has anyone here had weight loss surgery?

[Seshat]

I would agree with AccountingDrone's recommendation, but actually expand on it a bit.

Try it for a month. Expect to feel hungry for a week or two, peckish all the time for another week or two, and then for your body to settle into the new pattern.

If you can possibly make the lifestyle changes without the surgery, do so!

[drunkenwildmage]

A friend of mine had it, started out losing a about 50lbs with in a short time, but never really changed her diet habits, and is now regained most of that back.

Another fiend of mine works as a legal secretary in a lawyers office in a major midwestern town. His job is to work and process weight lose surgery cases(Primarily Bariatric), and he said with the amount of cases that come across his desk that it's 'damn near impossible' to keep up.

[Imprl59]

I wouldn't do it.

A close family member had the band surgery. Initially she lost a lot of weight until she figured out how easily you could eat around the band. Now she eats just like she used to and has gained all her weight back if not more.

It seems that there are ways to eat around all these surgeries. People go in to it thinking the surgery is going to fix everything but once the new has worn off the issues that were causing the weight problems in the first place are still there and unadressed. I'm a pretty big boy myself and don't mean to offend anyone but I think the money would be better spent getting some professional help with the issues that are causing us to eat more than we should in the first place.

[SuperRTL]

My aunt had the lap band surgery and actually wrote a book about it. Weight Loss Surgery With the Adjustable Gastric Band

I would definitely read up about all the procedures because, honestly, no matter what you do, you have to be committed to it. It worked for my aunt. I've considered it for me but something the surgeon said at the beginning of my aunt's book really stuck with me. This surgery is for people who've exhausted ALL of their other options and are still committed to losing weight. It is NOT a quick fix, no hassle solution to weight loss. Try everything else you can and then try to do the initial diet, which is designed to give the doctors enough room to do the surgery.

[Seshat]

My mother had success losing weight with the assistance of her general practitioner/family doctor; an endocrinologist (who helped get her whole digestive/gastric system functioning properly); a nutritionist; and a physiotherapist.

If you're considering the surgery, I'd recommend trying something like this first. Your family doctor will need to do tests to see whether you have endocrine problems (like my mother's were), or gastric ones, or intestinal ones.
She may need to talk with you and discover if you comfort-eat, or if you habit-eat. (I do both.) In which case, behaviour modification is necessary.

The point is to discover as much as possible that influences your weight - both anatomical/physiological factors, and behaviour/environmental factors.

Do you avoid walking in public because the streets and parks around you are unsafe?
Do you hate gym work because you feel wimpy walking slowly on a flat treadmill when your neighbour is running at a steep angle?
Do you reach for the ice cream when you're tense and nervous?
Do the exercises you try make you hurt, and stay hurting for several days afterwards?

Your medical team, if they're doing their jobs correctly, should be helping you find alternatives and solutions to all of these factors - not just the anatomical and physiological ones.
Yes, it's your job to actually try the alternatives! But you shouldn't be left alone to struggle with these problems. You may need referrals to multiple specialists, including people who specialise in psychological factors (eg, finding alternatives to food-as-comfort). But you shouldn't be handling it all alone.

[Kheldarson]

Had a coworker who had gone through some sort of surgery (never found out what type). But he's lost like 300-400 lbs in a year. He can literally step into one leg of his old pants. He's doing fine, and is still the football coach for the school. So, do your research, but it can be okay.

[Moirae]

I wouldn't, though I have thought of getting liposuction.

Truth is, I may weigh 180 lbs but I honestly don't understand why I'm gaining weight. I'm not that active but I don't think I eat more than 1500 calories a day which is apparently supposed to be ok for my height and current weight. At the very least, I'd like not to gain any more.

I've debated on talking to my doctor about possible thyroid problems because I'm also exhausted 99% of the time. I force myself to stay awake or I'd be sleeping all the time.

No, I'm not depressed. I don't know what the problem is.

[Sapphire Silk]

I wouldn't, though I have thought of getting liposuction.

Truth is, I may weigh 180 lbs but I honestly don't understand why I'm gaining weight. I'm not that active but I don't think I eat more than 1500 calories a day which is apparently supposed to be ok for my height and current weight. At the very least, I'd like not to gain any more.

I've debated on talking to my doctor about possible thyroid problems because I'm also exhausted 99% of the time. I force myself to stay awake or I'd be sleeping all the time.

No, I'm not depressed. I don't know what the problem is.

Liposuction is very dangerous. High risk of fat embolisms.

It may not be the calories but the kind of calories. Even at a modest intake, if you don't move you will gain weight, esp if you eat a lot of carbs or processed foods, or drink a lot of soda.

Definitely get your thyroid checked. If that is the problem it is easily treatable.

Other causes could include vitamin deficiencies. And don't rule out depression. Sometimes people get so used to the depression they don't realize they have it. A complete medical exam can help.

I suffered from constant fatigue and creeping weight gain for years until I finally dealt with my depression. Then I made a total lifestyle change.

I had thought about getting bariatric surgery, but I would have had to gain weight to meet the requirements for my insurance . . . that seemed ridiculous to me. I was borderline diabetic and getting hypertensive.

In January I started working out 3 days a week, cut way back on the sodas, and tried to eat better. I've lost 26 lbs and have dropped my BMI from obese to overweight. I'm hoping to lose another 50 lbs in the next year or so. My clothes fit me again. I feel sooo much better and happier.

In all honesty, unless you are morbidly obese, and have tried everything else, I cannot honestly recommend bariatric surgery. There are all kinds of surgical risks, and if the patient does not correct the behaviors that caused the obesity in the first place, they will eventually regain the weight.

[AccountingDrone]

I wouldn't, though I have thought of getting liposuction.

Truth is, I may weigh 180 lbs but I honestly don't understand why I'm gaining weight. I'm not that active but I don't think I eat more than 1500 calories a day which is apparently supposed to be ok for my height and current weight. At the very least, I'd like not to gain any more.

I've debated on talking to my doctor about possible thyroid problems because I'm also exhausted 99% of the time. I force myself to stay awake or I'd be sleeping all the time.

No, I'm not depressed. I don't know what the problem is.

Keep a food diary, and get thee to a doctor.

And make sure you write down every scrap of food, every sip of any beverage, any tic tac, any stick of gum.

[Seshat]

I wouldn't, though I have thought of getting liposuction.

Truth is, I may weigh 180 lbs but I honestly don't understand why I'm gaining weight. I'm not that active but I don't think I eat more than 1500 calories a day which is apparently supposed to be ok for my height and current weight. At the very least, I'd like not to gain any more.

Do as AccountingDrone said, but also keep an exercise diary. And not just intentional exercise, but 'parked in the middle of the carpark and walked to the mall', or 'shopped for two hours looking for Mum's birthday present'.

Your doctor might ask you to estimate how far the 'middle of the carpark' is from the entrance, or how much walking & standing vs sitting is involved in two hours of shopping for you.

Once he has an estimate of how much exercise you do and how much you're actually eating (yes, down to the last tic-tac), he'll have a better feel for whether to get thee to an endocrinologist.

[The Last to Know]

I had GBS on June 23rd, 2006. I've had minimal problems. Was 332 when I had it & got down to about 165, but for about 6-8 months had very serious life altering low blood sugar issues, and had to gain some back to balance it out because I was putting too much stress on my body, friends & family (passing out in restaurants, being incoherent while driving, etc). Right now I'm back at a little over 200 pounds, which means yes, I'm fat, but I'm okay with it. I also fully admit I didn't exercise the way I was supposed to & due to trying to gain I got into some bad eating habits. As of today, I'm walking for 45 minutes everyday on the treadmill at the local YMCA & just trying to tone while losing a little bit. I've been advised to not get less than 180 & when I make it back to that weight - I will be perfectly happy.
What is most important is I'm healthier & will be around for my kids & my future partner - whenever she decides to be a full-time participant in my life.

[42_42_42]

Remember that insulin is released in response to the amont of sugar in your system and insulin causes you to make fat. If you're eating foods high in sugars (including starches/carbohydrates, which includes fruits), this can cause your blood sugar to spike, resulting in an insulin spike, leading to weight gain. If you reduce the simple carbs and pair what carbs you do eat with lean proteins, it will balance prevent that blood sugar spike. This is something that I really need to woark on myself, as I have a condition in which my body produces too much insulin in response to the amount of sugar in my system. I take medication that helps with that, but I'm not as good about modifying my diet as I should be, although I am much better than I was before I got diagnosed.