Question:
Should I try to lose 40 lbs or gain weight just to have surgery?
I AM 5'3 196 POUNDS I WANT TO HAVE SURGERY BUT I WAS TOLDI WAS TOLD BY A DOCTOR IN MEMPHIS THAT I AM NOT A CANIDATE FOR THE SURGERY. I SPOKE TO THE DR. AND SHE TOLD ME THAT I CAN EITHER TAKE 2 OR 3 YEARS TO LOSE 40 POUNDS OR EITHER I CAN TAKE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND GAIN 40 POUNDS. WHICH ONE DO YOU ALL THINK IS BETTER? I RECENTLY GAINED 16 POUNDS IN ONE MONTH SO I KNOW IT IS NOT HARD TO DO. — [Anonymous] (posted on April 22, 2001)
April 22, 2001
Oh please...you are saying that you are only 40 lbs overweight? I would
think that surgery wouldn't be an option. If I got within 40 lbs of my
goal weight WITH the surgery I'd be happy.
— [Anonymous]
April 22, 2001
Since most of us know that you should be 100 lbs overweight to have this
surgery and you will probably not lose all the weight by having surgery, at
196 I don't think I would want to face the risks of surgery. at 5'3" I
believe your ideal weight would be around 120-130, I oersonally wouldn't do
it...but you have to decide. The surgery is a tool and while the weight
comes off quick at first you will still have to change your eating habits
and exercise so why not try it first...but thats just my opinion. Good luck
whatever you decide.
— Kathy831
April 22, 2001
Your BMI is very close to 35. I used the calculator here on the site, and
you would have to gain 2 pounds to make it to 35. If you have co
morbidities then you would qualify without gaining much, so maybe it would
be worth it. If you just recently gained 16 very quickly, then that weight
will come off pretty quickly too I think. So if you don't have co morbs I
would suggest you try to lose the weight first. You can always go through
with the surgery later if you weren't able to do it on your own. It is
major surgery and should be taken seriously. Good luck in whatever you
decide is right for you. S
— sherry hedgecock
April 22, 2001
I am aware that the 40 or 50lbs you would like to lose is every bit as much
important to you as the 200lbs i would like to lose. If we are not happy
with out bodies and our health, 25lbs and 250lbs seem miles away to most
people, but to the people struggling to lose it, its feels the same.
They both feel fat!!....(and i know feeling fat SUCKS!!)
I know you think the surgery seems like a good idea but the weight you will
gain just to have the surgery will once again be MORE weight you will have
to lose. What happens if you gain 40 or 50lbs and then you drop that
quickly after surgery only to have to work at getting off the last 40??
Then you are right back where you started EXCEPT....you may have uneccesary
complications and look at all the recovery you wil have to do. Most of us
have to WORK at the last 40lbs or so.
I honestly think you should try and drop the 40lbs on your own. If i only
had 40lbs to drop, i would not consider surgery. We have to exercise and
eat right after surgery too. It isn't a quick fix that will get you where
you want to be without any effort of struggles.
— Tracy L.
April 22, 2001
I agree as far as Tracy says that 40 lbs is just as hard as 250 lbs but
please understand there is alot of extremes that go with this surgery.
Extremes meaning the surgery itself, the liquid only for so long, the
incision, etc. I would say to try your hardest to take the weight off
yourself.
— RoseAnn J.
April 23, 2001
I really want to pipe up here because this issue comes up so often. Are we
fat enough for the surgery at this or that bmi? Then people answer with
wether or not a person should diet. Ok, show of hands, who has kept off 40
pounds by dieting? What makes everyone think that diets are more effective
for 40 pounds than for 100? Now, the quality of life issues are very
relevant, most of us know that an extra 50 or 100 pounds makes a big
difference in our quality of life. I know lower bmi people often don't
realize that quality of life can diminish somewhat because of the surgery.
People need to think hard about the worst scenarios. But that doesn't mean
that there is a magic number at which you can diet to lose weight and
"don't need" the surgery. I see a lot of people resorting to
diets to lose that last 20 or 30 pounds after the surgery so obviously
there is some part of all of us that wants to get to our own goal weight.
The only thing I've seen proven about diets is that they make you gain
weight. So my answer to this question is, go ahead and diet, it might be
the best way to get your bmi to where you would qualify for the surgery.
And phooey on people who think you can diet to get rid of your excess. If
diets worked on us when we were only 50 pounds overweight, we wouldn't be
on this website. That doesn't mean you should have the surgery, but don't
set yourself on losing weight by another means, they just don't work.
Thanks
— kcanges
July 28, 2001
I was 5'4 and 182lbs I was told to gain weight by the nurse at bth I gained
the weight had the surgery and after a year dropped down to 164 I am now
176 and I am very unhappy I have several problems because of the surgery
ones that will stay with me the rest of my life (not to mention a nine inch
scar that I am embarresed for anyone to see. please think about what you
are considering because your decision can be life altering and once this is
done there is no going back.
— [Anonymous]
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