Question:
Post ops, which is easier dieting or surgery?
I was talking to friends the other day about this. For ME surgery, once it actually occured was way eaier than dieting. Now the pre op tests were a major but necessary pain but life as post op has been great. How do you others feel about this? Its nice to be a success at losing weight for a change. — bob-haller (posted on December 3, 2001)
December 3, 2001
There's no question that the surgery was easier than dieting. Dieting
always failed; that's why I chose the surgical option.
— Leah B.
December 3, 2001
I think the surgery, too. The most important thing it did for me is to
take away my appetite, and to make sweets and fats less desirable. I would
have kept on gaining weight if I hadn't had it.
— blank first name B.
December 3, 2001
If diets were easy and worked, I would have never needed surgery. I can
eat a little of anything, I very rarely feel denied. Quality over
quantity. Then again, diets are temporary and this is forever. (then
again, so is the weight los...)
— M. A. B.
December 3, 2001
Surgery. I had no self control and no idea of what "full" felt
like. I was always hungry , REALLY ,TRULY, hungry. Now I know when I am
full and my small pouch , plus a deep fear of returning to my pittiful
former self keeps me in control.I am so glad I did the surgery.
— Rose A.
December 3, 2001
I have to say, surgery wins hands-down. Waiting to get approved and getting
all those extensive pre-op tests done was a bit of a PITA, but once I had
my approval in hand, it really was pretty easy. Surgery was less painful
than expected, I was up and around really fast, and wanted to go back to
work on day 7 post-op. Yes, really, and I was Open RNY. :-) Since then, and
especially now that I'm on solids, I can eat anything that's not high fat
or high sugar. I have to eat slow and chew well. And I have to drink lots
of water. The body is very efficient at issuing reminders if these rules
are not followed. LOL I am not ever hungry now (and I used to be hungry
CONSTANTLY before) and I'm down 65 lbs and 56" in 11 weeks. No diet of
mine even came close to that. My co-morbs and illnesses are ALL gone except
for my asthma, which I've had all my life and didn't expect to eliminate.
It's all been worth the few days of pain/discomfort.
— Julia M.
December 3, 2001
I think surgery makes dieting easier. The surgery is only a tool. Each
and everyone one of us will get to the point where we have to diet just
like before some of us sooner then others. But the I would have the
surgery again.
— Lori L.
December 3, 2001
Surgery! After the first nine weeks of pain, learning how to eat all over
again, and nausua, the surgery was easier.
No doubt. I'm hardly hungry now. I don't seem to dump but to many
sweets/fats make me queisy. I have control now to chose better foods.
Surgery (as uncomfortable as it was) was much easier than hurting with
hunger from all the diets over 22 years.
— Danmark
December 3, 2001
Oh, surgery for sure! Before, diets never worked for me. I felt like a
bottomless pit, and it was only a matter of time before I was off it and
back to my old habits. The initial month after surgery changed my
relationship with food. I think the preparation for surgery (really digging
deep down into WHY I ate as I did, etc.) was also helpful in making healthy
eating (a nicer word for dieting, I guess!) easier. It just makes it all
possible, for me at least.
— Mary Ellen W.
December 3, 2001
Surgery! Dieting before was a futile effort....lose 3, gain 4, lose 1,
gain 3, it went on like that for years. Now, once it is gone, it stays
off! I am very grateful!
— Marilyn C.
December 3, 2001
SURGERY, of course! I was a sweets and food-o-holic. Prior
to surgery I ate junk and thought of food constantly and now
it's just not on my mind constantly like it used to be. Like,
it was the most important thing, now it's just part of the
things I need to do. I love it!!!
— Betty Todd
December 3, 2001
Well, Bob, I think dieting was easier...let's see, 26 years of weighing and
measuring food, hunger pains, light-headed from hunger, feelings of being a
failure every time I gained weight back, thousands of dollars spent on diet
books, pills, programs and gurus, listening politely to well-intentioned,
but clueless friends, family and health-care professionals vs. 5 days of
hospitalization and 4 weeks of physical recovery and 18 months of
consistent, virtually effortless PERMANENT weightloss. No, Bob, for me
dieting was MUCH easier!
Tongue-deeply-imbedded-in-cheek,
— merri B.
December 3, 2001
OK, I can see everyone's points & probably even agree surgery's easier
in the long run. BUT, there are some hard parts to the surgery, too. It's
really frustrating to sit there with a plate of food in front of you, you
are hungry & aren't able to eat more than a bite or two. This doesn't
happen to me all the time, but it does sometimes & it is a hard part of
this. Also, I still vomit sometimes & that's a hard part, too. Granted,
I wouldn't go back for anything, I am thrilled with my results; it's just
that sometimes people seem to think this is just a cake walk (pun is
intentional!) once you get past the recovery from surgery & I don't
think that's completely fair. We DO still have to be careful & watch
what we eat & eat wisely & sometimes it seems no matter HOW careful
or diligent you are, you STILL can't eat. I've heard this surgery referred
to as the "easy way out" & I don't think that's entirely
accurate. just my opinion.
— [Anonymous]
December 4, 2001
Well Bob I'm 7.5 months out lap rny. I have no self discipline. Dieting
before surgery was horrible. I never got the results I wanted either cuz I
screwed up somehow whatever the case maybe dieting was not the thing for
me. I do get frustrated these days just like the other poster mentioned
when I see a plate of food I would like to eat it all up. But in the long
run this is great. I still do feel that this is a life long diet. But
unlike pre op this diet is 100% easier. Seeing the results makes you want
to strive to get down to your goal and keep it.
— Kristina P.
December 5, 2001
SURGERY, SURGERY, SURGERY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Melissa S.
July 19, 2002
Surgery was the best thing that has ever happened to me to help me loose
weight and not feel hungry and obsessed with food. It is great.
— Suzanne D.
July 19, 2002
Dieting OR WLS? Is it just me, or did everyone need to become more
informed about their nutritional intake / choices post-op? I am not
dieting, per se, but I have a restricted diet. Just the surgery helps me
lose weight on this restricted diet, where I was the definitive example of
someone who COULD NOT lose more than 3 pounds a month, no matter how strict
the diet was pre-op. Hey, if you feel you are not dieting, GREAT! A
little caution, if this is because you are not monitoring and deliberately
choosing what you eat, you may have some problems a few years out. (I had
a revision 8 weeks ago, from a VBG where I just ate what ever I could --
lost 90 pounds in 6 months -- but never learned the correct habits, and
gained 50 back after the "window of opportunity" ended. This
probably over-analyzed what you asked in a major way, but maybe it will
help someone in a similar situation.
— Karen F.
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