Question:
I hardly eat and have not for years. How will surgery help me?Curious
Before I try to have this surgery I have to ask this question. I have never had a big appetite and I don't eat very much at all. Although I am obese (morbidly obese) even though I am hypothyroid(autoimmune)and some of this has caused it. I can't understand how this would help unless I had a problem controlling appetite. Don't know any nice way to ask these questions-Meredith — Meredith H. (posted on March 26, 2003)
March 26, 2003
Meredith - I had a highly malabsorptive procedure done (duodenal switch),
because I knew that limiting the amount I ate would not be enough to reduce
my weight. I needed to prevent my body from absorbing what I did eat as
well. I made an appointment with my doctor, and went armed with a booklet
of information I had put together which included information about gastric
bypass surgeries (explaining the procedure and the results, my own diet
history for 30 years, my weight history, my family medical history, and my
own co-morbidities). We discussed my efforts to lose weight which she had
documented, and she supported my efforts and wrote me a referral to a
gastric bypass surgeon in my medical group (I am also an HMO). The rest
went smoothly from there. -Kate-
— kateseidel
March 26, 2003
Well.. as studies have found, not eating much is the wrong way to go
whether your just dieting or having this surgery. They have found that even
a person who is just dieting needs to eat 5-6 small meals a day to lose
weight. That way, your not as hungry inbetween and your body gets all its
nutrients. By not eating or eating much your body thinks its starving
itself and doesn't burn fat. It holds onto it and stores it. So... to burn
fat, you must eat throughout the day so your body will release the fat so
you can burn it.. This surgery also keeps our bodies from absorbing little
if not no fat. And you learn to stay away from junk foods and sugars. good
luck-i hope i made sense, i'm really tired.. lol post-op 8mos -100pounds
— Sunny4x4chick
March 26, 2003
Skipping meals is not the answer to losing weight. Your body thinks it is
starving and so metabolism slows down to conserve what you have eaten.
Think about this...Sumo wrestlers only eat one meal a day to put ON weght !
— Jenele D.
March 26, 2003
— Lisa N M.
March 26, 2003
If what you do eat is mostly carbs this will affect the weight gain also.
Protein burns off faster and carbs will store what is not burned off for
use later...therefore we have fat.
— D. Bell
March 26, 2003
I agree with the other poster about eating habits. Face it--it we're MO we
eat too much! There is no way around it--we eat too much and don't move
enough. That was a really hard reality for me--how else would I have ended
up at over 400lbs? Alcoholics can 'stop any time' drug addicts only do it
'for fun' smokers need 'something to do with their hands' --there is an
excuse for everything! I don't mean to treat you harshly, but I can
honestly tell you that I didn't think that I ate too much but at almost one
year post-op RNY--I DID! You will be amazed after surgery how much you
really did eat! Good luck to you!
— jenn2002
March 26, 2003
For some, it doesn't matter how much we eat, or even really WHAT! I gained
on steamed broccoli! Our bodies do not burn calories (predictably), but we
do store them very well. That's the part of our disease that is so hard to
understand. It is a PHYSICAL problem (though about 10% of us really DO
have eating disorders, as does the general public who doesn't actually
"wear" the symptoms). I am also very malabsorptiove, like Kate.
If I wasn't, I know I would not be at this weight. I'd just be storing up
whatever calories I did get on board.
— vitalady
March 27, 2003
I started looking at WLS after fasting during Lent last year and gaining
weight. I went to my doctor and found that my metabolism was
"stuck" due to metabolic syndrome x (the body produces way too
much insulin and stores most calories as fat immediately). So far, the
high blood pressure, angina, kidney problems, colon problems, etc. have
been resolved. In addition, I've lost about 65 pounds in four months. The
surgery is an excellent tool--even for those of us who truly did eat in a
"bird-like" way before.
— Mary Ann B.
March 27, 2003
Meredith, first off you don't mention exercise- if you are controlling your
appetite just fine- and exercising, have you ever been able to loose the
weight that way? Just curious. Maybe the surgery isn't for you, and you
are able to lose weight non-surgically. As for myself- I have PCOS- a
condition that takes certain foods and turns them into sugar/fats. So no
matter what normal sized portion I ate- I would gain. Dieting was so sad,
I stuck to so many programs and I could never lose what my peers did- even
with exercise. Controlling my appetite was/is never an issue- it's how my
body processes food. I got WLS to make it easier for me to survive on
protein (PCOS also makes you a carb-a-holic craver)... so there are MANY
reasons out there for WLS! Good luckin finding out what will work for you.
— Karen R.
March 27, 2003
Meredith:
I, too, was never a big eater. I also ate mostly low fat foods. I spent a
year on weight watchers prior to surgery, doing everything right and
exercising regularly, and lost about 20 pounds in a whole year. So, I had
the same questions that you did (and at times I still ask myself those
questions). I decided to put my hope in the malabsorptive part of the RNY
surgery and also hope that somehow the surgery would alter my screwed-up
metabolism so I could lose, and then hopefully keep it off. I had tried
everything else and was desperate for a solution. The morbid obesity was
causing me pretty severe depression and self-esteem issues. I felt like
such a failure because, try as I might, I couldn't lose weight. I was
required to lose 10% (30 pounds) before surgery, which I was able to do on
a protein sparing diet. Since surgery (12/5/02) I've lost an additional 44
pounds. Not a lot, and I lose slowly, but I'm now down 74 pounds from my
starting weight of 296. So, it's working. I still work out religiously,
and I think that helps. And I struggle with the concept of having to eat
MORE food to lose weight. But I'm trying. So, for me anyway, the surgery
has helped. Email me if you want more information. Good luck to you!
— Michele C.
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