This is not the easy way out!! - ThinnerTimes

Tina · 08-27-2005, 09:46 AM

I posted this in Post-op and thought I better post it hear to.

I had another thread going and a couple people mentioned others saying this. I used to think it was the easy way out until I had friends who had it done and saw what they went through. I at the time was not 100 lbs overweight so I didn't consider WLS. But I think the people who say this don't fully understand what we go through. The pain in the beginning, the emotional and mental aspects of it, and the total change in eating and drinking. I get so frustrated when I hear this because all this surgery provides us is a tool and our success is based on how we use it. The surgery doesn't force us to exercise, we still have decide what we put in our mouth, we decide to take vitamins and protein shakes etc, to drink tons of liquids, how much to eat and when to stop. We still do all the work and in some ways its harder then being on a diet. Because if you don't do what you're supposed to you could do serious damage to your body. And its possible to out eat the surgery and gain weight back later on, you have to eat right or you can gain the weight back just like a diet. How many people do you know that have been morbidly obese and lost all the weight and kept if off ever since, not very many. I'm sorry if I think the girl who has 20-30 lbs to lose and thinks its the easy way out is pathetic. Do you really think her opinion counts to me. And what about all the health issues it helps with. Does the doctor tell someone who has knee surgery they are taking the easy way out, and thats not even life threatening, no they do it to make their quality of life better. Obesity is life threatening, a lot of people do this to save their life just like any one who has surgery for anything that is life threatening. We are no different. Anyway I know I am rambling. Have a good one Tina

eli_far77 · 08-28-2005, 08:51 PM

Tina great post...I haven't had the surgery and I am doing my research before I get it and what you wrote makes so much sense. I have much weight to lose and I know it's going to be hard but I am ready to do this because I want a healthier life style.

katlover66 · 08-29-2005, 07:33 AM

Great Post!!!!
It is a lifestyle change for all of us. We have to use the tool properly. We have to do things in moderation, we can no longer do things in excess. It is not the easy way out. Think about it this way. My surgery was open , I have a huge scar I refer to as my battle scar. It is my battle of the bulge. All the years I battled my weight. I still have some to lose and I am working on that now. I force myself to workout even when I don't feel up to it. When I told my old high school boyfriend I had the surgery and that I had dieted all through high school he was schocked. However he understood and did not belittle the life saving decision I made over 2 years ago when I started this journey.

Christina · 08-29-2005, 09:19 AM

That was a great post you had there. What you said was very true and struck close to home for me. When I was MO for many years I thought man it would be great to have that surgery that makes you skinny.. or liposuction or some other quick fix. That surgery that "makes you skinny" is the GBP or what I imagined it was. I had no clue, because I thought it was out of reach for me. I had no idea that Insurance actually covered it. When I found out that it did, I spent over a year researching and really knowing what I was going to get myself into. I realized that I must do the work myself, and that even though I will lose the weight in the beginning, I won't get to goal unless I work at it and I won't keep it off without doing so either. I am now below goal (kind of frustrated about that) but I am still healthy. I am glad you reminded me of all that I have gained in this tool. Thanks for that. You shouldn't worry about what others say, they are not educated on the process, so you can't really fault them either. I fault the media myself as they tend to only show the bad stuff and make people believe that it is the easy way out.

lessofdd · 08-29-2005, 08:42 PM

There is NO easy way to free yourself from being overweight, no matter if it is 10 pounds or 100 pounds or what ever number it is. Weight loss is a journey and everyone approaches it in their own time and in their own way. Any one who says it is easy is uneducated. I have searched for 30 years for the easy way, billions of dollars are spent each year on products that claim to be the easy way out, WLS is like you all have said is a very successful tool that takes a lot of planning and sacrfice.

That's why this place is soooooo wonderful because we can all relate and know exactly what you mean.

roachome · 08-29-2005, 09:52 PM

Funny I Feel Like I Was Bitching About The Same Things In My Other Thread. Its Not The Easy Way Out. We Are Mostly Obese Because We Took The Easy Way Out, Hiding Ourselves In Food Adictions And What Not. This Road Is Bumpy As Hell And I Fight Everyday To Not Say The Hell With It And Eat The Foods That Taste The Best. 114 Ponds In 3 Months Didnt Come Easy And I Have Sacraficed A Lot To Get Here. I Still Have 172 Lbs To Go. Will It Come Off This Quick, Not Banking On It. This Is Only Going To Get Harder. I Still Think This Tool Is Only As Strong As Your Will Power To Look In The Mirror And Not Be Mad At Those Who Might Poke Fun, But Say I Had A Huge Part In The Way I Am And I Will Have A Huge Part In The Changes Im Going Throgh. Now Im On A Soap Box, Sorry All