Thoughts on WL surgery and teens...

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
Thoughts on WL surgery and teens...
14
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 3:56pm

I know this could potentially be a hot button topic, but I wanted to throw this out there and see what you all think...

On several talk shows recently, I've seen the case of a mother and her twin boys who are having gastric bypass (one of the twins had it and the other I believe is scheduled for surgery). The mother speaks openly about the fact that she had it years ago, yet she is still visibly very much overweight. The twin who already has the surgery has lost a great deal of weight and is very happy with the results. The other twin is looking forward to the same success.

Thoughts? Opinions? Comments?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 4:02pm

Here are my thoughts and I'll reiterate that this is my opinion...

I think the boys are a little young for this sort of thing. In the interview I saw, they said "We tried everything." They're only 16. They haven't been alive long enough to have tried everything. I believe that mom took them to doctors who may have prescribed appetite suppressants and regular exercise, but how well did they follow through on the exercise? I am so curious to know how much time or money (if any) was spent on personal trainers, registered dieticians, etc.

The whole WL surgery epidemic frightens me because I think most people think of it as a last resort because they can't or are not willing to change their lifestyles. I do believe there is a very small percentage of the population who may suffer from a medical condition that precludes them from losing weight but it certainly isn't the vast majority pouring in the bariatric clinics around the nation. They're doing more and more studies now on post op WL surgery patients and a lot of them are not changing their habits and they gain the weight back. This may not be a popular opinion, but it's how I feel.

Of course, I say this from the perspective of someone who lost a lot of weight on her own and has kept it off because of lifestyle changes.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 4:48pm
I haven't heard of this story so I don't know the details.





iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 4:54pm

On the same topic, one thing I don't understand about weight loss surgery is that people have to stay on such a restrictred diet forever.






iVillage Member
Registered: 03-15-2004
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 5:09pm

Yeah, I understand what you're saying. The best I can guess is that it's an investment... Maybe the surgery forces you to take things more seriously? Or maybe it's because you've put a lot of time/money/recovery into it that you can now do things you were unable (or unwilling) to do before?

When I was watching that Starting Over show, there was a girl who had had WL surgery. A few times she ate more than what she was supposed to and she had to lay down because it made her feel terrible. She also had to keep a food journal for her trainer and he chastised her more than once for what she was eating.

But I'm with you Jean... if I could only have a few T's of food per day, I'd want the good stuff. :)

My friend and I just to joke that as soon as we got the memo about the world ending, we'd go into a baking frenzy and stuff ourselves silly. :P

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 6:09pm

Interesting topic, we were just discussing this last night after seeing a show about a family with three

~Kiervin~

Co-author of:  MONSTER'S INK HORROR ANTHOLOGY By Cyber-Pulp Press

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 8:40pm

Very well said. I agree with everything you said, well...except the part where you say you failed.






iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 8:42pm
Can you imagine what a meal that would be?





iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Thu, 08-18-2005 - 8:58pm
I'm opposed to weight loss surgery unless absolutely necessary.
Avatar for tkd_jo
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 08-19-2005 - 8:46am
I am also opposed to WL surgery, especially for teens. It teaches them that you don't need to work for what you want because there is a quick fix. I wish they had gone on Dr. Phil or some show like that and he put them on a program. They need to learn that it takes time and work to get healthy when you have grown up unhealthy. Obviously their mother has weight problems and I can't believe that it could all be attributed to genetics. If she had the surgery and then gained back a lot of weight, that means she did not follow good eating habits or exercise after the surgery. How is she going to help her children do this? It disturbs me that there is such an epidemic of overweight children and it is even more disturbing that they are looking to these type of drastic measures at such a young age.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Fri, 08-19-2005 - 8:59am

I don't think WLS is a quick fix but I do think it's a dangerous fix that too many people enter into lightly.

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