I know a ham who is proving these WLS hams wrong. She's got a long way to go still, but she's gone and tracked all her calories in MFP, and in the last I believe year or so has lost 150 pounds. She's still in the ballpark of the 300s but seeing photos of her side by side, there is a clear difference.  Compare that to the ham I know who is no longer a ham, but was only about 220 pounds when she got gastric bypass and since June of last year dropped down to 120 and now she's got a ton of loose skin and shit ton of health problems and apparently can't keep food down because she didn't eat properly (ie went the opposite and just didn't eat) throughout those months. Now she's saying she has had a stroke, heart attack, etc. Claimed she had to have WLS to "save her life". Pretty sure CICO would have worked for her.