Weight Loss Surgery

[setxsportsman95]

Hey guys, I'm new here. I'm from East Texas so Western hunting has just been a dream of mine. But it is a dream I would like to fulfill one of these days. I'm 25 yrs old, 6'4" and 321 lbs as of this morning. Obviously I'm a long ways away from being able to trek up and down a mountain chasing game. I've scheduled my appointment to have weight loss surgery in June. I'm not here to sell anyone on the choice I've made nor am I looking to be talked out of it. I know there would be a lot of physical training and preparation involved in going on the hunt but that isn't my concern.

What I am here to find out is, has anyone been through this and been on a western hunt afterwards? Ive been told it can be extremely tough on the body, and my main concern is that I want to be sure after the surgery that I will be able to intake enough to sustain myself while hunting.





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[Rob5589]

Welcome! Not myself but, I know people that have had it. It is surgery, so there can be complications. Life threatening potentially. Food/fluid intake is very small, like 3 or so ounces of food at a time initially. I could imagine that would make trying to maintain fluids, calories, and energy, very difficult.

 

[Chuckybmd]

I actually just moved to Idaho from Longview! I love east Texas but I am loving it out here in the west.

I think there’s a lot of variables that go into whether or not you should get bariatric surgery. I know a lot of people had really good results.

There are many different procedures to choose from. Definitely I would look at the underlying problems first why are you experiencing problems with weight, is there a psychological component. Are you over eating, not dealing with stress. Those are important questions to answer before considering the procedure.

If none of those apply and this is the only way to lose weight I can see a lot of clear benefits.

There are complications that can occur and that is depending on the procedure. I know Dustin Mcdermott at Good Shepherd in Longview is probably one of the best surgeons around I definitely recommend him if you are looking.

 

[Chuckybmd]

Welcome! Not myself but, I know people that have had it. It is surgery, so there can be complications. Life threatening potentially. Food/fluid intake is very small, like 3 or so ounces of food at a time initially. I could imagine that would make trying to maintain fluids, calories, and energy, very difficult.

Great points!

 

[Mike Islander]

That's not a terrible weight. And surgery will literally do nothing to prepare you for a Western hunt. That will take conditioning work on your part, about as much conditioning required to lose the weight that you would lose during that risky surgery.

No better excuse to lose weight (other to not die early and improve your quality of life) than preparing for a Western hunt. Use that dream to accomplish both goals.

 

[ramsdude47]

What procedure are you getting done? Roux En Y is the most drastic change, but the only that is highly effective in the long term. I'm guessing you already did a lot of research, but add these to your list if you haven't seen them already: Medscape, UpToDate, and Merck Manual. These sites have Medical Professional quality research that is (mostly) understandable to a layperson.

PM me if you want access on Medscape. I can't share my UpToDate credentials, but I think you should be able to access a decent amount of info on there without a login. Merck is the easiest of the 3 to browse without any login.

Good luck on your journey! There will be a lot of trial and error, but you will figure it out.

UpToDate

www.uptodate.com

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery - Nutritional Disorders - Merck Manuals Professional Edition

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery - Etiology, pathophysiology, symptoms, signs, diagnosis & prognosis from the Merck Manuals - Medical Professional Version.

www.merckmanuals.com

 

[Chuckybmd]

That's not a terrible weight. And surgery will literally do nothing to prepare you for a Western hunt. That will take conditioning work on your part, about as much conditioning required to lose the weight that you would lose during that risky surgery.

No better excuse to lose weight (other to not die early and improve your quality of life) than preparing for a Western hunt. Use that dream to accomplish both goals.

Wow this is a really good point. I missed your stats(OP).
At your age and with your height that is really not a bad weight. Definitely I would buckle down on some more physical fitness and healthy lifestyle changes.

 

[setxsportsman95]

I don’t have any personal experience with it but I’ve got a buddy that went that route several years ago. He lost weight but a lot of muscle mass too. He still says he doesn’t feel as strong as he used to be. To me, 6’ 4” and 320lbs doesn’t sound like something that couldn’t be tuned up with diet and exercise.

What part of ETX are you from btw? I’m in Longview.

I'm from Orange. And guys ive ruled it out. I'm 6 weeks into keto roughly, pretty much since this post was originally made and 22 lbs down. About 50 more to go before im willing to go on a western hunt. I wasn't initially asking about would surgery get me ready for a western hunt. My question was will I die on the mountain if I can only eat 3 oz of food a day or whatever insanely small amount I would be able to consume.

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[setxsportsman95]

Wow this is a really good point. I missed your stats(OP).
At your age and with your height that is really not a bad weight. Definitely I would buckle down on some more physical fitness and healthy lifestyle changes.

No doubt that's what I'm doing. I've since ruled out the idea of surgery. Ive been doing keto since the day after this post and am 22 lbs down. About 50 to go!

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[Rob5589]

No doubt that's what I'm doing. I've since ruled out the idea of surgery. Ive been doing keto since the day after this post and am 22 lbs down. About 50 to go!

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Great job!

 

[Dustin the wind]

A cousin of mine had this surgery. She lost some weight initially but ultimately ate her way back into her old fat self. Gotta make a lifestyle change first and foremost to make it work. Of course you can do the same without surgery. Keto + intermittent fasting is a winning combo.

 

[setxsportsman95]

A cousin of mine had this surgery. She lost some weight initially but ultimately ate her way back into her old fat self. Gotta make a lifestyle change first and foremost to make it work. Of course you can do the same without surgery. Keto + intermittent fasting is a winning combo.

That's what I've been doing. Keto has been easy to make stick but intermittent fasting not so much. I work shift work so constantly switching from nights to days every 3-4 days and even more frequent when I can pick up overtime. Makes staying on schedule really tough to do.

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[Dustin the wind]

That's what I've been doing. Keto has been easy to make stick but intermittent fasting not so much. I work shift work so constantly switching from nights to days every 3-4 days and even more frequent when I can pick up overtime. Makes staying on schedule really tough to do.

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That is tough to stay consistent. Might have to just expand and shrink your eating window depending on your shift.

 

[setxsportsman95]

Yeah days are definitely easier than nights to fast. But I try to eat early in the shift on nights and hold out all night. Once I get home it's easy for the remainder of the time.

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[*zap*]

Give up all processed foods and loose 50+ # a year.....find natural foods that you like and make a sustainable change in your nutrition habits.

 

[LLB]

I won't talk you out of it if that's what you decide to do. My sister had bariatric surgery. She literally has a few ounces of food and she has to take supplements because she doesn't get all the nutrition she should be getting from the food she is eating.

I'm 5'9" and weighed 323 lbs in October 2019. At elk camp my friends had a talk with me about my health. One of them runs marathons and told me to just cut out starchy carbs. I eat plenty of vegetables and lean meats. I started losing weight immediately and have continued to lose. I am now at 234 lbs with a goal of 180. I really believe you should reconsider this plan. I looked at bariatric surgery also but the risks and diet changes made me go another route. If you do decide to do this, you will have to change your diet anyway so you might as well just do it on your own.
I wish you the very best of luck whatever you do.

 

[setxsportsman95]

I won't talk you out of it if that's what you decide to do. My sister had bariatric surgery. She literally has a few ounces of food and she has to take supplements because she doesn't get all the nutrition she should be getting from the food she is eating.

I'm 5'9" and weighed 323 lbs in October 2019. At elk camp my friends had a talk with me about my health. One of them runs marathons and told me to just cut out starchy carbs. I eat plenty of vegetables and lean meats. I started losing weight immediately and have continued to lose. I am now at 234 lbs with a goal of 180. I really believe you should reconsider this plan. I looked at bariatric surgery also but the risks and diet changes made me go another route. If you do decide to do this, you will have to change your diet anyway so you might as well just do it on your own.
I wish you the very best of luck whatever you do.

Hey dude thanks! I actually started doing kinda the same thing. I've been doing a strict form of keto and am about 24 lbs down since posting this. I mainly just left it up because of reasons like this! That's great dude you're a hell of a success story. Yeah I feel like that was a pretty low point for me, not knocking anyone who has done it by any means, but I've always had the "I can do it myself" attitude but just got to where I didn't think I could. However I'm proving myself wrong daily. My goal weight is 250. I'm 6'4 298 right now started at 322 lbs the day after I made the OP. Kudos to you dude. You're success is goals. I'm making baby steps. Hopefully at 250 I'm bold enough (and have enough time for conditioning) to be able to do a western hunt next year.

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[JohnB]

If you do head west next year the worst case is you get your ass kicked and are motivated to keep getting in better shape and do it again. Congrats on the weight loss and keep it up.

 

[setxsportsman95]

If you do head west next year the worst case is you get your ass kicked and are motivated to keep getting in better shape and do it again. Congrats on the weight loss and keep it up.

No doubt about it! I know without a doubt the shape I'm in now will get my ass kicked. Lol. Hopefully by the time I get down to my goal weight I'm hitting the gym daily kicking my own ass.

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[fatlander]

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

Sounds like you’re making the right decision to make some real changes in your life that will lead you to long term success. The surgery is just a tool used in extreme cases. Changing your diet and exercise habits is the real key to long term success.

Best of luck to you! Keep striving to be better, we all have room for improvement. No one ever comes back from an elk hunt and says “I was in too good of shape for that hunt.”


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