While bariatric surgeons admit that they do not really know what they are doing by intervening on the digestive tract to create chronic malabsorption, the fashion is to prescribe these interventions systematically or almost for all cases of morbid obesity. Supposedly: this is the only way to successfully lose weight and reduce type 2 diabetes.
Based on publications they choose carefully to prove their point of view and which for the most part are years, if not decades, they peddle this false message.
There is little or no well-published literature on long-term weight maintenance. Why? Because they will not make money. There are no commercial companies interested in investing huge sums of money for this type of study if there is no financial return. However, we know that diet drugs, even new ones, are not really effective with an average of 1 lb per month for 12 months and a very low maintenance rate with recovery of weight lost at a standstill. Side effects are usually important and have even caused death.
In fact, the reality is very different from this pessimistic message conveyed by the followers of bariatric surgery.
Every day, I meet morbidly obese patients with an overweight of over 100lbs (or 50 kg) who lose weight very well, who maintain a high percentage of their weight lost and who control their diabetes perfectly without medication.
I spoke with one of our Irish patients who holds our record of weight loss, 300 lbs. It’s been 3 years now and he’s keeping his weight lost. He testified on television recently.
One of my 70-year-old patients, who lost 100 lbs and has been maintaining it for over 2 years. She was enthusiastic about her success and quality of life.
Also, a person who had been installed a gastric ring 2 years earlier and who 6 months ago had aspiration pneumonia for which she was hospitalized several weeks and almost died . She is still overweight.
If bariatric surgeons admit that they play sorcerer’s apprentices, it is your responsibility to take your health and behavior into account.
Do not give anyone, any surgical technique, any medicine or miracle plant, your power to choose what is right for you.
You alone and only you, can from this moment make the choice to change and to put the machine in operation.
You need help and that’s normal.
At Motivate we follow nutritionists, psychotherapists, health professionals, doctors. All these professionals know what needs to be done, but the real challenge is to internalize, to appropriate, to do this knowledge in order to begin a real change.
Finally, remember that past failures are wonderful opportunities to improve. Make the most of it.