Question:
Weight loss for African Americans. Do weight loss vary according to your ethnic backround?
I am a 32 year old African American who has recently started to pursue the process of obtaining surgery. I recently read that weight loss for African Americans aren't as great as it is for Caucasion Americans. Is this true? Can i please hear from African Americans who have had this surgery especially so that i can hear your personal successes. But please everyone who can shed some light on this topic please respond. — tlasenby (posted on August 11, 2000)
August 11, 2000
I have a WLS buddy who is African American and our pre & post op stats
are very close. We had surgery w/i a month of each other (lap BPD/DS, 9
& 10 months ago), both were tall with BMIs of around 50 and have both
lost comparable amounts of weight (down 130 to 32 BMI for me). She has
lost somewhat more than I have I think but I attribute that to her being
younger, not darker! I don't notice any differences at my surgeons support
group either.
— Jill L.
August 11, 2000
I am an africian american I had surgery on april 12th of this year so for I
have lost 68lbs maybe more. My bmi was 46 it is now 35. I went to a seminar
given by my physician and have notice people who have had the surgery one
or more years both black and white have lost near the same amount of weight
some more some less but all one hundred pounds or more. Not to compare
black women with white women, but black women tend to be a little heavier
than white women. I think it may have to do with the way we are built. i
don't think of it as being a negative. It is just the way it is. My humble
opinion.
— Sharon T.
August 11, 2000
Hi Theresa... I am Native American and have had great results with my
choice of WLS. I chose the Duodenal Switch. My mother and daughter had
this type of surgery as well. If you would like to read up on this great
procedure, you can go to www.duodenalswitch.com or click this link: <a
href="http://www.duodenalswitch.com">The Duodenal Switch
Information Zone</a> . There are published medical reports there
that will enlighten you about this surgery and patient pictures and stories
that will inspire you. If you would like a down-to-earth description of
the surgery, go here: <a
href="http://www.duodenalswitch.com/Surgeons/Hess_Brochure/hess_brochure.html">The
Hess Brochure</a> . Good luck and email me if you have any questions.
— Kris S.
August 11, 2000
— Victoria B.
August 13, 2000
This is an absolute falsehood. There are certain factors that relate to the
rate in which we will lose weight, race is not one of them. Just as it is
not a factor in the rate we gained the weight in the first place. Some
studies have attempted to prove theories like this but are not successful
because metabolism rates are not racially specific. Now men lose faster
than women in some cases but nothing has been shown to prove that there is
a racial/ethnic difference. Keep researching. Its important to know as much
as possible going in. I am a 35 year old Black Woman, I had my surgery on
July 31st. Have not gotten on the scales yet but I can tell I have lost.
Will start weighing my self next month. [email protected]
— Courtrina Amur W.
August 16, 2000
Theresa,
I am an African American female who had the surgery on 2/2/00. My starting
weight was 230 lbs and now I am 145 lbs and feeling great. We all have the
same struggles. Don't believe the hype. Good luck and if you have any
questions feel free to email me.
Sincerely,
Lori Thomas (Grice is my maiden name)
— Lori G.
August 16, 2000
I am a black woman ( back mother from United States and black puerto Rican
father). I have lost 94 lbs in 5 1/2 months. I am 32 yrs od too, so not a
young gal. Anyway what I think is that people with different ehtnic back
grounds eat different foods. If your native diet consist of mostly carbs
and fats as mine does, it is sometimes harder to give them up as readily as
others. I love puerto rican foods and that means " rice" And I
love my collards cooked with hamhocks. So though sometimes I cheat and
treat myself to these meals (small portions) I still know the wls post-op
diet rules and try to live by them.
— Angelia W.
April 10, 2001
Hi there,
I don't know about the rate of weight loss for african americans vs.other
races. But I do know this: african- americans have a higher proportion of
muscle at" normal"
weight(normal according to height and weight charts) than
do other races. Muscle tissue takes up less room then fat
and raises the metabolism.So there you have it, another good reason to be
an african american. LOL!!! Lots of luck
girl.
— [Anonymous]
April 17, 2001
HI MY NAME IS KAREN FORD AND I AM 4 WEEKS POST OP AS OF TODAY. I HAVE LOST
A TOTAL OF 28LBS. I AM A 31 YEAR OLD AFRICAN AMERICAN ALSO. I DON'T THINK
RACE HAVE ANY THING TO DO WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS. I HAVE A WHITE AMERICAN
FRIEND THAT HAD THE SURGERY 2 WEEKS BEFORE I DID AND SHE STILL HAVEN'T
REACH THE 30LB MARK.
— fradycat007
August 18, 2001
I am a 53 year old African American female. I am 1 year post-op. There
are many variables that contribute to weight loss, with us I think it is
diet. I love greens cooked with pork, and have it at least once a week. I
don't particularly like fish so my choice of protein would be meat. I have
lost 134 lbs in a year, and now it is coming off much slower. I would like
to lose 60 more lbs., but it is getting difficult. Listen to your body and
do what is best for you.
— [Anonymous]
August 18, 2001
I have an African American friend (we met at a WLS support group almost 2
years ago) and our weight loss has been close to identical. I started out
a month before her, 10 lbs and 2 inches bigger, and after having lap
BPD/DS, we are both at goal and I'm still 10 lbs and 2 inches bigger.
Another AA friend in our BPD/DS support group has also gotten to goal in
the same length of time, although she didn't start in the mid 300 lb range.
We all have maintained our food preferences (remembering to lead with
protein, whether it's fried chicken, barbecued ribs, or my personal
favorite, fried shrimp) and it hasn't made any difference in our rate of
loss.
— Jill L.
September 16, 2002
There are probably all kinds of opinions and conclusions that one could
come up with over the whole weight loss surgery vs. ethnicity issue, but I
honestly think that it just depends on each individual person. I myself am
African American and I am out 7 weeks and 3 days today. I have lost almost
60 lbs and my doctor says that I am doing awesome and I absolutely feel
great. But I also have 3 friends who have also had the same exact procedure
as I have, 1 of them is Puerto Rican, one is Mexican, and 1 is African
American. We all started out in the mid 300 range, but so far, my weight
loss is just a little more than theirs was at 7 weeks out, but I think it
has a lot to do with what kind & how much you exercise, what you eat,
what you drink, and if you experience side effects or not, because all of
those things will effect your health & weight-loss no matter what your
ethnicity is. Good luck girlfriend & good luck to you. E-mail me with
any questions. I love being a loser!
— mzunderstood702
December 26, 2002
I am a 42 year old african american female--i've lost 150 pounds in 14
months--the first 100 pounds was lost in the first 7-8 months. i have a
friend who lost 100 pounds in 6 months- she is also african american. good
luck--let me know if i can assist in any way. rita
— BELLE230
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