Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests opinions on gastric bypass

someone i know is getting this ridiculous thing done. i am absolutely opposed to it 90%-99% of the time. the reason is most of the time anyone fat enough to qualify for this surgury is pumping themselves full of weight loss drugs and not getting copious amounts of excersise and eating properly. instead these people and doctors are content cutting themselves up just to lose some weight. i see this as utterly foolish as cutting out a lung or a kidney because you don't need two and you will weight less, technically.

admittedly my views in this area are a bit old fashion. so i thought i would get the opinions of my fellow ceg'ers.

The way I see it, someone who is fat enough and eats enough to qualify for this surgery certainly does not have any desire to lose weight the natural way. So gastric bypass seems to be the only solution. I do consider it surrendering, but that's better than dying a slow and painful death. Of course I'd like to see everyone eat better/less and exercise, but I think the qualifications for that surgery are designed to exclude everyone but the most desperate cases.

I don't see too much of a problem with it for people who have a real problem. If they are willing to take this major step, they have to understand all aspects of this. I saw an hour special on this awhile back and they said many of the people are mal-nurished afterwards.

it's good if you are too lazy to lose weight normally.

Unfortunately I do not think the qualifications exclude some people that should be excluded.

Even with the surgery done you still have to want to lose the weight. Some people after they have had it done still try to eat the same way they did before and for a little while the surgery seems to work because they do not get as much food but over time they strech their stomach back out so they are taking in to much food again.

Also the risk of complications from the surgery are enough that I would not want to risk it unless I was way overweight myself.

There are many complications that arise with this surgery specifically. I think when it gets perfected more it could be a better option. I always wondered how they just stopped eating though, just because your tummy is shrunk down, mentally don't people still have the urges to eat or do they really just feel "full"? Being overweight, out of shape, etc is a very mental problem as well as physical. Being a personal trainer and someone who has been "fat" at points in my life, I can understand what some of these people go through. At the end of the day, if this surgery can mean the difference between dying of a heart attack in your 30's and living well into your 60's, 70's, 80's then I am for it. Also, this procedure tends to be one done more out of necessity and not vanity, unlike plastic surgery.
After all of this, my aunt has been morbidly obese as long as I can remember and she confided in me that she topped out at 350. after having 2 knee replacements that didn't go well, she was faced with having them redone 4 years later. She finally made a concerted effort to lose weight and has lost well over 100 lbs through strict diet and exercise. To those people who blame it on genetics or thyroid I say "horsecrap" there are drugs to correct thyroid issues. Its all about taking control of your life and making it happen. For most people it includes a lot of psychological counseling as well as fitness counseling

i know a few folks who have done this, and mixed results...

one friend weighed in around 400lbs, and at 6'2" he was quite a hefty guy... he's now down to 210lbs and no longer diabetic and enjoys jogging 5 miles a day... enjoying a healthy life...

another friend had it done, she weighed over 350 and only 5'8" but has not lost what she expected to, although much lighter now (not sure of the loss) - definitely happier though

i wish my dad could do this, he's over 300lbs but only 5'9" and diabetic, amongst other cardio issues, he also has rhumatoid arthritis which adds to joint pains, etc from the added weight - but unfortunately with the meds for his symptoms he can't go under the knife - i know it would add 10-15 years to his life...

It's a mixed blessing surgery.

It is not THE answer to weight loss, and is generally used as the last extreme to help patients. Unfortunately, as with the rest of simlar healthcare procedures ... this is now beginning to move from a treatment surgery, prescribed by a doctor to an elective surgery, where the patient asks for it (THANK YOU OPRAH!!). This surgery was originally used for those who had truly exhausted every possibility, and in some respects it still is though. Controlled diet & exercise along with other treatments of drugs would have been used prior to this (I'm sure some people who've had it done already can vouch for this), so it is an attempt to fix a seemingly 'un-fixable' problem.

The problems are mostly two-fold. There is still no major long-term (20+ year) medical trailling/observations that have been done for this practice, so the long-term outcomes are still a little unsure. Of course, good old US decides to use it's citizens as Guinea Pigs ... believing in reacting to long term side-effects that appear as opposed to ensuring that there are none first.
Secondely, I have been led to believe from the research that I have done on this topic (my wife wants it ... again ... THANK YOU OPRAH!!) ... that the effect of wait loss is not long term unless diets and exercise are adjusted. It would appear (from what I've read) that the body will compensate and attempt to return to it's favoured metabolic rate ... not sure 'exactly' how ... but it sounds kind of like the reduced stomach size slowly begins to operate at a higher efficiency ... or maybe it regenerates parts it lost ... but in the end the wait loss can be gained back again. This may of course be to the fact that information I was reading referred to people who thought 'that's it!' and laid on the couch (now thin) eating chips, never exercising and watching Oprah!

I personally don't agree with it, as it's kind of (not entirely though) a form of enforced starvation, but I can understand the situations where it truly is required. I will remain wary of the whole thing until another 20+ years has passed and there aren't reports of people having severe complications due ot it.

For more information though, I would consult your doctor for his/her opinion, and ask for reading material on it.

i agree with you, I think its drastic for someone to cut into you to lose weight.I think that no matter how hard or how fat you are (unless your one of those people who weighs 500 pounds and cant get out of bed) you should try to lose weight naturally.

I am not against the procedure, but I am against insurance covering the procedure and people being able to use disability while recovering.

This is elective surgery to reduce weight, and if you want to do it, then you should pay for it. Otherwise, lose weight the old-fashioned way by eating better and exercising.