# Talk me IN to having a "luxury" gastric bypass **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2010, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689 "2010-05-25T11:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/21 "2010-05-25T16:35:40Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Last year, I asked the Dope to talk me out of my idea, and try in a less invasive way to lose the weight. If in a year nothing had changed, I could still go for surgery. > > Well, here I am. My weight hasn’t changed since, and once again I face the decision. What have you done to try to lose the weight? I mean, specifically, what have you done? What do you eat in a typical day? What kinds of physical activity do you get and how often? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/22 "2010-05-25T16:36:38Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Have you tried a calorie-counter like LoseIt on the iTouch, or an online calorie counter? My husband and I have been using these, and with almost no effort on our parts beyond recording our food each day, we have both dropped around 20 pounds. It is slow, and it does take patience\*, but it carries virtually no risk and no cost. Recording your weight and your food makes you accountable for what you eat, and we’ve both found that that was what made the difference for us. > > \*Check out the weight loss support thread to see me losing and re-gaining my patience with the whole process. 🙂 I’ve been using [MyPlate by Livestrong](http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/) since May 8th and am down 13 lbs. I’m still eating until I’m full, but this is just making me more aware of where my calories are going, the importance of eating fiber to fill up, etc. OP, I’m kind of curious what you’ve done over the last year. I’m fatter than you and shorter than you, but by just making a minor tweak to my diet, I’m shedding weight. Now, I’m not going to pretend this is the case for everyone, but have you done simple things like walking 20 mins a night? Cut out fast food to maybe just once a week at most? Laid off the sweets a little bit? I guess I just can’t imagine someone making those minor changes and not even losing 5 lbs. Now, if that IS the case for you, have you gone to a doctor to make sure nothing is medically wrong with you, causing you to gain weight while doing all of those lifestyle changes? I guess I’m just wary of GB. I know two people (parents of friends) who died after the surgeries, due to complications from the bypass. While I understand that death after surgery is hardly the norm, seeing my 16 year old friend hysterically crying over her mother’s coffin is enough for me to try absolutely everything before I ever did that. ---
**Author:** ![Pliny\_the\_younger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@Pliny\_the\_younger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pliny_the_younger)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/23 "2010-05-25T17:33:26Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Surgery is the “ **stupid way out** ”. It increases the risk of death x10 or more :smack: . The guy is only 230 pounds @ 5’ 6". Yes that’s overweight, but it not significantly. Get thyself to a therapist and a dietician and then start walking every day. A lot safer and healthier over the long run. Oh WTF? You’ve not had it, you’ve not lived through it so seriously, get over your own self. Who are you to judge? Really. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/24 "2010-05-25T17:45:40Z")
Is there any health reason you think this is a good idea? It is possible to be fat and healthy, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/25 "2010-05-25T17:45:57Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > This worries me. I think WLS is very often a very good choice, but thinking it requires less discipline is not the right approach. My understanding is that WLS requires MORE discipline because there are suddenly all these things you CANNOT do, at risk of compromising your health permanently. With traditional weight loss, you can always fall off the wagon for a weekend and get back on, no harm, no foul. > > Have you tried a “low-discipline” traditional weight loss approach? Eat a moderate amount–1800-2000 calories a day–and see if you don’t slowly take the weight off. This doesn’t take strength of will–you won’t be hungry–it just takes patience and persistence. It does take a long time. Good suggestion - in fact if the OP _does_ plan on having surgery, I think this would be excellent practice for how you’ll have to eat afterward. While the restrictions won’t be there pre-surgery, it might give you a feeling for how tolerant you are of the post-op eating restrictions. If you find you have trouble sticking to that level of caloric intake in the short term, you may find yourself utterly miserable after the op, when you CANNOT eat more, or when some foods will be almost totally off-limits. FWIW, 1800-2000 calories a day is a fairly generous amount. I’m in that range (1500-1900) per Sparkpeople, given my current weight and activity level, and weight loss goals (very modest and short-term, I’m taking baby steps) and unless I’m eating something really awful like a cheeseburger or a slab of cake, that’s _plenty_ of food. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/26 "2010-05-25T17:48:44Z")
Okay, at this point you have a good chunk of money and are willing to try something a little unorthodox. I assume this is because you have tried and failed at standard diet and exercise several times and you just don’t think you have the ability to handle it on your own. If this is the case, why not spend some of that money to see a hypnotist? You might be pleasantly surprised. (I am actually getting ready to try this method myself so I will let you know if it works for me, but I’ve spoken to several people who’ve used hypnosis to stop smoking or lose weight and found it to be very effective.) If that doesn’t work for you take some more of that money and a couple of weeks off of work and go to a fat camp type thing for grown-ups where they will make you work out all day and help keep your diet in line. If you try that and it doesn’t work you could think about something a bit more drastic like putting your car in storage for a few months and walking everywhere you go. After all of that if you still haven’t lost the weight and you are getting to a point where you think you are going to start suffering from severe health issues it might be time to consider surgery. If you go to a hypnotist and it doesn’t work all you’ve lost is money. If you have the surgery and it doesn’t work you’ve lost money, internal organs, and you may end up having serious, life altering side effects. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/27 "2010-05-25T17:49:17Z")
> [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](#): > > Is there any health reason you think this is a good idea? It is possible to be fat and healthy, you know. Yeah, but it _is_ a lot harder. I’m personally dealing with several health effects right now of being overweight, ones that even a regular exercise program wouldn’t help (arthritic knees, gallbladder surgery a few months ago, hypertension getting worse even though the weight is going south, and what appears to be a nasty case of reflux). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/28 "2010-05-25T17:59:41Z")
It is possible to be fat and healthy, but I was a similar height, weight, and age to the OP, and the fact of the matter is that my weight WAS affecting my health - sore joints, bad stomach, and rising blood pressure in my case. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/29 "2010-05-25T18:22:00Z")
Don’t know if Hulu will let you play this video in the Netherlands, but if so, it would probably be interesting to you: [Scientific American Frontiers: Surgical Slimmers](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=564257). It’s 5.5 years old now, but does what seems like an admirably evenhanded, thorough, and hype-free job of covering various surgical options, patient stories, and outcomes. The thing I remember most from it: The people for whom the surgery was most successful over the long term were the most dedicated to lifestyle changes – changes they couldn’t seem to make before the surgery, but that they did have to work hard to achieve (the surgery didn’t do all the work for them). Sadly, it’s apparently all too easy to defeat the surgery if you don’t permanently change your eating habits. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/30 "2010-05-25T19:02:25Z")
> [@Pliny\_the\_younger](#): > > Who are you to judge? Really. Damn. When someone asks for opinions on a website, he’s going to get them. I’m someone that has seen people that are obese because they overeat and under-exercise. Surgery should be a **last resort** before death. 230 lbs. and 5’6" isn’t on the brink of death, it’s at the rise of laziness. Who are you to continue to enable destructive behavior? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/31 "2010-05-25T20:31:35Z")
For those well intentioned Dopers who are asking about my eating and exercising habits…first I found myselfwanting to explain and defend myself to you. (I eat only home cooked meals, no fastfood, no sodas! Since last month I have cut out all the sugars and simple starches (light brown bread, rice and pasta) I still did eat! I bike and walk more then an hour a day! I have off and on ran 3 miles twice a week! I have a gym membership, even though I don’t use it anymore!). But you know what? It really doesn’t matter. Because, obviously I don’t do enough, or I wouldn’t be overweight and I would lose weight at a faster pace. Yet, everything I do is also, in a way, all I can do. I have tried to monitor my eating, I have tried to count calories, but I don’t have that kind of discipline. What I do have is a good sense in the short term. If I know eating to much will hurt, in the next half hour, I don’t do it. Simple as that. (That is why I do think I have the kind of discipline to make a bypass work, **Manda Jo** , but not a lap band. ) Hypnosis? Been there, done that. Fat Camp? Sorry, sounds like a nightmare wors then surgery. Besides, the effect would be temporary. I am currently training for a five mile run this june and that is boot camp enough. Walking (and biking) everywhere? I already do that! Think of it as an former alcoholic that still has to take one drink a day, no more, no less. Suppose there’s a drug, that makes you sick if you take more then one drink. If I were that former alcoholic, I would take that drug in a heartbeat. As for all the anecdotes about people dying, I have no doubt that those deaths deeply affected their families and friends. Still, I look at the big numbers, via the medical articles database [pubmed.org:](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16259892) > [@](#): > > … METHODS: A prospective database was used to continuously assess the results in 2,410 MGB patients treated from September 1997 to February 2004. RESULTS: The average operative time was 37.5 minutes, and the median length of stay was 1 day. The 30-day mortality and complication rates were 0.08% and 5.9% respectively. The leak rate was 1.08%. Average weight loss at 1 year was 59 kg (80% of excess body weight). The most frequent long-term complications were dyspepsia and ulcers (5.6%) and iron deficiency anemia (4.9%.) Excessive weight loss with malnutrition occurred in 1.1%. Weight loss was well maintained over 5 years, with \<5% patients regaining more than 10 kg. So my odds are good. For those interested, these are [some](http://avanarum.hyves.nl/album/26644901/Iedereen/d-zRsHOM/fotos/970211489/0/VaRL/) [unflattering](http://avanarum.hyves.nl/album/26644901/Iedereen/d-zRsHOM/fotos/970211513/0/EQ4x/) pictures of me, and here is a [flattering one](http://avanarum.hyves.nl/album/26644901/Iedereen/d-zRsHOM/fotos/749687460/0/T5e4/), all recent. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/32 "2010-05-25T20:43:38Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > Don’t know if Hulu will let you play this video in the Netherlands, but if so, it would probably be interesting to you: [Scientific American Frontiers: Surgical Slimmers](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=564257).. Not on Hulu, but Youtube had it too. I’m watching it now. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/33 "2010-05-25T20:46:31Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > For those well intentioned Dopers who are asking about my eating and exercising habits…first I found myselfwanting to explain and defend myself to you. (I eat only home cooked meals, no fastfood, no sodas! Since last month I have cut out all the sugars and simple starches (light brown bread, rice and pasta) I still did eat! I bike and walk more then an hour a day! I have off and on ran 3 miles twice a week! If you’re not eating sweets or fast food, just balanced, properly portioned home cooked meals, exercising an hour a day, and running 6 miles a week on top of that and still not losing any weight, something is medically wrong with you. I’m not trying to be pushy, but have you gone to a doctor for a full panel and such, to make sure your thyroid is ok or you don’t have some other disease that could effect your metabolism? Honestly, it’s not normal to do everything you say you’re doing and not lose even 5 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/34 "2010-05-25T20:49:22Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > What I do have is a good sense in the short term. If I know eating to much will hurt, in the next half hour, I don’t do it. Simple as that. (That is why I do think I have the kind of discipline to make a bypass work, **Manda Jo** , but not a lap band. ) So what will stop you from going back to finish whatever it is in half an hour, when your stomach is empty again? That takes discipline. > [@](#): > > Think of it as an former alcoholic that still has to take one drink a day, no more, no less. Suppose there’s a drug, that makes you sick if you take more then one drink. If I were that former alcoholic, I would take that drug in a heartbeat. WLS isn’t like that drug. It’d be more like a drug that stops you from having more than one drink at first, but after a while as you push it more and more and get more and more used to it, you can have 2 drinks at a time, then 3, then 4, then back to normal. That might be a very useful tool for an alcoholic, and might be a good idea, but it doesn’t remove the need for discipline. I am not trying to discourage you. I am saying that if you are going to do this, you really want to get it right the first time. You want to maximize your chances of success. That won’t happen if you go into this thinking that physical discomfort will overcome your compulsions. It’s amazing how creative and stubborn people can be about finding a way to satisfy themselves. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/35 "2010-05-25T20:54:10Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > For those well intentioned Dopers who are asking about my eating and exercising habits…first I found myselfwanting to explain and defend myself to you. (I eat only home cooked meals, no fastfood, no sodas! Since last month I have cut out all the sugars and simple starches (light brown bread, rice and pasta) I still did eat! I bike and walk more then an hour a day! I have off and on ran 3 miles twice a week! I have a gym membership, even though I don’t use it anymore!). I definitely understand what you mean about counting calories; it can get to be a drag. But after you have a bypass surgery, you have to be even _more_ vigilant about what you eat! It’s not just amounts. You need to calculate fat, protein and carb grams, vitamins and minerals etc. so you can make sure you are getting the nutrition you need. It’s even more important after GPS because your body is not going to get as much food as you used to and it won’t be able to absorb as much. Honest to God, I don’t want to sound like I’m sniping at you, but if you can’t count calories now, I’d be worried that you’ll not be able to get adequate nutrition after the surgery. Plus, if you’re not counting calories, your healthy home-cooked meals may not matter. I can make a fantastic meal with brown rice, nice veggies and lean meat, but if I eat too much of it, I’ll still gain weight. It’s so easy to underestimate how many calories are in something, especially when you don’t have an easy label on the side of the bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/36 "2010-05-25T21:01:27Z")
I’ve had a number of friends who have done it. One did the lap band, it wasn’t successful since he continues to eat as he used to - it just takes longer. One got sepsis (is that right) and almost died. But ten years later is healthy and has maintained the majority of the weight loss. Since she had two young kids when it was done and was morbidly obese, it was really important to her to get her weight down. Another did it about a year back, has lost a lot of weight and is delighted. Its done a lot for her health and her self image. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/37 "2010-05-25T21:10:43Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > **Opalcat** had some sort of gastrointestinal weight loss surgery several years ago. As far as I know, that’s still working out well for her. > > She, too, was at the lower end of the morbidly-obese spectrum, at least judging by her pre-op appearance. This is true. I had a [duodenal switch](http://www.duodenalswitch.com) which allows me to live a more or less normal life, eat normal sized meals without restrictions on what I eat (unlike gastric bypass), etc. For example, I had cake last night to celebrate my anniversary. A whole slice. This would be a huge no-no for someone who had a gastric bypass. I would HIGHLY recommend this surgery over the gastric bypass. In fact, I wouldn’t consider a gastric bypass at all, given that the DS exists. Please feel free to PM me or email me (opalcat at gmail) if you have questions. I was 236 at my highest, and 217 day of surgery. I have maintained in the 120s-130s since then. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/38 "2010-05-25T22:05:51Z")
And now that I’m home and can view your pictures (apparently my American work knows to block Dutch social networking sites :D), I have to say my jaw fuckin’ DROPPED… … because there is no way in the world I would think you’re big enough to consider bypass surgery. I know you put that it’d be a “luxury” bypass, but my god, I think GPS is a _last resort_, when your health is in immediate (or near-immediate) danger and you can’t do physical activity, etc. You’re risking _death_ in a surgery. It’s a _big fucking deal_, especially when you have a young son! You’re overweight, definitely, but you’re not at a size where you can’t go for walks with your child or take him to parks. What if you got the surgery and died on the operating table, or made it through that and got sepsis, or hell, even had too much removed and you die of starvation (which HAS happened)? Can you imagine your kid losing his mother? You’re not in immediate danger of death as a result of your weight, but you could die having this surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/39 "2010-05-25T23:06:45Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > And now that I’m home and can view your pictures (apparently my American work knows to block Dutch social networking sites :D), I have to say my jaw fuckin’ DROPPED… > … because there is no way in the world I would think you’re big enough to consider bypass surgery. I know you put that it’d be a “luxury” bypass, but my god, I think GPS is a _last resort_, when your health is in immediate (or near-immediate) danger and you can’t do physical activity, etc. > > You’re risking _death_ in a surgery. It’s a _big fucking deal_, especially when you have a young son! You’re overweight, definitely, but you’re not at a size where you can’t go for walks with your child or take him to parks. What if you got the surgery and died on the operating table, or made it through that and got sepsis, or hell, even had too much removed and you die of starvation (which HAS happened)? Can you imagine your kid losing his mother? You’re not in immediate danger of death as a result of your weight, but you could die having this surgery. Actually, by then its too late. At least, my girlfriend who did it most recently was at the upper end of where her surgeon would do it. If she gained any more weight she wouldn’t be eligible for the surgery. I believe she had to pre-loose some weight to qualify. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689/40 "2010-05-25T23:16:17Z")
The heavier you are the more dangerous it is to undergo any surgery. My surgeon had an upper limit as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-in-to-having-a-luxury-gastric-bypass/540689.md?page=3)