Weight Loss Surgery

I would go for it

 

Well do what you think is best. I suggest even with the sleeve thing to try and eat healthy and exercise. You could try making a pros and cons list and weigh out all your options its really best to research a lot on the gastric sleeve before deciding too.

 

I was in a program for gastric bypass.

They make you lose a bit of weight on your own prior to surgery, or at least here you have to do that for insurance to cover it.

 

It's not as easy as it sounds, and that's why I'm reconsidering the whole idea myself.

 

With any surgery there are risks, so I can't recommend the surgery or not. Here's a link that compares different methods.

I know a person who did the sleeve and died, but another person got the gastric bypass and is doing perfect. It all really depends on the person and if your area has good doctors or not.

If you do go through with the surgery, are you prepared to not binge eat? If you did, it could make you throw up, block your pipes, etc.. It could be fatal if you don't seek counseling to stop that now, at the weight that you're at now. It's a lot to consider. Good luck!

 

I wouldn't do it. It's so unhealthy for your body. I've known several people who've done it and all of them have had very serious side-effects: constant dumping (read: diarrhea) extreme hair loss, vitamin deficiency, anemia, gall bladder issues, etc. One person I know personally lost all of her hair and has to wear wigs all of the time. Most of the people I know who did it have gained the majority of the weight back.

Losing weight is not about "getting on a diet," it's about a lifestyle change. As gently as I can say the following: you can lose the weight if you're disciplined enough. I say this because I was overweight myself and have lost a considerable amount of weight through diet and exercise. I've lost 52 pounds since August of last year and it's tough. I'm also going to start going to a personal trainer to get toned and start exercising on a more regular basis.

 

You get tons of exercise, clearly. Being sedentary is not your issue (although perhaps you need more intense exercise, too? Swimming would be great!). So probably your eating is most likely the problem. Why can't you start eating healthy now instead of later? I mean, you'll have to do it anyway at *some* point, so why not do it when it could potentially save you a risky and unnecessary operation?

Also, I think dealing with the binging issue is of utmost urgency, since it probably directly contributes to the weight gain.

I obviously don't know your entire situation, but from what you wrote, it seems to me that having the operation now is kind of like putting the cart before the bull, and with significant health risks, too.

I wish you best of luck in this weight loss venture!!

 

If it were me, I would go for it. Especially when losing the weight naturally would be extremely tough and time consuming when there are underlying issues that would act as a deterrent in getting to your weight loss goal.

 

I guess it depends on whether or not you've looked at the risks, pros and cons because with any surgery there is a risk; depending on what surgery you take.

My good friend's mother did something like this and it made her very sick; she died not too long after. Not everyone will be this unlucky as it varies from person to person, and it may have benefits for you.

I would go for it if you think other options are impossible, just beware of the risks of surgery.

 

I understand how you feel, I'm obese, and at my heaviest weighed 308 pounds. I had thought about gastric bypass a lot. Just recently I've started dieting and exercising, but only after I realized something. I realized that I am almost literally always hungry, and always craving unhealthy food. Even if I eat something, it won't even be an hour before I'm hungry again, and it drives me crazy. If I'm going to be hungry all the time, then I can also be hungry and not eat, which is much more beneficial to my body. Since I've started dieting, I've learned that being hungry actually gives me more energy and drive. I haven't lost much weight yet, and I've just started, but I think I can keep it up.

One thing to keep in mind, is that even if you have gastric bypass surgery, if you are also a bing eater, you might still go on binges, Even with a smaller stomach. Although I think that for a lot of people it is a good way to go. I'm not sure if many people can get on a diet and stick to it for very long, the average lifespan of a diet is about 6 months, so for that reason it might be better to start off with a diet and then when you've lost enough weight get surgery. When you go on a diet to qualify for gastric bypass, rather than some sort of trendy diet, it's better to just simply identify which foods are bad for you, stop eating them, and eat healthy things and small portions instead. Yes I am aware that that's a lot harder than it sounds, but most diet plans are literally just made up by people, and it makes more sense to just eat right and diet.

If your not sure how many calories you can eat in a day, look up your Basal metabolic rate. This is how many calories you will burn in a day if you literally did nothing. Try to eat a good amount fewer calories than your BMR, and exercise when possible to increase weight loss. Also if you want to get exercise over as soon as possible, which is my usual approach, then try using a rowing machine. Rowing exercises your entire body at once, and can burn 600 calories per hour (not that many people can keep going for an hour) They have rowing machines at most YMCAs.

BMR calculator here: BMR Calculator