anyone here had gastric bypass??? what are your thought on the surgery? would you have it if possible??? all responses welcome i have been thinking about having the surgery and i have been doing a lot of research....right now im just doing atkins but as my pass history of atkins shows....i usually dont stick with a diet long because i love to eat.....

I decided in May this was my last shot at losing weight, if I failed yet again I'd have the surgery. I even made sure my insurance would cover it. Well I definately don't need the surgery now!! I'm on my way to a healthier me. Plastic surgery probably! I will eat this way for life. I'm not giving myself any options. This is the way I will eat for the rest of my life. This is not a diet. It is a way of eating that is both satisfying and rewarding. I am glad I gave myself another chance and am proud of how far I have come. Some friends who have had the surgery remain obese and have the worst eating habits of anyone I know. These are just my thoughts. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I have only known 1 person who had bypass and it did not go well for her. Multiple infections and hernias. She did lose alot of weight quickly, but not in a "healthy" manner and now she just looks old and sick with jowles sagging. Just watching her convinced me it is not the right option for myself.

Also, from everything I have read, after bypass you are limited to about a 1/2 cup of food per meal, and still restricted to a LC lifestyle. You say you love eating. Why give it up almost completely, when you can commit to a LC WOL and still enjoy food, leaving the table feeling truly satisfied.

These are just my thoughts. I know others have had the surgery and feel it was a great choice.

Low-carb is the one lifestyle that allows you to be healthy and continue to eat satisfying yummy foods! Give yourself a chance to lose weight before you decide to have gastric bypass. As Raeven noted, you would have to follow a lc diet after your surgery anyway.

If you stay on this forum long, you will discover many members who had bariatric surgery, but ended up regaining all their weight. They are having success with lc, and you can, too!

I, too, had looked into it seriously. Filling out forms, etc. My pattern of yo-yo dieting scared me that I'd never get off the weight.
I'd lost big before, but gained it back.

I've know a few people who have had the surgery.
They MUST diet ahead of time anyway, they lose weight BUT MANY gain it back again! so.... uh, why go through surgery for something I can do myself I thought.
Weight Watchers (the doctor's suggestion) failed me -- in fact I gained. Finally, I met a specialist who told me LC was the ONLY way for me (pre-diabetic, high bp, heart disease) to lose weight.

I decided to do it this way:
Eat huge meals when I wanted them, but all low carb. And I really went for it, trust me. HUGE steaks, piles of eggs, cream, cheese, you name it... when I was feeling low and deprived.
I have controlled free days once every three months if I'm going bananas, but due to the controlled nature of the 'cheat' I was able to come back. I had my favourite low carb foods waiting for me--I was not 'allowed' to have those favourite lc foods on the cheat and I found I was missing them bitterly.
Buy nice clothes (not a lot, but some) as I lost. Last time I waited and looked dowdy, and it just didn't make me feel happy.

Bottom line, I'm down over a 100 pounds with about 40 or so left to go. I've learned, really learned, this time how to eat. I know my triggers. I know why I overeat and have found comfort in food now. (Yes, a lot of soul searching this time)

And, imo, gastric bypass does NOT teach you how your body works. It just doesn't, and that alone sets people up for failure.
Sure, you can look at people like Star Jones, but remember, the eyes of the world are on her, and with her ego she's got the motivation to stay skinny or see it spread on the National Enquirer, et al.

I'm using that idea a bit this time too. I've enlisted 'diet nazis' for me. Women at work who check on my progress, who watch me like a hawk (they're all tiny, btw, the heavier women keep trying to feed me candy).
I revel in each milestone.

Am I ever sad I didn't do the bypass? Heck no!!! I did this MYSELF!!! MYSELF!!! I'm so freakin' proud of me!

OH, and did you know that with banding (my sister had it) you'll live in fear of ever throwing up? Yep. A stomach bug could rip out the band and send her to ER. No thanks!

You should be. You go girl.

Weight loss surgery is not for everyone. But for a select few, I feel it holds merit and warrants further investigation. There is a terrible bias amongst those who have not researched WLS as the "simple" way out. Or that it does not work and that you regain the weight lost - that does happen in some cases, but far fewer than with diet programs. I read a recent study ( I believe it was at adiposity.com (?)) that over 95 percent of those who lose weight by "diet" regain most of the weight lost by the 5th year post diet.

I have researched weight loss surgery for close to a year. I know the common forms of surgery are not for me. But all are good for someone.

In doing your research please check out all available surgeries including vertical sleeve gastrectomy (which is both a stand-alone and the 1st stage of a duodenal switch) - though only recently performed as a stand-alone it is a very good choice for SOME needing surgery.

I am not going to suggest surgery for anyone that has a healthier alternative...and NO merely telling a fat person to diet is NOT a healthy alternative. There are many things available to help the morbidly obese to live better. WLS is one of those things but should be well thought out and discussed with your medical team. It is not the be-all end-all cure...but it is also a better alternative than many give it credit.

Oh, and there is a major DIET to follow after all but one of the major surgeries...so REALLY do your research. There is no magic pill.

You love to eat. I do, too. I can do it on low carb. I'm also fulfilled to satiety more easily on lc.

My niece had the stomach banding thing. She lost quite a bit but now she has gained most or all of it back. Like most people, she continues to eat tons of carbs.

It's hard to know what each person must do but my personal opinion is that most who do surgery are wanting the easy way out. Surgery is risky, any surgery! Don't do it unless forced!

I think it is imperative that you read the book thoroughly, whichever plan you choose. You MUST understand why this must become a lifelong choice... that it makes sense... that the standard diet does NOT make sense... that is pure crap.

And... it probably took you decades to get fat. Think about it... it's going to take some time. I'd say a year or two goal would be reasonable.

Change the way you look at this... good luck!

I hear you on wanting to consider this...I considered it too but was way too chicken to have surgery to lose weight. I am really, really glad that I was able to do it on my own....

I know that you are very young, still in your early 20s? so making a choice like this can effect the rest of your life. But being 100 lbs overweight sucks, I know this too.

I love to eat too......I still can eat a lot of wonderful food now and I do.....the difference now is that I now eat foods that are on the food plan that I've created for myself as I lost my weight.

As long as you still this as a diet, you will keep falling off the wagon....there is no falling off when you see it as the way you will eat for the rest of your life.

I dont do well in surgery, and am convinced I would be the 1% person to die, post surgery.


I have two kids that need me and I dont have a choice, in my mind... I have to LC the rest of my life.

I'm ok with that and ok with others who have surgery. its a personal choice. The two people I know who had surgery did have good results with only minor complications.

One lost some of her hair (ummm, I dunno if i could deal with that) the other had a minor infection afterwards which healed.
Both lost over 100lbs VERY rapidly, like in 6 months, but both also needed plastic surgery to "tuck in" the sags.

That seems to be a common theme in their experience.
Me... I'll keep my hair and be a chicken and do this with willpower and save my money for some new duds!

All weight loss surgeries are not the same. There is a world of difference between a lapbanding and a gastric bypass. Gastric bypass (in all it's variations) is serious surgery. You need to research it and be emotionally prepared for it. There can be serious complications to gastric bypass.
Lapbanding is a less serious surgery and it is reversible. However people have been known to regain a significant portion of the weight they lost by "cheating" the lapband.
Don't let anyone perform surgery on you without informing yourself of all the options, side-effects and possible complications. It is your body. Whether you take responsibility for it by dietary lifestyle changes or by surgery, it is ultimately you who will have to make the decision and live with the consequences.
My personal opinion is that I would never undergo any form of weight loss surgery.

Just dropping in to say a friend had a Duodenal Switch done almost 2 years ago and has lost well over 100 lbs. It was hard at the beginning but now is able to eat almost everything, with moderation of course. It was done in the US. Something else to look at.

Well I have experience with both Gastric Bypass & Lapbanding - my sister did the lap band and my dads wife did the gastric bypass almost 1 month apart this summer.

My sister has had some problems with the band and has had to go get it filled or let some out because she wasn't able to eat at all after her last fill. But she has lost about 40lbs (about the same with me and I eat huge steaks, salads,etc and she mostly eats tiny meals with those protein shakes.

My dads wife had the bypass and has dropped about 70lbs (was in the high 200lb area before) and now really looks sickly and her skin is so saggy - especially on her face she looks older than her 47 yrs!!! Maybe because you drop the weight so fast??? I don't know but boy it just doesn't look good on her.

I guess you need to do what would work for you but please take your time and do your research.

im not allowed to have my surgery for another months...i plan to just do low carb and if i continue to be sucessful i wont do the surgery but if i am not then i will...thanks everyone for input...i think i might can do this weight loss thing without surgery as long as i can keep up my will power

In the past, I have always been so militant anti-WLS. However, with the 4+ years of going at Atkins now and going on this weight loss journey, I have learned that being militant with anything when it comes to weight loss is never a great stance -- especially when you are a TDCer. I was fortunate that Atkins has worked for me, but it worked slllooowww. Now, would I have liked it to work faster? Sure.

However, in all of my time here, I have finally come to realize that LC is not necessarily the end all be all answer for every single person. It is not a one size fit all. We all, as TDCers, should understand that. Some of us really need to have that actual physical methodology, even if it is via WLS, to keep our eating at bay. Sometimes even LC is not enough. I never thought that was true before but after this many years, I have come to realize that we are ALL DIFFERENT!!

Cute, do what is right for you. Just make sure you research well and don't rush into anything. You are an adult and as such can make an adult decision. Good luck to you in whichever choice you make and just know that you will have the support you need!