A new study sheds a little more light on the subject. Women, but not men, had a decreased risk of cancer following stomach stapling. The Swedish bariatric surgery study was published online at The Lancet. You can also read more at msnbc/health.

The study, which began in 1987, included 2,010 obese patients who had stomach stapling performed and 2,037 obese controls who didn’t have the surgery.

Of the women who had surgery, 79 went on to develop various types of cancer, while 139 women in the control group got cancer. However, no such cancer reduction was seen among the men in the study. Experts aren’t sure why only women saw the cancer reduction benefit.

While the study results are encouraging, stomach stapling isn’t necessary for everyone. Finding other ways to lose weight can also offer cancer reduction benefits.

(Image via flickr)

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Stomach Stapling Lowers Women’s Cancer

It’s interesting that this is the second book I’ve read in the past month where I got an up-close look at life after WLS. I reviewed Susan Maria Leach’s Before & After here, and that introduced me to this whole concept.

If you’ve ever considered WLS, this novel will show you what it’s like to live post-surgery, where you must be aware of every morsel you put into your body. In A Stitch in Time, Dee works in the glamorous world of high-end fundraising, and she undergoes a whirlwind of mid-life changes. With her new shape and attitude, she’s ready to take on southern California, where she lives, as well as the world.

Author Allison Bottke also underwent WLS and lost over a hundred pounds. You can read an interview with her here, as well as visit her personal blog. What I’ve gleaned from these books is that WLS is a drastic measure, but the reason it’s effective is because it forces people to eat smaller portions. Can you do this without surgery? I highly recommend both of these books, as well as this site if you’re considering WLS.

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A Novel About Weight Loss Surgery

After reading it, I realized for the first time that I’ve acquired the unhealthy habit of overeating at the dinner table. I clean my plate every meal. It’s a habit, and I don’t even consider whether I feel full or not. I also feel like this shows appreciation to the cook (even when it’s me) by eating every single bite. And to further express my gratitude, I go back for seconds.

I also realized I still have the mentality that I’m eating for two — because for most of the past decade, I’ve been either pregnant or nursing. Especially during my pregnancies, I was more likely to overeat because I wanted to be sure my baby got all the nutrients possible. During the first trimester, it’s crucial to get the vitamins your infant needs as his or her brain and major organs are developing. So my motto became “More is more, just in case.”

Now I’m only eating for one, so I should notice when I feel full and then stop, whether or not my plate is clean or I’ve had seconds. Susan Leach also chews her food slowly. Part of my overeating habit comes from being famished before I sit down, then eating too fast.

Susan posts a rant every month on her website, Bariatric Eating. Here’s an excerpt from a horrible weekend she spent because she was surrounded by unhealthy food:

We sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and a plate with a very large square of birthday cake was handed to me. I stared at it for a moment, looked at the picnic table of unhealthy food and knew why their entire family was unhealthy and obese. To make things worse, they noticed that I didn’t touch my cake and one of ‘the Aunts’ made her second comment about there being something wrong with the food.

I have a long way to go, but thanks to this book, I’m more aware of how saying “no” to poor food choices and overeating means saying “yes” to healthier living. This is the secret, I’m sure, to permanent weight loss: eat only what your body needs.

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The Secret to Permanent Weight Loss

Actually, somebody in cover design did a great job because skinny Susan in her black dress and killer shoes, set against the bright pink cover drew my eyes to this book immediately.

I confess I’d never thought about weight loss surgery before, so this book was eye-opening for me. After a lifetime of being chubby as a child and morbidly obese as an adult, Susan underwent gastric bypass surgery, dropping from 278 pounds to a mere 135 pounds within a year or two. She’s a living success story. This book documents her decision-making process, and how the surgery changed her life afterward, including over 100 of Susan’s original low carb, high-protein recipes. You can learn more by visiting her website, Bariatric Eating.

I loved this book! I loved Susan’s positive, can-do attitude and her willingness to reveal details of her incredible journey to help others. She is a magnificent cook, and just reading her recipes made me want to get out my blender and whip up one of her healthy protein shakes. For those who choose to undergo bariatric surgery, it’s a matter of life and death to avoid sugar, greasy foods, and overeating. Forever. There’s no going back. Yet shouldn’t we ALL be doing this?

I’ve seen the same type of “before & after” pictures of women who have succeeded in long-term weight loss by working out at Curves and completely changing their lifestyle habits. The change occurs first in the MIND — with an attitude of “I care about myself, so I’m going to take care of this one body I have.” Susan’s extreme measure is only one example. Reading this book has already impacted one MAJOR change in my own life, which I’ll tell you about in my next post.

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Before & After, by Susan Maria Leach