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Bariatric Surgery

BJS

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We've had many weight loss competitions and discussions but very little on extreme weight loss that comes from bariatric/weight loss surgery. I'm exploring the options at this point. At just under 6' and 330# which is down from a high of 350. A few yo-yo's which usually ends up with a net weight gain .

Who's had it? Which option did you chose? How long ago was your surgery? Would you do it again?
 
i had some friends and family do it. but they kept there bad eating habits. i few had to have it redone. it is an extreme measure that does come with complications. but i know it added years to a few friends lives. i would not recommend it if you pretty much haven't tried everything else. they all had to learn to eat different in the end. if they did that in the first place they would not have had to get the surgery.
 
i had some friends and family do it. but they kept there bad eating habits. i few had to have it redone. it is an extreme measure that does come with complications. but i know it added years to a few friends lives. i would not recommend it if you pretty much haven't tried everything else. they all had to learn to eat different in the end. if they did that in the first place they would not have had to get the surgery.

Correct. Most of the people that get it are too fucking lazy to actually eat correctly and exercise. I bet the OP is eating way more food than he needs. If he dropped to 1200 calories a day he could drop 30 to 40 pounds in a month.
 
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Correct. Most of the people that get it are too fucking lazy to actually eat correctly and exercise. I bet the OP is eating way more food than he needs. If he dropped to 1200 calories a day he could drop 30 to 40 pounds in a month.

I'd say that you are somewhat correct. My current diet yields an intake of 1800-2000 calories per day, if the fitbit is remotely correct in the calories burned puts me over 4k on any average day. which should yield a significant weight loss quite quickly. At 1400-1600 calories per day I lost approximately 30# in 9 months. The advice I've received from dieticians and medical professionals is to avoid starvation/crash/super low calorie diets, as you've described, because they do not lead to sustained weight loss.
 
i had some friends and family do it. but they kept there bad eating habits. i few had to have it redone. it is an extreme measure that does come with complications. but i know it added years to a few friends lives. i would not recommend it if you pretty much haven't tried everything else. they all had to learn to eat different in the end. if they did that in the first place they would not have had to get the surgery.

Yes the success rate is roughly 60% for surgical options (minus banding procedures they fail 90%). Eating habits do have to change and I'd say I've been down just about every diet/weight loss path. 5 years ago I wouldn't have even considered it and told my primary care doc as much when he suggested it as an option.
 
We've had many weight loss competitions and discussions but very little on extreme weight loss that comes from bariatric/weight loss surgery. I'm exploring the options at this point. At just under 6' and 330# which is down from a high of 350. A few yo-yo's which usually ends up with a net weight gain .

Who's had it? Which option did you chose? How long ago was your surgery? Would you do it again?

Put in the work and eat right to fix the issue.

I was jobless for a year back in my mid 20's and my diet consisted of fast food and junk. I got to the heaviest I have ever been and had high blood pressure. Doc wanted to give me BP pills. I said fuck that, I will fix this.

I changed my diet from fast food to strictly whatever was sold in produce department. I ran to the local basketball courts everyday to do a variety of intense cardio exercises and left each time drenched in sweat. I didn't pick up the ball once. This was work, not play. Six weeks go by and my BP was excellent and I dropped all that weight and never gained it back cuz I stuck to eating lots of fruits and veggies.

It takes hard work and permanent diet change to see your dick again. Don't take the easy way out that may not work.
 
Food is an addiction. Treat it as such.

What you really need is surprisingly little food.
If you sit around all day you need even less!
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You need a lifestyle change, period.

My ex did it. She stuck to the dietary changes, et. al, for a couple years after surgery, but then I noticed her sneaking in more and more junk again (like her addiction to Pepsi). By the time we were divorced, half of her prior weight loss had returned.

She would have had the same results with the same dietary changes had she not had the surgery to begin with.

No fads, no crash diets, just simple math. Intake < Output = Weight Loss, period. Take in fewer calories than you expend, stay away from super-processed foods and unnecessary sugars. More protein, less carbs. Drink at least a gallon of water a day, no teas, no sodas, no energy drinks, minimal juice. That's all there is to it. You won't even need to work out much, provided you are eating the right portions of the right foods.
 
there are a lot of factors to determine success.

The doctor is a huge portion of it. I know a couple people that have gotten it done. Different doctors.
One, done in mexico, it worked great for her. She is just not ever hungry. She often forgets to eat and takes looking after.

The other is the typical, went back to bad habits and started gaining weight.

No matter what happens, yes surgery will give you a great jump start but it is the long term eating decisions that have to change.

Neither gal exercised like they were supposed to. They just starved themselves because it was easy. So there was no lifestyle changes.

But also don't forget once you lose the weight you will feel better and hopefully become more active.
 
Not always as easy as Calories in/Calories out equation. What types of calories matter way more for some than others. Have to find what works for you. Otherwise, I know of one success story. Changed literally everything about her life, food intake, exercise, all of it. I know of 2 others that fell back into shitty habits and are headed back to where they were.
 
Put in the work and eat right to fix the issue.

I was jobless for a year back in my mid 20's and my diet consisted of fast food and junk. I got to the heaviest I have ever been and had high blood pressure. Doc wanted to give me BP pills. I said fuck that, I will fix this.

I changed my diet from fast food to strictly whatever was sold in produce department. I ran to the local basketball courts everyday to do a variety of intense cardio exercises and left each time drenched in sweat. I didn't pick up the ball once. This was work, not play. Six weeks go by and my BP was excellent and I dropped all that weight and never gained it back cuz I stuck to eating lots of fruits and veggies.

It takes hard work and permanent diet change to see your dick again. Don't take the easy way out that may not work.

How much overweight were you? I do recognize that I need a lifestyle change and have been changing things for the better for many years. As far as seeing my dick, well that's not a problem.

Food is an addiction. Treat it as such.

What you really need is surprisingly little food.
If you sit around all day you need even less!

I'm well aware of calorie densities of food and how much more fruits/veggies and whole grains can be consumed vs processed garbage. I am quite active, last night was the first time in I don't remember how long that I actually sat down and watched TV with my wife. My daughter asks me why I don't watch TV. I just finished building storage shed and running power out to it. I did all the work from the dirt work for slab prep to roofing to trenching the power and climbing in my attic (in May in FL) to run the required wires.

You need a lifestyle change, period.

My ex did it. She stuck to the dietary changes, et. al, for a couple years after surgery, but then I noticed her sneaking in more and more junk again (like her addiction to Pepsi). By the time we were divorced, half of her prior weight loss had returned.

She would have had the same results with the same dietary changes had she not had the surgery to begin with.

No fads, no crash diets, just simple math. Intake < Output = Weight Loss, period. Take in fewer calories than you expend, stay away from super-processed foods and unnecessary sugars. More protein, less carbs. Drink at least a gallon of water a day, no teas, no sodas, no energy drinks, minimal juice. That's all there is to it. You won't even need to work out much, provided you are eating the right portions of the right foods.

I overcame the soda addiction shortly after high school. Dr. Pepper was my drink of choice and I'd down about 6L/Day now there is a water cooler on the other side of my desk which usually lasts me a bit less than 5 days in the office.

I think I have the right portions of the right foods figured out. My insurance company sponsored a weight management pilot where they paid for a program with a dietician and lifestyle coach that did weekly coaching, diet & exercise analysis. I did manage to loose some weight through this process most within the first 9 months and that was 30 lb and maintained the plateau for the next 18 months with increasing exercise and mild decrease of calorie intake while maintaining quality of calorie intake.
there are a lot of factors to determine success.

The doctor is a huge portion of it. I know a couple people that have gotten it done. Different doctors.
One, done in mexico, it worked great for her. She is just not ever hungry. She often forgets to eat and takes looking after.

The other is the typical, went back to bad habits and started gaining weight.

No matter what happens, yes surgery will give you a great jump start but it is the long term eating decisions that have to change.

Neither gal exercised like they were supposed to. They just starved themselves because it was easy. So there was no lifestyle changes.

But also don't forget once you lose the weight you will feel better and hopefully become more active.

Honestly I'm the most active fat man I know, I've swapped my riding mower for a push mower. recreation is hiking, or walking. My job is on a college campus and I'm routinely walking around. step counter estimates put me between 5 & 8 miles per day "in the office" I can't sleep well if I haven't moved around enough and the days where I'm stuck sitting at my desk are absolute torture. ("sitting at my desk" usually entails only 3 miles or so of walking)

Selecting the doc is a big portion of the decision. There are several in the immediate area that are highly rated, I'll seek to find some previous patients from each before I actually decide. Mexico is not in my realm of consideration. My insurance plan will cover the surgery minus my copay/deductible so expensive USA based surgeon is the only way I'm going under the knife.

Overall the success rates are only slightly better than a flip of a coin. I've watched some people get the surgery to do as you've indicated go right back to what they were eating before, though in one specific case a minor change. Her meal/snack of choice a nutella & peanut butter sandwich, the bread got substituted for a low carb flat bread now and must to the surprise of nobody she has regained some of the weight.

Not always as easy as Calories in/Calories out equation. What types of calories matter way more for some than others. Have to find what works for you. Otherwise, I know of one success story. Changed literally everything about her life, food intake, exercise, all of it. I know of 2 others that fell back into shitty habits and are headed back to where they were.

Calories in/out is not a balanced equation as you've acknowledged. Quality is a big factor. I've sought out how to get quality and eliminate processed foods in my diet. You've echoed what I've found it is either a life changing experience or there is massive weight loss in the first few months and a return to the old habits very quickly.
 
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I know at least 6 people who have had it done for more than 20 yrs and been successful , all of them are having long term health issues related to the surgery
 
Ditto...

BIL & SIL are having major health issues and teeth are going rotten & falling out.

They all are in florida and all had stomach realignment.

Oldest SIL got cancer and kicked the bucket partly from having that surgery.


I know at least 6 people who have had it done for more than 20 yrs and been successful , all of them are having long term health issues related to the surgery
 
I know at least 6 people who have had it done for more than 20 yrs and been successful , all of them are having long term health issues related to the surgery

Vitamin absorption is an issue I'm aware of which the impacts vary depending on what type of surgery is done. If you can share what types of health issues are they having and do you know what type of surgery they had?
 
I weighed 396 lbs in 2012. I had the bariatric sleeve. I fluctuate between 315-325 now. There is a lot of truth in what some are saying about lifestyle change, addiction, mind over matter, work out routines, lazy, etc. Most of the people responding never had the surgery and have never dealt with any complications from the surgery. This probably isn’t the forum for a support group of this nature.

I had no complications and to this day still have none. I have weighed above 299 since I was 17. I’m comfortable where I am at and don’t regret doing it.

I also have all my teeth:grinpimp:
 
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I have a close friend who had a full gastric bypass done a little over 3 months ago. 55lbs lost in 3 months. Has to take vitamins now and will forever. Can't eat a lot of things because of vomiting. It has forced a diet change and forced a huge reduction in caloric intake. They wouldn't trade it for anything though because of how positive it has been psychologically as well as physically.

Make sure you research very well and pick out the best doctor you can. My friend drove to another state to get it done laparoscopically by one of the best in the region with a great team to assist throughout the process including a psychologist, a dietitian, and a physical therapist.

You have to look at a bypass as part of a larger lifestyle change that needs to last a lifetime. You can't go back. Being overweight amplifies other health issues and just makes life that much harder. If diet and exercise just aren't cutting it for you, then it might be something to give some thought to. Being overweight your whole life isn't good for you.
 
...I got to the heaviest I have ever been and had high blood pressure.

Reminds me of this guy but got diabetes instead. He ran his lawn care service until an uninsured driver ran a stop sign & plowed into him (back & leg injury). Went from working w/crew to standing around bossing people. So he had to be more active, Doctor's orders.

Good luck to OP, sounds like you're husky :flipoff2:
 
It's a bitch but doable without surgery. If I find the before and after pics of my dad I'll post them, almost 70 year old man lost >200# over 18 months using keto diet and fasting. Went from over 500# to 250#....

I lost 80#, went from where you are to just under 250# and them fucked it up by not following my plan and eating whatever I wanted for a while. Google Dr Jason Fung, his basic approach is eating a keto diet then fasting 3x a week for 36-42 hours and eating in a time restricted window for the eating days. So Mom fast, a Tues eat two meals in 8 hours, Wed fast, etc.... They'll make you lose a decent amount of weight before they'll cut you anyway.

Goddamned I need to get back on track! :flipoff2:
 
Honestly I'm the most active fat man I know, I've swapped my riding mower for a push mower. recreation is hiking, or walking. My job is on a college campus and I'm routinely walking around. step counter estimates put me between 5 & 8 miles per day "in the office" I can't sleep well if I haven't moved around enough and the days where I'm stuck sitting at my desk are absolute torture. ("sitting at my desk" usually entails only 3 miles or so of walking)

Selecting the doc is a big portion of the decision. There are several in the immediate area that are highly rated, I'll seek to find some previous patients from each before I actually decide. Mexico is not in my realm of consideration. My insurance plan will cover the surgery minus my copay/deductible so expensive USA based surgeon is the only way I'm going under the knife.

Overall the success rates are only slightly better than a flip of a coin. I've watched some people get the surgery to do as you've indicated go right back to what they were eating before, though in one specific case a minor change. Her meal/snack of choice a nutella & peanut butter sandwich, the bread got substituted for a low carb flat bread now and must to the surprise of nobody she has regained some of the weight.

More of this is starting to come back to me now. Sounds like you have done your research and planning on finding the best solution for you. That is awesome.

The doctor one friend went to in Mexico was supposed to be the best or second best in the world. At that time here in the USA these procedures where not widely accepted yet. It is great that insurance will cover it.
That doctor was killed in a crash. So no follow up visits LOL.

You want the gastric sleeve, at that time anyway, that was my understanding. That lap band doesn't work for most and a full bypass can cause other issues.

With the sleeve you are basically limited to how much you can eat at a time. Downside, you can stretch the sleeve back out over time. But in the short term, over eating, or eating the wrong things will make you sick and your throw it up. Which in inadvertently can help you change your eating habits and types of food.

The two I know that went through it, could not eat anything dry, breads, no way. Ever or crackers, limited pasta. They can't drink when they eat. You drink before or wait until your sleeve clears after to drink. Not during. No carbonated drinks, supposedly the carbonation aids in stretching the pouch back out. Since you gave up soda already that shouldn't be a problem.

As gross as it sounds to some but slimy foods were the best, more rare meat instead of well done, that type of thing.

One thing that is kind of neat about the whole process, both people I know, when they got to weight they were able to indulge in yummy sweat foods the rest of us should avoid and it is cheap to get drunk.

Good luck on your journey.
 
More of this is starting to come back to me now. Sounds like you have done your research and planning on finding the best solution for you. That is awesome.

The doctor one friend went to in Mexico was supposed to be the best or second best in the world. At that time here in the USA these procedures where not widely accepted yet. It is great that insurance will cover it.
That doctor was killed in a crash. So no follow up visits LOL.

You want the gastric sleeve, at that time anyway, that was my understanding. That lap band doesn't work for most and a full bypass can cause other issues.

With the sleeve you are basically limited to how much you can eat at a time. Downside, you can stretch the sleeve back out over time. But in the short term, over eating, or eating the wrong things will make you sick and your throw it up. Which in inadvertently can help you change your eating habits and types of food.

The two I know that went through it, could not eat anything dry, breads, no way. Ever or crackers, limited pasta. They can't drink when they eat. You drink before or wait until your sleeve clears after to drink. Not during. No carbonated drinks, supposedly the carbonation aids in stretching the pouch back out. Since you gave up soda already that shouldn't be a problem.

As gross as it sounds to some but slimy foods were the best, more rare meat instead of well done, that type of thing.

One thing that is kind of neat about the whole process, both people I know, when they got to weight they were able to indulge in yummy sweat foods the rest of us should avoid and it is cheap to get drunk.

Good luck on your journey.

I had/still have zero complications listed here with the sleeve with the exception of I cannot drink once I start to eat. Some people have all the side effects. Others are lucky like me. All react/respond differently as with any change or medical treatment.
 
We've had many weight loss competitions and discussions but very little on extreme weight loss that comes from bariatric/weight loss surgery. I'm exploring the options at this point. At just under 6' and 330# which is down from a high of 350. A few yo-yo's which usually ends up with a net weight gain .

Who's had it? Which option did you chose? How long ago was your surgery? Would you do it again?

I know many that have had it. I don't know any that didn't have terrible side effects. All but one of them are fat still. 330 isn't that heavy. You need to talk to my friend, Mike Gronholz. I've coached in his program, and over the years thousands of pounds have been lost in a healthy and maintainable way. Mike used to be over 300 lbs. I used to be over 250. We have so many that have lost over 100 lbs each. That would be life changing for you. You can do it. PM if you are really ready to take your life back.

Mike's current pic:

Mike.PNG
 
I weighed 396 lbs in 2012. I had the bariatric sleeve. I fluctuate between 315-325 now. There is a lot of truth in what some are saying about lifestyle change, addiction, mind over matter, work out routines, lazy, etc. Most of the people responding never had the surgery and have never dealt with any complications from the surgery. This probably isn’t the forum for a support group of this nature.

I had no complications and to this day still have none. I have weighed above 299 since I was 17. I’m comfortable where I am at and don’t regret doing it.

I also have all my teeth:grinpimp:

Yes it is a tool that must be used in conjunction with a myriad of other tools as you've indicated. The sleeve would be the most likely choice for me. I agree this isn't the forum for support, this forum is going to provide every contrary opinion possible, somewhere in the mix lies a genuine effort to help, sometimes. I appreciate the weights you provided as it gives me a long term reference. Most I've talked to are within 3-5 years max and from what I've found that puts them right in the middle of the difficult window of keeping weight off during a time period when most gain back a few pounds but those that will gain most back are packing the lost weight back on.
 
Do you keep a food diary of everything you eat and drink, including the portion size?
 
I have never been real fat...when the pants get tight it's time to cut back. Grossly overweight people generally have excuses.......6 foot and 300 pounds is porky unless you're a pro football player working out all the time....For the average Joe, 6 foot and 220 pounds is fat..
 
I have never been real fat...when the pants get tight it's time to cut back. Grossly overweight people generally have excuses.......6 foot and 300 pounds is porky unless you're a pro football player working out all the time....For the average Joe, 6 foot and 220 pounds is fat..

Fortunately you have been able to control your weight, be thankful that this isn't a struggle that you've had to deal with.

yes at 6' and more than 300# I'm beyond porky, and yes you're right in the 200# range is where a non body building guy should weigh. We loose perspective on weight with numbers on the scale for a realistic perspective statement I'm carrying more extra weight daily than my 9 year old and my 3 year old weigh combined.
 
Oh you have kids, dang that makes losing weight even harder.

I still think it is great, good for you. Glad you are looking out for you. Nobody else will.

Have seen so many people struggle don't envy what you are going through. Surgery is probably a good course for you before you get any older and do more damage to yourself.
 
BJS, I'm not thankful, it's not an act of god.....You just have to push away from the food....Your words have a theme, excuses....Start right now..... Note, for some, spending 350 bucks a month for the mail order weight loss meals does work...You eat only that and it's the same money you're spending now for food..
 
Here you go, if this old man can do it without surgery and you can't.......:rolleyes::flipoff2:

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