cranky- about being obese.

hi 🙋 there, I am miss crankypants. I am very new to oh. I am trying to decide whether to get a lap band. My GP won't refer me for one- he wants me to try exercise and diet again (groan) I am emotional eater. As soon as I am upset, frustrated or upset- I eat. Am wanting to try and do a protein diet - any suggestions?

hi and welcome. i'm regularly cranky too.  if you know that emotional eating is the prime source of your weight, then seeing a therapist is essential. no diet or surgery can fix your emotions. that being said, surgery is a wonderful tool, and used in conjunction with therapy can really improve your weight and your life.

as for surgery types, if you want a restriction-only procedure, check out the VSG. if you think that you might benefit from malabsorption as well, check out the RNY and the DS. steer clear of the lap band at all costs. best of luck in your research.

I couldn't have said it better. 

Operating on your body won't fix your mind.  But fixing your mind, along with surgery, can help with your body.

Crankiness is a proper reaction to stupidity.

You may need to find a new GP.  From what you write - s/he is not well educated on the issues surrounding obesity.  Find one that is. 

Additionally, the advise to see a therapist is also correct - you will need to address this issue, even with the surgery, but with the surgery you will have more than a 3-5% chance of keeping the weight off.

This is your life, don't fart around with professionals that are telling you to do things with low chances of success.  If your GP has set out a clear time line with clear instructions and frequent followups based on what your insurance company requires before approving WLS, then maybe your GP is a keeper.  If s/he told you to diet and exercise and sent you on your way without support, I would be looking for a new GP today.

(Don't tell me how much you like him/her, if she is not treating your obesity issue as a serious medical condition, s/he is not treating you.)

Best of luck, don't stay cranky - follow your GPs advise and try another conventional diet or find a new GP!

There are doctors that are pro WLS and anti- WLS.  If your doctor is not on board with your decision then I would find a new doctor.  How do you find a doctor that is pro- WLS?  I would find a WLS surgeon that you might be interested in and ask if they can recommend any doctors in the area.  Or hop on the board here for your State and ask if anyone there can recommend a doctor in your area. 

There will always be doctors that think all you need is diet and exercise.  No matter how hard you try to convince them otherwise.  I am lucky to have a doctor that continues to work with me and that is how a doctor should be. 

My mother's GP didn't want to refer her for WLS either, and I told my mom to get a new GP. 

Best of luck to you!

I think your doc is right for not wanting you to get lapband, since it's a pretty flawed surgery.  Also, if you're an emotional eater, no surgery in the world will fix that.  Are you seeing a therapist?  

thanks everybody I have started to see a therapist about it and she is getting me to look at triggers etc. I feel like I have an addiction -so I am trying to deal with it using that framework. I used to smoke and I found it soothed me. Now food functions that way for me. So I need to address the emotional aspects of eating.

How much do you need to lose ?