For all of you pessimists, doubters, “haters”, skeptics, and the like….

There are a few topics I’d like to briefly cover with the aforementioned people. This is geared to no one in specific because frankly I just started this blog and I doubt more than two or three people have come across it. I haven’t sent out the URL to friends/family yet either.

About gaining weight back after surgery: I’ve heard the skeptics/doubters/pessimists talking about this… how “everyone they know” who has had surgery has gained all of the weight back (which is likely only one or two people, because honestly how many morbidly obese people do you know that have had surgery like this???? One maybe two?). Here’s the thing… this applies to ALL forms of weight loss, not just bariatric surgeries. If you go on Jenny Craig and lose 50 pounds, then 6 months after you reached your goal you go back to eating McDonalds for breakfast, Burger King for lunch, and fried chicken for dinner YOU TOO will gain all the weight back and then some! So naturally if someone gets a lap band, loses a ton of weight, then gets there fills taken out or allows there pouch to stretch, they will gain. It’s about making a change FOREVER. So, no… not everyone gains all the weight back after losing weight (regardless of how much or method used), only those people who ALLOW it to happen will gain it all back.

So is bariatric surgery (lap band, RNY, “stapling”, sleeve, etc) the “EASY WAY OUT”??? To sum it up in two words – HELL NO. What does someone do when they want to lose weight the natural way? Eat healthy, smaller portions, exercise, maybe take a pill, drink water, etc. What does a bariatric patient have to do? Eat healthy, eat small portions forevermore regardless of holiday or occasion (unless they want there pouch to get bigger, there band to erode, or there band to slip), exercise just as much as a dieter, are strongly advised against taking pills, drink lots of water, don’t drink carbonated beverages ever unless you don’t mind that pouch getting bigger or a soda filling you up to the point where you can’t eat your next meal, and follow a long list of rules. So does surgery enable very overweight people to lose weight somewhat rapidly? Yes. Does that mean it’s easy? Hell no.

Why wouldn’t someone just simply work out and diet instead of getting surgery? The vast majority of people who get surgery are unable to lose weight the “normal” way. Some people are so big that they are physically unable to exercise. Some people, like myself, have health problems that make them slowly gain weight and make it nearly impossible to get it off. Some people have breathing problems, hence they can’t work out. There is a long list of reasons why people have surgery instead of just getting on the treadmill. Does that make it okay for you to be judgmental? No.

So, what should I do if someone I know/love/am friends with/etc wants to or is having bariatric surgery? Be supportive. Don’t gossip about this person. Don’t watch everything they do or expect them to be performing circus monkeys. Don’t say nasty remarks like “She had a bite of cake at the birthday party, did you see that?!? She’s never going to lose that weight!” In other words, don’t be a spiteful hateful bi-ch. Just be supportive. Help him/her out the first few days after surgery (it’ll take about a week before he/she starts feeling normal again).