Why the Lap Band is like a vibrator

WARNING: This might sound a bit vulgar but this is the anaolgy I made to a friend recently and it really helped put things in perspective for her.

So.... how is a vibrator (pleasure device) anything like a lap band?

It's quite simple.

A vibrator typically isn't necessary for a woman to achieve climax (regardless of whether she's alone or with a partner). Most women should be able to do the job with lefty and/or righty plus a bit of imagination. In a nutshell.... a tool isn't an absolute necessity to achieve results. For some, a vibe is nothing more but something that makes it *easier* for them. *HOWEVER* some women have a few issues that make having a vibrator ideal. If you just can't do the job yourself, you need a "tool," no matter what the reason may be (because there are logical reasons why women can't get themselves off).

Likewise, weightloss is typically achievable without the use of weight loss surgery (IE Lap Band, Gastric Bypass, or any other bariatric surgery). Most people should be able to get the job done with healthy diet and exercise. For some, the lap band or other bariatric surgery just makes things a bit easier, it's a convenience. For others, it's a necessary tool because the job just can't be done alone.... because there *ARE* logical reasons why people can't lose weight on their own.

Lastly, both situations use a tool to make doing a job easier. *BUT* the tools do not do all of the work, in either scenario. You still have to make the tools work for you. Without sounding too dirty, you can imagine how a vibe doesn't do all of the work.... you still have to maneuver it. Same goes for the bariatric surgery. You still have to work. You still have to exercise and follow a strict diet.

A little update about where I'm at in the grand scheme of my lap band journey....
Tomorrow, I start my liquid diet. My pre op appointment is next week and two weeks from this thursday I have my surgery!!! I'll update more later, gotta run!
Amanda

I'm usually nice... But sometimes I gotta let out the ugly...

But I would like to take a moment to flick a bird to every skinny person who judges obese people.

Sometimes I want to flick a bird to people who say stupid stuff like "You know, you could walk around the block every night and eat less instead of surgery." But then I try to remember that they are ignorant. Not stupid, but ignorant. They don't know what they're talking about. They don't know what it's like to experience the things obese people go through. The only people who truly know are those that have been through the hell that is obesity.

Oh, and uuh... Judging? That's bad. No matter what. If you don't even know someone, how dare you judge them. I'm no angel, but I'll be damned if I've ever walked through the mall and judged a random person. Maybe when I was 15, but as an adult I realize that people are just people, why make it harder for them? Why make there problem worse by laughing, pointing, making fun of them, making rude comments, looking at them in disgust? Do people seriously have this deep dire need to feel superior in some way? To feel more perfect than others? Well, guess what.... people like that are insecure. People who have nothing better to do than talk smack about other people, particularly people they don't even know, should really consider GETTING A LIFE.

And to anyone who thinks a morbidly obese person could just up and magically lose weight and it be so friggin easy... yeah, right. You give it a try. It's friggin hard.... especially when you've tried a ZILLION times. For some people, weight loss isn't as simple as a healthy diet and exercise. I don't know why, but for a lot of obese people (including myself), weight loss is practically impossible no matter what efforts are taken. Sure, that first 10-15 pounds comes off... 7 of which is water weight, the rest is the colon flushing itself out. After that, next to nothing. It's like all of the efforts are in vain.

You never know if someone has an illness that's causing their health problem. You can't see PCOS, thyroid problems, fibromyalgia (I know I misspelled that), rheumatoid arthritis, etc etc etc..... you really don't know.

So, if you're one of these people.... shut your mouth.

Here's a video for you.... Very interesting. Very well said.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FMsnDQ4szI
I can't figure out how to imbed it, so click the link will ya?

Going public is harder than I thought

I guess I wasn't quite prepared for the people who say things like "Well, can't you just cut your portions back and exercise?" and "Have you ever tried diet pills or phentermine?"

I just encountered my first one. It burns a little more than I expected. I'm still not sure how to deal with it without being overly defensive. At this point, I'm not even sure if I want to be flat out open with everyone. I know word will spread around my office like wild fire if I tell many more people. I'm just not sure how I feel about people judging and questioning me and my decisions. I want to be open because there are a lot of people who are interested and who know where I'm coming from... plus I want as many supporters I can get... but is it worth having to deal with people judging me on a daily basis? I'm not going to go from person to person explaining my reasoning, health problems, and diet history.

Just in case the person I'm talking about sees or hears about this, I'm not mad. I'm offended, but not mad.

So now I'm questioning my own judgement. Not about getting banded, but whether or not I should be honest. I talked to someone (about whether or not I should be open about it) I look up to and hold as a mentor, someone who knows my story and struggle, someone whose advice I take to heart. She gave me some great advice. I feel better, but I'm still not sure what to do.

Risks & a little info about the procedure

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2007/11/19/focus7.html?q=percent%20lap%20band%20long%20term%20success%20rate

Scared of health problems related to bariatric surgery? Check this site out. It clearly shows the drastic decrease in SEVERE health problems that obesity causes. So it’s a toss up…. Run the risk of being one of the VERY FEW (something like 1% of patients) who experience minor problems (post op lap band) that are correctable and usually self caused (erosion, heartburn, reflux, night cough, slips, etc… and much fewer patients experience anything serious)

Lap Band surgery takes about a half hour from start to finish with an experienced doctor. You arrive in the morning and leave the same evening. No, it’s not because they are shoving you out the door… it’s because the procedure is that minor. They make five small incisions in your abdomen. The largest incision is about 1½ - 2” I believe.

Lets compare success rates….

5-10%.... that’s the average long term success rate of someone who goes on a diet (whether it be Adkins, South Beach, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Body for Life, etc). This % identifies how many people successfully lose weight and keep it off long term.

60%... that’s the average long term success rate of someone who gets a lap band. I’d say that’s pretty darn good. That’s almost as high as the highest recorded graduation rate for the state of Georgia!

So people think 40% “failure rate” is pretty darn high…. I think a 60% chance of being successful is a pretty damn good chance considering the average long term diet success rate of 5-10% (varies depending on type of diet and region, this is just an average).

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).