Customer Reviews

The REAL Skinny On Weight Loss Surgery: An Indispensable Guide to What You Can REALLY Expect!!

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is not a technical manual on WLS, and it's not meant to be. It's a very well rounded book that humerously provides pre-surgery, surgery, and post-surgery information. As a pre-WLS patient, I have found it to be most helpful in "real-life" presentation of all the information gaps that exist for pre-WLS patients. Very digestible read!

I purchased this book before my RNY surgery in a blitz to collect and read everything I could on this type of bariatric procedure. While this book is cleverly written, it's not nearly as good as my favorite, and the one I took to the hospital with me, "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies", my bible.

I'm not sure if I believe these women when they detail their experiences. They've had every side-effect and complication, including some I ran to my surgeon with and neither he nor his entire staff had ever heard of. "Scramps" being one of them. Some of the things are laugh-out-loud funny, like when Karen goes out with her husband and doesn't realize that post-bariatric surgery, alcohol speeds right into your bloodstream. She winds up screaming in laughter at a barking dog when her husband is forced to drive her home.

This book is a good read, kind of like a Fannie Flagg book, but I wouldn't take it as law.

This was a great book! It is not a technical book but it is full of useful information that you don't necessarily get prior and during surgery. I had Bariatric surgery and wish I had this prior and during my process. I facilitate a support group and am more than willing to recommend this book to pre and post op individuals.

As a person seriously pondering gastric bypass surgery I have read many books, but this is by far the best. It was very blunt about many topics...no sugar coating here. The authors got their points across through honesty and humor. The very personal and candid stories were hysterical. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Despite the education levels achieved by both authors, the book didn't talk over my head, facts were presented in interesting ways, and overall the book was very easy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and already referred The Real Skinny to my weight loss surgeon's office as a 'must read'. Highly, highly recommended for anybody contemplating weight loss surgery!

Please know that the experiences of these two women cannot necessarily be generalized to all people who opt for weight loss surgery. Between them, the authors have suffered just about every malady that could ever occur with anyone who ever had weight loss surgery - and even a couple new things.

My WLS group read and discussed it and almost everyone agreed that the authors either were not well educated about WLS prior to their experience or that they choose to 'forget' or disregard the information. Their description of what happens when they try to dine at an all-you-can-eat buffet is gross and unnecessary.

It's my hope that anyone considering WLS doesn't see this as a true representation, but instead as the journey of two women. Many people don't have the complications listed here (espeically with lapband).

So...read it, but don't take it as gospel.

As the commercials used to say: Your mileage may vary....

This is an indispensable resource for patients who have had or are considering gastric bypass surgery. It is written by two real patients, in conjunction with their surgeon. This is a frank and easily understandable book that gives a balanced and honest portrait of both the risks and the rewards of weight loss surgery.

The thing I loved the most about The Real Skinny on Weight Loss Surgery is the friendly, almost chatty tone of the authors. It's like listening to a description of the surgery by two of your closest girlfriends. Chapters written by the doctor give additional information from a reliable medical perspective. This is an excellent book for all rny patients to read; it really makes you feel like you are not alone in your suffering and your triumphs.

This book is a great compliment to other more serious works on the subject. It is a little silly, and reminds you of a support group. It provides a real perspective on weight loss surgery, and would be very valuable for someone considering weight loss surgery without the benefit of friends that have been through the surgery. This book is like a friend that has been through it.

I read this book along with the Weight Loss for Dummies book. The authors nearly scared me out of the procedure. They made it sound as if I would suffer from each and every possible malady including some that they have clearly made up. The book is long, redundant and not even a little bit funny. Honestly, do we really need an entire chapter to tell us that we might experience some hair loss? I felt like their ultimate message was "yes, we have had the procedure and reaped the benefits--but now we will attempt to talk you out of it". Your time will be better spend reading one of the countless other books on the subject.

I highly recommend this book to anyone considering weight loss surgery. The authors are real patients who tell of their personal experience after weight loss surgery. They aren't afraid to admit that they didn't ALWAYS follow the rules. Being a weight loss surgery patient myself, a bariatric RN and a bariatric support group leader, I know from personal experience there are very few people who never test the limits of the rules they are given. They just aren't all willing to put their mistakes in print. I appreciated that they were open and honest about what they did wrong because it certainly helped me to learn from their mistakes.

In regards to the complications the authors experienced after surgery, I can tell you that they do happen. Yes, the authors made up their own "names" for what they experienced but that didn't make their experience any less real. When I experienced "scramps" after my surgery I knew what was happening because I had read the book before surgery.

My advice to anyone looking at weight loss surgery is to get as much knowledge about it ahead of time. Know what can or might happen. Knowledge is VERY powerful and is one of the greatest tools you can give yourself on the difficult journey of weight loss surgery. I don't care if not everyone experiences the complications decribed in this book, the fact of the matter is that they might happen. The authors believe in letting people know everything that COULD happen and as a patient, nurse and support group leader I appreciate that viewpoint.

I firmly believe that the more knowledge you have before surgery the easier it will be to travel this journey of weight loss surgery. And this book gave me knowledge.

(3 years post RNY Gastric Bypass, 200+ pounds lost and healthy)

This is not a be-all end-all book about weight loss surgery. It does; however, give information about surgeries and the possible after effects (not that they had ALL possible effects, but they certainly had several), in a witty, informative way.

I found "The Real Skinny on Weight Loss Surgery - Second Edition" to be useful and informative.

Overall, it's a great book. But, it was highly disappointing to find so many typographical errors, which lead to questioning the professionalism and accuracy of the medical personnel who have loaned their names to this publication.

The good thing is that none of the errors change the meaning of the sentences where they are present. Sadly, the majority of the typos appear in Chapter Three - Dr. Baker's first chapter, leaving the educated doctor look like a buffoon.

There are other errors throughout the remainder of the book that appear to have been 'catchable' by a spell check (i.e. Page 237 Chapter 17 protein is spelled prtoein [sic].