Weight loss surgery. Three scary words, probably one of the fastest growing surgeries performed in our country (if not the world) and the great debate topic among those of us in the F.A.T. club.
Last night I attended an informational seminar about Lap-Band surgery and it was eye opening. I will admit I went because I entered a contest to win one for free and part of the criteria was to attend, but I will also admit I was curious- and have been for a while. Obesity for our country truly is not becoming, but IS a big problem from ocean to ocean. More food options, less healthy food, cheap food, more machines that do work for us- so many things contribute- and although it would be easy to try and lay blame on someone else (like a big fast food company) the reality is we suffer from frequent bouts of foodus-inhandus-to mouthus-sedentaryitis. Ok, well I will I admit I do anyway. Although I may like to think of reaching from the bowl to my mouth as bicep reps (heck I'll even switch hands) truth is they aren't- at least not the kind that will help me get healthy.
So here I am at 350 pounds and seriously needing and wanting to lose weight and so I look at the options.
I can do nothing.
I can diet and exercise.
I can try diet pills.
I can have surgery.
Right off the bat do nothing and pills are out for me. Pills make me sick and I am not going to sit around and be miserable anymore. This leaves the two heavy weight champions in the the weight loss debate: diet and exercise vs. surgery. In all reality the options are actually diet and exercise with or without surgery not one or the other, but no matter how you look at it, it is a hot topic in the dieting world.
Some say that the surgery is like cheating when you should be able to do it yourself- you put it on, you can take it off. Others view it as a necessary tool to help those who need the extra help- you can do it, but this will help give you a start, maybe even a start you can't do on your own. In making the decision there is a lot of pressure and feelings of guilt or failure no matter which way you go. Kind of like after a mom gives birth- breastfeed, bottle feed, cry it out, don't cry it out, co-sleep, don't co-sleep- so many decisions pros and cons for all of them and the pressure is to do what the "good moms" do. The same type of pressure to lose weight the "right" way exists for those of who are trying to. If I use the lap-band am I cheating, am I failing myself of the chance to do it on my own? Am I a failure as a person because I need/want the help? If I try and fail at dieting and exercise alone am I a failure as a person- someone who just isn't strong enough to do it the "right" way the way "real" people do it?
So what does a "good mom" do? She does what is best for her, her baby and her family. No matter the supposed pros and con, facts and myths at the end of it all she does what she knows she needs to do to take the best care of her family. And I don't know about you, but I can't look at the people around me and pinpoint who was breastfed or bottle fed or who co-slept or who didn't- what I see are the results of the whole effort the mother made no matter the method and that is what matters. So how does a person lose weight the "right" way? In my opinion by using the method that works best for them. If at the end of it all the person achieves GETTING HEALTHY then they made the "right" decisions and there should be no guilt or shame, but simply a feeling of success and achievement!
Losing weight is not an easy road no matter how a person tries to do it and it is often full of ups and downs and ups and downs again. And just like in real life the bigger the person the harder it is to move down the road. But what matters is that the person traveled the road at all!
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