Weight Loss Surgery . Understanding and Overcoming Morbid Obesity-Life Before, During and After Surgery

I have done a lot of research on weight loss sugery, as I am preparing to have the sugery done myself. I bought this book in hope of expanding my knowledge on the subject, however the author contridicted most things I have been told by surgeons, and dieticians. I feel she has knowledge on her own personal procedure but made quite a few false statements concerning the other procedures available. I did not find this book helpful at all.

Michelle Boasten has provided in this book the tools needed to build a successful WLS case. I have been looking and researching for such information since my decision to be a WLS candidate. The focus is not on the author but on the process involved in building your own WLS case.

The presentation of the materials is such that the layperson can understand the entire cycle of the WLS journey. The checklist and tips are down to earth and helpful. I view it as my How To book for weight loss surgery. Thanks for the work in compiling this information for all to benefit from.

This book is a must for people considering weight loss surgery. Michelle Boasten does a good job of explaining the various weight loss surgeries and she explains things in laymans terms. The book is quite helpful in evaluating your weight loss surgery options.

i read this book after i has my gastric bypass operation, and only wish that it was available before i had my operation...it really helped me when i was going thru the typical depression after the operation by explaining that the depression is just a typical side effect of the gastric bypass operation. excellant book...everyone who is thinking of having this surgery should read this book...very informative.

Finally I find a book that speaks to me about morbid obesity. I know why, how, and the answer. I have had people in my life read this book and it had opened their eyes to what I have to deal with everyday, and what Im going through in my journey to WLS. Read this book if you are even considering WLS.

Ms. Boastens book is a very well written, unbiased book on weight loss surgery. The descriptions, diagrams and language used are easy to read and understand, even for the lay person. The book gives a wonderful overview of the many procedures available to those considering the option of weight loss surgery and encourages everyone to do more research and become educated on their choices. She understands the power of knowledge and making an informed decision, no matter which surgery you choose for your journey. She helps us to begin our own journeys by sharing her knowledge and experiences with us. Ms. Boasten tells of her own painful battle with morbid obesity in such a manner that you can feel her struggle and emotional battle as if you were going through it yourself. She is a great inspiration to anyone battling obesity. This book is a great resource not only for those that are considering weight loss surgery, but anyone that has any loved ones battling obesity/morbid obesity. Wonderfully written. I look forward to any other works from Ms. Boasten.

I had been thinking of getting surgery for about a year. Talking to doctors and to patients who have had it done didnt leave me with all the answers I needed.

But after reading Michelle Boastens book, I was fully confident that surgery was the answer for my obesity problem. I especially appreciated the strategies she outlined for coping with the post-surgery recovery period. Very helpful.

Some of the science is a tad simplistic, so if you need a more technical and scientific treatment, I recommend Mervyn Deitels Surgery for the Morbidly Obese Patient.

This book is absolutely must reading for morbidly obese individuals. Michelle Boasten does a fabulous job of identifying issues that need to be considered in evaluating weight loss surgery options. The author writes from experience and morbidly obese people will be able to relate to her comments. The book explains the surgery options in laymans terms that are easily understood.

I thought this book was very informative. I have done a lot of research on Weight Loss Surgery as I plan to have this procedure done in a few months. This book helped me understand a lot.

I was given this book today and have not been able to put it down. It hits the nail on the head.Society may stop blaming,ridiculing and victimizing the morbidly obese, but a great deal of education needs to occur. Ms. Boasten is doing just that. Great book for anyone considering WLS.

This author has taken what now seems to be a phenomenom and written about it. The information she presents could be more inclusive but she did an outstanding job as a new author.

She goes into life as a fat person, how to deal with insurance (she even lists the phone numbers of every Department of Insurance for every state.), how to find a doctor, what to expect during the surgery-for the most part, and lets the reader know, in a limited fashion, what life will be like afterwards. I can see a future edition coming out of this person with better details and information. However, let me repeat myself, she did an outstanding job on this book. Her resources for the Internet were great and I disagree with an earlier reviewer who warned about the author and her surgeon. I went into this book knowing the author was a patient and formerly fat person. Its that simple. I knew she did not have the medical background for this type of surgery and as far as her surgeon is concerned, I dont remember even seeing his name in the book. I just know he isnt mine. HOWEVER, they now have more books about the subject than they had before. I want to order two of them but am waiting for them to offer Weight Loss Surgery Stories by the same author. Maybe then Ill place another order. .-)

I am one who prefers many details on a subject,however,this book does provide good information and great references on WLSs. The beginning talks about challenges and feelings of the obese andamp. morbidly obese. I thought So what. I already know. But I had forgotten much of it. I have been obese for so long that I automatically avoid problem situations and had forgotten the joy and security I had prior to years of dieting.This book addresses the real issues around obesity and WLS without being negative yet doesnt whitewash it either. I feel much more confident now at the beginning of my WLS journey.

This book helped me to decide in favor of aving a Roux-N-Y procedure. The major procedures were explained. The reasons for morbid obesity are discussed in a non-judgemental, non-moralistic way. If you are considering losing a lot of weight the book has suggestions for talking with physicians and family members about weight loss.

I already had a surgery date when I received the book , but I still wanted to find out about post op experiences.I read this book cover to cover the first day. I wish I had discovered it in the beginning of my journey becasue it would have made everything in the process much easier, but the book is about so much more than just dry research found in other books. The author shares so much of her feelings about her weight experience, I felt like I knew her personally. I could relate to so much of her story, I felt she was writing about me. I have never felt so understood. I would reccomend this book for everyone. Even if your not considering surgery, this book offers some amazing reflections about the obese experience in America

I read this book and I too found it too simplistic. My 20 year old daughter, my 45 year old sister, my niece and her male friend have all had this surgery in the past year. All I can say is, I predict that there will soon be a backlash about this eerily popular surgery. One of my nieces friends had the surgery six months ago and has had constant health problems, several rehospitalizations, and ongoing problems because of the surgery. She is only 24 and is in a wheelchair because she is too weak to walk. My nieces male friend had to be hospitalized because he developed a bleeding ulcer in the pouch. He is only 25 years old. This surgery is NOT the ultimate and best solution for everyone. My daughter has daily stomach pain and vomits almost every day for various reasons, despite how careful she is about what and how much she eats. My sister and niece look almost gaunt and have not found the personal happiness they thought they would find. My daughter has lost 120 pounds and needs a support group to get through all the emotional changes the surgery causes. I read somewhere that this surgery gives you an increased chance of cancer of the esophagus. Anyone who is considering this surgery has to KNOW that nothing in life is free and in some cases you may just be trading one set of problems for another. My daughter seems gaunt, bony, and has to constantly eat protein and take vitamins to keep her body going. She should be at the peak of her health but she doesnt look like it to me. Also she has to take Depo Provera shots as you CANNOT get pregnant within the first two years of this surgery or you and the baby could die. Just be aware that this surgery changes your life permentanly and you may not find that you necessarily like all the changes, even if you think you might. What a culture we live in that fat people will resort to this just to reach this nirvana of thin so that society will be kinder to them. How very sad.

The feelings I had when I finished Michelles Bolstens book was that of an astonishing one. Michelle takes you back to her childhood, to life before during and after surgery. There is a feeling of peacefulness and serenity as you read her book. Due to Michelles, narrative skills, as she travels though this journey, you feel as if you are on the journey with her. You can feel her emotions, from her roller coaster, yo-yo diets, to her feelings of guilt. Yet through it all she maintained a sense of humor. With her wit she became a wonderland of knowledge, with a fascination for more knowledge and understanding. She never accepted mans logic of the way things were. Even at early childhood Michelle maintained emotional control and equilibrium. At age seven she was curious, and at age eleven, she developed her own theory. While in college she researched, challenged, and researched again until she found the answer. (Weight Loss Surgery). It seems that this was a long journey, for Michelle, but through this book, she is able to lead and guides others every step of the way. What more can you ask for in a book As a RN, JD, with experience appealing insurance claims, I am particularly impressed with Chapter Seven, Dealing with Your Insurers. Every chapter in this remarkable book is a learning experience. The heartfelt emotions as you read every line in the book, make this book a gift to all that read the book. B.Huey RN, JD

A quick glance at the cover and you know you are not dealing with a medical journal so Im not sure why other reviewers are holding the book to that standard. This book is particularly helpful if you are already pretty sure you want to go through with a WLS procedure. Go elsewhere if you want diagrams and the latest scientific data. But for an honest how-to for dealing with your insurance company (one of your biggest challenges as a WLS patient), this was superb. My insurance has paid, 100pct.. Thanks, Michelle. The checklists throughout the book and PDF available on her Web site have been so helpful (e.g. what to bring to the hospital, things to take care of before the surgery). Ms. Boasten writes compassionately and sincerely.

This book helped me prepare for my WLS in June 2002. When I went in for my surgery I weighed 457 lbs. Today I went for my one year follow-up. I weighed 311 lbs. I plan to lose down to 200 to 225 by next year. Boastens book was a real encouragement and source of information as I contemplated my operation. The book explains the options available as well as the social and emotional issues surrounding the surgery. If you are morbidly obese, you should read this book for a better idea of your options. Im glad I did.

Excellent resource of Information which includes first hand knowledge Michelle Boasten takes the reader on a step by step journey into weight loss surgery (WLS). This book is for any person or members of their family considering or embarking on the WLS journey. Michelle writes in a very open and informative manner. This informative writing style Im sure comes from her first hand knowledge of WLS. The book is well written, informative direct and honest. There were confirmations of my thoughts (which I thought no one else understood) and suggestions for things that I had never thought about. This book has been a constant resource of information as I embark on my own weight loss journey. The book is written for the lay person. BRAVO to Michelle for breaking the mystery of WLS.

I am very disappointed in this book. The information presented isnt anything more than I could find in 10 minutes on the internet. Language used and concepts presented are too simplisitc. The book should be called the Idiots Guide to Weight Loss Surgery or Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies. Also, although the writer is not a doctor, she presents her theory that obese people have duodenums that do not function properly and this is what causes their obesity. Plus, it really irritated me how in the first few chapters, the writer keeps telling us over and over that she is obese but does not eat much more than her normal sized friends. Give me a break. She must be in denial. Everyone I know that is morbidly obese (including myself) lives to eat.

This book starts at the beginning and goes through a lot of what you want to know about weight loss surgery. Its not a big book, and there are a few typos and dangling headings as someone else mentioned, but thats irrelevant. There is a lot of information on the web about weight loss surgery, but with this book you can sit in your easy chair and read, and also share it with family and close friends, many of whom will think youre nuts to consider the surgery, but most of whom will feel better after reading this book. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is either considering the surgery or who wants to know more about it, FIRST-HAND, for any reason.

In reading previous reviews of this book, which call it the ultimate book on weight loss surgery and a great resource for WLS, my expectations were raised to an unrealistic level. The reality is, this is a very informative book that may not tell you everything you want to know, but probably most of what you need to know. Written by someone in the nursing profession who has experienced this type of surgery, parts of it come off like an elementary school science textbook. It could very well have been called Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies (not an insult, by the way, just as a reference to the popular Dummies series of books). I did appreciate the fact that the author takes a Christian approach. As someone who is considering this type of surgery, I am often haunted with feelings that if I have WLS that it will be a cop-out and will be an admission that I cant get the victory over gluttony. But WLS is just a tool to help a person lose weight and keep it off, and it has an unbelievable success rate (unlike dieting). There are lots of books out there, and lots of information, and this one definitely will help you in your decision-making process as to whether to opt for surgery or not. I docked it one star for being overd.

In WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY, UNDERSTANDING AND OVERCOMING MORBID OBESITY, Michelle Boasten provides extensive information for anyone seeking surgery for the super obesity disease (and valuable information for anyone seeking surgery, period). She names physical and emotional feelings that the super obese share. I was able to relate to 95pct. of the feelings she listed. In addition, she carefully walks you through preparation for surgery including insurance problems, financing the surgery, and physical/emotional preparation--she also covers complications and so forth. She asks some invaluable questions that we can use to determine if we are candidates for surgery. She prepares us for the aftercare, and discusses WLS as a tool, and not a cure. Our support system is very important and she drives that point home. She even explains the mechanics of the three current types of WLS. I highly recommend this book to anyone comtemplating WLS, and also to those who have already had it (and I recommend it for anyone dealing with insurance battles for any type of surgery). Peggy gives it TWO THUMBS UP.

This book was EXCELLENT. Every aspect of weight loss surgery is covered. Nothing was left out. I highly recommend this book if you are going to have weight loss surgery or even if you already have had it.

A heartfelt thank you to Michelle Boasten for the time and effort in putting this book together. With so much information floating around about weight loss surgeries, her book gives you the information in a thought-provoking manner while letting the reader decide if this life saving surgery is for them. I especially enjoyed Chapter 5, Are you a Candidate for Surgery, with the comprehensive checklist. Chapter 7, Dealing with your Insurer gives excellent information to get through this hurdle. The illustrations, the medical terms are all spelled out in laymans term making the book an easy read. Thanks again Michelle and much success to those seeking Weight Loss Surgery. Larice White

As someone who is considering weight loss surgery, I must say that I was really looking forward to reading this book. I have done a great deal of research on the various weight loss surgeries and was interested in a personal point of view. However, Ms. Boasten does make some assumptions about certain things that are simply NOT true and she also seems to guess at a few things rather than research them.

For example, on page 148 where she is discussing the side effects of the surgery, she writes about halitosis being a possible side effect. She then says Im not sure about the explanation of why this occurs, but if it does, some Altoids, your dentist or dental hygenist should be able to help you. A small amount of research would have determined that the most likely cause of halitosis amongst weight loss patients is ketosis. When a body is not getting enough carbohydrates, it often goes into ketosis (high fat burning mode) and one of the side effects of this is very bad breath. A very simple explanation and yet she did not even mention it.

Another problem is that there are no references. Any book that has information about medical procedures should have documented proof in the form of references for the information presented. I am left wondering how of the book was researched and how much was based on hearsay or personal opinion or speculation.

There are also some problems with the editing and page layout. I found several typos and there are also numerous widows and orphans throughout the book. A widow is when the header of a paragraph is shown at the end of one page while the actual paragraph doesnt show up until the next page. An orphan is when a paragraph is at the end of a page except for the last 2 or 3 words and those get placed at the top of the next page. In the publishing world these are two big mistakes. They look bad and they make the text flow poorly for the reader.

The first time I read through the book, I was very impressed. I felt like I was finally getting some answers to the nagging questions that no one seemed to be able to tell me (i.e. what to expect at the hospital, etc.). However, upon further review, I am not sure if I am comfortable taking her word for it since there seem to be some questions about certain parts of the book.

Overall, I do think the book has enough good things to be recommended to anyone considering weight loss surgery. However, I must recommend that anyone reading the book should do their own research and not simply rely on what you find here. Your experiences may be very different and your own research may find different answers than what is presented here.

Are you one of the 58 million morbidly obese people in America today Chances are, youve been on a diet after diet and failed miserably. But you should lay the blame where it belongs. You didnt fail the diet, nor did the diet fail you. Instead, look a little deeper and start to recognize that even if you could shed some excess pounds, the truth of the matter is that less than 1pct. of you will keep it off according to recent studies published by the National Institute of Health.

The theory that obesity is not your fault is not exactly new. Many morbidly obese people are not eating two, three or four times the amount of food for their bodies to grow and store that much excess fat. Genetic research is showing that the cause for obesity is not gluttony. Many morbidly obese people lead very active lives despite the physical limitations and challenges brought about by carrying an extra hundred pounds or more. Everything from Leptin to Dopamine receptors are being offered as real scientific evidence to show that obesity is not your fault. Many people have blamed themselves for so long that the thought that obesity may not be your fault is often dismissed. While you may not eat right or exercise regularly, there are millions of normal size people who are not suffering with morbid obesity and they eat worse and their exercise habits are no better than that of many morbidly obese people. Everybody knows somebody who seems to eat and not gain.

Despite the closely held societal view that obesity is a matter of lack of self-control or lack of willpower, many people are beating themselves up for what is not their fault at all. In the newly published book on Weight Loss Surgery. Understanding andamp. Overcoming Morbid Obesity, author and registered nurse Michelle Boasten offers a theory of obesity that helps the morbidly obese reader to understand and overcome morbid obesity through weight loss surgery.

Boasten explains that obesity may be the result of a broken down communication system in the body. Boasten also explains the painful reality of life in a morbidly obese body and walks the reader through developing their own philosophy of obesity and how to get out of the prison of a morbidly obese body.

At present, over 99pct. of all weight loss surgery patients are able to lose large amounts of excess weight and keep it off. Weight loss surgery isnt just the last hope. it is the only method of weight control that is documented to show a landslide victory when trying to overcome morbid obesity. Can anyone ignore such positive results

Boasten explains the difference between the old stomach stapling and the weight loss surgery of today, which is gastric bypass surgery. Many people are confused and dont understand how and why weight loss surgery works says Boasten. Its not just a matter of food intake, its bypassing the part of the small intestine known as the duodenum that allows the person to keep the weight off. Reducing food alone will not result in a sustained weight loss for the genetically predisposed morbidly obese person.

From the Publisher
Outstanding explaination and walk through for anybody considering weight loss surgery.

From the Author
I am a registered nurse who has helped hundreds of weight loss surgery patients. I am also a bariatric patient. After spending two years researching bariatric surgery and a lifetime in a morbidly obese body, Ive authored a complete and comprehensive guide for anyone desiring weight loss surgery.

About the Author
Michelle Boasten, a registered nurse, lived in a morbidly obese body since age seven. Her life experience has bonded her to the cause of helping the morbidly obese.