To ask for weight loss surgery experiences?

[TheEighthHorcrux]

I've always struggled with my weight. Was a fat kid and now a fat adult. I'm so exhausted with it and feel like an utter failure. I lost nearly 5 stone over 3 years ago but that has all creeped back and I'm so disgusted and fed up with myself.

Being in lockdown has got me thinking about my health and how I can really make losing weight stick. Obviously my mind has turned to weight loss surgery. I don't know anyone who has had it, so I wondered if anyone here has had it and, if so, what was your experience?

I had a tummy tuck which I know is different to gastric bands etc. I have to say it was nothing short of horrendous and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I had a gastric balloon. Lost 3.5 stones with it in, it is then removed after a year (some are for 6 months) so it’s not a permanent thing and therefore less drastic than the other procedures where they cut away your stomach.

I have kept the weight off for six years now. I actually lost a bit more after it was taken out.

@covidconundrum

Oh no, what happened?

@Sadie789

Well done for keeping it off! My biggest problem with weight loss is keeping it off. I've got this awful black and white thinking so I can lose easily for a period of time but then 'fall off the wagon' and gain again!

I'm guessing the balloon helped you 'reset' with portion sizes and recognising hunger/fullness cues, etc?

Are you planning to pay for it yourself OP or go down the NHS route?

@covidconundrum but a tummy tuck isn't weight loss surgery is it?

@GetawayfromthatWelshtart

I plan to pay for it myself

I had a gastric bypass in January. I was (still am) significantly overweight and have a LOT to lose. I am 4.5 stone down though and haven't had any problems at all.

Paid privately and was out after 2 nights and back on my feet as normal within a week.

Yes the balloon is about portion control and learning to feel full and sated. That’s why they recommend going for the year long one rather than 6 months as the research has shown the longer you follow a new habit the easier it is to stick to without the “crutch”. I didn’t lose all the weight I wanted to and I could still lose another 2 stone if I wanted to be back at my prime, but dropping the weight I did with the balloon absolutely transformed my life for the better.

@cindylouwhosplaits

Glad to hear it's going well. Have you had any support from a dietician or nutritionist at all?

Sorry not much help I'm afraid. I'm on the NHS waiting list for a Roux en Y gastric bypass so if you had planned to go down that route I could have offered some help and guidance on what happens.

My neighbour did have a band (privately) but had to have it removed due to complications so had a gastric bypass (again privately) and she did great in the first 5 years BUT she put on a lot of weight she lost due to drinking booze (empty calories) and is currently on WW to control her food again.

I had to go through two dietitians (one at GP for a whole year and one at hospital) and a therapist to prove I could handle what lies ahead of me. After surgery it will be at least 6 months (maybe a year) before I will be able to eat "normal food" and then I will have to have tiny portions or will make myself very ill. BUT this will save my bloody life! Huzzah.

If you go down the weight loss surgery route you will have to change the whole way you eat and view food otherwise you will epic fail and fuck it all up.

It's not just surgery that works YOU will have to put in a LOT of effort yourself. It's not a quick fix and you need to be in the right head space before you go ahead.

If you have trouble controlling your eating habits a balloon may not be any help long term as you can easily start to pile on the pounds again if you consume more than you were having when the balloon was fitted. (your tum will just stretch)

Sorry I can't be any more help but good luck!!!

Thanks @GetawayfromthatWelshtart that's really helpful! Good luck with your surgery!

To be honest, I really want help and support in changing the way I view food, the reasons I (over) eat and the issues I have with my body. I've done the 'quick fixes' - I lost 5 stone on a VLCD and managed to keep the weight off for about 8 months through following a low carb diet.

I know the weight loss that results isn't the silver bullet, it's the reprogramming of my brain and changing the way I think/feel. I'm just at a loss and getting more and more frustrated with myself. I feel like it shouldn't be this hard, but it is!

I don't know how the private sector works for this but the reason I had to see a dietician for a year was to look at how and what I eat and work out a plan before I would be considered for surgery (so many years it's taken me to get this far!).

Then the dietitian at the hospital (and surgeon) basically explained to me WHY I can't lose the weight I need to like "a normal person" and what the next stages will be.

The therapist at the hospital I'll have my surgery at was excellent and I really REALLY recommend perhaps finding a food specialist therapist (perhaps affiliated with an actual hospital that does weight loss surgery so you don't end up with some bloody snake oil charlatan).

They will talk about your past, association with foods, triggers etc. I think some do public and private sessions. This might really help OP! hugs

Also they may also be able to link you with a dietitian (again properly trained; not some "I got a certificate off instagram" fuckwit) who will be able to look closer at blood tests results than the GP (you have NO idea how many "red flags" on blood test results a GP surgery will miss or ignore and not tell you about which could be linked in some way to the weight issues you are having)

Have you had any decent blood tests done recently??

@GetawayfromthatWelshtart

No blood work done for a good while now. I am, by and large (no pun intended), quite healthy and not taking any sort of medication or anything like that. But I'm nearing 30 now and still on this hellish merry-go-round riding high when I lose the weight and then feeling deeply ashamed when it comes back. I also feel sluggish and bleh in myself.

I think therapy/dietician might be a good starting point. I plan to approach my GP and chat to them about it when lockdown is over. I know I overeat and I am an emotional eater but have found that restrictive diets provide a short respite from that but the 'rebound' binge when I fall off the wagon is so much worse. I'd love to do this off my own back with diet/exercise but feel like I'm running out of options at this point!