Fredrik Boltes had suffered from obesity for many years when he decided to undergo gastric bypass. He had dieted several times and even managed to lose 100 pounds through a vegetable juice diet. But the pounds always came back.
The body’s thermostat
Temporary weight loss is a well-known problem in obesity care. Torsten Olbers, professor of surgery, explains the phenomenon with a kind of internal thermostat. Once the “body thermostat” has been turned up to a certain body weight, it will work hard to stay at that weight – or get back up to it, after the juice diet or slimming regimen is over.
– You become hungrier and less full from the same amount of food as before. You reduce your energy consumption. The body adjusts to wanting to return to the level it was at before, he says in Min Tjockumentär, which follows Fredrik Bolte’s path through gastric bypass surgery.
In a gastric bypass, the stomach is split high up and the small intestine is connected to the small part that is still functioning. Then the body’s so-called thermostat changes and it wants to adjust to its new level.
One last diet before surgery
Before the operation, Fredrik Boltes underwent a final powder diet to prepare his body for the operation. Afterwards, therapy follows for several years and medication and checks for the rest of life. The psychologist contact is important, emphasizes Fredrik Bolte’s doctor Mikael Wirén. Many people think that all their problems will be solved just because they lose weight:
– But you are who you are inside anyway, he says.
“Fucking fantastic”
Eating too quickly can lead to severe pain for a person who has undergone gastric bypass, as Fredrik Boltes experienced more than once. But generally his health improved relatively soon.
– The body feels fucking fantastic. I feel strong, flexible, agile, light, horny, happy and full of energy, he said nine months after the operation.
Today, almost three years after the operation, he weighs 97 kilos.