i have a very very dear friend....

[elfworks]

and yes it is a friend, not me!! (will be happy to post pic of me standing in front of this computer screen if anyone doesnt believe)

she is morbidly obese. i always just considered her a being fat, but she has been told by a doctor that it is officially morbid obesity.

she has decided that she thinks she wants to have gastric bypass surgery. i am so opposed to this. she has an overweight husband and an overweight daughter and a son who is on his way to overweight. i think she should really commit to a life style change. just having the surgery wont change the way she cooks and feeds her family. i realize the surgery will force her to change her eating habits (if she doesnt, she ends up back in the hospital) but she is from louisianna and food is a way of life! i am really worried about her. i know next to nothing, other than 20/20 type tv exposes, about the surgery.

i have been fat. i know that diets dont work. i know it is a lifestyle change. i am rambling, i know, but i am just worried about her.

who knows anything about this surgery? i understand maybe not wanting to out yourself on the www... so pm if you want. i am just really really worried.

xo

[Christy Carol]

My friend Merry Mary (who joined here but never returned :sad: ) had this surgery in May. She has lost 90 pounds so far. She too has a son and hubby that she has to cook for.

But you are right...this surgery requires you to change your eating habits and the way you think about eating. Mary had episodes with sickness due to just not eating correctly. I am not an expert on it by any means but I have watched her go thru it and it is not a quick fix and shouldn't be used for that purpose. Plus I don't know about your friends doc but Mary had to go thru months of intense testing, had to have physiological testing and it took months to get approved. Unless her doc is a quack and will do it on anyone, he should be able to see why exactly she wants this done.

[mrshfromjersey]

I know people who have had this surgery, some extremely successful and some that have had a horrible time with it. I agree that a lifestyle change should be tried first (should be a pre-requisite for surgery). A registered dietician can help out with this.

[Christy Carol]

I know a with Mary she had to follow a doctors diet for 6 months prior to the surgery and I think it was walk 30 minutes per day.

[jenifour13]

My husband's cousin just had this (she is like 22 years old) and, although I adore her and she is a wonderful person, I think it was a mistake. I understand it is hard for people to lose weight. I just lost 41 pounds myself with Weight Watchers and I know it takes a lifestyle change. I just think sometime, some people, look for an easier way out. To me, anything worth having is worth working for before taking such drastic measures.

I hope your friend does the right thing for her and her family and I hope it is successful.

[Ervserver]

I have two friends who had the bypass surgery, went without a complication and they lost a lot of weight. No regrets. I'm a couple tater tots away from having the procedure myself.

[dvdelf]

mmm tater tots



aw crap honey call the doctor

[sheepsnot]

One of my friends from work had this surgery last year. He has lost about 260lbs so far, but I have noticed that the initial healthy eating is gone. He eats less, but is back to snacking junk food, so his weight loss is very slow but still happening. If he ate healthily, he's be at his goal by now, most likely. It's this way with most people. Another friend had a heart attack and vowed to eat right. It didn't last. It almost never does. If the surgery will save her life, I'd go with it, but she's gotta know that most insurance companies won't pay for it.

[caseydbell]

hey Elf Works, if you think your friend will stick with it I recomend both of these books, they could pick one that best for them.

1. Weigh Down Workshop - Gwyn Shamblin
2. Ultimate Weight Loss Solution - Dr. Phil McGraw

[Ervserver]

That Dr Phil is a book writing machine

[caseydbell]

That Dr Phil is a book writing machine

isint he though, he is a very insightful and giving man.

[Ervserver]

His wife has a book, not read it yet

[sheepsnot]

Probably called How to Stay Married to a Pseudo Doctor.

[Ervserver]

I wonder if he and his wife ever argue