profbdcohen

I think it is important that I am honest that I had surgery because it might help one person decide to explore it as an option to get healthy. I always qualify my statements by saying that WLS is not for everyone but that I have no regrets about doing it except that I waited so long. I tell people who ask that WLS surgery didn't just change my life, it saved my life. As my doctors told me- it is a tool but I still had to diet and exercise to lose the weight and I still have to be aware of what I eat and I still have to exercise to keep the weight off. Pre-op I decided to tell everyone that I thought would be supportive of my decision: my wife (who had already started the process), my kids (because they live at home and would know something was up), and friends and coworkers who had expressed concerned about my health (with a pre-op BMI of 58 I can look back now and understand why). Post-op as people asked me about my weight loss I was very open because I felt that not being truthful was unfair to other people struggling with their weight. Can you imagine seeing someone lose weight, thinking they were doing it just through diet and exercise and you weren't having that kind of success? I would have been incredibly discouraged and frustrated. I have always told people that I had RNY and that gave me the opportunity to control my eating and motivated me to start exercising to lose weight. As a college professor who teaches biochemistry and endocrinology, I teach about metabolism and obesity. My students all know that I had surgery- my former students who come back to visit are stunned when they see me. Many of them have become physicians or are in medical school; I think it is important for them to be able to see the positive outcome of WLS to discuss with their patients. For my current students it is an opportunity to talk about the metabolic and endocrine changes that occur with obesity, WLS, and weight loss.

Actually, you couldn't be more right. As a scientist and WLS patient, I read all of the research. When my wife announced she wanted WLS (RNY) I tried to talk her out of it...until I went to a talk and learned about the metabolic benefits. Then I actually did my own homework and decided that I not only was an idiot for not supporting my wife (which I should have done from the beginning, but let's not talk about my own insecurities) but I needed to seriously consider it for myself (58 BMI at initial doctor visit, 32.4 today, 13.5 months post RNY). I agree with your caveat that not everyone can read the research. Sometimes it is rewritten in a form digestible (pun intended) to non-healthcare providers/scientists, but generally it is not. I would recommend bringing a copy of any articles that you find interesting to your doctor visits. If your healthcare provider has not read it, give them a copy and ask them if they can explain it to you. They may ask for a little time to read it and get back to you, but if they are not willing, then maybe they are not the right doctor to be helping you through this life altering (in a good way, although not with out its challenges) decision. Thanks for putting this rant out there!

I recently had an injury that slowed down my physical activity. To keep myself balanced I went back to counting to maintain control. When I have my regular activity I don't count calories but I do track what I eat to make sure that I am getting my Protein in.

@@BrickHouse Sorry I can't make it on July 12th, but I look forward to coming to future meetings!