A reader writes:
I was wondering if there is any problem with having LAP-BAND surgery. It is a Laparoscopic Adjustable Silicon Banding and has been proven to be a safe bariatric surgical procedure. It is minimally invasive, adjustable and reversible.
‘Kay, lemme interrupt for a moment. For those who may not be aware, LAP-BAND surgery involves inserting a small, adjustable band to constrict part of the stomach so that only a small amount of food can be taken at one time. This form of surgery is not as radical as others since the band can be adjusted and even removed when it is no longer needed. INFO HERE.
Let’s resume. . . .
Is there a Cathlic stance on having a procedure like this done? I have gained weight after every baby (4 live births and 2 stillborn) and I cannot lose it. Even with Atkins, I gain it back any time I get sick and have to go on anitbiotics or something. I weigh a lot (over 300 pounds) and I have done every thing possible to lose except starve myself and not eat any more at all.
Interruption! Don’t do that! Your body needs nutrients to keep going. Starvation diets are not safe.
I walk an hour a day and I try to stick with mainly protein and vegetables. I have dieted so much in my life that my body refuses to lose weight. With the LAP-BAND procedure, I could just take vitamins and eat a tiny bit and not get so shaky from hunger that I can’t think straight. Do you know the Church’s position on this?
Okay. First, it sounds that you’ve been trying a lot of good things, though you should not do anything so extreme that it causes you to get so shaky from hunger that you can’t think strait. That is not healthy.
That being said, the levels of obesity that you are talking about are serious and lead to long-term serious health problems. Getting the weight off is important.
The Church understands that and, while there is no specific Magisterial statement on this type of surgery, Catholic moral theology recognizes that surgery can be used to address serious health concerns, including obesity. As a result, any surgery for which the expected medical benefits are proportionate to the expected costs (medical, financial, psychological) is licit in principle. There are, however, a few caveats:
- The surgery can’t be predicated on anything intrinsically evil, like killing someone else to get an organ for transplant–but that isn’t what’s happening in this case. Implanting a silicone ring that can be adjusted and removed isn’t intrinsically evil.
- You should seek to form as realistic an understanding of what the
surgery will mean as possible. I know that for folks who are obese, the
idea of surgery can seem like a dream–a cure-all that will finally
take care of the problem. But there are risks and possible side
effects. You need to learn about these. For example, will artificially
shrinking your stomach stop you from being hungry? Even if it stops
hunger, will it leave you weak or suffering other side-effects? What’s the success rate of this surgery? What is the risk of infection? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but you need to find them out. - There must be a real weighing of the costs and benefits here. At a minimum, you should both be in close consultation about these with your doctor and get a second opinion before having the surgery. You should also test what the doctors tell you and try to poke holes in what they say, whether they are positive or negative regarding the surgery.
- Prior to surgery, you should also seek alternatives that you may not have tried.For example: There may be a way to accomplish a similar effect without actual surgery.
It may be providential, but your query raises a topic that I’ve been thinking about posting on. Of late I’ve been modifying my own diet and trying out a few new techniques. One of them in particular shows rmarkable promise. It’s this: . . . Fiber.
Fiber is the part of our food that we can’t digest. It thus doesn’t add calories but it does take up space. It also absorbs toxins and helps purify the system generally. There are also different types of fiber, and different types do different things for us.
Most Americans get about 10-15 grams of fiber per day in their diet. It’s thought that we need 25-30, though many question whether that is enough. In some places, people eat much more fiber than this. It is reported, for example, that in some parts of China they manage to get 75 grams of fiber per day.
Fiber can be gotten both from eating foods that contain it (e.g., nuts) and in the form of nutritional supplements. The latter are often packaged as compressed tablets, capsules, or powder.
It’s not easy to get significant amounts of fiber without adding calories just by eating food. Most foods don’t have enough fiber in them to make that easy. Tablets also aren’t great as they may not dissolve fully. Capsules can suffer from that, too. But powdered fiber works great.
Of late I’ve been incorpoating significant quantities of powdered fiber into my diet (about 45-55 grams per day, in addition to what fiber I get from food), and I have been very pleased with the results. The fiber generates a sensation of fullness, a notable desire to eat less, and I’ve been losing weight more rapidly and without hunger. The effect has been dramatic.
It also may be accomplishing the same thing as the LAP-BAND surgery (shrinking your effective stomach space), only without the surgery. You therefore might want to try this as an alternative before you try surgery.
If you do, a few important notes:
- Rule #1 of using fiber is to Drink Lots Of Water with it. If you drink too little, problems will result. I generally stir three heaping tablespoons of fiber (about 15 grams) into 12 ounces of water, drink that rapidly, and then follow it with another 12-20 ounces of water while the fiber expands.
- Rule #2 of using fiber is Build Up Slowly. It takes your system a bit to adjust to processing fiber, and if you add too much, too quick then you feel an uncomfortable bloating. Start with one tablespoon (not even a heaping one) and build up slowly from there.
- Rule #3 of using fiber is to recognize that it changes the absorption pattern of food, vitamins, and medicine. You therefore need to sequence fiber into your daily diet in places where it won’t interfere with any medicines you may be taking. If you need to take any medicines on an empty stomach, don’t take fiber for at least an hour before or after you take the medicine. If you need to take any medicines with food, don’t take the fiber too close to mealtime.
Personally, I try to take fiber immediately after eating (it kills any desire I have to eat further), but if you are taking medicines then you may not be able to do that. I’ve even been experimenting with adding moderately carb-laden food items (well, popcorn, anyway) and then taking fiber immediately afterward so that it slows the absorption of the carbs and doesn’t cause my blood sugar to spike. It’s worked well, and I’m still losing weight even though I’m allowing myself moderate portions of popcorn (one of my favorite foods that I haven’t been able to eat in years while doing low-carb).
If you want to get started with fiber, any health food or nutritional supplement store should have it. You can also order online. It’s best to use a mixed fiber supplement since (as noted) different types of fiber do differnt things. YerbaPrima has a couple of good mixed fiber supplements in powdered form that I’ve used.
If you can’t get a mixed fiber supplement, use powdered psyllium husks, which are readily available and one of the best individual kinds of fiber to use. Metamucil is psyllium, though be sure that you get a sugar-free version (Metamucil likes to add sugar and flavors to its fiber). If you add sugar at the same time as you add fiber, you’ll be working against the weight loss purpose for taking it.
Hope this helps, and good luck, whatever weight-loss path turns out to be best for you!
20 on the moral theology aspect.
SPECIAL NOTE: Every time I mention low-carb dieting, people come out of the woodwork to say how "unhealthy" such diets are supposed to be, which is simply not true. However, I don’t want low-carb dieting to be the issue here. Low-carb dieting is not the purpose of this post (talking about LAP-BAND surgery and fiber is), so please do not add any such comments to the combox this time.
An excellent source of food fiber is beans! They also provide protein, which you need to eat, anyway.
Beans, beans, are good for your heart!
Jimmy’s caveats about surgery are extremely important. I’ve personally known morbidly obese people who went the surgery route (gastric-bypass), and for one of them it destroyed her health. Of course, she was told that she had a year to live if she didn’t have the surgery, so she was in a Catch-22. If the doctors’ estimates of her projected life expectancy without surgery were correct, then the surgery did give her 18 more years. But the years themselves were filled with health problems.
Surgery may well be the route you should take. Only you and your doctor can make the decision that’s right for you. But, as Jimmy said, please don’t think of any major surgical intervention as a cure-all. The surgery you’re contemplating may have health risks of its own and you should be prepared for whatever they are.
Hurrah for fiber!! I too have noticed that it helps dramatically with weight loss, and Jimmy you’ll be glad to know that popcorn is a relatively high fiber food. I bought myself a book of food counts (The NutriBase Complete Book of Food Counts) and looked everything up to find out the fiber content. It has been very helpful, as fiber counts are not intuitive. (a big ole salad has only about 2 grams of fiber) I also eat an apple before each meal as they have enzymes and whatnot in them that aid digestion.
All this fiber has also improved my digestive health (no specifics, as it is not conversation for Polite Company).
It’s worth a try – no adverse side effects provided you obey Jimmy and drink your water.
As with any weight loss strategy, it is important to think beyond the point of having lost all the desired weight and making a serious commitment to lifestyle changes that will help keep you at a healthy weight. Most people who lose dramatic amounts of weight put it back on fairly quickly.
My father-in-law found out decades ago that he was diabetic, but unlike many he made immediate and lasting lifestyle changes (diet & exercise) that kept him from having to take insulin until very recently. He is nearly 80 and still rides an exercise bike almost every day.
Jimmy’s knowledge never ceases to amaze and astound me. It makes sense that fiber would fill the stomach similarly and help with digestion. And it will save about $17,000–yes, that is how expensive it is. The gastric bypass surgery is about $30,000. Crazy, isn’t it?
You know that I’m only joking with you when I tell you that you made multiple spelling errors in the above blog entry. It’s ‘Fibre’, of course.
God Bless.
Eat porridge! And strawberries.
And celery: takes more energy to digest than it gives you. There is also the famous cabbage soup diet, which takes advantage of this.
Drinking lots of water is good.
Has anyone else noticed how, by the end of Advent and of Lent, one just doesn’t have the appetite for large meals, and it is only after a week or so of training that the stomach expands or something and one can really get stuck into some serious eating?
No? Okay, it’s jsut me, weirdo.
Yeah, breastfeeding for 9 months and then doing the one regular meal/two small meals fast during Lent took care of any weight problem whatsoever.
One cannot, of course, trivialize the penitential season by using it for mere weight loss, but oddly enough, the more devout you are and the more seriously you take Lent, the easier the fasting is (and more effective).
Has anyone else noticed how, by the end of Advent and of Lent, one just doesn’t have the appetite for large meals…
This is entirely true. I meant to write about this yesterday. The stomach will expand when one overeats. This also makes it harder to feel full.
This is just another reason to stay away from diets that encourage you to “eat all you want of X as long as you don’t eat Y”.
Nobody should ever have the habit of eating every meal until they are stuffed, no matter what their diet says they can stuff themselves with and still lose weight, unless they’re anticipating a period of starvation.
Does regular use of fiber cause the body to become dependent on it for normal bodily functions?
Does regular use of fiber cause the body to become dependent on it for normal bodily functions?
Ehhh, you have to really eat a lot (probably too much) of it to the point where if you have it taken away, you’ll get a bit stopped up. Even then, it’s only temporary. I used to eat a lot of high fibre cereals (as breakfast and as snacks) but don’t remember any ill effects when I stopped. That could be because there was a respectable amount of fibre in the other things I ate; I don’t know.
Hmm, the closing of italics doesn’t seem to be working on here anymore. ( < slash i >)
75 grams of fiber!!!!! Holy handicap rails Batman!!!
What are the sideeffects of the lap band surgery?
Here’s a good short article on high-fiber eating from the mayo clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033
And a brief list of high-fiber foods: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fiber-foods/NU00582
let me take care of the italics, for posterity’s sake
hmmm, i guess not?
Wow… I need to increase my fiber. I have a stomach issue where I am supposed to have high amounts of Fiber… and I am also VERY over weight. I need to get this fiber back in me…
My daughter, Chrissy had lap band surgery on April 5th 2007. It was performed in Port Jervis, N.Y. by Dr. Vinces, who is associated with Tri State Bariatrics and Dr. Kwon in Middletown, N.Y.
In spite of numerous complaints to Dr. Vinces about prolonged pain, extreme shortness of breath, and the inability to perform everyday tasks, She was not further examined to find out what was the cause.
On April 25th Dr. Kwon was contacted, the problems were taken seriously, and Chrissy was readmitted to the hospital. A CT scan indicated a tear in her abdominal wall. Dr. Kwon did every thing he could, but Chrissy died on April 27th from massive internal bleeding, caused by a ruptured spleen.The spleen had been so weakened by the septic poisoning from the tear in her stomach, that it burst.
Had Chrissy’s complaints been addressed at once, she might still be alive today. She went into the surgery an obese,but otherwise perfectly healthy young woman.
The lap band surgery did not kill my baby. Dr. Vinces’s failure to take action killed her.
She was 37 years old, and left behind a devastated family, including two small children.
Please keep our sad story in mind while you’re weighing the facts, and trying to make a decision about having any elective surgery done.
If you deide to do it, and have any complications, insist on immediate intervention.
God Bless you all,
a greiving mom
The decision to get Lap Band surgery is a serious one, and there are many things to consider when determining the type of weight loss surgery that’s right for you. My office is always willing to listen and educate those considering any type of bariatric surgery. If you have any questions, visit our website (www.nicholsonclinic.com), and don’t hesitate to contact us.
i am considering lap band surgery and am going to a seminar on the 24th. i am 32 and have two children 4 and 9 . i am very scared to have this done. i don’t want anything to happen to me. but i’m very overweight and have tried numerous things i’m in turmoil over the decision to have the surgery or not can anyone help.
abbyd
“The Church understands that and, while there is no specific Magisterial statement on this type of surgery, Catholic moral theology recognizes that surgery can be used to address serious health concerns, including obesity.”
Wouldn’t gastric bypass surgery be banned for much the same reason as sterilization is banned?
Hi there. Wow! These facts are great. I have learned a lot from it. On the other hand, I just want to ask you if you have heard about Julianne Kennedy’s report on weight loss surgeries. I assumed that you will be interested in it. You can download it after you enter your e-mail address. This means that you are not required to click some ads or do things irrelevant. The report has made me realize on how weight loss has become a major issue worldwide.
You can check it out here:
http://www.weight-loss-surgery-secrets.com/controversial/free_wls_report.htm