom of your stomach in the middle of your torso. After WLS 1 oz stomach is closer to your heart in the middle of your chest. When you don't chew well enough and there's a blockage, it can feel like angina until the food finally passes or is vomited.

Actual "bypass" patients report eating fried, greasy or high sugar foods trigger "dumping syndrome". Gastric bypass is a procedure where a section of the intestine is removed and the remaining intestine is attached to the small stomach. Stomach stapling, Y en Roux and banding are often referred to as "gastric bypass", but aren't.

Foods WLS patients report as problematic: beef, chicken, Pasta, bread, rolls, rice, fiberous veggies like asparagus & celery and fruit with skin or membrane (apples, grapes, oranges, grapefruit). See for yourself: For the next 72 hours chew everything until it's a liquid. See which foods don't break apart easily. See how quickly you get tired of chew, chew, chew. See how different the food tastes after chewing it to death. See how less enjoyable "labor intensive" food becomes.

Ahhh, so you think that might be a good thing? You'll be forced to eat less? Not necessarily. Human nature dictates we avoid discomfort if there's a alternative. Remember the high calorie yummies that go down fast and easy. This is why some WLS patients regain.

If you haven't solved your food demons, you'll fall back on old eating patterns when your personal triggers flare -- a fight with a spouse, loss of a loved one or job stress. Do you eat when you're bored? That won't change with WLS.

WEIGHT REGAIN AFTER WLS

Every diet has success stories. Every diet has regains. It's no different for WLS. Al Roker and Carnie Wilson admit to falling back on high calorie still-easy-eat-with-a-stapled-stomach favorite foods.

There's plenty of WLS/Lapband success stories so it works for some people -- but not all. Here's a quote from a WLS patient who regrets the decision:

"Bottom line is it wasn't what I thought it would be. I already wasn't a big eater. I was a grazer who picked the wrong food when I was stressed, forgot to go shopping or felt nervous at a social event. I was eating a lot of calories -- but only a few ounces at a time throughout the day. Mini meals took me to 288 pounds. Weight loss stopped because I was tired of chewing a million times. I started eating what was easy and even though I lost 100 pounds it all came back eventually."

Kimkins has many Lapband patients who join when weight loss stalls after surgery. Regaining after WLS and needing support to continue their journey are primary reasons for choosing Kimkins.

Rarely does overeating have to do with true hunger and WLS doesn't fix psychological hunger. If you're reaching for easy-to-eat foods when stressed, bored or during PMS, you'll still be reaching for them after WLS. Weight regain happens because the underlying lifestyle change that's needed for permanent weight control still needs reinforcement and structure. Until you discover why you overeat and resolve it, weight regain is practically guaranteed -- even with WLS.

Edited May 22, 200917 yr by jenzea

That article sounds to me like someone promoting their own product!!

I have friends that had WLS and they all have said this isn't magic, you have to work hard at it. There are time you will be hungry but most times if you follow the plan you are ok.

I can't think of anything, weather it is WW or Atkins or any other weight loss program that at some point you aren't hungry or you gain a few back now and again. It is always going to be an uphill battle, but it will make it that much better when we get to the top!

She was diagnosed with it, at 16. We were stupid and didn't do any research on it, and just took it for granted that the doctor told us everything we need to know.

The doctor never told us about it causing acne, she has been battling weird breakouts, and we thought it was the Water. She is hungry all the time, and even as fatties are self, we are amazed by how hungry she gets. She has gained a lot of weight in the last 4 years.

Here is the wierd part, we have for the past few years, realized and have been annoyed by the fact that she just seemed "aggressive" by nature. Especially, for a woman. Well we didn't even know that she has elevated testosterone levels. No wonder??? We are learning a lot now.

I haven't had a good experience, but I want to give you advice anyway. A nurse recently told me to sit down and look at all the medical options. Make a decision on what is comfortable for me and what decision would bring me peace. Once the decision is made, do not let anyone make you feel bad about it, and quickly put them in their place. This is your life, your body, your decision, and no one will live with the outcome but you. I feel most of the time when we really think things through we know within us what is best for us. The nurse continued saying some family members will be unhappy, some friends will be unhappy, and some doctors will disagree with what you decide, but you find what will may you happy.

Hello. You should take a moment to read the post on the PCOS board that is here on this forum. It is VERY insightful and reassuring to find out how others w/ the disease are handling it. It helped me tremendously:)