I tried to be helpful!

Not everyone is born with the ability to just watch what they eat

Everyone born with free will is born with the ability to watch what they eat.

I came here looking for help with a few questions. I didn't realize I would be judged based on a medical procedure I NEEDED to have because all the dieting and working out didn't work for me no matter how strict I followed. Not everyone is born with the ability to just watch what they eat and be 120 pounds. It doesn't work that way.

It is obvious to me that none of you have ever been obese, and you do not know very much about obesity. I came here because you all live this life-style and feel that it's best to ask questions to those that live it. I know about being obese, dieting, working out, loosing weight, lifestyle changes, and will-power. Apparently, I've come to the wrong people to ask questions.

Nobody said anything about willpower.

We have quite a few members who have been obese and have lost enough fat on paleo to be at a very healthy weight. It doesn't require willpower the way calorie restricted diets do because you can eat all the food you want, as long as you stick to paleo food.  Unlike most other diets, paleo does actually work.   By saying that you "needed" to have a gastric bypass, you come across as denying the reality that many of our members know from personal experience to be true, which is why you're getting some negative reactions.

Unfortunately, it sounds like your doctors failed to recommend paleo while you were obese, so you never got a chance to try that path.  Not your fault.  Your doctors recommended a gastric bypass instead, and I don't think you can be blamed for following their advice.  Most of us here think it was bad advice, but that's a problem with your doctors, not with you.

I don't know if paleo will work for you given your modified digestive system.  What I will say, though, is not to make assumptions.  Start with a normal paleo diet of fatty meat, leafy green vegetables, and a little fruit.  See if it works.

If it doesn't, here are some possibilities for concentrating on food that's more highly digestible so you might be able to handle it with less small intestine:

- Try eating meat that is cooked rare so it is easier to digest.  Some of the members here feel that raw fat is easier to digest than cooked fat, as well.

- Eat vegetables that are more bitter so you'll need less of them to maintain the pH balance in your bloodstream.

- You could consider eating dried fruit instead of whole fruit so more will fit in your stomach.  Maybe get some extra vitamin C with it, and be sure to chew it very well so that there's plenty of saliva, which contains the amylase needed to digest carbohydrates, going down with the fruit.  Chew vegetables really thoroughly, too.

I came here looking for help with a few questions. I didn't realize I would be judged based on a medical procedure I NEEDED to have because all the dieting and working out didn't work for me no matter how strict I followed. Not everyone is born with the ability to just watch what they eat and be 120 pounds. It doesn't work that way.

It is obvious to me that none of you have ever been obese, and you do not know very much about obesity. I came here because you all live this life-style and feel that it's best to ask questions to those that live it. I know about being obese, dieting, working out, loosing weight, lifestyle changes, and will-power. Apparently, I've come to the wrong people to ask questions.

In a way, I'm glad I had the opportunity to be an obese person because it forced me to become the person I am today. When you are obese, you have to win people over with a personality, humor, and by being a genuinely decent person because you cant get by on looks. It's a shame that there are so many people that have never cultivated a personality. Unbeknownst to many, a personality is something that takes daily work also.

You make too many assumptions. I have been obese, and I know a number of other board members have been too. I went from obese to normal weight in less than a year by following the advice of the experienced and helpful members on this board. If you want to learn, you need to open your mind to the possibility that some of the things you "know" may not be true.