Customer Reviews

Weight Loss Surgery : Understanding & Overcoming Morbid Obesity - Life Before, During & After Surgery

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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 layman's term making the book an easy read. Thanks again Michelle and much success to those seeking Weight Loss Surgery. Larice White

Michelle has done a great job with her book. As somebody who has been actively researching WLS for over 2 years, I can honestly say that she doesn't leave out a thing. She talks about the genetic and scientific reasons behind morbid obesity; goes into depth about the 3 major surgery types (MGB, RNY, and DS); choosing a surgeon; dealing with insurance (her advice on documentation is probably worth the cost of the book); financing the surgery; and life pre- and post-op. I think that my favorite part of Michelle's book is where she addresses the Fantasies people have about life after WLS--I'll no longer be single, my marriage will improve, etc. If you are seriously considering surgery for clinically severe obesity (100+ pounds over recommended weight or BMI 40+), then you should buy this book. Research the surgery thoroughly--through this book, the web, your doctor, and talking to patients who've had WLS (both with positive and negative outcomes). On a negative side, I think there could have been more information on plastic surgery following WLS--everyone without exception who I've spoken to who has had WLS has needed significant plastic surgery due to excess skin. One friend says that even though she looks great in clothes, she would never consider wearing a bathing suit due to this problem. Two books I would recommend to those considering or going through WLS are "The Spark" by Glen Gaesser and "Fat?So!" by Marilyn Wann. Glenn's book will teach you how to fit 15 10-minute exercise sessions into your life per week. A very doable program, but with excellent results. Whether or not you have this surgery, you need to be active in order to prevent disease. Exercise will only make your WL easier, as well. Marilynn's book deals with fat empowerment/acceptance. It's going to take you at least a year to lose a significant amount of weight--why not learn to love yourself now? If you can do that, there's a greater chance that you will honor your body with appropriate decisions throughout your WLS experience--even if that includes not having surgery at this time.

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 95% 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 starts at the beginning and goes through a lot of what you want to know about weight loss surgery. It's not a big book, and there are a few typos and "dangling headings" as someone else mentioned, but that's 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 you're 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.

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.

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 can't "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 overpriced.

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 "I'm 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 doesn't 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.

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 I'm 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 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

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. Boasten's 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. I'm glad I did.