Help me understand why people would turn to diet pills, etc. after WLS

 I don't think you can understand untill the weight starts creeping back on to your own person and you become scared and or determined not to repeat the past.  It might just be fear, it might be a mental defect, it might be a nessessary evil even.

I originaly lost almost 400 lbs only to put almost all of it back on. After this last surgery I know for sure I will not forget about the scale when I get to goal as I know if I do I would again let the pounds creepn back on again.

 It puzzles me...I have not heard of anyone doing this.  It is my understanding that diet meds like that are harmful so why get hooked on them????

I have been seeing ads for diet schemes and they can look too good to be true.  If someone is desparate they are more vunerable to slick advertising.  That is all I can think of.

the worst part about the pills is the side effects and what  they could do to your body down the road . there not the answer it's making your tool work for you so many have over the years why can't we all . we have to decide what's more important food or your health.

 Perhaps it gives them some type of physiological comfort. I have seen people develop strange somewhat obsessive diet habits and rituals. They know they are unhealthy or make no difference but it comforts them so they do it anyway.

I assume people turn to diet pills after WLS for the same reasons they do before WLS.

They may have trouble making good food choices or trouble limiting portions, for all the reasons that's hard to do before WLS.  Maybe they haven't done the emotional work they need to do.  Maybe they are addicted to food and haven't gotten treatment for that.

And no, diet pills don't really work, but I guess people hope they will work, people want them to work, people feel desparate and don't know what else to do, so they try the pills.

I think as much as we SAY we understand this isn't a magic wand or a quick fix, many of us do think that. Or rather that it's like a boxed dinner kit. You add a few ingredients and the outcome will be guaranteed. But nothing in life is like that (not even boxed dinner kits!).

FWIW, I think there needs to be a better and more universal model for post-op care. I am not sure how it would be implemented exactly because once you do surgery on someone you can't MAKE them come back. But I know my practice could definitely do better with helping longer term folks. One subject I know needs to be stressed is SELF ACCEPTANCE.

Sometimes folks turn to diet pills because they have that last few pounds to get to the goal their surgeon gave them. Sometimes people get perpetually stuck in that "10 more pounds" mentality because they don't know how to accept their losses, embrace their new selves. It isn't our natural inclination to be accepting of ourselves.

So those are my thoughts. I didn't lose all I thought I would but I'm not going on diet pills. I am going to live a fit and healthy life and WORK on accepting myself as I am right now. Because truth be told, I may lose more weight, I may not. But either way I have to live in this old body, hopefully for a few more decades (preferably at least another half century!)

I think maybe you have hit on part of the reason for my lack of understanding of this: 1) my surgeon made it very clear that even the DS was not a magic fix or any kind of guarantee, and 2) even though I did not get to the "magical" single digit clothing size that I wanted (but DID get to my realistic goal weight), I knew going into this that -- because of my age and body type -- "skinny" wass NEVER going to be part of my experience or vocabulary (or anyone else's in reference to me).  So... if I couldn't be skinny, I wanted to be healthy (and that included a healthy relationship with food).  Those things are incompatible with taking diet pills, and then when you add in the psychological aspects of the dieting mentality... Well, it just doesn't compute for me.

I am, however, starting to see how the differences in my approach, WLS education, etc. are different from that of some others and contribute to my lack of understanding.

Lora

As I said below, if you felt I was bashing people who have regained, you not only didn't read my initial post very carefully, but you haven't read any significant number of my posts here... Otherwise you woud know that you are WAY off base as far as my attitude  towards regain and anyone who struggles with it.

I suspect that your current struggle has colored the way you read the post.

Lora

 People do many things when desperate that isn't understandable. Fear would be my answer. Diet pills DID work for me pre-op as long as I stayed on them. It was a temporary fix though when I got off of tem the weight returned. Maybe that was their situation?  

I'm not saying it is the answer nor will I ever go back to them but I've also not felt the desperation of regain since WLS.