A question from my father

Hi, hope you won't send me away too quickly, I had RNY 3 months ago and am home visiting my parents.  Dad wants to have surgery but after watching me eat dinner tonight asked if he could really expect himself to eat such a small meal.  "With the way I eat do you really think I can do that?"

Well gentlemen, can you send me some assistance for him?  He knows he needs it, the doctors agree.  Even I didn't think I could eat like this and be satisfied, but I'm a young girl and he's a 65 yo fat man that just can't see the possiblities.

Any opinions, advice for him are appreciated.

Maybe this will help:

Me over 460 lbs                     Me 15 months out at 247 lbs
 
I didn't think I could "just eat only that little bit of food" either. Now I know that eating what I use to eat is something I will never want to do again.
Nick

Scooter,

If your father is considering having WLS, at 65, he'd better get the ball rolling NOW!  A lot of bariatric surgeons have an upper age limit that they will not operate beyond. 

Well Scooter, this is an area you have little control over.  Nicks pics tells alot.  Your father needs to get WLS information on his own.  I'am 63 and had WLS 7 mos ago.  It was the threat of a shorten life span, family photos and lack of social activity that got me to the table.  Using an excuse about portions is   lame. He needs to research the procedures.  If he doesnt, then his PCP may have to have a sit down talk with him.  Its his and only his choice.
Good luck

Thanks guys.

I know that only dad can make his choice.  I've provided him with lots of supplies, all the books I read pre-op and several websites (including this one).  He's "NO Tech, Joe" so I can't get him on here as I would like to, but those pictures from Nick should help.

 When considering portion size and hunger it comes down to this....Post -op your "pouch" or stomach is 2 ounces or the size of a ping pong ball.  It doesn't take much to fill you up when it's that small.  Also, you're never really hungry.  Yes, you or at least I still have cravings, but when I give in to them and take a bite of something that I'm craving it really doesn't taste good.  I'm almost two months post-op and down 75lbs.  I feel great and know that I'm much healthier.  No food is worth that feeling.
Duane

Well it sounds like you have done everything in your power for your Dad. You have given him all the information, now it's time for him to make his decision. Just be supportive with whatever decision he makes.

As to portion size, Nick's pictures do say it all. Before surgery nine weeks ago, I could eat a horse and still be hungary. Now I am satisfied with the small portion sizes. It all comes down to making the best decisions for our lives.

Good luck!!

One more thing to mention: since we have to get so much protein in, the foods with protein are those that give us staying power and keep us from being so hungry. 

I agree with the other posts, but I also want to give your father another option.  I've read recently that there is a new procedure on the horizon that will have features similar to banding but not actually involve any surgery.  It involves putting a tube down the throat and then working with instruments in the tube to loop off a section of the stomach ( I guess from the inside?).  It sounds like it may be the non-WLS procedure of the future because insurance companies will like it because of lower costs and less risks to the patients and medical staff.  However, I have no idea how far off in the future this may be.  I don't think you'll get much info on in from bariatric surgeons ( since it makes that skill set meaningless) but other non-surgical bariatric centers may have info on it.

In my own case, I weighed 571 at age 50 and my docs thought I'd be dead in a year if I didn't have the surgery.  That was 9 years ago.  I'm still morbidly obese but I have mental problems that have affected my ability to follow the program.  Still, one of the less invasive forms may be the best solution for your father now.