Gastric Bypass Truth

Wow. I just ran across this news article. Apparently, if the trends continue as they’re going in the US, we could ALL be overweight 40 years from now.

Which could mean that weight loss surgery will be a booming business! Now I am not one of those who think that WLS is the solution for everyone. I know I was not able to lose weight and keep it off without surgical assistance. But not everyone is cut out for the post-surgery lifestyle.

So what is the answer? [Read more →]

I hesitated to write this post. Because last time I thought I had finally moved off my plateau the 2 pounds I lost came roaring right back.

But after several days of below-180land, I can officially declare an end to my days on this plateau. Yaay!

This morning I am all the way down to 176 or 177 - my scale isn’t digital and my eyes are a bit blurry in the morning.

I had an appointment last week with my surgeon, and while there I talked about the plateau with the nurse, who has also had gastric bypass surgery. She said that she spent 3 whole months at 150, so figured she was done and this was where her body meant for her to stay. [Read more →]

One of the side effects of gastric bypass surgery that people often fail to consider is how the overwhelming changes will affect their marriage.

Studies show that the divorce rate after WLS is high. Then again, other studies report that patients report greater satisfaction in their marriages. So who’s right?

They probably both are.

Undergoing weight loss surgery is just a first step. Over the next year or two, the dramatic weight loss has ramifications for every aspect of your life. And since it happens so quickly, it’s really easy to lose touch with reality.

Imagine living in a funhouse for a year or so. All the mirrors are warped, so you have no way of knowing what you really, truly look like. You may even begin to lose sight of who you are. It’s as if a new person is emerging from beneath the layer of fat. [Read more →]

So I’m at church the other night. A very well-meaning person comes up to me and compliments my weight loss. This person has struggled with weight as well, and asks how much I’ve lost since my gastric bypass.

I reluctantly divulge the number (I hate that question) and am told that this person, too is losing weight - 15 pounds so far. I offer sincere congratulations. Then I’m told, “I’m doing it the hard way. I’m not going to have that surgery!”

Believe me, I’m not one of those Pollyannas who think weight loss surgery is for every overweight person on the planet, and how dare they not consider this solution to salvage their health!!!!!

NO, that’s not me. This surgery is a big, life-changing deal. It’s a huge commitment. And it is most certainly not for everybody.

But the misconception out there that it’s the “easy way out” is really wearing on me. So here’s my list of 7 reasons why it’s not a walk in the park. Please make sure every numbskull you know reads it. Print it on t-shirts or some kind of business card that you can hand out whenever you hear this inane comment. [Read more →]

A new study came out recently that compared the risks of laproscopic gastric bypass surgery with open. This article sums it up best:

Gastric Bypass Surgery: Laproscopic Or Open Procedure

By: Vickie Richter
Published: Tuesday, 22 July 2008

If you are one of the millions of people in the United States living with morbid obesity, one of the options to consider is bariatric surgery, often referred to as weight loss surgery. In the last 6 years more than 800,000 people who have had no long-term weight loss success through other means, have chosen this procedure to transform their lives.

[Read more →]

I just found a fantastic new company that lets you download fitness videos right to your computer. You can rent them for 10 days, or for just a bit more own them forever.

No more excuses for not working out!

I saw my PCP this week, and we were discussing life after both gastric bypass and gall bladder removal.

It seems that up to one third of all gastric bypass patients will develop gallstones in the months following surgery. Wow. The rapid weight loss, combined with the drastically lower amount of fat and calories in our diet seem to be to blame.

A few things are different now that my gall bladder is history. I’ve noticed that I dump easier, and on more foods. I even dump on protein shakes. I’m tolerating fewer foods.

Then again, I’m tolerating other foods that I wasn’t before. For example, my 7 year old has been sick, and a friend from church baked him some cookies. My favorite kind - homemade chocolate chip. So I just had to have one, figuring a few minutes of bilss was worth the misery that would follow. [Read more →]

Hair loss after gastric bypass surgery sucks. And we all want to know what we can do about it.

Waaaay back in the day, when I was in cosmetology school, we learned how to do scalp massage. The idea is that massaging your scalp stimulates blood flow to the roots of your hair, which brings more nutrients to it. This helps it grow.

Also, if your scalp muscles are tight due to stress, or just due to not having been massaged, it restricts that blood flow. So massage not only has immediate blood flow benefits, it will help increase blood flow to the scalp at all times.

So I decided to make a video showing exactly how scalp massage should be done. [Read more →]

Now I’m really starting to get ticked off.

In this post, I mentioned that I’d been to my one-year follow up appointment with my gastric bypass surgeon, and that he’d briefly read off my vitamin level results and pronounced everything fine.

Well, I started thinking that I’d like to have those test results so perhaps I could write a post about them, or maybe do a page on what all is tested and how to read the results. So I asked to have my results sent to me, and they arrived today.

And everything is NOT fine.

[Read more →]

Well, it was fun while it lasted. But it sure seems that my honeymoon period (the first 6-12 months after gastric bypass when weight is easy to lose and hunger is minimal) is over.

To be honest, it’s been over for a little while. I can’t really put my finger on the exact date, but I know that for a few weeks before my gall bladder operation in mid-June I had been stuck at 190. I really think that the only reason I dropped the next 10 pounds was the fact that I ate nothing but chicken soup for 3 weeks. [Read more →]