Weight Loss Surgery-Friend or Foe?

           WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY-FRIEND OR FOE

I'm writing this blog in the hopes that maybe just one person will read it and believe me, because all of my friends, family members, co-workers, the majority of them never did. Unfortunately, they had to find out the hard way for themselves, so here goes. Weight loss surgery is not an "easy, quick" way out of a fat situation.

I had gastric by-pass surgery in 2008 and my sister had the gastric band. At the time I weighed 352 lbs and 50 lbs did come off rather quickly, but that was it and I still had 150 lbs to go. My sister had similar results and she weighed about the same maybe a little less. I was not about to give up after all I had gone through, so I buckled down and started working out everyday and eating a healthy diet. Eventually I reached my goal weight of 178 lbs!! People had noticed my transformation, people who also needed or wanted to lose weight and I was happy to share my secrets with them. I told them it was diet and exercise, but of course, they were aware I had had the surgery and if they weren't as soon as they heard about the surgery they stopped listening to anything else I had to say. They just believed that the surgery was the answer and not the diet and exercise.

After my sister and I had the weight loss procedures and had success at least 12 more people at work went and had the surgery. What type of success did they have? Only 1 woman reached her goal weight and she had the band and never once went and had fluid put in it. She changed her diet and I mean she changed her diet! She became vegan and she is very serious about it too. A 2nd lady had great success, even though she didn't reach her goal weight, she looks fantastic (she did have complication from the band, it eroded through her stomach, she got peritonitis, and she was in the hospital for months). The rest lost little to none, because they didn't believe they needed to change their diet and they didn't need to exercise.

The moral of the story is don't place your hopes, dreams on a magic band, surgery, pill, because it doesn't exist! I'm not telling you not to have weight loss surgery it is absolutely necessary for some people, but you need to see it for what it is-a TOOL to help you reach your goal. You don't assemble a cabinet with just a hammer, you need a screw driver, and a saw to cut the wood. It's the same with losing weight there are many tools that work together to build your success, your healthy life.

 I greatly encourage you if you are over weight, especially if you are >50 lbs over weight, to find a plan to get on to help you lose the weight. I wasted so many years being obese, so much time not getting to do things because I was to big to fit in the rides, or to heavy to ride the horse or to zipline, etc... Or just to feel good and you don't realize how bad you feel, until you feel REALLY good. And with every pound that comes off you'll feel better and better I promise you that. Good luck.