Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Hello Experts,

I am overweight and tried to go through many Regimes and Diet, and i failed

I was advised to make Gastric Bypass Surgery, What do u think of it?

Does it have side effect?

thanks for ur advice in advance

[CalGal]

You need to sit down with a doc who specializes in this form of surgery to see if you're a candidate. And make sure you consider both bypass and banding.

There are side-effects to any type of procedure. Some can be more easily handled by one individual than another, so you'll need to do a comparision and consider what you can live with and what you can't.

[Jaybay]

This type of surgery is nothing to enter into lightly.  Simply being "overweight" is no good reason to have your body carved up with a scalpel and risk possible death.  It is not a magic bullet, and you might end up with far more problems than carrying extra weight.  Most surgeons won't even consider this kind of surgery unless you are morbidly obese.  How much weight do you need to lose?  Do you have any other medical issues like diabetes, etc., that could be life threatening?  Surgery should be a last resort where your life is at stake if you don't lose the weight.  Is that where you see yourself right now?  

A good doctor should also insist that you see a psychologist before having this surgery done.  You are looking at a major life change, and not every person can mentally deal with the results of surgery.  You won't be able to eat what most people consider to be "normally" after the surgery.  I'm talking a few mouthfuls here and there.  That's it.  Any more than that, and it's just going to get vomited back up.  You might have malnutrition issues.  If you are clinically morbidly obese, the chances of a life-threatening infection and other post-op problems are greatly increased.  Do I need to even tell you about how painful this procedure will be?

If I've scared you, I'm glad.  That is how serious this surgery really is.  It is not an elective surgery by any stretch of the imagination no matter what you may have seen on television.  Well, unless it's a quack surgeon doing it.  :-)  

Calgal is right.  You'll need to have a serious talk with a specialist before making your final decision.  Get second or even third opionions.  Make certain that you know all the risks before you head into the operating room, and there are many.

[lordi]

hello

CalGal thax for ur advise man

Jaybay, thanks for ur time writing to me, I do really appreciate that.

I think it's not scaring issue, it's about life style. I'm still young and I am having problems with the society in accepting obese!!

Add to this the embarrassment u feel whenever there's something u can't do!!

Add to that, I've got a University Graduation in the coming summer, how would i appear?

My BMI is 47

I am 181 cm and 147 kg.

thanks again , willing to hear from u people

[hbp702]

To Hell with "how you would appear". Just because of society's prejudice. You wouldn't advise a black person to bleach their skin, would you?

5'11 and 325 lbs isn't small, but I've seen people like that and they don't really look all that big. People can and do look good at that size.

It also seems you have no current medical problems, but just a cosmetic/psychological issue.

Gastric bypass destroys health. Exercise (frequently, for a while, and with sufficient intensity - start slow if you haven't done much lately), get enough sleep and eat nutritious food, and have your blood pressure and blood sugar checked. All of this is good advice for anyone. Big, small, and everything in between. This will help any medical problems if you do in fact have them.

As for society, most of the ^*%^# haters that will look down on you won't ever even go to college, never mind graduate!

Look into Size Acceptance and Health At Every Size.

[KRasmus]

You really shouldn't care what society thinks. It's all about SELF acceptance, and how you feel about yourself.

As for the Gastric Bypass, the safest choice would be the Lap Band. It has far fewer risks than the Gastric Bypass, and you aren't having your insides cut up or rearranged. Not only that, it's fully reversible, unlike the Gastric Bypass, and you don't suffer from nutritional deficiencies.

Weight loss surgery should be reserved for those who are severely obese and their weight is greatly affecting their health and quality of life. It should be a last resort, no matter which surgery you decide upon.

Speak with a competent surgeon  about your choices. Preferably someone who has performed thousands of these surgeries. You can also check out www.obesityhelp.com for more information.

[hbp702]

obesityhelp.com is extremely pro-surgery. As is any surgeon.

Here is some resources from the other side:
(I have NO connection and make NO money off of recommending them)

http://www.kellybliss.com/
http://www.feelinggoodfitness.com/
http://www.bigfatblog.com/
http://gastricbypass.netfirms.com/

[ggreg]

Dear Lordi,
Well, you only need to lose 60 kg.  If you break that down into thirds, at 20 kg at a time, you could shoot for losing 20 kg, take a month off to regroup, lose another third, and so on.  That means, by graduation, you'll have lost 1/3 of the weight you need to, and in one year, you could have it all off, just in time for spring next year.  

In sum, to lose the weight, do what gastric bypass people do anyway, which is go on a liquid diet for a while.  Then you do what has worked for me, switch to the rotation diet, which is to eat small meals for a long time, alternated with regular meals for a short time.  Adding exercise plus plenty of water is the key to the whole system working.  

Oh, and put your scales away.  Only weigh yourself every six months from here on.  You really are not so overweight as to justify an operation.  And try to remember that you are still you, no matter how thin you are, no matter how heavy you are.  Worry less about others being mean to you, and more about you being kind to others.  Now, if I may, I'll tell you how to get the weight off in a safer and more effective way than you may have tried in the past.  Have your heart checked by a doctor first.  And some will argue this method, but it worked for me, took me 1-1/2 years but I lost it all and it stayed off.

Break the year down into three parts, four months each, to theoretically lose 20 kg at a time.  Each four-month part, you eat a liquid diet for the first month, then the second month a soft food diet, third month a small-meal diet, and the fourth eating reasonable meals, which is where you will stay at the end of the year.  Each four-month rotation you should likewise increase exercise and water intake for three months, and in the fourth month reduce exercise and water intake somewhat, repeat.  

If at any point during this regimen you become cold, faint, or your body hurts too much, then for just one day, eat a three-egg vegie omelet and rest from the exercise.  Then pick back up where you left off.  Also, after each four-month part is over, you may sense you've put back on 1 or 2 kg, but that is expected, just ignore it.  To maintain a final weight, if you notice that increase when you weigh yourself every six months, then for three weeks just stop all deserts and heavy foods, increase exercise and water, and it will drop right off.  Oh, and snacks during the weight loss is a raw carrot, hold it and chew on it.  And begin to cut your salt, until one day you'll eat out and notice there's too much salt on the food.  And always remember baked is better than fried, low-fat milk is better than whole milk, and diet sodas will be your drink of choice forever.  

Walking is your best exercise, because legs take off weight fastest, and the school you are graduating should have a track, normally 400 meters around.  First month, aim for eventually walking ten times around the track, five days a week.  Second month, add five times of running in between, still five days a week.  Third month, go for running the whole fifteen times, five days wkly.  Fourth month, back off exercise to ten times running around the track, now just four days a week.  When you start the next four-month part, start at rock bottom again.  Also, for the four-month increments, increase water the same sort of way, drinking more as you exercise more, less as you exercise less.  When you are in the midst of eating less, you should be drinking six glasses of extra water a day... water flushes the system.  

You can vary all this somewhat, even try a different sport, as long as you predominantly use the legs.  The main pattern is to start exercise at the bottom, food intake at the bottom, increase it for three months, then back down for a month to what you can manage regularly, repeat until you're done.  If you find that last 20 kg is slower coming off, gradually add some alternate-day weight training, then slack off at the end.

If you start now, this time next year you will be close to your proper weight, you will have established a habit of running or whatever sport you choose, and you'll become accustomed to eating less and really enjoying it.  And if a few kg creeps back on, every six months you can do a mini three-week adjustment.

I'm SO sorry to have written so much, but that's my way sometimes.  I just know you've tried a lot of things, and I wanted you to realize this is a little different.  I hope this guide will get you going again.  Oh, and you'd be amazed at what you'll come up with for the liquid and soft food diets, you'll probably get a blender and also be reduced to eating baby food.  Smile smile.  GG  

[Jaybay]

I really like the way you made your plan in increments.  The reason so many people fail with dieting is they only look at the end result.  By setting smaller goals that add up the big one, you can celebrate the smaller successes along the way and stay motivated.

I also love what you said about getting rid of the scale.  Those numbers mean nothing except to a doctor.  It's another tool for failure when a person sees a 2 pound gain that may be due only to water weight or increased muscle mass from exercise.  Weight can even fluctuate during the day, and obsessing over the scale only makes for depression and failure.  It's far better to focus on lost inches, lower BMI, or even just the way your clothing fits.  

Before my chronic pain condition set in, I was a gym rat and really into weightlifting.  My trainer wouldn't allow me to look at a scale.  Why?  Because I GAINED weight from the increased muscle mass!  While I gained weight, I lost several inches and looked the best I ever have in my life.  So yes, throw away the dam scales and celebrate in how much better you feel as your body changes.

Lordi, if you can convince yourself to eat well nutritionally and gradually and safely lose that weight over the next year, think of the money you'll save on that gastric bypass surgery.  You could put that money toward plastic surgery if it becomes necessary to remove excess skin.  Or forget any surgery at all and splurge on something to celebrate what you've accomplished.  Losing that kind of weight is a major accomplishment.  You can do it!

[Sickboy61]

I agree about the scales.  They don't tell you what TYPE of weight you have.  I had a similar experience as Jaybay when I first got into lifting weight.  I had gone on a diet with cardio exercise while I was in grad school, and had lost 40 lbs.  But I didn't like the way I looked or felt.  I had never lifted weights before, but I went and joined a gym.  After several months I had put two inches on my chest, and taken two off my waist, my clothes fit much better. But I had gained almost 10 pounds back!  But it was all muscle.

Unfortuntely, that was 25 years ago, after getting married, full time job, kids,  I put all the fat back on, then lost it again, then  then back on, then off.  And  now, after some back problems and knee surgery, I need to do it again. ;^(

[hbp702]

I say NO to any liquid or extreme diets. What is the hurry?! There isn't any reason to rush.

Drastic calorie reductions reduce muscle mass, metabolism, heart strength, etc. And can cause gallbladder and liver damage extremely quickly (i.e. in DAYS in some cases!).

If you do feel the need to lose weight, just eat reasonable portions of reasonable foods, and do as much exercise as you can reasonably do. That is good advice in any case and for any weight. It will maintain/improve health for people of all weights.

Don't do anything you can't sustain.

Any weight loss is more likely to last. Good eating and exercise, and other healthy habits (good sleep, etc) will make you healthier/keep you healthy in any event.

People can be heavy or thin, healthy or sick, in any combination. I'm merely "obese" but have hypertension, but personally know of some "morbidly obese" (I hate that term!) people without it. In fact, one had a BP of 90/60 last time I checked! Nor was the other even pre-hypertensive by todays (very strict) standard, she was 110 something over something less than 80. You'd think they'd have the high BP instead!

And if anyone insults you or in any way tries to bring you down, beat up/ignore/sue or otherwise deal with them, don't hate yourself.

We know your BMI, but we don't know your fasting blood sugar, blood pressure, or if you have any signs of metabolic syndrome other than weight/size. Do you?

[ggreg]

Dear HBP,
I'm not sure that what I suggested is extreme.  This is because physicians who do the gastric bypass make their patients go on a liquid diet for weeks after the operation.  And then for the rest of their lives, the smaller stomach only allows them ounces of food for meals.  People who come into the emergency room with head injuries only get I.V. fluids as long as they're compromised.  Religious people, for thousands of years, have fasted for various periods of time, which is NO intake of anything.  And all people who have ever had any kind of abdominal surgery have to go through a period of liquid diet, followed by soft food diet.

When you've got someone who is almost three times their normal weight, as long as they get enough NUTRITION, water, and exercise, not to mention fat to burn off, they should physically improve by reducing caloric intake.  It's a question of balance.  Thousands of diet books have been written, saying it's this many calories or that food, this fat or that sugar, that makes the difference.  But no one has drawn the line for certain what works, or we'd all be doing it.  Prevention is worth an ounce of cure, so good eating habits, exercise, and staying hydrated are the key to never having to diet.  Still, what do you do for a person who ends up dangerously heavy, often because of metabolism differences, thus no way to prevent and no fault of their own?

I have offered a possible way of getting off the weight over a period of a year, which under any standard is a long time.  I said do what the bypass docs do, and that is go on a liquid diet for a while.  And I said do what babies do, and that is eat a soft diet.  And I said do what all people do who go on a diet, and that is eat smaller meals.  And I said do what the rotation diet experts say, and that is rest from the diet periodically.  And everyone knows staying well hydrated and getting enough exercise is part of losing weight, not to mention good health.

I forewarned plenty, suggesting he get his heart checked, to watch for signs of system shutdown like fainting and getting cold or achy, and I used words like "theoretically," and "aim for," and "you can vary," so as to get across the notion that it was a plan of action, not an exact science.

I think my biggest mistake was going into too much detail.  This fellow has enough on his mind without having to digest a long email from a total stranger about some other oddball way of losing weight, even tho he did ask for advice.  So, in view of the possibility that my ideas may be extreme to some, I'd like to exchange my previous email with this:

Dear Lordi,
You only have 60 kg to lose.  Maybe you could break down to more manageable goals of 20 kg at a time, then rest in between to regroup.  The common method of weight loss is simply eat much smaller but well-balanced meals, increase exercise from easy to rigorous to weight lifting, and drink lots of extra water.  All people who have operations have to go on liquids for a period of time, so there shouldn't be much harm in trying to jump-start your weight loss programme that way, as long as you get enough nutrition and reintroduce food by soft diet, so as not to overwhelm your digestion.  Keep in touch with a physician during your diet.  Every six months, weigh yourself to see how close you are to your goals, and then keep going until you do.  Rest from your regimen periodically, to allow the body to adjust.  Achieving a normal weight through diet may take a year or more to do, but so does bypass surgery.  
GG

[ggreg]

Everyone,
Obviously I need to go take my medicine, after that long diatribe... Sorry to all for going on and on.  And HBP's advice is as good as anyone else's.  I just want to help and I think I have information that will, but sometimes I have a hard time controlling what I say.
GG