Question:
Can VBG work for someone like me?

Hi there. You know, in reading all of the information out there on WLS, I'm wondering... are certain surgery types more suited for individuals with specific eating problems? For instance, it makes sense if you're addicted to sweets that you might do well with an RNY. But I am not addicted to sweets... I am a total CARB JUNKY. I crave baked potatoes, sandwiches, cereal bars, granola bars, bagels, rice that kind of thing. Also, I don't eat that often (sometimes I forget to even eat until noon), but when I do eat, I gorge. It's almost like I get hungrier when that first bite of food hits my stomach, and I don't stop until I'm stuffed. I'm 5'5", 250-260 pounds... I would love to be 150 again. I've only ever had any measurable amount of success the 2 times I went on phen/fen in a doctors diet program (in 4th and 10th grade). My question is this: Based on the fact that I'm a carb-addicted binge eater, do you think a VBG would work okay for me (I do realize I would need to cut back on the carbs though :P)? I guess maybe I should ask a doctor (I plan to in the future), but perhaps someone can give me some insight. Any Post-Op VBGers that had similar Pre-Op eating habits... and how'd this WLS work for you? You see, I REALLY don't want any type of bypass yet (I am only 20)... but I don't want to have a surgery that won't work for me. What do you think? Thanks a bunch :)    — [Anonymous] (posted on August 19, 2001)

August 18, 2001
I really feel that the VBG is a safe and EFFECTIVE way of losing weight and KEEPING it off. Of course, I follow a good eating lifestyle and watch my sugar and fat intake to make it work even better. I've lost 100% of my doctor recommended excess, but would like to lost 10 more lbs for my own personal goal. <p> I like the fact that I absorb all my vitamins and nutrients and I like that my medications do not malabsorb. I DO NOT eat rice, pasta, breads, and I try to keep lower carbs, especially high glycemic things like potatoes and I avoid high glycemic fruits. Sugar Busters is a program I read and gleam ideas from. Some VBG'ers do fine with the above mentioned food, but speaking as a carb addict, I know that they are basically empty calories and I prefer to get my carbs from other sources like beans, lentils, etc. Gon't get me wrong, I DO have potatoes sometimes, but only a small bit. I don't feel deprived at all, I have plenty of energy and I am training to run my first 5K race. <p> I am a success and I plan to stay that way....I knew that going into my surgery. Much luck to you!
   — Jo C.

August 19, 2001
I am a VBG waiting on revision. I wanted to let you know my status before posting so that you may understand where I am coming from. I was into snacking, but also not eating for long amounts of time, this like yourself. My VBG worked great for the first 4 years. We are not sure weather my band slipped or eroded. I feel that when I was working I wouldn't eat all day and when I did eat perhaps I strectched the pouch in any case which ever surgery you choose remember 2 key things do not eat while drinking and don't go too long between meal, as us dieters starvers tend to do by habit. You will tend to eat just a little more each time and thus maybe stretch the pouch and gain weight. This is my advice, I am not keen on VBG but, It may work great for you. It is a tool and you should work it as such. Let me know if I can help further [email protected]
   — Amanda D.

August 19, 2001
I have/had the same eating habits as you. I do not have a sweet tooth, but LOVE carbs - and binged/stuffed myself all the way up to 340 lbs (I am 5'10"). My greatest downfall was with volume eating. I also did not want my intestines rerouted, nor did I desire the malabsorbtion issues with the RNY. I had an OpenVBG on 6/11 (10 weeks ago) and have lost 61 pounds, feel fabulous, have energy I haven't felt in years, and although I pick and choose what I eat very carefully, I CAN eat anything I want - it's just that after a few bites, I feel like I've had Thanksgiving Dinner and cannot hold a bit more. I'm supposed to stay at 800 calories a day, and - at this point - getting 800 calories in in a days time is a real effort for me. I can't even eat that much!
   — Cathy J.

August 19, 2001
I was like you, no sweets, just volume, preferably complex carbs. With butter. I ALMOST went VBG, but I guess I got lucky and all the VBG I met pre-op were still heavy and vomited daily. All the RNY were goal wt, healthy, no vomiting. That's not real life, but it was the right thing for me to see. Immediately after surgery, complex carbs didn't appeal, nothing did really. But after 2 years, HOLY MOLY, I was ready to erect a sugar statue to eat! Of course, I know now that was not having quite enough protein those first 2 yrs. But one thing you said rang true. Someone taught me this. If the first thing you eat today is carbs, you will crave carbs all day (simple or complex). If the first thing you get is protein, then you've got control all day. Now, since you WANT carbs and since they simply light off a fire of uncontrolled craving, I'd be opting for the surgery that is at least going to malabsorb some of what manages to crawl into you past all the guards you put up. VBG can only help limit volume and doesn't actually suck the calories & damage out of food eaten. RNY doesn't do that largely, but it does it to a small extent. As it was, I had a primitive RNY, so got to redo last year, anyway.
   — vitalady

August 19, 2001
You may feel as though you have a separate problem from the "sugar eaters", but in fact it is a similar problem. A sugar is a simple carbohydrate ( biology babble), therefore gorging yourself on all those carbs is really the same. A sugar, whether it be a snickers bar or white rice has a similar initial affect on the body. Their breakdown is a little different, but essentially leads to the same result. The bottom line is that either the "sugar eater" or the "carb fanatic" is throwing their blood sugar way out of wack each time they overindulge, creating states of feast or famine. I hope this does not sound rude, and is not intended to, but, look up sugars and carbohydrates in a Biology book and you will see they are made up of the exact same components. I suggest that you go with a surgery, surgeon, staff, and aftercare program that is comfortable for you. We have all arrived at the same final location, do not try to tailor your surgery based on the train that you arrived on
   — [Anonymous]

August 19, 2001
Before you make a decision, (PLEASE get the facts - not just opinions!), discuss the matter with VBG AND RNY surgeons.....research and come up with the plan that is best for YOU - not based on hearesay....At this site, as with many, you are going to get a lot of anti-VBG bias and pro-RNY bias.....it's the popular thing to do. PLEASE join the VBG support group at www.yahoogroups.com and meet the hundreds of successful VBGers who have lost 100 to 200 lbs, are keeping it off and do NOT vomit daily!! I have lost over 180 lbs, and in 16 months post-op, I have vomited 9 times. RNYers vomit also....please do your research! I'm not saying one procedure is better than the other. But, do NOT make your decision based on unfounded and uneducated remarks!!
   — [Anonymous]