Active Low-Carber Forums - Why do people make surgery an option?

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Why do people make surgery an option?

Why do people make surgery an option?
Can't we lose the flab on our own??
For me surgery is just not an option! and I am getting tired of people saying that the only way to lose the flab is to go under the knife!
There has to be a better way!
If I wanted to have surgery I would let the doctor lipo the hell out of me and not bother with going on a diet!
I am just so frustrated by all of this!!!!!!

Desperation can cause people to do many things. Those whose weight is causing severe health problems and who have tried to lose the weight many times on various diets, may feel that surgery is the only option left if they want to enjoy a longer life.

Sometimes even when diet has been successful and people have reached their goal weights, or are close to them, surgery is a cosmetic option that is very helpful. Sometimes people who have lost a great deal of weight could use a tuck here or there to improve the look of loose skin or whatever they perceive to be a problem. I'm all for surgery if it improves your self image and confidence. It might not be for me, (yet) but I salute all of those who make the choice for themselves!;)

I don't understand why other people's choices are so "frustrating" to the original poster. :confused:

i guess for the same reason they decide to take diet pills, they are too impatient to take the time it takes to lose it slowly, I have heard that some people who have the surgery, or take the pills, gain it back again anyway, and quickly, because they did not learn how to eat properly and healthily.

What surgery are we talking about? Gastric bypass, in which the Dr. usually has to make a judgement call about the risks of surgery vs. the risks of the patients obesity? Or liposuction, in which the surgery is more for figure flaws and to make the body more symetrical.

If it works for someone, why bash it. Gastric bypass is dangerous and eating habits have to be altered after the surgery. Liposuction (which I have considered for my large hips, flanks and thighs), usually comes with warnings that you must alter your eating habits to keep the weight from settling somewhere else, and doctors often make sure that you can loose the weight you want out on your own before performing the procedure, because the less they take out of you, the easier your recovery.

Why do people make surgery an option?
Because it is an option for those in certain risk groups.

Can't we lose the flab on our own??
Not always. Some people either need the physical reinforcement of the surgery, or don't have any more time to mess around.
For me surgery is just not an option!
Then don't have it.
and I am getting tired of people saying that the only way to lose the flab is to go under the knife!
Then don't listen/read it.

There has to be a better way!
If I wanted to have surgery I would let the doctor lipo the hell out of me and not bother with going on a diet!

Diet and exercise would be preferable, but as for liposuction, it's only useful for removing relatively small pockets of fat that don't respond to ordinary weight loss. They can't just suck out all your excess weight.

Quote:

Gastric bypass is dangerous and eating habits have to be altered after the surgery.

I know someone who had lap band surgery done, who frankly didnt need it and her doctor oughta be shot...but she rapidly lost 60 pounds. Although her eating habits should have been altered, she continued eating junk and over time was able to increase the amount of junk she consumed until most of the weight came back.

I honestly think it is, however, a viable option for some. I know of one woman that I'd love to see get it done. She's severly obese and I dont forsee her ever having the willpower to lose it on her own. She's not, however, a junk food junkie like the other friend who went ahead and had the surgery.

I honestly think there are those out there who actually need the surgery simply to get them to the point that they feel the drive, motivation, and self-worth to continue the process. Many have an almost impossible battle simply because of their low-self esteem. For the woman I referred to, a 30 pound loss would not even result in a noticable difference in her appearance. No one notices...no one comments...she still appears as heavy as ever. She'd probably need to lose a solid 50 pounds to even have people take note. This causes discouragement and, in turn, repeated failed attempts to lose. The lap band surgery (or whatever option chosen) forces someone to continue to lose for a fair amount of time simply because they just cant consume much food. They generally lose at least long enough that they can see results and start to feel good about themselves. Long enough for others to notice, comment, and to contribute to the feel good process of liking who they are and what they're accomplishing.

As for other forms of surgery...If I were as rich as Bill Gates...I'll readily admit that I'd probably lipo my thighs and hips. I'm thrilled with Atkins and wont ever change my WOE...but I also know that there is fat in those two areas that isnt going anywhere regardless of how well I do.

Guess it's just a personal choice and very much based on the psyche of each individual.

Quote:

Originally Posted by potatofree

They can't just suck out all your excess weight.

Wouldn't that be great? I would have one suction tube on each big toe and then they could just suck an even layer of fat from all over.

Another thing with the surgery - that kind of speedy weight loss has a huge impact on your life. It is often difficult, for example, on the marriage, if there is one.

And I'm watching this happen; a friend of mine with two kids just separated from her husband and moved out, two years after the surgery. She realizes that her husband is the nicest guy and she hates doing this, but she sees this enormous potential in her life that I guess she never saw before.

Overall, I'm not sure what to make of it, or how much to really blame the surgery. But apparently, in the pre-surgical counseling, they do mention a high rate of post-surgical divorce.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ysabella

Another thing with the surgery - that kind of speedy weight loss has a huge impact on your life. It is often difficult, for example, on the marriage, if there is one.

Is it really about the speed of weight loss, or the weight loss itself? My guess would be that some relationships would be threatened by an appearance/attitude change in one person, some would not. There are a lot of people at the forum who have lost large quantities of weight (some quickly, some more slowly) without surgery. I wonder how their relationships have changed with their partners, if at all...

I'll never understand why people get so bent out of shape if someone has a solution to a problem that isn't the same as their solution.

People getting weight loss surgery aren't hurting you, why do you care if they get it or not?

I'm glad low-carbing has worked for you, but do you know how many people feel they gave low-carbing an honest try and that it failed for them? TONS! Sometimes it's not as easy as just deciding to lose the flab for some people. If they can prolong their life by reducing their obesity with weight loss surgery, well then, good for them.

Val

Quote:

And I'm watching this happen; a friend of mine with two kids just separated from her husband and moved out, two years after the surgery.

I agree with this 100%! There is someone in my DH's family that weighed over 350 lbs. She had the surgery, and now weighs 140 lbs. She is eating right, running and working out every day, running marathons, etc. But when it came to her marriage, she realized that although she had changed her husband had not. And all of the sudden they didn't 'connect' like they used to. They've since seperated and she's trying to evaluate her life. Luckily he's been VERY supporative of her during this time.

As for the original post for this thread: the person to which I refer above had one of two options: 1. Gastric Bypass or 2. Premature death (probably from a heart attack). Until you are in the position to have to make this decision, please don't pass judgement on people that do. I've seen this surgery give someone their life back and to me, that is a priceless gift.

This is something I wrote in another forum I frequent. It's mainly filled with low-fatters but there is a mix. Anyway, the topic of 'weight loss' surgery came up and a few people just didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the procedure (I mean, you can lose your life during the surgery if it's not successful). This is what I wrote:

Quote:

Hey guys,

I'm trying to not get in here and be all .. preachy, I just want to make sure you know exactly what you're getting yourself into when considering any kind of weight loss surgery, even lap banding.

It may be the least invasive out of the options but that doesn't mean it's a walk in the park.

Aqui is right about the loose skin after this procedure. That is because people tend to lose weight very quickly and your body doesn't have time to adjust the skin with it. Losing weight on some other sort of plan (your everyday eating and exericising plan) tends to aim for no more than just under 1kg loss per week and this is the max your skin can generally cope with - everyone is an individual after all.

As well as your skin not being able to adjust with the rate of weight loss, your mind often has a lot to cope with. When done with your slower plan (mentioned above) you can control how fast or slow you lose to ensure your mind is able to adapt. I mean, being bigger generally people are used to falling in the background more. Not being the one that turns heads when walking into a room. While this sounds like a good thing at the moment, it's a huge shock to the system. Some people become "hermits" so they don't have to feel so uncomfortable all the time.

And a lot of people that go through this surgery (I don't have statistics for you) don't handle it too well. A lot replace the eating addiction with something else because they haven't dealt with the issues that caused them to lose weight in the first place. Like, if you turn to food when depressed and can no longer do this, people will turn to alcohol or something else that releaves the feeling. Alcohol is an example, by the way. Everyone reacts differently but alcohol has been mentioned many times before in stuff I've read and seems to be a common fallback.

... things are simply different and you don't get a chance to adjust nor do you have the option of control anymore. I noticed something when I went out with a larger friend of mine. We walked into JB HiFi and there were two walkways to get in (a display in the centre). The larger walkway had about six olderteenage boys (maybe 18yo) standing there having a chat and the other didn't but was much smaller and out of the way - you needed to walk through a maze to go that way. My friend walked ahead (her fiance works there) and simply walked this smaller and maze-like trek through and didn't think anything of it. I was several steps behind and walked through the boys. I wandered why she'd taken the hardest route through and then realised. She's been big all her life, even in primary school, and has learnt where she's welcome and not welcome. I've dropped from nearly 30BMI to under 25BMI and maintained for a year. I've learnt that people don't generally have a go at me for saying 'excuse me' and walking through.

She was waiting for me one time in front of Hungy Jack's for me to pick her up and TWO cars had come by in the 15mins she was there and yelled something out about her being fat.

Needless to say, she's in talks about gastric bypass with the dept at the hospital we both work at. She had her stomach stapled twice (big scars) and both times they've come undone.

Sorry this post doesn't flow ... it's early in the morning for me and I'm in a rush to go out, just wanted to express my concerns.

Oh yes, I wanted to mention again about relationships - generally if you're larger when you meet your partner and then lose the weight your relationship tends to suffer and end. It can't handle such changes for the majority. If you were thinner when you and your partner got together, your relationship has more chance of survival.

You often lose a lot of friends. This is because, as you must, you change as a person. Many friendships aren't able to cope with these changes. Maybe you're more vain? Maybe you want to do different things when going out? Be prepared to lose a lot of friends.

Often family members will say derogatory things about your weight loss. They'll congratulate you at first, because it's the thing to do, but after a while they'll realise it's changed. Maybe you're not the 'fat girl/boy' they're used to having in their family. Families tend to have 'positions' of members and you've changed yours. Change scares people.

Of course these last two points happen with any means you lose weight but when you lose slower, you lose friends slowly not all at once and gain new ones. Your family also isn't usually as tough but you'll still cop some flack.

I hope I haven't forgotten any points and hope it makes sense. I don't want to sound like a horrible propaganda person you hear on the news. My info above is from articles read in mags, on news websites and posted by actual people on forums and things. Real experiences.

Just make sure if you're going to go ahead with the procedure that you're informed. And that it's a LAST resort.

I mean, the lap banding works by making you full earlier so you don't need to eat as much. Why couldn't you simply eat less without the banding?

Don't get me wrong, I have my own weight ups and downs the same as everyone here and I know it's not as simple as I've just asked above but ... there are reasons why people are overweight. It generally isn't just that they're eternally hungry. It may be past experiences, your view of yourself, your busy lifestyle, not feeling like you have time to spend on yourself, many many many reasons why people ignore their body that says they're full and which foods make them feel good. Address these issues first and see what comes of it. You'll generally be happier doing that than having a procedure done and being thrown in the deep end.

OK, I'm done. Hope you read 'til the bottom and, unless you ask me to, I'll leave this post now. Don't want to come across as offensive. JUST BE SURE!

There are so many foods you can't eat anymore, and you can't eat the quantities that you're used to .... you lose a lot of the enjoyment of food you once had!

OK I said I was leaving lol

e

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsheets

Yes, but do you grasp the seriousness of being 100 to 200 or more lbs overweight? The odds of dying from an obesity related disease is FAR higher than the odds of dying from weight loss surgery if you are that overweight.

The problem with discussing this issue on a support board for a diet is that most of the people on this board are here because the diet is working for them, so they don't understand why it doesn't work for everyone. Furthermore, they often slavishy hold to the notion that it could work for everyone.

I don't get why a diet doesn't for everyone, but statistics bear out that the success rate for dieting is abysmally low, and yes, I hate to disappoint you all, that includes low-carbing.

I'm not suggesting weight loss surgery is the best option for everyone, nor am I suggesting it should be entered into lightly, but it's a valid option for those that have not been successful at losing weight via more conventional routes.

Val

Ever since I read the Schwarzbein Principle, I have been horrified at the thought of weight loss surgery for anyone. Schwarzbein claims that if you can't lose weight, you have a damaged metabolism, which she defines as being out of hormonal balance due to insulin resistance, burned out adrenal glands, and other out of balance hormones (like a thyroid problem that needs hormone replacement). She claims people with a damaged metabolism need to get healthy to lose weight (meaning fix their hormonal imbalances). My suspicion since reading this is that the people who lose a lot of weight with weight loss surgery, probably would have lost the weight anyway if they had eaten in a way that balanced their hormones (or gotten medical care). I think the people you read about who gain back the weight after surgery have bodies that already were prepared to defend their lives from starvation, and the surgery induces the ultimate in starvation. Even the ones who succeed with the surgery might not really be extending their lives. This concept that being thin equals being healthy is not true. My mother died when she weighed 70 pounds. She was not healthy.