Weight Loss Surgery

Has anyone had weight loss surgery? My sister is considering it and she asked me my opinion. I don't know much about it, so I figured I'd ask here.

I realize that the first few months will be a big adjustment. But, what about later? Do you feel like you can eat normally? If you lost a lot of weight, was there a lot of extra skin? How much does age affect the results?

If anyone has any feedback, I'd be interested to hear it. Thank you!

Re: Weight Loss Surgery

Re: Weight Loss Surgery

DH had the gastric sleeve surgery in 2014. He lost about 130 lbs. He has loose skin that bothers him, and may look into a tummy tuck in the future. His friend also had the sleeve surgery and did the tummy tuck. As far as I know, he's happy with it - but the recovery was pretty rough.

As far as eating - DH can pretty much eat whatever he wants - he just has to eat way less than he used to. Sometimes he says that he wants to eat more because it tastes so good - but he physically can't. I do notice he gets a lot of heartburn - not sure if it's related to the surgery but just wanted to mention that.

He was 37 when he got it done. Not sure if age has anything to do with affecting the results, but I would imagine - the younger the person is - the easier the surgery, recovery, etc would be - like with any other surgery.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

He did say it was the best think he ever did for himself. He tried forever to lose weight and just couldn't. He really needed this.

Re: Weight Loss Surgery

So both my SIL (DH's sister) and my BIL (DH's brother) had the surgery.
BIL had it first and in the beginning he lost a lot of weight. He was well over 500 lbs before the surgery, so the weight did come off fast and the transformation was pretty shocking. He did not exercise though and he did not eat right. He had issues eating the foods he used to- would throw up, feel pain etc, so he resorted to eating whatever he could eat comfortably- which was not the best choices. (Carbs, sugar, candy, etc) But because he was limiting his portions he did lose weight. Fast forward to now- about 10 years later, and he has put a LOT of the weight back on. He is nowhere near what he was prior to the surgery, but he is overweight again. He drinks a ton of sugary drinks, sucks on lollipops all day long, eats pretzels, all kinds of crap. He is an example of how not to do it. He truly thought this surgery was the answer to losing weight with no effort or work. And he was wrong.

SIL on the other hand had the surgery and once recovered began working out, eating right, healthy foods but in smaller portions etc. She lost the weight and has kept it off. She used it to kick start a new healthy lifestyle and she has succeed.

So as others have stated, it's not a magic bullet, but if you go into it with the right mindset, and know you will still have to put in the work, then yes it can absolutely help someone reach their goals.

Weight Loss Surgery

Thank you all for your feedback. I really appreciate it!

Weight Loss Surgery

I had gastric bypass in 2002. At my highest loss, I lost 350 pounds. I was told I was too thin and struggled and put another 50 back on. 17 years later, I have kept all of the weight off. I had a reconstructive abdominoplasty in 2004. And had my son in 2011.

it is an adjustment. For the most part, I eat "normally". There are certain foods I avoid but they were not foods I ate a lot of before, so I don't really miss them. But for me, at this stage in the game, nothing is off limits. I do occassionally vomit if I don't chew well enough or eat one of those foods I avoid (primarily pasta and shrimp).

Weight loss surgery is not a gift. You will not lose weight unless you work for it. I have known 100's of people over the years who had one form or another of WLS (I was very active in the support community on LI for patients). And I got to the point where I could tell who would most likely be succesful and who would fail. You need the right mindset long term. You need to make good food choices and exercise. When I first had mine done, I became a runner. I did 2 half marathons before I stopped due to an ankle injury. I can do so much more since I lost weight but the years that I was obese took a toll on my joints and I am always in pain when I overexert due to the damage. I have iron deficiency and need to go for infusions twice a year to keep my levels on the lowest side of normal. My weight is stable and for the most part I do not gain or los weight. Even when I was pregnant, when I gave birth (at 28 weeks) I had only gained 5 pounds, had no baby bump and was wearing my normal clothing. I left the hospital the next day in jeans and a t shirt. But I truly belive that I had not been in the right frame of mind, I could have easily been a WLS failure.

One of the hardest things for me was dealing with the change in the mirror and also the change in interpersonal relationships. That was something no one could ever prepare me for and I still struggle with self esteeem and relationship issues.

Message edited 10/30/2019 11:11:09 AM.