Fierce Fatty Podcast
165: “Weight Loss” Surgery Stats and Stories (part 3)
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Weight loss surgery, while marketed as an effective solution, often leads to weight regain and unresolved body image issues for many patients.
- The risks associated with bariatric surgery, including serious complications and increased substance use, raise significant concerns about its long-term safety and effectiveness.
- Personal narratives from individuals post-surgery highlight the emotional distress and disappointment experienced, emphasizing the necessity of addressing psychological factors before surgical decisions.
Deep dives
Weight Loss Surgery Overview
Weight loss surgery, often referred to as bariatric surgery, encompasses several procedures such as gastric banding, gastric bypass, and sleeve gastrectomy. Each procedure aims to reduce stomach size or alter the digestive process to induce weight loss. However, the long-term success of these surgeries is questionable, with many patients regaining weight within a few years following the procedure. This suggests that surgical intervention may not address the underlying issues related to eating behaviors and body image.
Risks and Complications
The podcast highlights numerous risks associated with weight loss surgery, including serious complications like malnutrition, anemia, and dumping syndrome, which causes rapid gastric emptying and severe digestive issues. These complications can lead to long-term health problems and a decreased quality of life. Additionally, studies have shown that many patients experience an increase in substance use problems post-surgery due to changes in their body’s responses and coping mechanisms. This raises concerns about the actual effectiveness and safety of such surgical interventions.
The False Promises of Weight Loss Surgery
Despite the marketing of weight loss surgery as a permanent solution for obesity, evidence indicates that a significant number of patients fail to maintain their weight loss in the long term. Statistics reveal that within two years, nearly half of surgery patients regain lost weight, and this percentage increases over time. Furthermore, many individuals still struggle with body image issues and unrealistic expectations following the procedure, often leading to feelings of failure when the anticipated results do not materialize. This reality challenges the narrative that surgery can lead to a fulfilling and healthier life.
Psychological Impacts
The decision to undergo weight loss surgery is often deeply intertwined with issues of body image and societal pressures surrounding fatness. Many individuals considering surgery do so from a place of internalized stigma, believing drastic measures are necessary to conform to societal standards. Moreover, research suggests that those pursuing weight loss surgery frequently exhibit higher rates of mood disorders and trauma, indicating that psychological factors should be addressed prior to surgical interventions. Without proper mental health support, individuals may find themselves in a cycle of unhealthy relationships with food and body image post-surgery.
Personal Stories and Experiences
Numerous personal accounts shared in the podcast reflect the challenging realities faced by those who have undergone weight loss surgery, often highlighting adverse outcomes. Stories include severe health complications, emotional distress, and a sense of betrayal from not achieving the expected results. Many individuals expressed regret regarding their decisions, realizing that the surgery did not alleviate their underlying issues related to food or body image. These narratives emphasize the need for comprehensive discussions around the implications of weight loss surgery and the importance of psychological interventions in addressing fat stigma and individual health.
Does weight loss surgery make you thin? What percentage of people is it successful for? Are the side effects worth it and what are they exactly? This episode is a deep dive into bariatric surgery AKA "weight loss" surgery AKA stomach amputation. CW: There are mentions of the O Words, suicide rates and brief mention of calories.
Episode show notes: http://www.fiercefatty.com/165
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Comparison of the Performance of Common Measures of Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery for Association With Clinical Outcomes: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2707460
All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Associated with Bariatric Surgery: A Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5055056/#:~:text=findings%20have%20emerged.-,Bariatric%20surgical%20patients%20have%3A%201
Comparison of the Performance of Common Measures of Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery for Association With Clinical Outcomes: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2707460
Body Image Disturbances and Weight Bias After Obesity Surgery: Semantic and Visual Evaluation in a Controlled Study, Findings from the BodyTalk Project: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8012323/
Coping With "ob*sity" Stigma Affects Depressed Mood in African-American and White Candidates for Bariatric Surgery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5670735/#R4
Death Rates and Causes of Death After Bariatric Surgery for Pennsylvania Residents, 1995 to 2004: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4888907/
Depression, Anxiety, and Binge Eating Before and After Bariatric Surgery: Problems that Remain: https://www.scielo.br/j/abcd/a/tZXDCfc855KxdXcFKTbVtHR/?lang=en
Diabetes after Bariatric Surgery: https://www.canadianjournalofdiabetes.com/article/S1499-2671(16)30072-7/fulltext
Ethical questions about surgery raised by scientists: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/196339
Late Relapse of Diabetes After Bariatric Surgery: Not Rare, but Not a Failure: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/43/3/534/35625/Late-Relapse-of-Diabetes-After-Bariatric-Surgery
Long-Term Follow-up After Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1900516
Long-Term Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Weight Loss at 10 or More Years for All Bariatric Procedures and a Single-Centre Review of 20-Year Outcomes After Adjustable Gastric Banding: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-018-3525-0
Mineral Malnutrition Following Bariatric Surgery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3771134/#:~:text=Bariatric%20surgery%20exacerbates%20preexisting%20malnutrition,with%20micronutrient%20supplementation%20following%20surgery.
Patient experiences of outcomes of bariatric surgery: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.12518
Prevalence of alcohol use disorders before and after bariatric surgery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3682834/#:~:text=There%20is%20some%20evidence%20that
Recent Experiences of Weight-based Stigmatization in a Weight Loss Surgery Population: Psychological and Behavioral Correlates: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2008.457
Risk of suicide and non-fatal self-harm after bariatric surgery: results from two matched cohort studies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5932484/
Risk of suicide and self-harm is increased after bariatric surgery - a systematic review and meta-analysis: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-018-3493-4
Substance Use after Bariatric Surgery: A Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4789154/
Suicide rates after bariatric surgery: https://bariatrictimes.com/understanding-postoperative-suicide-self-injury/#:~:text=Based%20on%20their%20analysis%2C%20the,3.2%E2%80%935.1%2F10%2C000
Survival among high-risk patients after bariatric surgery: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21666276/#:~:text=Results%3A%20Among%20patients%20who%20had,and%2015.2%25%20for%20nonsurgical%20controls.
The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Psychological Health: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2013/837989/
Untold stories of living with a bariatric body: long-term experiences of weight-loss surgery: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.12999
“But Everything Is Supposed to Get Better After Surgery!” Understanding Postoperative Suicide and Self-Injury: https://bariatrictimes.com/understanding-postoperative-suicide-self-injury/
Long-term weight regain after gastric bypass: a 5-year prospective study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5459557_Long-term_Weight_Regain_after_Gastric_Bypass_A_5-year_Prospective_Study
Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison: https://christyharrison.com/book-anti-diet-intuitive-eating-christy-harrison
Ethical Questions About Surgery Raised By Scientists: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/196339
Food Junk Science Blog: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/01/junkfood-science-weekend-special.html
Suicide Rates: https://bariatrictimes.com/understanding-postoperative-suicide-self-injury/#:~:text=Based%20on%20their%20analysis%2C%20the,3.2%E2%80%935.1%2F10%2C000
Kaitlin Anderle Who Had Surgery: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9B7HwSh3RM/
Roxane Gay - What Fullness Is: https://gay.medium.com/the-body-that-understands-what-fullness-is-f2e40c40cd75
Lindo Bacon on Bariatric Surgery: https://www.lindobacon.com/HAESbook/pdf_files/HAES_Bariatric-Surgery.pdf
Prevalence of alcohol use disorders before and after bariatric surgery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3682834/#:~:text=There%20is%20some%20evidence%20that
Mineral Malnutrition Following Bariatric Surgery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3771134/#:~:text=Bariatric%20surgery%20exacerbates%20preexisting%20malnutrition,with%20micronutrient%20supplementation%20following%20surgery.
Substance Use after Bariatric Surgery: A Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4789154/
Early mortality among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing bariatric surgical procedures: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16234496/#:~:text=The%20rates%20of%2030%2Dday,001
All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Associated with Bariatric Surgery: A Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5055056/#:~:text=findings%20have%20emerged.-,Bariatric%20surgical%20patients%20have%3A%201
Survival among high-risk patients after bariatric surgery: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21666276/#:~:text=Results%3A%20Among%20patients%20who%20had,and%2015.2%25%20for%20nonsurgical%20controls.
Death Rates and Causes of Death After Bariatric Surgery for Pennsylvania Residents, 1995 to 2004: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4888907/
No evidence that bariatric surgeries save healthcare costs or save lives: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/09/no-evidence-that-bariatric-surgeries.html
Quote from Junkfood Science: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/02/rumor-versus-facts.html
Accidents or Unintentional Injuries: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/accidental-injury.htm
Early Mortality Among Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Bariatric Surgical Procedures: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/201707
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