6 Signs weight loss surgery may also be for you
I know people have mixed feelings about weight loss surgery. There are those who strongly disapprove, and there are those who want to do it but are scared.
I’m not here to sway anyone either way. This post is just to outline my reasoning for going the weight loss (bariatric) surgery route. I am sure many can relate.
First some results, because we all love them 🙂
1. The constant yo-yo, gaining and losing, switching diets every couple of months, constant “resetting”.
I’ve never lost more than 30 lbs. “on my own”. Though honestly any weight loss journey you take, you are pretty much on your own. No matter how much support you have, no one can actually force you to choose the right foods, or make you go for a walk, even after surgery.
2. Hashimotos’s/ hypothyroidism. While I can admit I suffer from Inconsistency Syndrome (I just made that up), I had been trying to manage my calories and lose weight consistently for the few months prior to surgery and I’d either gained, or dropped veryyyyyyy slowly.
Even after starting medication to get my thyroid levels back to normal. Losing weight was still a struggle, and I had to drastically reduce calories. A smaller stomach via surgery made having to eat a lot less, a lot easier.
3. I don’t want type 2 diabetes, which runs deep in my family. Both of my parents have it, as did my grandparents. It’s easy to say “just stop eating sugar” or “just do keto” but um, if it was that simple, I wouldn’t be here.
4. Sleep apnea I started waking up feeling like my heart stopped, only to feel it racing at 140+ BPM, and gasping for air. I ended up going to the ER numerous times, had EKGs, Echocardiograms, holter monitors, been told it was anxiety, night terrors, hypoglycemia, panic attacks in my sleep, or my thyroid. Basically I spent a ton of money and no one really knew what the heck was up.
NO ONE ever mentioned sleep apnea until my current cardiologist (love the guy) suggested sleep apnea. I finally made an appointment with a neurologist who looked inside my mouth and immediately said “you have sleep apnea”. A sleep study confirmed mild sleep apnea.
The episodes of waking up gasping for air, with my heart racing, is one of my main reasons I made my first appointment with my bariatric surgeon. I needed quick, permanent loss.
I know surgery isn’t a magic pill, but the rapid wight loss that occurs while in recovery got rid of the apneas for me. I’d heard stories that it happens within weeks for some, especially those with mild cases like myself.
I’m happy to report that sleeping with the CPAP machine became uncomfortable soon after surgery, and at my 2 week post-op appointment, my doctor said it was ok to stop using the machine. I haven’t looked back.
5. I don’t want to pile the weight back on. With hypothyriodism this is very possible. The surgery recommended by my surgeon (and what I got) because of this was the Duodenal Switch (I’ll dedicate a post to it later), which is the procedure most well known for it’s low rate of weight re-gain.
This is according to my doctor. If you’d like case studies, I’m sure they are available to be found with some research. I chose to trust my doctor on this. He gets the big bucks to stay on top of these studies.
6. No more sugar cravings I’ve heard that surgery resets your tastebuds and nixes your sugar cravings, at least at first. As someone with self-diagnosed sugar addiction, I really wanted that. I’ve always felt that a sugar-free lifestyle was ideal for me but I never made it past a few days into my many attempts at a sugar-free journey.
While I still haven’t cut sugar completely out of my diet, I don’t have cravings for it like before. When I do indulge, I cannot go past a few bites because it just doesn’t taste good. So this has been major for me.
I am 18 months post-op bariatric surgery and can confidently say I have no regrets. Every one of the reasons I listed above have been resolved/addressed by weight loss surgery, and I am glad I chose this route.
If you have questions or are curious about anything please feel free to ask. I also have this post outlining the insurance requirements for weight loss surgery, as well as some requirements set by my bariatric surgeon.
Thank you for reading!
