GP says to do Weight Watchers instead

[careya123 260]

I went to the dr yesterday and told my GP I'm considering WLS. He said I wouldn't be successful unless I controlled my eating first, or else I'd gain the weight back. He recommended Weight Watchers. I've done that a few too many times already, and told him that it wasn't sustainable for me--I always gained it back. He said if I couldn't be successful on WW, I wouldn't be on WLS either. I said I the sleeve would give me an advantage that would allow me to be successful. He responded by saying I'd lose weight at first but then I'd learn to eat around it, and the whole thing would be a waste. A heated discussion ensued.

When I was researching WLS, the first thing I did was look up the five year outcomes of diet and exercise alone (specifically Weight Watchers) compared to WLS. There's no comparison. WLS has a success rate of 50-80%, depending on the type of surgery. Diet and exercise is under 5%. Also, the definition of "success" was much more strict for WLS.

I'm so frustrated. I think I'm doing the right thing. I need some encouragement, folks!

EDIT: He seems to think I sit around and eat donuts all day.

Edited February 19, 2016 by careya123

[Babbs 14,680]

Your GP is a moron.

How's that for encouragement?

[cindikevin2 44]

Sorry you might need a new pcp. Mine was the one who encouraged me to have surgery. You need support not negativity during this time.

[careya123 260]

@@Babbs

That's exactly what I need to hear. Thank you.

[cindikevin2 44]

Good luck with your journey. I am a month postoperative and 35#down. I feel the sleeve has given me the edge I needed. I simply ate too fast and too much of all the right foods.

[careya123 260]

I do need a new PCP. I almost didn't tell him about the surgery, because I knew he wouldn't be for it. I should have stayed with my plan.

[careya123 260]

Good luck with your journey. I am a month postoperative and 35#down. I feel the sleeve has given me the edge I needed. I simply ate too fast and too much of all the right foods.

That's exactly what I do. food was a dog-eat-dog affair when I was growing up, and I haven't been able to get me out of the habit. My friend tells me, "You inhale your food."

[careya123 260]

Sorry you might need a new pcp. Mine was the one who encouraged me to have surgery. You need support not negativity during this time.

I can't believe no one ever mentioned it to me. I saw something about it online a month ago, and decided to look into it. Until then, I thought it was only for people who were 500 lbs. I wish I'd looked into it sooner.

[Miss Mac 6,262]

When I told my GP I was considering WLS, he gave me the name of the surgeon at the bariatric clinic at Loyola University Medical Center Hospital.

Get a copy of your medical records. Call a hospital that has a bariatric program and ask them if they could recommend a GP who is supportive of WLS.

[careya123 260]

When I told my GP I was considering WLS, he gave me the name of the surgeon at the bariatric clinic at Loyola University Medical Center Hospital.

Get a copy of your medical records. Call a hospital that has a bariatric program and ask them if they could recommend a GP who is supportive of WLS.

I got lucky; my insurance doesn't require GP approval. I've been to the surgeon and got all my tests done, and now I'm waiting for my insurance to approve it. I'm hoping to get it done mid-March.

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

It sounds like your GP doesn't have a clue!

Yes you need to change your relationship with food. Yes you can, theoretically, regain weight after WLS if you don't learn new habits. That doesn't mean you cannot be successful with the 'tool' of WLS assisting you.

Best of luck!!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Get a new doctor. It isn't like there is a shortage of GPs.

I do however agree about getting your food under control. You can easily eat around your sleeve if you don't have your mental food issues worked out. If you read here enough you will find lots of people that are doing great at just that.

Most programs and insurance force people into diets anyway.


When I told my PCP, I wanted WLS. He told me there was a waiting list for it? I was like what?
His nurse acted like it was a huge deal to find a referral for me and told me there was a waiting list. I never did get a referral from them. I got a suggestion from a friend of a friend and went to a seminar with the program I selected on my own. I did all the leg work myself and he signed what I asked him to sign. He was supportive but clueless about the process.

I have a new doctor now.

Edited February 19, 2016 by OutsideMatchInside

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I went to the dr yesterday and told my GP I'm considering WLS. He said I wouldn't be successful unless I controlled my eating first, or else I'd gain the weight back. He recommended Weight Watchers. I've done that a few too many times already, and told him that it wasn't sustainable for me--I always gained it back. He said if I couldn't be successful on WW, I wouldn't be on WLS either. I said I the sleeve would give me an advantage that would allow me to be successful. He responded by saying I'd lose weight at first but then I'd learn to eat around it, and the whole thing would be a waste. A heated discussion ensued.

When I was researching WLS, the first thing I did was look up the five year outcomes of diet and exercise alone (specifically Weight Watchers) compared to WLS. There's no comparison. WLS has a success rate of 50-80%, depending on the type of surgery. Diet and exercise is under 5%. Also, the definition of "success" was much more strict for WLS.

I'm so frustrated. I think I'm doing the right thing. I need some encouragement, folks!

EDIT: He seems to think I sit around and eat donuts all day.

It sounds like he may need to brush up on his information about the disease of obesity. GPs can be a great resource for general health but they aren't specialists.

[Jasminelums 50]

A few weeks back I went for my annual physical and informed my new PCP that I am considering getting WLS. First thing he said is that I don't qualify. I nearly laughed at him because given my weight and height my BMI is over 40. Next he proceeded to state that it is open surgery and infections are too high. Yup, almost laughed again. This is 2016, that surgery has been laparoscopic for some years now. I sit on the examination bed wondering wth they teach kids at med school these days (he looks straight out of med school)

He suggested I try the medical weight loss first then if things don't work out come back to him and discuss...

Needless to say his ignorance alone scared me and I'll be getting another PCP going forward [emoji849]

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

When I brought up WLS to my doctor 3 years ago (after he had seen me lose and regain 45 pounds on a medically supervised diet overseen by his medical practice) he said, "I'll support you in anything you want to do. But I would strongly urge you to find a good therapist and try to understand why you are unable to care for yourself. You have lost weight many times. You've proven that. But you can't maintain the weight. I think you need to understand why you take better care of everyone else than yourself."

It's one of the best things he could have ever said. I did (eventually) find a good therapist who has been great. I have (finally) understood that living healthy (including living healthy after WLS) is purely about your self-care abilities. In my case, everyone else and their needs were more urgent to me than my own. I have gradually made myself #1. No one else notices. But that change has made all the difference to me.

Later on (still pre-op), I asked my PCP what was his experience with WLS. He said, "About 50-50. Some do well, some don't." And that's what all the research about WLS says -- 50% success rates.

I know you don't think this, but let me just underscore that the WLS surgery alone is not the panacea some think it is. To make WLS work well for you it requires a lot of mental switches. It requires a lot of discipline. It requires a lot of humility. It requires a lot of head-shrinking -- whether done on your own or with a therapist or a smart doctor or whoever works for you.

It's probable your PCP did not say what he/she said just to be a pain in the butt. Sounds like he/she has seen a lot of people not be successful long-term with WLS. There's much to be learned from negative modeling -- who failed and why did they fail and how can I not do the things they did (or fail to the things they failed to do) that will lead me to that same kind of failure?

This journey is not about being "right" all the time, but about learning continuously what will lead you to a better destination than you've arrived at in the past. So keep learning!