I've Had Weight Loss Surgery - It Has Been Amazing - I Can Give Advice

Willco88 on 26/09/2020 - 15:55
Last edited 28/09/2020 - 14:53 by 1 other user

In regards to an earlier post I thought I would make my own post to offer advice to those who want to know exactly what surgery can do for you.

Without going into too much detail.

I went from 145 to 75 and have been in maintenance now almost 6 months it has completely changed my life.

I had the gastric bypass surgery which is the more extreme but it has made so much difference to my life.

I'M here for moral support and positive feedback for people who are looking for help. Not looking for NEGATIVE Nancy

Health & Beauty

Comments

                  • slewis69au on 30/09/2020 - 12:26

                    @lew380: OK i am not sure how to respond to that - "sounding a bit progressive" is that meant to be a criticism?

                    You're not listening - shaming doesn't work - it's been conclusively proven to not work, if telling fat people they should be ashamed and it's simple - just eat less was going to work our obesity rates would be going down not up. It's an objective fact that they are going up - ergo fat shaming doesn't work so let's try something else.

                    You're interesting in ideological positions, i don't care about them I care about results.

                  • ngengerous on 09/10/2020 - 17:09

                    @lew380: I believe you're right here - as rough as it is. I've been losing weight for a little while, and every time I get complacent, the stigma around being overweight puts me straight. There's no need for abuse, but it's an unhealthy lifestyle and should be treated as such. Believe me, fat people beat themselves up enough mentally for being overweight - it's a real depressing way to live. Some people get crushed by that mental burden, but stronger people use it to fuel their motivation.

    • saltypete on 27/09/2020 - 09:42
      +1

      +1 for this. I stopped working last year and lost weight. I waited until I was actually hungry for at least a 1/2 hour to eat. Ended up that just not eating brekkie or lunch, maybe a piece of fruit is enough. I walk more and am pretty active.
      I now don’t mind being a little hungry for that hour or so before dinner, and weight sorts itself out. I think I have a bit of a winter coat at the moment 😁 but am still 5 kg less than a year ago. Will probably aim to drop another 5 this spring.
      Looking back, I usually ate lunch as it was a break from work.

      • lew380 on 27/09/2020 - 09:52
        +1

        Hunger is a sign of good relationship with food, nothing wrong with a knawing stomach for a few hours. Assuming your eating good fats and salads throughout the day!

      • slewis69au on 28/09/2020 - 12:21

        I am not diminishing your achievements but if we're talking a 10kg loss you're not in the same conversation as the long term morbidly obese.

        Good on you for doing what you did though!

        • Willco88 on 28/09/2020 - 18:02

          Exactly 10kgs is nothing I lose 10kgs in my first month

  • OzHunterNSW on 27/09/2020 - 10:36
    +1

    Congratulations… it is so had to lose weight.

    The main thing is old habits…

    Look, it is quite OK to have an ice cream, or some lollies. To deny yourself of these pleasures only makes you depressed.

    You DO NOT need to go to any gym or "boot camp"… Just get out there and enjoy life like bush walking, buy a kayak… change your life style as you have your weight.

    This is your new opportunity…. people who tell you boot camp, gym, boxing, etc, have no idea…. expound that energy in out-door activities. This is what you need… the sun on your face.

  • bookworm9992001 on 27/09/2020 - 12:06
    +2

    Thank you so much for your post and offer to assist. Congratulations on your achievement, it takes a lot of determination; change in habits and hard work to reach a milestone like you have.
    The surgery is no magic wand, but a tool to assist.
    I would like to know:
    Did you have sessions with a dietician , before and after surgery?
    Did you see a psychologist ?
    How did you choose your surgeon? What made you select a particular surgeon over others?
    How soon after your first consultation did the surgery follow?
    Were you put on a liquid diet before and after surgery? If yes, for how long? What did you have?
    Can you please give an idea of what foods you consume for each meal. Do you monitor calories?
    Thanking you in advance for your help.

    • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 12:24

      Every surgeon has different requirements, my surgeon was a little more laid back but I did see a dietitian a few times to prepare for surgery and explain the different stages which yes included liquid diet.

      I did have a session with a psychologist just to explain everything to me but I spent months doing my own research before I went ahead with surgery.

      Well i read many reviews and found my surgeon to be very good and knowledgeable and talked to me like a person.

      There was a few consultations but I had to wait 12 months before insurance would cover the surgery so I had plenty of time to prepare myself mentally.

      Most surgeons will put you on a liquid diet just before surgery and maybe a month after surgery just to let your new Stomach heal, I personally found a real good quality protein shake but then I also chose low carbs.

      Food varies but I try to have high protein first for each meal. I did log my food and calories until I began to maintain and got below my goal weight but I still log calories mentally just to be safe.

      I also weigh myself regularly just to keep focused because you do not want to be slack or get too comfortable.

      I hope this helps your decision to get surgery it has really changed my life and my metabolism.

      • Sensiekatie on 27/09/2020 - 13:00
        +1

        Are you taking any supplements to support your body's specific needs? Some of the older surgeries required quite a bit of supplementation as I take could not provide all the vitamins, minerals etc needed.

        I am in interested that you took out insurance and waited a year. They are getting tougher, so I wonder if that would work nowadays. Also, for an older person like me, then premium would be quite high I imagine.

        I have been to an endocrinologist and I am weighing up SAXENDA V surgery. Here, the public system has little funding. However I have been accepted for the waiting list this time as the referral came from my cardiologist. It would be at least 18 months until 1st consultation though.

        • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 13:13

          Yes as with most surgeries they ask you to take vitamins and do regular blood tests just to make sure everything is good.

          I only had surgery last year that is the requirement for most insurance company's; you must wait 12 months before they will cover it and other surgeries; it only cost around $2200 a year for me.

          Public system is different I was told it could take 3 years and jumping through multiple hoops so I chose the private system which was great I was in private hospital and my own private room with my own nurse on call 24/7

          • Sunshines bright on 27/09/2020 - 14:49

            @Willco88: Up here QLD/NWS border area you can't get bariatric surgery via public!!! I tried and tried seems they used to do it for a very select few but not any longer.

            • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 17:04

              @Sunshines bright: Yea I've said it's very hard in Australia and that needs to change we need better public health system that's why I had to go private and pay around $6000

            • Sensiekatie on 28/09/2020 - 10:49

              @Sunshines bright: I am on Brisbane. I was also rejected a whole ago
              However the cardiologist referral got me a Cat 2 rating and a wait of 18 months for an appointment.

              Yes they do a few and even less right now. However, when you start getting health issues because of weight, then they have to consider it. If they would have done it earlier, they could have prevented the health issues that will complicate surgery in my case!

              • Willco88 on 28/09/2020 - 18:04

                @Sensiekatie: Even private health insurance you still need to be a certain BMI or certain health issues to qualify usually. Going private everything was done within 1 year.

        • Sunshines bright on 27/09/2020 - 14:46

          SAXENDA seems to be an injection not surgery? so what are you referring to with "SAXENDA V surgery"???
          I am 55 and getting private to cover my surgery a year later would have been more expensive then saving for it myself. So that is what I did. Took me about 6-8 months to save more then enough to cover the 25-30 they quoted me and in the end it was only about 19!!! Yay for me.

          Just realized your V was comparing the two, LAUGHING OUT LOUD! :-)
          sorry for my confusion.

          I had Roux-en-Y Surgery where they stapled my tummy so it is very very tiny now. 3 months post-op and still adjusting to the quantity of foods I can eat at one time. about 1/2 cup per meal approx.

          • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 17:02

            @Sunshines bright: Surgery actual surgery I had the same roux en y bypass. Well it only cost me $6000 total with insurance they covered the rest.

            The bypass is more than just the small stomach it is bypassing of a section of your intestines which makes your body absorb less calories and changes your metabolism; there's a ton of medical research papers you can see online to explain it in detail.

            I'm about a year post op lost all my excess weight now sitting between 75&76kgs…

  • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 12:17
    +5

    Thank you everyone for the right words do not let those narrow minded ones bother you. I know from experience only after the metabolic changes from the surgery have I been able to lose so much weight and keep it off, I tried many times over the years but it was impossible to maintain my body kept fighting back and even my surgeon explained that some peoples metabolism just wanted to keep them at the heavy weight and how his surgical intervention changes those things.

    I no longer suffer from obesity and I could not be happier with how everything has changed for me.

    Not everyone needs surgery but for those with no other choice I say why not give it a go if you want to.

    Do not feel shamed by those SKINNY people who have no idea about our struggle; just like people who struggle with drug addiction it is not easy at all.

    • [Deactivated] on 27/09/2020 - 19:50

      Why do you hate on skinny folk?

      • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 20:16
        +3

        Because they don't understand the struggle of obese people and they appear to be so narrow minded about the real world struggles of anybody who doesn't look like them so until they open their eyes to other people then I'll continue to feel the anger to anybody that lived their lives closed off minded people.

        • [Deactivated] on 27/09/2020 - 20:26
          -1

          You have negative energy. I no longer engage.

  • smashman42 on 27/09/2020 - 14:08
    +2

    Good on ya, @Willco88 hope it keeps going well and you don't end up with complications down the line.

    I got sleeved in Dec 2016, 115kg to 67kg within about 9mths and still that weight right now.

    I'm only 162cm or something stupidly short so starting at 115kg+ was BMI 41ish, plus other health probs and all my male older relatives have type 2 diabetes so I didn't need that shit on top.

    Totally changed my life, was starving out of my mind constantly. Had done the willpower thing "successfully" once, took 18mths to get down to mid 70s from 125ish that time, and I maintained it for a year after that, which was torture the whole time. My body never "adapted" back to not being a fatty so I will-powered it for 2 1/2 years total (loss and maintain). Then I became a father and my other underlying not fatty related health probs flared up badly due to the sleep deprivation of having a newborn in the house. Bam 20kg gained in like 3 months which totally broke my spirit, all that hard work gone that easily.

    Now with nearly 4yrs post sleeve, I don't even have to try. I literally can't gain weight, no matter how badly I eat (mind you, I don't drink any more and alcohol intake is an easy way for the ops to fail), meanwhile my whole family of fatties keep trying to do it the old fashioned way and they're bigger every year once you average out their temporary efforts. Dad's lower legs are just about purple and he's only early 60s, his grandfather and his father both lost their legs at some point between 70-80. (profanity) that shit, I'm happy to take the "easy/lazy way out" if it means I keep my legs and avoid all those other complications on top of the other crap I already have to deal with.

    Bit of loose skin from it, they say the younger you are and the lighter you are the less bad it is. Basically if you're over 40 you're pretty screwed with the loose skin thing, I was later 30s when I had the op. If I was a chick I'd prob be screaming for a tummy tuck or whatever but as a bloke IDGAF as it is only cosmetic for me, the really bad ones get skin infections in the folds and stuff like that.

    To anyone considering it I would warn that you do have to have your head ready for the changes for them to stick (you can cheat the ops by liquid/puree or alcohol calories and not lose anything) and make sure 110% that your surgeon has a legit good rep and isn't just recommended for being the cheapest that isn't totally awful. Some horror stories on the support forums of people having to pay a second surgeon to fix the first's screw ups and very rarely others with permanent damage, so it is a serious thing that could go pear shaped but 99% of you will be fine and never look back and wish you did it sooner.

    • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 17:17
      +3

      Yes it has been great I lost weight pretty quickly and easily with the surgery but I still had to watch my calories for a while until I got to the right weight.

      I'm 183cm and at 145 I was like 42bmi and I'm now maintaining between 75&76kgs with like 22bmi so it has literally changed my life more than you can imagine.

      I'm no longer the FAT friend I'm the skinny friend now lol and most of my old fat friends appear to be jealous??

      I'm so much more active and positive about life, I see how people treat me like a human now I'm actually fit and healthy weight.

      The best things is girls will talk to me and not run away lol.

      Yeah I also did the same in 2012 on my own though hard gym regime and eating like rabbit got to like 95 on my own from 135 but it was such hard work and the same happened slowly my body just reverted back and the weight slowly crept back on no matter what I did as my surgeon explained to me your body is so used to being big it's like it wants too fight you all the way so that is why I chose the BYPASS it does more than just the sleeve.

      I'm actually surprised at the lack of skin issues I've got after shedding so much weight, it is very minor for me actually but I'm only 35 so that helps plus I drink a ton of water everyday which helps apparently.

      And yes I've said many times this surgery isn't magic you still have to work hard and follow the rules there are people out there who had the surgery but didn't change their habits so obviously it didn't do much for them..

      My mantra is weight loss is 90% mental and yes I've noticed the same thing literally once I got below my actual goal I'll admit I've had some treats and a couple of beverages here and there and I'll monitor my weight and I've not gained any weight at all like you said you can't gain weight and I feel the same is great to finally have a proper metabolism like all my friends used to be able to eat whatever and still not gain so it's good to finally be normal and not have to eat 24/7….

      Yes I look at my old photos and I can't even recognize myself like I'll be walking past a shop window and stare at myself because I look so much different and healthy and normal for once in my life.

      I know I'll need to go to gym eventually when I'm allowed and do some kind of weights to gain some muscle and tone up a few little areas but that's nothing to worry about I've lost 70kgs nearly half my body weight gone…

      But I say to anyone looking to get surgical help don't be afraid but do your research!!!!!

      • ngengerous on 09/10/2020 - 16:52
        +1

        The change in self-confidence is fantastic with weight loss - congrats on being able to feel great all the time now! It is really eye-opening to see how people treat you differently when you're fat vs skinny, a healthy body really does make every area of your life better.

        • Willco88 on 09/10/2020 - 16:54
          +1

          Oh yes definitely staff in shops are nicer, girls are friendlier, ppl see someone happy and healthy not a fat slob

          • ngengerous on 09/10/2020 - 17:10
            +1

            @Willco88: The staff in shops point definitely rings true hey, after I got skinny there were so many more smiles in Kmart or Woolies that I never had before!

  • Geekomatic on 27/09/2020 - 17:46
    +2

    Good for you, OP!

    Losing weight and keeping it off is difficult in our, "fast food" & "grab and run" carbs-laden lifestyles. No one I know takes the time to cook meals that don't include a LOT of processed/sugared food. A friend had the surgery done and was good for a while, then started eating more and he did gain it back. Now, he's back to the gym and eating better, which helps.

    When I was in my mid-40's, and post 2nd baby, I started a modified low-carb diet + exercise. I took in less than 20gms of carbs a day for 90 days. Exercise = 5kms power-walking w/hand & ankle weights (1.5lbs hand total, 10lbs ankle total) + 20 mins on my Totalgym (best investment ever, this combo). Not only did I NOT have loose skin, I toned up like I'd never done even when I was at the gym 4 times a week for 90 mins. Like you, I drink a lot of water, but I believe that the combo of weights/aerobics from the fast-walking + water is what did it for me.

    I was 45, female, size 22 about to go to a 24. In six months, I was a 10/12 and basically all toned muscle, no loose skin. I would have kept that going forever if not for inoperable spinal damage from a MVA in 2011. At that time, I was 50 and in the best shape of my life.

    Congrats and keep up the great work!

    :)

    • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 18:52
      +2

      That's well done but sounds like so much hard work constantly at the gym etc.

      I've gone from like 5XL to now L or XL and it's amazing I can finally buy decent clothing and decent quality not just BIG AND TALL MEN'S section.

      I'm so much healthier now. Life is good.

      I'm positive for the future.

  • kiitos on 27/09/2020 - 20:44
    +1

    Do you still have private health insurance?

    • Willco88 on 27/09/2020 - 20:53

      Nope only needed it for that surgery otherwise had no use for it because everything else is covered by Medicare and concession 😁

    • Willco88 on 28/09/2020 - 18:04
      -1

      No waste of money

  • monky on 29/09/2020 - 12:31
    +1

    My sister had this done in the last 12 months, has also lost a lot of weight simply because she can't eat as much.

    She hasn't changed her diet significantly, did Lite'n'Easy for a while and now batch cooks her meals for week/s at a time.
    Totally cut sugar/soda but will snack on chips occasionally, commenting that they don't fill her up like other food does.

    • Willco88 on 29/09/2020 - 14:55

      Yeah it's amazing but yes she needs to keep her mind in the game

      • monky on 29/09/2020 - 14:58
        +1

        Yeah I had a discussion with her a couple months back explaining that it's well and good to decrease the intake with the bypass, but eventually her capacity for food will return and if she doesn't change her mindset around eating it'll be an issue later on.

        I've been doing pretty aggressive fasting using what I've learned from Fung's book 'The Obesity Code' and the benefit of having a hard reset about food thinking was very beneficial.

        • Willco88 on 29/09/2020 - 15:22

          Yes and if she goes back to eating too much carbs it will also increase her Hunger.

  • mrhanky71 on 06/10/2020 - 16:38

    Does your mrs like your extra folds?

    • Willco88 on 06/10/2020 - 17:34

      Very little skin but gained about 2 inch ;)

  • DarthAntz on 06/10/2020 - 16:49

    Financially, in that 6 months, do you think you would have spent the same amount of money on an unhealthy lifestyle as you did on the surgery and requirements?

    I'm really happy to hear of your success. You've got good feedback here and I'm glad you're not alone.

    This story about Drew Manning gaining weight to better understand his clients made me understand more about the differences between us at different weight levels.

    It's super easy to be ignorant about our health, and even easier to be ignorant towards others. What you have learned by experiencing this is the greatest benefit for living a longer, happier and healthier life.

    • Willco88 on 06/10/2020 - 16:59
      +1

      I saved so much money since surgery yes on food and junk and now I can actually buy normal clothing not having to pay excess for BIG section only clothing.

      I save money on everything now and will continue to save for life

      • DarthAntz on 06/10/2020 - 17:48

        I work with a 170kg American. He goes through a pair of shoes every 6 months because he drags his feet more often than walking firmly. His feet are 36cm too, has to pay extra for that. Soles and cushioning are shot after no time at all.

        Being healthy saves you money.

        All the cheap unhealthy food really adds up too.

        • Willco88 on 06/10/2020 - 17:50
          +1

          Well I was eating enough for 3ppl to start with and yes clothing and shoes wear out and you sweat Much more so need more deodorant and more showers in summer and you wear out chairs and couches, I was close to 150kgs!!!

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