I can't remember the first time I heard about Weight Loss Surgery (WLS). As a teenager I do recall hearing about people getting their stomach stapled to lose weight, in the same breath as someone talking about the staples getting ripped out, or infected. I came away from that thinking surgical intervention for weight loss = bad.
In the beginning, I had only heard WLS associated with people that were in the home-bound, bed-ridden level of obesity. Then somewhere around 10 or so years ago, it become more common to hear of people...well, my size...getting "The Surgery." It became the go-to for losing weight, whispered around that this was the magic bullet that us fatties had been waiting for. Yet, I never saw it as something I wanted to do. To be honest, at the time I didn't want to do ANYTHING...I hadn't hit the clicking point yet for myself.
I admit it. I am judgmental when it comes to using WLS as the "cure-all," for people. I've watched people get the surgery, and then learn nothing about improving eating habits, exercise, etc. One such person I knew even would eat enough to "dump," aka vomit, empty their now-smaller stomach, and once done, go back for more food because they "had room again."
This same person didn't want people to know they had WLS, so I would stand there and hear the praises heaped on them for all their "hard work," and how wonderful and skinny they looked...all the while knowing they had just 15 minutes ago been shoving the 2nd round cheese puffs in their mouths, while chubby me was eating my balanced plate of food, after running 2 miles in the morning, and still fitting in the 20-zone sizes. Where was my acknowledgement?
Do I think this of everyone whose ever had WLS? Absolutely not. Everyone has their own reasons - and rights - to choose whatever method to lose weight they want. There are people that this is truly, honestly, the only option they have. People who need to lose wieght in order to be more mobile to move.
It's the "bad apples" that have put the bad taste in my mouth. People going out gorging on food for their "last meals" before surgery. People actually GAINING weight in order to qualify for the surgery...in what universe does that make sense?
I worry we keep going and reaching for the "magic trick," we are never going to learn how to be healthy. I see devices like the Aspire Assist, and I'm horrified. Is this really better than a trainer and a nutritionist?
Maybe it's not just WLS that I have an overall problem with in the Losing Weight Game. Any time I hear the words "lose weight fast," I tune out. I've watched people close to me do those. Hell, anyone who has had a TV in the past 20 years watched Oprah go super-skinny on protein shakes, only to gain it all back (and then some) once she had to start eating normal food and meals again. Carnie Wilson had a second WLS because she gained all the weight back from her previous Gastric Bypass, because in her own words, "I think it was just a combination of reverting back to old habits and not exercising anymore.”
Just so I'm not just bashing WLS, let me throw in the other "get quick fix" fad that is not healthy: The Biggest Loser. I wrote about the unrealistic expectations set on the viewers - and the contestants back in September (what a original title!). The other night I caught the weigh-in part of the new season, to see contestants upset they "only" lost five pounds. I found myself starting to yell at the TV, and then reminded myself of why I didn't watch the show.
I admit, I look at those SlimFast ads or the Magic Cookie commercials and think, "well, maybe as just a kick-start to get thin, and THEN I can do the healthy thing!" I know that's not the answer. It has to be a balance of a good diet and exercise. It took a long time to get fat and unhealthy...it's going to take a long time to get healthy.
My approach to this is not that I am dieting. I am changing my way of life. Diet is a noun for me, not a verb. This isn't temporary. This is way I want, NEED, to live and eat and exercise in order to stay alive and healthy.
Losing weight is a balance. Eat the food to fuel you. Use the fuel to get moving and exercise, lose the fat, and build the muscle. The "trick?" Finding the best combination that works for you. It may take awhile. Keep believing you can find it, and keep working on it. That's when the magic happens. Your magic bullet is YOU.
No comments:
Post a Comment