[Closed] Gastric Bands.

A chastity belt for the face could offer a surgery free equivalent. Worth suggesting.

Shouldn't this type of operation only be allowed after completing some sort of boot camp?

I think they do explore other avenues first, they don't hand out risky surgery like sweeties.

Gastric band is the least, a "freind" of ours is very overweight, in and out of hspital and gets a bloody car on disability for it. Even with all that done its rae that you see her moving about in anyway as she sits in the car chatting to other "freinds".

Annoying as I think there are other avenues that could or should be persued even if it is mental.

Dont have fat friends is the moral of this story

clearly mental rather than physical

Its easy and convenient to imagine that obesity is the cause of the health problems that are related to it. But the fact is - its only a relationship and the causality isn't all that well established. While the links exist its not a given that peoples actions in becoming overweight are the start of the story, but its beginning to be considered that obesity may be the symptom of pre-cursors to conditions that later manifest themselves. So type 2 diabetes (as a for-instance) is considered to be caused by obesity - because you can [i]see[/i] the obesity first and diagnose the diabetes later. But its now being investigated whether a chain of events that ends in Diabetes has already begun before before the weight gain and the weight itself is the syptom of this process having begun.

So its nice to imagine that 'its all in the mind' if you're not subject to those conditions yourself. I'm not sure 'nice' is right word though. And I'm sure this thread will yield plenty of instances of people not being nice.

Why assume other avenues haven't already been tried?

zippykona - Member

Our friend will be having one fitted soon. For the next 2,weeks all she can eat/drink is semi skimmed milk.
Surely if you can do that for 2 weeks you can go on a diet.

Going on a diet for 2 weeks doesn't achieve much- lots of overweight people lurch in and out of fad diets, or start out keen then lose motivation or otherwise fall off the wagon. Doing something when you know it's only for 2 weeks is far easier than doing it open-ended. And doing something for a very specific reason with a short-term goal and a nice clear outcome is easier than doing something with a long-term outcome that takes ages to show any effect and you have no idea how long it'll take to get there.

Most overweight people don't want to be like that and generally have tried lots of things to lose weight. If a Gastric band works when other methods fail, then I don't see a problem with it. We had a guy at work who had one fitted and he opted for the non-reversible method so there was no opt out - he knew that his severe obesity was a mental thing and that he hadn't the strength to overcome it, so the surgery offered him a solution which worked to some extent - he was still large, just not massive and now has a stomach the size of a walnut.

Some good posts, I'm encouraged by this thread so far 🙂

She reckons that she diets and exercises but still can't lose weight.

Just because she believes that does not mean it's a reality. She most likely still over eats and exercises too little, even when she thinks she's doing the opposite

From what I've seen the need for gastric band = addicted to food and no ability to self control what they eat.
An unfortunate situation to be in. I know someone with one, seen them pile food high on plate and then only be able to eat a small amount because of the band. If the band wasn't there they'd go through the lot and more.

I also agree with the causality not being clear cut. E.g. something like a knee injury -> less exercise -> slight depression -> comfort eating -> put on weight -> knee problem gets worse due to weight -> more eating......

As mentioned earlier she has dieted and exercised.
To us, exercise is not being able to stand after getting off your bike,to some people its walking to the shop once a week.
As far as I know none of the poor POWs in Burma couldn't lose weight.
I know that's a horrible comparison but surely less food and more exercise guarantees weight loss.
She is the third of her friends to have the op so it does seem to be handed out quite freely.
I'm just worried about post op. How do they get enough nutrients to live an active life?
One of our reps is here and one of her post op customers now looks like a cancer sufferer. Hair loss, gaunt, no energy.

I have a friend who works at a clinic where they fit gastric bands and there are a LOT of other avenues explored before resorting to surgery. Even when people have gastric bands they still manage to overeat and burst them - psychology rather than surgery is definitely better.

As far as I know none of the poor POWs in Burma couldn't lose weight.

They weren't that healty or happy though.

Just because she believes that does not mean it's a reality. She most likely over eats and exercises too little, even when she thinks she's doing the opposite

+1, a friend came back from her latest moan at the docs about her weight/thyroud/diabeties seeming exasperated that she'd tried "everything". You could hear the lead baloon crashing through the floor when I suggested some running and a diet that didn't involve family bags of malteasers.

How do they get enough nutrients to live an active life?
One of our reps is here and one of her post op customers now looks like a cancer sufferer. Hair loss, gaunt, no energy.

Easy, small amounts of nutritionally balanced food, which might not be happening with your example. They could be eating the same old crap.

molgrips - Member

As far as I know none of the poor POWs in Burma couldn't lose weight.

They weren't that healty or happy though.

They could whistle a jaunty version of Colonel Bogey

I know that's a horrible comparison but surely less food and more exercise guarantees weight loss.

one of her post op customers now looks like a cancer sufferer. Hair loss, gaunt, no energy.

I think you answered your own question as to what happens if you don't eat enough. If it's not just a willpower thing (i.e. thyroid problems, diabeties), then not eating as much and exercising more may just leave you with no energy and malnourished.

In the words of Jasper Carrott

This hole here (points at face) is bigger than this hole here (points at arse)

If it's a mental thing then tell her that even after the op as long as she liquidises her mars bars she can still eat as many as she wants/needs.

That'll learn her.

The reason many fat folk are fat is simply because they are lazy and greedy, the emotions come into it when they realise up to the fact that only themselves can alter the situation and its hard work cake and sympathy will not help them !

Greedy and lazy are important survival traits.

[b]Were[/b]. Now that technology has outpaced evolution they're not quite so handy. Unless you're suggesting OP's friend is the next step in human evolution!

I completely disagree with the statement that fat people are lazy. Many of the fattest people I know work incredibly hard. Long hours in the office seem to be one of the main problems.

Were. Now that technology has outpaced evolution they're not quite so handy. Unless you're suggesting OP's friend is the next step in human evolution!

Oh, I see now. Important survival traits for [i]others[/i], because we will kill and then eat all the fatties. 😆

I like the way you think zilog6128 😈