What do you think about the Gastric Bypass surgery??

Question

Im 21 years old and I really want to loose weight I've tryed everything and nothing seems to work! I've been thinking about the gastric bypass. However, I am not heavy enough for the insurance to cover the surgery I have to gain 20 pounds, should I??

Answer 1

you should exhaust all options before getting that surgery. You said you have tried everything, but im willing to bet that you havent tried everything. And this is not your fault, you just need to do some reseach.

Many people fail at diets because these so called diets leave your body lacking a proper nutrition balance. For example, alot of people gain weight from fast foods because of too much omega 6 fatty acids and not enough omega 3s. This is just an example and it is not the sole reason why they gain weight.

I have been going to a natural medical doctor that treats many things including obesity and overweight patients. He sets you up with a diet that pertains to your diet type. What i mean is that some people get optimum nutrition from eating lots of protein, low carbs, and low fats. Some people are better eating alot of carbs, low protein, and high fat. They also test you for food allergies that you would have never known you had. Food allergies can actually cause you to gain weight! You dont always know you are allergic to a food that you are eating. Another food allergy symptom is joint pain.

Also, your hormones can affect your metabolism in a big way. You could have a hormone imbalance that is also causing you to gain weight.

Like i said, i have been seeing this natural medical doctor for awhile now and he is correcting things that have troubled me for years and years with no help from conventional medical doctors. I had low hormones that were causing me to gain weight, loss of sex drive, depression, loss of muscle and strenth, etc. He is correcting this with bio-identical hormone therapy. I also have injured many joints from sports and weight lifting and he is correcting those with a procedure called prolotherapy. In the short time that ive been with this doctor, he has almost cured me of all my problems so far.

I suggest you do some research on his website. His name is Dr. Ross Hauser in the Chicago area. I am not sure if you could plan a trip to see him, but you can find other doctors like him from either calling him or doing a search on the few website given below.

www.caringmedical.com

Weight problems are not always a cause of an improper diet and lack of exercise. There may be something that needs corrected that will help you lose weight naturally. That surgery is risky and expensive. Do you really want them cutting you open like that? And please dont add more weight to yourself just so you can be considered for the surgery. What are you going to do if they refuse you for something else? Then you are gonna have another 20lbs to lose on top of whatever else you want to lose.

Answer 2

If you're serious about bariatric surgery, and have honestly tried different diets and have exercised long and hard, only to regain the weight back.. if your BMI is in the "obese" or "severely obese" range, then you may want to consult with your doctor about a referral to a bariatric surgeon for different options. You could try what is called "Gastric Lapband." There is no cutting of your stomach or intestines. The surgical incisions are very small, and I have seen some walk off the surgical table and out the door in a matter of hours, and back to work within a 5-7 day period. It's not cheap if you're not insured ($15,000). You must also find a doctor who will adjust your band until you hit what they call a "sweet spot," where you will have just enough restriction that you feel full after only eating 1/2 cup of food. It dimishes food cravings and you feel satisfied longer. This is not without some dangers though and you should investigate this thoroughly before comitting to it. Many decide to push too much food past the band (which is placed around the top portion of your stomach), resulting in nausea and vomitting. There are certain foods you will no longer be able to eat. You must follow "Lapband" rules of eating to be successful. As you can see.... it's a tool, not a fix all, but the rate of success is extremely high.. Initially, Gastric bypass (cutting and reattaching pieces of your stomach and intestines) produces quicker results, but there are some serious and permanent things you must deal with including vitamin deficiencies, resulting hair loss, dumping syndrome (causing diarrhea), etc that go with this gastric bypass surgery. In the end, Lap Band is just as successful. If you're truly serious about losing weight and have been serious, yet unsuccessful about keeping the weight off, then consider this. Ultimately, if you lose weight in a healthy way (and I believe Lapband, although it's surgical, is far healthier than gastric bypass), your risks of heart disease, diabetes, problems with muscles and joints, etc, will be decreased.

For those that advise you.. "just get active, and stop eating so much," they are well-intended, but if losing weight and keeping it off were THAT easy for most people, this country would not be facing the obesity epidemic that threatens lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals. It's not that easy folks.

Answer 3

I think gastric bypass surgeries epitomize everything that is wrong with the country, so perhaps I'm a bit baised against them.

I used to have a job helping fat people lose weight, and the main thing I observed during it was that very few people understand that grains (especially non whole grain), sugars and carbs are the primary thing that causes obesity, and instead fuss over all these minor details like the fat content in certain food (for some reason, that fact is just not known, even by most nutritionists in the country).

Anyhow, with gastric bypass, the point of it effectively is so that you stop eating as much, since you "can't." At the very least I'd advise just fasting for a couple weeks or something instead and tying yourself down so your food cravings don't control you.
Besides that, I know 2 people who have died after getting gastric bypass surgery, and once it's done it sorta ****'s your health for life (due to all your organ systems being messed up), plus it costs a lot and will leave you crippled for a while.

So, I would heavily advise against it, but I'm not you, so it's not my choice to make.
If you care at all about the alternative ways to losing weight lemme know!
Hope this helped

Answer 4

Yes, you can get all of those folds if you lose a very large amount of weight very quickly, whether it's naturally or through gastric bypass. A lot of it has to do with your age and skin type. If you're younger and have more elastic skin you might get by with less extra skin folds. I work with a girl who has recently lost 70 lbs very quickly, and she doesn't have any loose skin. She's only 23, though, and never had a baby. I have to tell you something about gastric bypass, though. Our hospital's ICU hasn't been getting very many patients lately, because we aren't doing a lot of cardiovascular surgeries anymore. The lack of ICU patients is causing a major problem with the hospital budget. They need a lot of extremely ill patients, and they need them fast. Guess how they've decided to remedy that problem?! They hired a guy who's going to start doing gastric bypass surgery. That's a surefire way to get a lot of critically ill patients very quickly. Even though he's a good surgeon and has above-average results, gastric bypass surgery is extraordinarily risky. All the ICU nurses and ER nurses have to go to seminars now, where they learn about all of the complications of the surgery and how to deal with them. Rather than having the gastric bypass surgery and risking your life, you could try just going on the gastric bypass diet. It would have all of the positive effects and none of the negative effects of the surgery.

Answer 5

Gastric Bypass is a very serious surgery... I have seen so many people who get it done for a quick fix and then don't do what it takes to keep weight off. If you feel that you are mentally and physically ready then it is for you. But if you are just looking for a quick fix then don't. You have to be serious about the eating and how much you can eat. You also need to make sure that you are prepared for the stress of the surgery. I know that I was 46 lbs. over the weight I would have liked to be after my 2 boys. But I have been going to the gym 3-5 days a week and just counting calories and watching my fat intake and I have already a matter of 3 months lost 30 lbs. So make sure you have tried everything before you put yourself through this very complicated surgery. And if you decide you are ready for it then do it... Good Luck!

Answer 6

I don't know if you know about a site called obesityhelp.com, but it is very helpful and informative. Also there is a lot of support there if you do decide to have surgery.

I had weigh loss surgery (WLS)17 months ago and have lost about 115 pounds. So, I understand your frustration and the ability to move is difficult. I couldn't stand for more than 10 minutes at a time. I had to sit on a stool to fix dinner for the family. If you are interested in reading my pre and post-op blog just email me and I will send you the link.

I didn't have the gastric bypass because I didn't like the fact that they cut the bottom part of your stomach off. The bottom part is the part that absorbs nutrients. Also, the fact that everything they cut up they just leave it all inside. So you end up with a very messed up looking digestive system. Which is a downfall when it comes to other types of digestive surgery's. Lets say you got cancer in your intestines. More than likely the insurance wouldn't cover that because you had WLS. Also, another downfall is if you got into an accident and you had to have surgery on digestive system, a lot of Dr.s throw their hands in the air because the bypass makes it too complicated. Those are just two reasons why I didn't have the bypass.

If I were you I would look at all of your options. There are better surgeries out there than the bypass. There is a surgery that is called "the gastric sleeve" that would be much healthier than the bypass. As far as insurance goes... I wouldn't let them tell you what type of surgery you should have.

Another thing, even if your insurance says they will pay for the surgery, you will still have to fight with them to pay for it. It took us over a year just to get them to pay for 2/3 of the surgery. I had a friend that fought with her insurance company for 4 years before she could finally get it.

Also, I had another friend that was in and out of the hospital for over a year because of the bypass. They had to re-do her surgery 3 times before they got it right. And she still has a hard absorbing all of the nutrients that she needs.

Go to obesityhelp.com, it will help a lot. I know it did for me when I was choosing which type of surgery I was going to have.

Like I said, if you are interested in talking more about this, just email me.

Good luck.

Answer 7

No. In my opinion, no. Be happy you are not heavy enough to qualify for the surgery!! My understanding is that you have to be atleast 100+ pounds overweight to qualify. So if you are only 80 pounds overweight, you don't have as long of a ways to go as a LOT of people do. =)

My best advice would be to talk to your doctor. Have you ever had your blood drawn to check for hypothyroidism? I have hypothyroidism, and it's very, very difficult to lose weight with the condition, but even more so if you have it and let it go untreated.

Make sure you don't have any conditions that can make losing weight difficult... That's the first step.

Gastric bypass is an expensive, risky surgery...

Best of luck to you in whatever you choose... =)

Answer 8

It isn't hard to lose weight, you just have to actually WANT TO hard enough to actually do it. If you want to try and cheat the natural way of things, go for it. The worst that'll happen is you die on the table. The best that will happen is that you live the rest of your life skinny with a horrid eating system and an ugly scar on your belly.

Think about going swimming for half an hour daily. It's low-impact and is also a decent weight-resistance training as well. I lost fifty pounds swimming for a few months in the morning before eating breakfast. Too bad my new job starts too bloody early in the morning, or I'd be down over one hundred right now.

Good luck!

Answer 9

no. you can lose weight without gastric bypass. Ever watch 'the biggest loser'. they are 300-400 lbs and lose weight. It just takes time, and hard work. Perhaps you just arent putting in the effort and/or just looking for an easy way to lose and keep weight off. There is no easy way. Even after gastric you need to change your eating habits and attitude. Work out alot, eat right and eat less.

Answer 10

DO NOT HAVE GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY!!!!!!! It is horrible...you will be in and out of the hospital.
They make you stomach where you can only eat 1 oz of food (my 6 week old daughter eats more than that at one sitting!!) and you are ALWAYS hungry. Then you have a chance (a high chance) of getting dumping syndrome; where your food passes too quickly through your intestines and it causes nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and possibly diarrhea soon after eating. These symptoms are made worse when you eat high-calorie foods (like sweets). Then you have a chance of having vitamin deficiencies, stomal stenosis that will make you nauseated or vomit, ulcers can develop, and you could also get a hernia......trust me, just diet and exercise.....you will be much happier!!!!!!!