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Lifestyle Approach or Gastric Surgery
Which Way to Go for Weight Loss
If you’re over 100 pounds above the recommended range for healthy weight for your age and gender, you may have found yourself wondering which way to go to drop the weight. Recently, I’ve been messaging with Therese, a young woman on my weight management board. Here’s an excerpt from her email:
“Hi everybody, this is kind of an update from my first post on this board. For a recap I am a 22yr old female, with diabetes and neuropathy. I recently began seeing a new internist, he highly recommends that I have weight loss surgery, my BMI is 36.2, which my doctor tells me is not typically big enough for surgery but he said because of my health problems I qualify. The hospital I am planning on having the surgery at has a wonderful bariatric program and is supposed to be one of the best in the USA. But even knowing that I am very nervous, I know this is something I have to do though, in my case it could really prolong my life. My doctor said it could possibly make the diabetes either go away completely or make so I wouldn’t have to take medication for it. … I am leaning towards the gastric bypass surgery, I like the fact that it would help me drop the weight faster and help me keep it off. Either way failure is not an option for me. …Thank you All Very, Very Much, Therese”
I’ve been dealing with gastric surgery patients for many years. Here’s a valuable lesson I learned through one particular woman who did not opt for the surgery, but slugged it out to remove 150 pounds by taking on her own addictive demons, getting buddy support, and becoming more physically active. This was no easy feat but she pulled it off and has maintained for 10 years and counting. I once asked her why she didn’t choose surgery. She smiled and said these words, “Dr. Peeke, gastric surgery is GI surgery, not brain surgery. I would have gone into surgery with the same bad mental habits as I came out of surgery with. Once the weight came off, I’d still have to deal with my own mental demons, just waiting to sabotage me.” I never forgot those words. And, she’s right. What I am making certain is that Therese and other folks considering surgery make sure to realize that unless their surgical program is affiliated with a strong support team of nutritional, fitness and mental health experts, success in the long run is unlikely. You don’t just undergo the surgery and call it a day. You need strong ongoing support to help you as you adapt and adjust to significant weight loss. When I wrote “lifestyle or surgery” as the title of this blog, the true truth is that either option has to involve a major lifestyle change. You have to become more physically active, vigilant about the quality and quantity of calories, and you must learn how to rein in self destructive habits leading to weight gain.
I have observed that people do indeed drop weight, but by about the 12-16th month post op, weight begins to creep back on for those people who did not take the time to do the mental homework involving tackling the tough work of learning new, healthier habits. That’s the tragedy you don’t want to happen – to undergo surgery and regain it all back. It’s mental and physical work that is needed for success. Surgery does not eliminate that work. It is not an easy way out. Gastric surgery is only life saving if it’s done with the right team and the individual is ready and willing to do the work for a lifetime. Those are the words of wisdom I’ll be sharing with Therese as she contemplates her choices.
Similar Posts:
- Toward a National Diabetes Reversal Strategy – Part 1
- FDA OKs Lap-Band Surgery for More Patients
- 40% of Gastric Banding Patients Have Complications
- The Secrets to Creating Sustainable Lifestyle Changes
- Should Employers Pay for Weight Loss Surgery?
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