"short-cuts like gastric bypass surgery"

I was following up on Discovery's World's Fattest Man show:  http://www.zonediet.com/tabid/130/itemid/928/Manuel-turns-down-gastric-bypass-offer.aspx

I'm fascinated by Manuel's dedication to dieting.  I think he's been doing it for like, 2.5 years, and has lost 400 pounds.  It's an interesting choice and one wonders, if he had opted for WLS 2.5 years ago, would he already be at his goal?

I also find it interesting that WLS would be considered a "short-cut" when Manuel's dieting option seems like the equivalent of choosing to mow your grass with a scissors instead of a gas powered lawn mower.

So true.  It is the only thing that works for some people.  I know I tried everything, and believe me, if I could have done it some OTHER way, that would have been the way to go.  It just didn't work out for me.  That said, it was a personal decision for me, and not one taken lightly.  I have actually had people go out and have this surgery because they were inspired by my success with it.  I hate the fact that I have been this inspiration, because, as I believe your point is, surgery is in no way a "short cut" or an "easy option."  It certainly has been a blessing - albeit a mixed one.  The hardest part of the journey for me is facing the issues that made me fat in the first place now that the weight is gone (plus the change in my social cir****tances, etc.).  I was a very content fat person, and this really shook things up, so to speak.  So I am very careful what I tell people about when they are considering this option.  God bless Manuel - 400 lbs sounds like terrific success to me, even if it has taken 2 1/2 years.  If someone can be successful another way, by all means, I truly believe that is the rout they should choose.  I wish I could have been successful by other means.  I consider surgery to be the end of the line - this was the final way for me to take care of my problem - hope had worn out on all other alternatives and this was the ONLY way I would ever be healthy again.  I think a person should be at this point in their lives at the time they make the surgery decision.  OK, off my soap box and on to another topic.

I am proud for people that can lose a lot of weight and keep it off without resorting to WLS. I wish I could have done it, even if it would have taken longer. I would lose 10 pounds or so, hit a plateau and eat everything that couldn't get away. A lost over 100 pounds three different times and gained every ounce back after a year or so. I mean, it didn't take any time at all to gain it all back. It bothers me that people think WLS is an easy way out (maybe that's not what they meant by "short cut"). A good friend told me last week that her diabetes is so bad (and she's gained a tremendous amount of weight) that she's considering RNY, so she "won't have to do anything." Say what??? I used to think the same thing, that anybody could have WLS and lose weight and keep it off. Anyhoo, I hope Manuel is one of the 2% of the population that manages to lose what he needs and maintain it. It would be good inspiration for lots of others battling the same thing.

A good friend told me last week that her diabetes is so bad ...she's considering RNY

Interestingly, surgeons have noticed that RNY can "cure" diabetes and they are experimenting with RNY on non-obese patients and it does seem to "cure" diabetes.  These patients get the stomach resectioning without the intestinal malabsorption.  For whatever reason (still unknown) it works.

I've heard that too. A lot of people come off medication before they lose any real weight after WLS. My sleep apnea went away the day of surgery (along with snoring), and I was 4 pounds heavier when I left the hospital than I was when I left home, so it wasn't weight loss that did it. My surgeon can't explain it either, but sometimes the surgery fixes things even before we lose any weight.

Yep, I saw a special on 20/20 that showed a study on rats.  They bypassed their intestines and their diabetes went away.  They put them together, immediately they were diabetic again.  Interesting..

I was one who was a full blow diabetic at age 29 (type two) and sugars were normal the day of surgery and beyond with no medications.  To me if anything else makes the surgery worth it.  I never want that deadly disease back if I can help it.  Keeps me on track, I feel so good now.  Although I do get reactive hypoglycemia badly.  It keeps me on track with my eating, I also dump.  SO really gotta watch what i eat, carb/sugar wise.  A good thing I guess.

He should get WLS now....he's healthier, but from my understanding still bed bound. He has terrible lymphodemia in his legs.....and can not walk. Dieting is great for some people, but when your 800 lbs overweight, it's time to go a different route, if he had the DS...or a really distal RNY,and combined it with a low glycemic diet like the zone, he would probably be much closer to a normal weight now. The zone looks at him like a money maker....he's free advertising for them. I don't know if they are paying him, but it seems like there is more to the story then what we're hearing.

Scott