Hello, quick question :)

[hannah401x]

Hi, I'm hannah. I'm nearly 20 years old and weigh 14 stone 7lbs i'm 5'7 and my bmi is 31. Do you think there is any possible chance for me to have weight loss surgery? thanks

 

[tesmaralda]

With a BMI of 31 you would not meet the nice guidelines and would not qualify on the NHS, you may however find a private company that would be willing to give you a band as I think there was a post months ago about having a bmi of 30. It may be cheaper and better for you to hire a personal trainer or something and try it that way as this type of surgery really is the last resort and should not be undertaken as a quick fix or with the thought that it is the easy way to reach your desired weight.

 

[BypassBee]

Hi Hannah, i second what terri said, if i weighed that before my op, i would choose the healthy diet/personal trainer route everytime, bypass or band is a life long change, its hard, its scary, and had i not weighed 19 stone i never would have done it! - and even after both those options, you still have to fight bad eating and exercise, its still hard work.

even now i struggle sometimes.


good luck with whatever you do, and if you do choose the surgical route, this is a great forum with tons of people who can help

.x.

 

[Mark01/05/2009]

You are only really a few stone over weight. I was 13 stone over weight when I under went surgery. I like you am only young, (im 21) I would definately try other routes first, go and see your doctor and discuss it with him/her and they may be able to help. Diets such as Lipotrim, Cambridge, Lighter Life and Atkins are also worth considering. However you need to make life long changes, it sounds simple but try raising the protein amount you eat, e.g chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, yoghurt and milk and lower the simple carbs e.g pasta, rice, potatoes, crisps and sweets as if the simple carbs arent burnt off they store as fats, hence weight gain.

Definately think about your options before considering surgery as it should definately be used as a last resort.

 

[BIG KIM]

In My Opinion, WLS should only be considered, if you have had a problem with weight for quite a few years, and have exhausted ALL other avenues to shed the weight and keep healthy. Just my Opinion though.

 

[Mark01/05/2009]

I agree to a certain extent however, I do feel that age should not be a factor in having WLS as long as the person is over 18 that is.

The only thing I think that should be considered is if the person has done EVERYTHING else they can to lose the weight in their lifetime, whether they be 18 or 58....

I had a conversation recently with an old family friend who said I was too young to have WLS she didnt agree with my decision - she said the results are fantastic but it wasnt morally correct - I asked her if she would have been happier if I had waited till I was 30 to have it done to which she replied yes - my response was that why wait till i am 30, put loads more weight on, continue being depressed, unhealthy and not the person i want to be for another 9 years when I know at the age of 21 there was no other alternative for me than to have WLS. I had tried evertything since I started becoming overweight at 16.