Big Medicine & Weight Loss Surgery

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/big-medicine/big-medicine.html

I watched the premier of this show on TLC last night. I found it fascinating.

I had a question about candidates for weight loss surgery. (I'm not looking to have it.) Everyone that had the surgery on the show was over 300 pounds. A teen was about 320 and a grown woman was 370 I believe (she was also rather tall). What is generally the threshold for the surgery?

Also, what about loose skin? The teen had to have it surgically removed. Was this because she lost weight so quickly? She went from 320 to 140.

In any event, it's a tremendous show and certainly helped motivate me to keep on my weight loss plan.

Also, what about loose skin? The teen had to have it surgically removed. Was this because she lost weight so quickly? She went from 320 to 140.

In any event, it's a tremendous show and certainly helped motivate me to keep on my weight loss plan.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/

EDIT TO ADD THIS LINK: FORUMS (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/index.php) (Check out their forums. First time I happened across this site I almost cried. The feeling was similiar to finding this place. I had a place to ask questions and relate to people who really got what I was going through). END OF EDIT

When I lost weight I used this site. It was great and answered a lot of my questions. I suggest everyone check out their forums. Every question you ever wondered...answered.

Loose skin. Differs from person to person. Your lifestyle, how quickly you lost the weight, how long you were heavy, how heavy you were, how many times did your weight yo-yo, how old were you when you lost the weight, do you have good genes, did you have kids, what is your body shape, are you tall/short......

All the above + more play into who suffers and who doesn't. Most people have at the very least, trouble spots. Mine is my belly due to childbirth, but I was fortunate I am tall and being tall helps a lot.

Yes her rapid weight loss probably did play into the need for surgery, but it may not have been the only reason. Lot's of people need the loose skin removed after gastric bypass surgery. Not just for looks but it can cause medical complications.

Check out the site and don't be deterred by the name. It's the creators sense of humor (all of whom still post on the site). That site is great. I loved it and I found a lot of support when I was losing weight and definitely recommend to our current lifestyle changers. The advice and support is much like here and they really are a gem in the forum worlds. Whenever I would feel down those ladies set me right by sharing their stories, success and failure.

Okay as the resident expert (LMAO) here are the thresholds for surgery...

You must have a bmi of over 40 with no complications related to your weight or a bmi of over 35 with two complications related to your weight. Complications can include all kinds of things like joint issues, sleep apnea, or diabetes for example.

Angel gave a pretty thorough answer on the skin issue. I will *definately* need plastics.

/edited to add... didn't see this yet, but I did TIVO it and I'll watch it after work today. I can tell you it got very mixed reviews on my weightloss board where it had been advertised heavily. By the way, several folks shown in the show are part of my weightloss community.

My family doctor told me i would need to be at least 100 pounds over my ideal weight, or have serious health problems related to my weight, as Marcy said.

I was disappointed because i wanted the surgery. I feel that i have tried so much for the last 25 years, and i'm not where i want to be (or need to be).

I thought about seeing a doctor about the lap-band surgery, hoping he might consider me...my sister's best friend is getting it, and i'm going to wait and see how she makes out. I've heard many horror stories about how people have to live after that surgery.

The first time i saw this new family doctor, and told him i was interested in weight-loss surgery, he said to me, "I can look at you, and tell you you dont look like a candidate." Which, like i said, was very disappointing to me.

edited to add: i recently got the 3 Fat Chicks book, but have not read it yet

I just finished watching it and I have to say I felt so emotional. Really... everytime I saw the commericals for the show over the last week or so... I've teared up. I felt so heart-sick for Alan and his situation. I wonder how far I would have let my own situation go. It is scary.

My own big criticism here would be that they make the surgery look so dang'd easy and it is FAR from easy. This is NOT weightloss the easy way. They didn't show Penelope choking down the disgusting protein shakes daily, her likely near obsession with her bathroom scale, and her getting sick from eating even the smallest amount of food. Where was all the hard effort that she's gotta be putting into a gym somewhere??? The doctor told her that she was likely getting 700 calories a day 1 week post op. I literally LAUGHED OUT LOUD. 700 calories a day 1 week post op???? Try 300 to 500 more likely... I'm getting 700 to 900 now and I'm 6 months post op! Then the big one... she's out drinking with her friends 6 months post op... come on... a big issue in the surgical weight loss community is addiction transfer. This is transferring your food addiction to another which is commonly ALCOHOL. Didn't seem very responsible to me.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy she's so happy with her results so far, but I think they painted a pretty rosy picture of it.

I'm happy with my results so far too, but it hasn't been easy... between bowel problems that have so far lead to 2 impactions (most recently last Thursday), a low b12 that requires weekly b12 injections, a constant tightrope walk of protein, fiber, and water, and a daily exercise program... I don't think I'd say this is weightloss the easy way.

I watched part of this last night. My heart went out to the 700 pound man (was this the Alan mentioned by Marcy? :) I can't remember his name, but he was Hispanic). I think that in a way things are sensationalized and it almost played a BIT like an advertisement for the surgery, like, look how easy it is to lose this weight! And I agree, they showed that lady out on the town drinking... and to me, that just seemed odd. I mean, considering the really specific diet that must be followed, I doubt that there is much room for alcohol...

But I found it really interesting at the same time.

Obviously the show is going to get pretty boring if everyone has stellar outcomes all the time. I would hope they just started off with a rosy picture and will get more balance into the show as time goes on. Marcy's point about it's not weight loss the easy way is well taken.

Personally, I view this surgery as the lesser of two evils, namely, that the risk of the surgery is viewed as less than the health risks of the person who is morbidly obese and can't seem to get weight off by other less drastic means.

It creeped me out to think about the psychological aspects of that young hispanic guy. The psychologist believes that the weight aspect was a way for his mother to continue to hold on to him. She pointed out that she has to bring him food because he can't move, etc. It will be interesting to see how that all plays out.

I have also been thinking about backsliding. I recall that Al Roker, the weatherman on The Today Show, had weightloss surgery. He lost alot of weight and became really thin. Now he's visibly somewhat heavyset again, although he's still not as flat out heavy as he used to be.

Which goes to show that weightloss surgery is not the panacea for weight loss that some might have you believe.

It creeped me out to think about the psychological aspects of that young hispanic guy. The psychologist believes that the weight aspect was a way for his mother to continue to hold on to him. She pointed out that she has to bring him food because he can't move, etc. It will be interesting to see how that all plays out.


Yes, I found that disturbing... what is the name of that syndrome where a parent will deliberately make a child sick in order to keep him/her helpless or whatever? That's what that reminded me of.

Munchousen by proxy? I know I'm slaughtering the spelling ;)

Yes, that is what I was thinking of, thanks Marcy!

That whole syndrome really gives me the creeps.

Munchousen by proxy? I know I'm slaughtering the spelling ;)

Yes, that is IT!!!

I'm happy with my results so far too, but it hasn't been easy... between bowel problems that have so far lead to 2 impactions (most recently last Thursday), a low b12 that requires weekly b12 injections, a constant tightrope walk of protein, fiber, and water, and a daily exercise program... I don't think I'd say this is weightloss the easy way.

Marcy, I'm curious. At what point does this all become easier? Is there a time frame in which things sort of regulate themselves, and the bowels normalize, etc?

Ummm nope... not necessarily... I think it is a trick of finding all the right balances for your body and thats super hard to do because we're all so different.

Someone in my weightloss community posted a REALLY scary journal study about a significantly high rate of long term neurological disorders in gastric by pass patients.

Neurological disorders? What would be the reason that gastric bypass would feed into that? Loss of nutrients, electrolytes, etc?

Yes... malnutrition is actually the purpose of the surgery...