Weight Loss Surgery and Lifestyle
by Garth Davis, MD on July 19, 2016I get more and more excited when I can get patients to avoid surgery through lifestyle changes. Saw a lady today who was morbidly obese with poorly controlled diabetes. Perfect candidate for gastric bypass.
The issue was that her diet was horrible. Eggs and bacon for breakfast, deli meat sandwiches for lunch, pot roast for dinner. Lots of processed junk. She was also very nervous about surgery.
So I suggested we try a plant based diet first. She looked up all the recipes and jumped headstrong into the diet. Her whole family has changed, and everybody feels fantastic. She has lost 15 lbs in 1 month and she has greatly reduced her insulin. All this in 1 month of eating oatmeal, legumes, fruits, veggies, grains and starches. She was beaming with energy and had such a healthy glow.
People are not suffering from a surgery deficiency.
Surgery is not essential. It’s just a tool.
Obesity is a disease that has a true physiologic foundation that may make it difficult to lose weight. The surgery is an extremely successful tool, no question. But if the tool is not utilized correctly by adopting a healthy lifestyle, success will be short-lived.
Likewise, if you find it possible to change lifestyle without surgery, that is fantastic. Avoid the knife if possible, but certainly don’t be ashamed if you feel it necessary.
To me all I care about is that people change their lifestyle. It should become second nature to reach for fruits and veggies. Your body and mind should be drawn to the produce and repulsed by the processed foods and animal proteins.
Then you are not dieting, you are thriving!