Paring Without the Knife

This week’s LA Times article by Michael Hiltzik regarding the man who had gastric band surgery and died 3 days later was jarring.   A 6 foot 6 inch man who weighed 300 pounds sought out surgery thinking he could get a better job weighing less.  He was only 36 years old, a schoolteacher with 6 children who had his whole life to live.

I remember back to the initial days of being a clinical dietitian at UCLA and taking care of those who had had gastric bypass surgery.  More than a few had severe health problems and some died of complications related to the surgery.  These experiences in themselves biased me towards not being an advocate for weight loss surgeries.

Personally I feel the surgery is treating the symptom, not the cause.  Research shows many who lose weight regain the weight within a 5-10 year period of time.  Why?  They have not dealt with the underlying root cause of their weight issues.

Many individuals are genetically preprogrammed to be overweight or have a weight issues.  However, a healthy lifestyle of exercise/activity and an individualized eating plan can do wonders for weight management.  It may be hard work but no surgery is required.

The conferences I attend on how weight loss surgeries change appetite, hormones, and result in high amounts of weight in a short period of time do sound appealing.  However, both the short and long-term complications scare me.

A client of mine had bypass surgery and lost half her weight 6 years ago.  She bought a new wardrobe, and was thrilled with her new self.  However, since she had not dealt with the emotional issues that brought on the weight in the first place, she regained most of the weight within 5 years.  She found herself in my office distraught and needing lifestyle skills to manage her weight.

Another one of my clients who had lifelong issues with weight was considering bypass surgery and after speaking with someone who had it decided against it.  He realized if he set his mind to it he could lose weight.  He sought out my services and is losing weight at a good clip due to his efforts of mindful lifestyle eating and exercise.

There are several types of weight loss surgeries which all require eating a very small amount of food.  If one tries to overeat, there are physical consequences.  Why give the control of your body over to a “forced” control of food? 

If the emotional issues of eating are not dealt with, no amount of surgery will keep it off forever.  Most people find a way to eat around it.  Healing your relationship with food is hard work but instead of physical it requires emotional surgery but no knives are not required.

Seek out help from a qualified professional who can bring you on a safe journey of lifestyle intervention.  You’ll save yourself more than the physical scars and financial burdens – you might even safe yourself from death – fast or slow….

Remember, it’s prevention not prescription.