I am 100 lbs overweight. Is gastric Bypass an option?

Question

I want to consider this procedure because I can never follow through a diet or stay on a routine of excersise. WIll they approve it or will they tell me that I have to keep up with the diet and excersise instead? I really can't though...I've been overweight for about 13 yrs and i think i am just desperate.

Answer 1

Your doctor can best evaluate whether or not you are a candidate. Your overall health will be balanced against the risks of the surgery. It is a MAJOR surgery and NOT the end to your battle with obesity.
It is not an easy way out. Look at the name of the surgery. It is a gastric by-pass. That means your gastric system will be reconstructed by creating a tiny pouch in your stomach and possibly moving the intestine up to meet that new stomach. You will only be able to consume a tiny portion of food at a time...INITIALLY. Eventually, your stomach will stretch if you continue to overeat. This procedure was designed to assist the morbidly obese. It is a drastic measure that is risky, but better than the health consequences of continuing to be morbidly obese.
It is not any easy procedure to obtain either. You will need both medical and psychological clearance. It can take up to a year for insurance approval and to get approved for the surgery. Many surgeons will not consider a candidate if they gain a certain amount of weight while waiting. In other words, you will still end up having to stick to a diet, both before and after the surgery.
After the surgery, you are at risk for pulmonary infarction (clots in the lung) that can be fatal. Recovery is pretty long. You will initially be on an all liquid diet for about six weeks, or longer. Initially you will lose weight rapidly, who wouldn't on a liquid diet? Then you will have to control portions and carbohydrate intake very strictly.
I suggest you schedule an appointment with a dietician. Get a referral from your doctor. You need to learn about how food works and about portion control. The doctor can also tell you what your limits are on safely including exercise into your daily routine.
I'm sorry you struggle with this issue, but there are no quick fixes. Carney Wilson gained a considerable amount of her presurgical weight back. Most people do. Until you learn how to eat properly your chances of permanent weight loss are slim to none.
I'm pulling for you though. It is good you want to improve your quality of life.
Good luck to you!

Answer 2

Most insurance companies have a guideline that you have to meet to qualify for gastric bypass surgery. Your BMI has to be at a certain point and each insurance company is different. Gastric bypass is a great alternative for some. But a person has to look at the surgery as a tool to help them change their life. The surgery is in no way a quick fix. It is just a help for changing your total lifestyle. Once you have surgery you will be on mineral and vitamin supplements for the rest of your life. You will never eat the same as a "normal" person ever again. But for some whose life is in danger because of their obesity and they can't loose the weight on their own it can be a life saver.

I just read a very interesting survey last night on line. In Sweden they studied a few hundred obese people. Half of the people had gastric bypass surgery and the other half did not and stayed obese. Three of the people who had surgery died from complications but 26 of the obese people died from complications of being overweight. It is all how you look at it.

Answer 3

You should not consider 100lbs overweight a serious weight issue, in regards to receiving any type of gastric procedure. You should seek out help from first, your family doctor and get a full blood workup, including a thyroid check to see if you have some issues there. Next up, get a referral to a nutritionist and have them set up a plan for you.

The next step is to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, and working with your doctor and nutritionist you can start to feel better about yourself, you will get more energy, and will begin to see results that you are looking for.

FAD diets do not work, and they are NOT regulated by the FDA, therefore the lies that they give you have made you feel this way. Unfortunately, the best solution is going to qualified professionals and taking the step to naturally loose the weight without all the serious side effects of gastric procedures.

Having said that, many people who are "morbidly" overweight (which is NOT 100lbs as one person suggested....) Diagnosis of morbid obesity is based on BMI, (body mass index) in which a BMI of 40.0 is considered morbidly obese.

People with a BMI of over 30 should be counseled on diet, exercise and other relevant behavioral interventions, and set a realistic goal for weight loss. However, when you look at the weight of 100lbs over, the only way you would be a candidate for gastric bypass or any other gastric procedure, you would need to have "complications" medically from your excess weight.

I am currently 100lbs overweight myself, and have started the program I discussed above. I have a good outlook for the year, and will be safely and slowly removing weight from my body. I encourage you to take the steps to do the same.

I wish you the best of luck, and please get honest answers from professionals and not from the misinformation and misguided medical advice from people who are not qualified to answer these questions.

Again, the best of luck to you.

Answer 4

OK, I weigh over 300 lbs. myself, and I'm not considering it. I'd rather put up with the problems that I know about than go on to something unknown. Of course, that may all be whistling in the dark, because I would not have the money for such a procedure anyway.

But even if someone else volunteered to pay for it, I don't think I'd do it. I once met a man who had something similar, and he was not healthy at all. He told me he used to be a great deal fatter, and from the loose skin on him I believed him, but he was not in any way living a life I would envy. He sat in my kitchen and ate a whole half-gallon of ice cream essentially by himself. Then went into the bathroom and smelled it up something terrible, and came out smelling funny himself. THEN he expected I would want to make love with him!!! It was all I could do to keep from puking!

Even after you have such surgery, if you do not gain control over your eating and exercising, it will all be a terrible mess anyway. So bite the bullet and start gaining at least a little better control over yourself.

You might try Overeaters Anonymous, which is like AA, using the same 12-step program. Of course, overeaters cannot give up eating altogether, but we can give up compulsive eating; choose a meal plan for today and stick to it. Just for today. One day at a time. I lost some 140 lbs. that way, taking about two years to do it. Didn't gain it back until I was hit by a car and couldn't get any exercise for quite a while, and got bored, and munchies go with boredom, don't they?

Answer 5

Gastric bypass is an option but can be very dangerous or deadly.
Many people have died from complications resulting in this surgery. Most insurance company's will not pay for the surgery due to all the risks and cost of the surgery. I would really research and talk to real people who have had the surgery before you go under the knife.

Answer 6

It is an option, but a last resort because it's not without serious risks. If you cannot stick to a healthy eating plan (notice I didn't say "diet") or exercise routine, this may not the best choice for you. After surgery, your digestive system is literally rerouted and your body doesn't absorb food the way it used to so you have to permanently change your diet as a result. First of all, post-op your body will absorb fat and sugar into your bloodstream almost instantly, meaning that too much of either will cause what's called "dumping" syndrome. Basically, you feel like crap and usually have to go lie down for 20 to 90 minutes, depending on how much you ate. Also, your body will no longer absorb nutrients like calcium, protein, and B12 as efficiently which means that you have to be religious about taking your vitamins and protein supplements daily for the rest of your life. Another side effect, your stomach will be very, very small - it can hold about 2oz immediately post-op and will eventually stretch to hold about 1/2 cup. Because it is so small, if you eat too much the food has nowhere to go but up. And believe me, it will. Most everyone I know also ends up with at least one food that they could eat pre-op that they can't tolerate post-op. For me, it was ice cream - can't touch it without getting sick. Becoming lactose-intolerant is also very common. Personally, I can't touch milk, lactose free or otherwise anymore. I drink soy milk instead.

Finally, the exercise part of it. As my surgeon put it, the surgery will help you get skinny. Exercise and eating right will keep you skinny. The first 18 months after surgery is the "honeymoon period." During this time, you will lose the bulk of the weight that the surgery is going to cause you to lose. And it's great fun, because no matter what you do, you keep losing. But it doesn't last!! Your body eventually adjusts and if you haven't used that time to relearn your eating and exercise habits, the weight loss will stop and eventually begin to creep back up. This is how people regain weight.

Bottom line, the surgery is a tool, not a magic bullet. There are trade-offs. If you want to be healthy, you have to eat right and exercise - surgery or no surgery. There's no way around that.

One thing that has surprised me is that I like exercise more now than I did, just because it's so much easier in a significantly smaller body. I actually took up running just because I acutally CAN run now. I still don't love to exercise, but I've accepted that it's something that has to be done to maintain my health - sort of like brushing your teeth. You don't love it, but you do it everyday because it makes your mouth feel good and prevents cavities. Exercise makes your body feel good and helps prevent all sorts of things, not the least of which is diabetes.

For me, the trade-offs were worth it, but it took me two full years to make that decision and I still struggle with my weight every day. I have binge-eating disorder and have been working with a therapist both before and after surgery and that's been a godsend. This weight-loss journey is a huge emotional roller coaster and you need to be prepared for it. There are incredible highs as you lose weight, but there will also be incredible frustration as you relearn to eat, realize what you can't eat anymore, and when the effortless weight loss eventually stops.

If you are serious about having the surgery, talk to your doctor and research, research, research! KNOW what you're getting into before you do it.

Answer 7

I gained 100 pounds with my pregnancy 3 years ago. I have the same exact problem you have. I went to the doctor last summer to ask him about gastric bypass and he told me I wouldn't qualify because I'm not heavy enough. I'm like "huhhh?!" I'd discuss more about this topic, but I'd rather my weight wasn't displayed for all of yahoo ppl to see, ya know.

Email me if you want to though, I'm interested in talking to others about the issues they have faced with being overweight. [e-mail].

Answer 8

Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Consider your options. Short answer - but you are the only one who can decide what is best for YOU. Arm yourself with the information you need to make an educated decision. I have referenced a link to some of the more common gastric surgery risks.

Answer 9

I think it would be fair to discuss this with your physician. Your concerns are certainly legitimate because at 100 lbs overweight, you are stressing your heart and organs. A M.D. on Discovery Health called this situation "having a body that's literally a ticking time bomb." If your physician thinks that you indeed are impairing your health and you have exhausted traditional options like dieting and exercise, he can recommend you to a specialist.

Answer 10

Sometimes gastric bypass does not work. Good carbs like celery and carrots will never make you fat. Bad carbs like cake will, but you don't need to know the whole science of glycemic load. You need to re-learn how to eat so you can become thin and healthy. Find out about fastest way to lose weight, most effective exercise, good and bad carbs, water retention and secret trick used by models to flatten their tummy before an event.

Reading a book will take you hours but the information on a post, taking minutes to read, is not enough. The webpage below has just enough to know what you need to know. Links page has gov. BMI calculater to find out just how much overweight you are (teens plug in your age to compare to others your age). Learn how to nourish your body thin, instead of starving your body fat.

http://www.phifoundation.org