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Gastric Bypass????
My name is Amanda I am 20 years old and I have always had weight problems. I am 5'9 and I weigh 360lbs. I have tried many different diet pills and exercise but nothing seems to help. I have even tried weight loss programs such as Jenny Craig, but it made me vomit after eating and taking the vitamins. I need help, is Gastric Bypass effective? Can it help me???
Hi Mandy,
I am so very happy you have lost weight WITHOUT a gastric Bypass!!!
I had one 5 yrs ago..( May18th)
Did it work?? YES! I went from 305lbs, down to 145lbs. And I have kept it off.
I look at my self differently, and feel great about myself.
BUT!!!
No one who had previously had this surgery ever spoke to me BEFORE I had it.
Here are some things I wish I had known:
*You have terrible gas afterworlds. No not just a little, all the time.
Your Bawl movements smell even worse!
It is so bad, and smells so horrible, that my daughters wont use my bathroom, I NEVER use the
bathroom at work, or when company is over at my house. I have made up excuses to "run to the
store" so I could use the restroom there.
*My teeth are crumbling. I have been to the dentist over and over, I will have dentures within a year..
I AM 42!!!
*The diarrhea is unexpected..and often in the 1st few years, and never goes away.
Now with all of that said, would I do it again? NO, I would opt for the gastric banding. these problems stem from bypassing the duodenum.( I am sure I misspelled that) With Gastric banding, the loss is a little slower. But not as many side effects!
Good luck to all of you who are thinking about this.
I am so very happy you have lost weight WITHOUT a gastric Bypass!!!
I had one 5 yrs ago..( May18th)
Did it work?? YES! I went from 305lbs, down to 145lbs. And I have kept it off.
I look at my self differently, and feel great about myself.
BUT!!!
No one who had previously had this surgery ever spoke to me BEFORE I had it.
Here are some things I wish I had known:
*You have terrible gas afterworlds. No not just a little, all the time.
Your Bawl movements smell even worse!
It is so bad, and smells so horrible, that my daughters wont use my bathroom, I NEVER use the
bathroom at work, or when company is over at my house. I have made up excuses to "run to the
store" so I could use the restroom there.
*My teeth are crumbling. I have been to the dentist over and over, I will have dentures within a year..
I AM 42!!!
*The diarrhea is unexpected..and often in the 1st few years, and never goes away.
Now with all of that said, would I do it again? NO, I would opt for the gastric banding. these problems stem from bypassing the duodenum.( I am sure I misspelled that) With Gastric banding, the loss is a little slower. But not as many side effects!
Good luck to all of you who are thinking about this.
Thank you all so much for understanding what I am going through. I know I haven't been on here in a bit school has taken the front seat in my life right now and everything is in the back except my desire to lose weight. When I started on here I topped out at 360lbs. As of today I am down to 342, it's not a huge number difference but the inches I have lost are amazing. I did this without surgery, Lent came up and I had to give up one of my vices for 40 days I chose to give up what I ate most as a poor college student... Nachos. I dropped nearly 20lbs in those 40 days alone. My cheekbones are more defined as in you can actually see them, my pants are loose, and I am developing an attractive hour-glass curve to my waist. I got a compliment from a friend a few days ago, he told me that before when I dropped my head forward he could never see my neck beyond my double chin... He was able to see my neck when I did the same thing and it makes me realize that whether or not numbers fall off the inches do! Thank you all again for your support.
Lots of love and hugs!
Mandy
Lots of love and hugs!
Mandy
It is really interesting to read this thread. Thanks to all who have shared here.
I think something like this is a deeply personal choice. Here are just some thoughts I have about it.
I had an acquaintance who broke her hip in a car accident. She was in a wheelchair until it could heal. But she was too heavy and the hip could not heal under her weight, so she HAD to get the bypass operation in order to walk again.
As my weight climbed, I kept not wanting to deal with it. But in the back of my mind, I did sometimes fear that I too would end up in a corner and have bypass imposed by dr's. I went to some of the bypass websites, and did qualify based. I toped out around 270 lbs and 5'9".
This past year, I've ongoing medical problems. I won't bore ya'll here with the details, and my problems are not weight-related. But this is what it took for that little light bulb to go off in my head that I really needed to face my poor lifestyle choices. I've taken a similar path to what Renae describes. I am working to make changes that I can maintain for life, no fads, and I am trying to do it on my terms, without surgery.
How we eat and care for ourselves is deeply personal. That is something I firmly hold to. I don't think anyone could have said a single thing that would have gotten me to change a single second before I did.
I can say that since I made the descision to change, I have found this site and the Tracker to be great tools, and the people here are just awesome and supportive.
So I don't think anyone can answer this question for you. I just hope you do take time to really sit down with yourself and think about your eating and other lifestyle factors that affect your weight and health.
It is NOT easy to do. I put it off for a long time beause I knew it would hurt to admit to myself that I had been treating my body in ways I knew were bad for so long.
If you have more questions or ideas, I hope you come back and post again.
No matter what you (or anyone who may actually read this) decide, I wish you all the best.
I think something like this is a deeply personal choice. Here are just some thoughts I have about it.
I had an acquaintance who broke her hip in a car accident. She was in a wheelchair until it could heal. But she was too heavy and the hip could not heal under her weight, so she HAD to get the bypass operation in order to walk again.
As my weight climbed, I kept not wanting to deal with it. But in the back of my mind, I did sometimes fear that I too would end up in a corner and have bypass imposed by dr's. I went to some of the bypass websites, and did qualify based. I toped out around 270 lbs and 5'9".
This past year, I've ongoing medical problems. I won't bore ya'll here with the details, and my problems are not weight-related. But this is what it took for that little light bulb to go off in my head that I really needed to face my poor lifestyle choices. I've taken a similar path to what Renae describes. I am working to make changes that I can maintain for life, no fads, and I am trying to do it on my terms, without surgery.
How we eat and care for ourselves is deeply personal. That is something I firmly hold to. I don't think anyone could have said a single thing that would have gotten me to change a single second before I did.
I can say that since I made the descision to change, I have found this site and the Tracker to be great tools, and the people here are just awesome and supportive.
So I don't think anyone can answer this question for you. I just hope you do take time to really sit down with yourself and think about your eating and other lifestyle factors that affect your weight and health.
It is NOT easy to do. I put it off for a long time beause I knew it would hurt to admit to myself that I had been treating my body in ways I knew were bad for so long.
If you have more questions or ideas, I hope you come back and post again.
No matter what you (or anyone who may actually read this) decide, I wish you all the best.
I know I a month late but go for the surgery. I am 3 years out lost close to 180 pounds and I am loving life. I walk all the time, hang out with my friends, dress better laugh more and I am just plain happier. I can shop in normal stores and I no longer feel like people are staring at me when I go out to eat. I will never get use to people saying how good I look and for the first time in my life I turn heads when I enter the room. The main reason i had the surgery is because I wanted to live longer. I was 420 now I am 240 and getting ready to have the extra skin taken off. Trust me the only regret you will have is that you didnt do it sooner.
Thank you for the congratulations and for your post. You are correct that the weight is a by-product of something else. I, too, found comfort in food. Through much soul-searching, found that I ate when I was sad and lonely. Somehow I equated food and the feeling of being satiated (that full and satisfied feeling after I ate) to that of being loved. It also symbolized trying to fill the void in my life, the aloneness.
Once I realized that no one else could hurt me as much as I was hurting myself in overeating, causing health issues and lowering my self-esteem, it was time to change. I also realized that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for and I could survive the feelings of sadness and loneliness. Each time I felt sad and alone, the urge to eat would start. I used the Cherokee story above to stop, think and decide which wolf I wanted to feed. I used the Mandela quote to inspire me to stop standing in the way of my dreams ... to reach out and allow myself to be brighter!
We have much in common. I used to have panic attacks and yes, all the things you are describing tend to be related. Seems we need to value ourselves and find positive thoughts to spur us on to change. Positive motivation and support in this community is key! Weight Watchers is a wonderful program and that, combined with all of this, will help you turn your dreams into reality.
Looking forward to getting to know you better and can hardly wait to hear more of your journey! Remember, YOU TOO Can Do This!!!
BIG BEARRR HUGGSSSSSS!!!
Ranae
Once I realized that no one else could hurt me as much as I was hurting myself in overeating, causing health issues and lowering my self-esteem, it was time to change. I also realized that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for and I could survive the feelings of sadness and loneliness. Each time I felt sad and alone, the urge to eat would start. I used the Cherokee story above to stop, think and decide which wolf I wanted to feed. I used the Mandela quote to inspire me to stop standing in the way of my dreams ... to reach out and allow myself to be brighter!
We have much in common. I used to have panic attacks and yes, all the things you are describing tend to be related. Seems we need to value ourselves and find positive thoughts to spur us on to change. Positive motivation and support in this community is key! Weight Watchers is a wonderful program and that, combined with all of this, will help you turn your dreams into reality.
Looking forward to getting to know you better and can hardly wait to hear more of your journey! Remember, YOU TOO Can Do This!!!
BIG BEARRR HUGGSSSSSS!!!
Ranae
Wow, congratulations on losing and keeping it off. I feel that the core issue is not the weight itself,. but why I have found so much comfort in food. These are issues that will be there through surgery or not. Whether I am 140 or 340 pounds I am still me with the same thought processes. So I definatly need to figure that out before I ever decide to have any type of surgery. I also have many obstacles in my life right now, severe panic disorder, depression, and hypothyroid disease that is not easily controlled at this point. So they give me excuses to give up, or not try at all, or start my diet tomarrow. Bottom line is I need to start being proactive in this and get motivated. I think losing weight will help with my panic disorder as well as my depression. So Now that I have found all of this support I am going to get the ball rolling and do something. i feel motivated, thank you. I will let you know how I am doing. I am thinking of joining weight watchers.
Having been overweight throughout my life and reaching 330 lbs, I can empathize with you and your weight concerns. Your question about surgery is realistic and one I even considered. However, there was a recurring question that caused me stop and think quite a while and I elected another path.
With the very best intentions and heartfelt wishes for your success, I share this with you.
The nagging question was, "If you have the surgery and accept the risks of that surgery, will you not regain the weight if you can't figure out why you're eating out of control?"
Two years ago I began the journey of a lifetime and have lost 146 lbs to date. This was accomplished through community support, nutritional food choices with realistic choices that let me maintain a similar taste for the foods I liked, moderate exercise and challenging the way I thought. I surrounded myself with with positive motivation, kept a journal, and studied my emotions. I failed from time to time but used each failure as an opportunity to learn and to plan better for the next time. Forgiving myself, accepting myself and accepting nothing but long-term victory, I kept moving forward ... day by day .. pound by pound.
YOU TOO CAN DO THIS ... here is a story I would like to share with you ...
ONE evening, and old Cherokee told his grandson about the eternal battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My boy, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.”
“One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.”
“The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, tolerance, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”
One of my favorite quotes was from Nelson Mandela ... "Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? "
Please let me know if I can help. It would be a privilege to pay it forward in honor of those who so selflessly helped me.
(((Hugs)))
Ranae
With the very best intentions and heartfelt wishes for your success, I share this with you.
The nagging question was, "If you have the surgery and accept the risks of that surgery, will you not regain the weight if you can't figure out why you're eating out of control?"
Two years ago I began the journey of a lifetime and have lost 146 lbs to date. This was accomplished through community support, nutritional food choices with realistic choices that let me maintain a similar taste for the foods I liked, moderate exercise and challenging the way I thought. I surrounded myself with with positive motivation, kept a journal, and studied my emotions. I failed from time to time but used each failure as an opportunity to learn and to plan better for the next time. Forgiving myself, accepting myself and accepting nothing but long-term victory, I kept moving forward ... day by day .. pound by pound.
YOU TOO CAN DO THIS ... here is a story I would like to share with you ...
ONE evening, and old Cherokee told his grandson about the eternal battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My boy, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.”
“One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.”
“The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, tolerance, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”
One of my favorite quotes was from Nelson Mandela ... "Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? "
Please let me know if I can help. It would be a privilege to pay it forward in honor of those who so selflessly helped me.
(((Hugs)))
Ranae
Hey Mandy, I have been wondering the same thing.(about surgery) I am 5'5'' and weigh 344 pounds. I really liked being a big girl at about 250 pound. But now I am ridiculously overweight. I see morbidly obese on my chart at the Dr's office and I don't know why I can't stop eating. I do excercise at the gym at least 3 days a week, followed by donuts. I am not one of those "I just don't know why I am fat" girls. I definatly know why, I eat too much and I have thyroid disease. I have actually stuck to a diet before, but get dicouraged because I made no progress(I didn;t realize I had thyroid disease at the time) So now I feel like there is no hope for me. I need to take my big behind to a wieght watchers meeting. I have seen so many people who have been successful with that. ANyways. Keep me posted, I would be really interested to know what desicion you make> (sorry if I make no sense I have a 5 yr old climbing on me) And if you need any support let know. I know what it's like to be the fat girl. Good Luck, Deziree
Thank you for your advice, I have a appointment with my doctor and with her I will go over my options. It may not have been the food with Jenny Craig but I did later find out I have gastroesophogeal reflux disease and that may have been why I got sick with the vitamins. Again thank you for offering your advice.
Yes, gastric bypass is effective. Yes, it can help you. Yes, its major surgery with implications for you for the rest of your life. It can be a life saver, or a source of misery for many years.
Before deciding, have a consult with some reputable surgeons and interview former patients. Many have preop classes you can go to.
I'd encourage you to examine closely exactly what you have tried, and take an honest look at how well you have followed the diets you have done, how long you have stuck to them, and how honestly you have given it a shot.
I spent years telling myself, my husband, and anyone who would listen that "I've tried diet and exercise and can't lose weight". In reality, I was secretly eating and not giving exercise much of a shot at all. I never counted a "bite of this" or a nibble of that in my calorie intake, and bites here and there can add up to hundreds of calories a day. It wasn't until I joined Weight Watchers and REALLY, AND TRULY followed the program completely that I made any progress at all.
There is nothing about the Jenny Craig program that should make you vomit simply by eating their food. If the vitamins made you vomit, just take a good multivitamin with it. I would be baffled as to why you would vomit after eating their food.
I'm glad you are considering doing something about your weight. At your weight, its critical that something start happening or your life will be shortened dramatically. If it has to be gastric bypass, then get a good surgeon and begin a new life!
Best of luck to you!
Before deciding, have a consult with some reputable surgeons and interview former patients. Many have preop classes you can go to.
I'd encourage you to examine closely exactly what you have tried, and take an honest look at how well you have followed the diets you have done, how long you have stuck to them, and how honestly you have given it a shot.
I spent years telling myself, my husband, and anyone who would listen that "I've tried diet and exercise and can't lose weight". In reality, I was secretly eating and not giving exercise much of a shot at all. I never counted a "bite of this" or a nibble of that in my calorie intake, and bites here and there can add up to hundreds of calories a day. It wasn't until I joined Weight Watchers and REALLY, AND TRULY followed the program completely that I made any progress at all.
There is nothing about the Jenny Craig program that should make you vomit simply by eating their food. If the vitamins made you vomit, just take a good multivitamin with it. I would be baffled as to why you would vomit after eating their food.
I'm glad you are considering doing something about your weight. At your weight, its critical that something start happening or your life will be shortened dramatically. If it has to be gastric bypass, then get a good surgeon and begin a new life!
Best of luck to you!
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