Is there ANYONE here who is NOT getting surgery?

Points of your ignorance:

1) I've been looking and looking and looking around these forums (the very few that are not already devoted 100% to surgery) for hours and have found maybe 2% are about things that are NOT related to surgery in some way. There are nutritional posts, yes, but they are all related to pre-op and post-op eating.

2) Whether surgery is a great way to lose wight is 100% a matter of opinion, so don't pretend it isn't I have a very different opinion than you do.

3) They have lower rates of regain because people literally CANNOT eat more. And that starts to fade over time for most people as the stomach stretches out again.

4) Well, banding does not reroute guts, but most surgery does, and banding is only for people who have to lose relative small amounts of weight. Really big people are not candidates.

5) We agree that obesity is very unhealthy!

7) Wow, you are really showing your ignorance here, and making me laugh. Fasting is normal eating because it's the way evolution made us. Do you think our ancestors had access to fast food, grocery stores, and convenience stores? Of course not. We evolved by going through frequent periods of fasting -0 that's why our bodies store fat at all, to use when times are lean and no food is available. What's NOT normal is eating 3 meals a day! Fasting has 100% of the benefits of surgery with none of the drawbacks - and it's free and simple. Nor does it necessarily involve easting nothing for months at a time. Some people just do it every other day. Finally, how could fasting be a "fad" when it's been around for as long as humans have? Millions and millions of people to this day do it constantly.

8) There are also hundreds of horror stories about complications from surgery and people regaining all the weight. Yes, bariatric surgery works sometimes for some people, and when it works, it does good things. But you can get the same benefits without having yourself cut open. I get ALL the same benefits, but I didn't have my guts rearranged. Do some research.

1: I did not claim that this forum wasn't devoted to weight loss surgery - clearly it is. Yay!

2: It is not a matter of opinion, actually. If you'd bothered to look at the article I linked, and the numerous studies that it referenced, you'd see that. Science-based research is definitely not a matter of opinion. Your opinion here is wrong.

3: Again, you are wrong. Again, research (and long term studies), show that the greatest chance to prevent regain is surgery.

4: Vertical sleeve gastrectomy also does not "reroute the guts." "Really big people" are candidates for VSG. (No one should be a candidate for the lap band.)

5: Oh happy day.

6: Where did six go?

7: So you're defining normal based on ancestral humans? Okay then.

8: And there are thousands of success stories. There are even more stories about health decline due to obesity. And, obviously, you don't have the same benefits because, hey, you're still here looking for help. After 4 years. (Videos on YouTube don't equal research, sorry.)

Look, you can cut out the snooty, arrogant "I know more than you" crap. You do not. I've read qand studied extensively on ALL forms of weight control, including reading lots of books and papers on bariatric surgery as well as many other things. I've read you studies and while clearly surgery can sometimes help people to lose weight, it certainly is not a "great" way, it's just one way of many. This may surprise you, but clearly you aren't a scientist, so I'll explain it: different people can read the same studies and come to different conclusions. Imagine that!!

You can mention all the different kinds of surgery you want - they are all still SURGERY.

Yes, in physiological terms, I am defining normal as they way people ate when we evolved. In fact, it's the way people ate all the way up to about 200 years ago! Are you claiming that we are somehow not like them in purely physical terms?

And, as I said, I AM enjoying all the same benefits - and more. And I didn't have to have surgery to do it. I get all the same benefits you crow about, and i not only didn't have surgery, it was free, and I can still eat what I want if I feel like it.

Even so, I was looking for a good site because no form of weight loss is 100% simple, it doesn't happen overnight, and having support helps.

Oh and are you saying that EVERY video on youtube is false? That there absolutely NO informative, educational, or helpful videos there? It's not the best place to do real scientific research, true, but for the averge person looking to inform and educate themselves, it can very, very helpful. As long as you remember to be skptical of some stuff, as w have to do with everything on the internet.

1: Clearly you haven't "studied extensively on ALL forms of weight control", as you think all surgery reroutes guts. But, hey, you can deny science all you want.

2: Yup! And surgery is awesome. It fixes problems and helps us to be healthier.

3: Ah, so you're choosing to define normal as "what ancestral humans did." Clearly you're not a scientist if you believe physiology hasn't changed and adapted to more recent lifestyles. (Oooh, look! Two can play at that game!)

4: Yay! You didn't have surgery! Do you want a cookie or a medal? I can also eat whatever I feel like - including cookies. Yum.

5: Coming to a site and telling people they've all been duped is a really great way to get support :)

6: I'm saying that Youtube, sort of like Wikipedia, does not equal "research." Educating oneself on videos that aren't based on evidence isn't a very useful education to have.

The Roux-en-Y process makes up more than 40% of bariatric surgeries, and it DEFINITELY involves rerouting guts. And all the other methods still involve people cutting you open and doing other things to your guts. I'm not "denying" anything.

Surgery is stupid and unnecessary and fixes problems that don't require surgery to fix. If you don't believe me, don't take my word for it. I will happily point you to books and studies of my own. YOU are the one that needs to do research.

Clearly you don't know the first thing about physiology. Are you actually claiming that human beings have EVOLVED in 200 years? Hel-LO! It takes *millennia*. Except for being a little bit taller on average, we are 100% exactly like people were 200 years ago. EXACTLY, in any physiological way you care to measure. So, no, two can't play that game, because you are talking about things you don't have the first clue about.

I don't want a medal, I just want to help others do the same and not make a serious mistake. As for your cookie, congrats - but I feel pretty sure there are a whole bunch of things I can eat that you can't, and I don't have to take supplements or watch my protein levels for the rest of my life. I can even PIG OUT if I feel like it, can you?

I stopped expecting support immediately after realizing this site hadn't changed one bit. Now I'm just helping people. They don't have to like me.

Can you define what you mean by "research"? If I find videos on youtube (and I'm sure I can) that say "BARIATRIC SURGERY IS THE BEST THING EVER!!", should I just discount them as lies, then? Do you think the Wikipedia page on bariatric surgery is wrong? and what makes you say that no videos on youtube are based on research? If you want, I can point you to videos by recognized experts in their fields citing massive amounts of evidence. If you actually wanted to educate yourself, I would be happy to send you plenty of non-youtube research and sources.

>> I can even PIG OUT if I feel like it.

Perhaps that's part of why you're still obese?

I'm still technically obese only because I weighed so much at the beginning and it takes time to lose weight using any method. I'm much LESS obese now. I've lots 20% of my weight in 4 months, I'd say that's pretty good. And it just keeps coming off. I'm SO glad I didn't get my guts rerouted!

Last week I lost about 5 pounds. During that week I ate steak and cheese subs (on a wrap), pastrami sandwiches, chinese food, and lots of other things I like. And my blood sugars were all in the normal range.

If you're so well versed in weight loss options why are you still fat?

Because I didn't learn the truth, the correct way to do it, until recently. And while I'm still fat, I'm much LESS fat. It doesn't happen overnight.

And, hey, considering you joined the site in 2013 and are still obese.. clearly your methods haven't worked for you.