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Michał Gątarek (27) lost 69 kg after bariatric surgery. He has changed beyond recognition. Not only physically.

Michał Gątarek from Warsaw has always had a problem with overweight. He was "plump" as a 3-year-old. We talk to Michał about how he perceived his obesity, how other people treated him and what prompted him to undergo bariatric surgery.

Did you mind that you look different from other kids?

M.G.:I only realized it in elementary school. The children teased me. When I walked into school, they greeted me with the words "fat" or "fat man." It wasn't like that in high school. Nobody talked to me like that anymore, but at that stage, the problem of being overweight was already in my head. I started trying to lose weight and I must admit that I have had some success. I was closer to my body weight norm than ever before. I started to act because I wanted to please me - both myself and the girls. But also because my mother always told me that being fat is unhe althy.

Your mom is a promoter of he althy cuisine. You grew up on this one. So where do you get overweight first, and then obese?

M.G.:I've never been systematic about eating. I ate in the morning and only then in the evening. Big portions. Additionally, when I reached the age of majority, I stopped going to Ciechocinek for slimming camps, which previously helped me a lot. I am simply no longer en titled to such trips.

Did your overweight bother you during PE lessons?

M.G.:Certainly yes, although I have always tried to be active. Maybe my results were slightly worse than those of my peers, but I always tried to keep up with them. I loved cycling and winter and water sports such as swimming, windsurfing, diving. I have always chosen "solitary" sports, not team sports. Unfortunately, during my studies I fell into the trap of a sedentary lifestyle, I started to eat even worse and after some time I got to the point where there was really too much of me. Before I made a decision about treatment, I was able to go to slimming sanatoriums two more times. There I met people who had undergone bariatric surgery. In fact, I learned so much about this form of obesity treatment there.

Those stays and physical activity that I was trying to revive withunfortunately, they did not help to combat the yo-yo effect. At the critical moment, at the turn of 2016 and 2022, I already weighed 133 kilograms, my BMI was 46 ( BMI>40 is 3rd degree obesity - editorial note) . I worked in an office and led a sedentary lifestyle. I wasn't moving much and I started to feel worse and worse. It was getting harder and harder for me to walk, and I was getting more and more breathless. I couldn't spend half a day on my bike as before. However, I must admit that I have never had complications of obesity, such as hypertension or type 2 diabetes. The stimulus for action came from talking to people who had undergone bariatric treatment. And knowledge derived from the Internet. I matured for several months to the decision to start treatment.

Do you know what your BMI is?Check it here: BMI Calculator

How was your treatment process?

M.G.:When I came to the General, Oncological, Metabolic and Thoracic Surgery Clinic of the Military Medical Institute in Warsaw, I met with people who understand me. There I got real help. I had to wait for the surgery for several months. And that was probably the most difficult part of this healing process. At that time, my task was to "lose" 10 percent of my body weight, or about 13 kg. And so I did. This time I was helped by another trip to the sanatorium, where, thanks to a balanced diet and daily exercises, I was able to reduce the last designated kilograms, and thus be qualified for surgery. I had to prove that I was able to control my head. On the other hand, such initial weight loss helps the surgeon to perform the procedure. It should be remembered that a whole team of specialists works with a bariatric patient. The surgeon will not help you deal with the thoughts and fear that overwhelm the patient. Such a patient needs the help of a psychologist, dietitian and physiotherapist who will help to choose an individual set of exercises.

You were very afraid of the operation?

M.G.:On the day of my admission to the hospital, I was in a state of euphoria. This whole day passed as if it had been 15 minutes. I really wanted this operation. My surgery lasted 1.5 hours. I only remember that when I was lying on the operating table, I was terribly afraid that the anesthesia would not work and I would feel pain, but when I woke up I had the impression that only a second had passed. I underwent a sleeve gastrectomy - a laparoscopic procedure that involves the removal of 9/10 of the stomach. I left the hospital 2 days after the surgery. I felt no pain. The only inconvenience was the drain that drained my blood from the area of ​​the operated stomach.

With whichwere you sent home?

M.G.:The recommendations were presented to me before the procedure. The dietitian told me that I should eat gruel for the first week after surgery, then switch to mixed products, such as in baby jars. And for the first month after the surgery, do not eat solid food at all.

Did this prospect scare you?

M.G.:No. I thought of it as an experiment.

You had surgery, came home with recommendations. And what? It was still more difficult?

M.G.:No. It just gets easier. One month after the operation, I was no longer limited by the fact that I had to eat baby soups. I started eating normal meals, of course in correspondingly smaller amounts. It's just that when you try to eat more, the reduced stomach doesn't take it. Of course, I have to constantly supplement myself with vitamin and iron preparations. I try to eat at least 5 times a day, although it would be even more common. For example: my scrambled eggs consist of one egg. But when I go to a restaurant with friends, I don't order a steak, but a salad. I also prepare the waiter to pack the rest of the meal for me to take away if necessary. I'm talking about it openly. If anyone has any objections to my behavior, I explain that I am bariatric and unable to eat any more.

You underwent the surgery over 2 years ago. How much weight have you lost so far?

M.G.:At the critical moment my BMI was 46 ( BMI>40 is 3rd degree obesity - editor's note). I lost the most weight in the first few weeks after surgery. I was losing weight by leaps and bounds - 3 kilograms a day. Sure, for the first few days after the surgery, I felt weaker, but less than a month later I went back to work and my normal lifestyle. At this point, I'm not losing weight anymore. Weight stood at 64 kg. As of today, my BMI is 22 ( correct BMI is 18.5 - 24.99 - editorial note).

How has this operation changed you?

M.G.:The operation changed me whole! It gave me confidence. I started to skateboard, which now I practically never get off.

You have lost more than half of yourself. There was probably the problem of excess skin. How did you handle it?

M.G.:In September 2022, I underwent abdominoplasty, i.e. removal of excess flaccid abdominal skin.

Is there something you would like to say today to obese people who are afraid to undergo surgery?

M.G.:Fear has big eyes. ANDbariatric surgery is the best step in your life for you.

From the decision to treat to plastic surgery - watch Michał's way

Obesity is a disease
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Obesity has been officially recognized as a disease by the World He alth Organization. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in Poland. Already 700,000 Poles with third degree obesity need a life-saving bariatric surgery. A bariatric patient requires the interdisciplinary care of specialists in the fields of surgery, psychology, dietetics and physiotherapy.

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Poradnikzdrowie.pl supports safe treatment and a dignified life of people suffering from obesity. This article does not contain discriminatory and stigmatizing content of people suffering from obesity.

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Obesity