Surgical weight loss… a journey AND a destination.

Life’s a journey and not a destination. We’ve all heard that so many times that it’s become a bit clichéd. But when you think about it, isn’t it really both? I mean for different people, different perspectives, and different opinions… it means something a little different for everyone. Since I’ve thrown out that little conundrum I’d like to bring up another one… one that seems to be a controversial topic for a lot of people out there. Surgical weight loss is something we’ve all heard of even if we’re not overweight. Chances are we know someone or have a friend of a friend that knows someone who has gone through something like gastric-bypass, banding, and others. It’s not really those that I want to discuss here but the overall surgery itself. It’s a polarizing topic and I am trying to understand why.

I started my weight loss journey within the last few months. I’ve been grossly overweight all of my life and, like most, I’ve tried things here and there to lose weight. To most it’s a black and white issue. If you’re overweight then stop eating so much and exercise. Well, the reality of it is that those people are right. The harsh reality of it is that those people are also wrong and that’s one reason I think this ends up being such a polarizing topic both in the obese and non-obese communities. Broken down to its simplest form one can easily say that if you are overweight that means you eat too much and you have to eat less. From a physiological standpoint that’s logical and it makes sense to everything we know about maintaining a healthy weight. For those that don’t fall into the morbidly obese category or haven’t developed any comorbidities it may be as simple as that. But for some of us it’s not the food that’s the problem and it’s not the lack of exercise. It’s the lifestyle that’s the problem. It’s learned behavior that we’ve dealt with for years and it’s become habit. No, it’s not an excuse… it’s just a reason, a theory, a starting point, etc… Ultimately every single one of us who are overweight the dissenters are correct that WE have to do something about the problem. We’re the only ones that can decide it’s the right time to go down that road. There is not a single solution out there that should be taken callously though as each person’s decision making is a little different and they have to find a method that works both for and with them. To those of you who want to say it’s just eating less and exercising more… this is where I have a major problem with you.

I’ve chosen to lose weight and modify my lifestyle to be able to make healthy choices and keep them healthy. Why is that not enough for some of you? Setting the wheels in motion you’d think would be enough. What I have found is that there is an almost cult-like feeling that taking the surgical route is making it too easy, is the simple way out, is giving up doing it on your own. Well, if you think that then chances are that’s as far as your opinion goes… it must be so easy for someone to volunteer to lay down and get their fat taken out and the next day they’re magically slim. Think I am saying that a little too drastically? Perhaps… but it’s how you react to me and my fellow companions who have made this choice. What you are not seeing is the amount of time that goes into such an undertaking both before and after the surgery. Yes, the inside of my body may be going to be physically altered to change the way I digest and absorb food but that’s not the end of it. Really it’s about mentally changing the way I approach food and so many other things in my life to make sure that I “cooperate” with the surgical changes they’re going to make to my body. In the simplest form it’s going to be a journey that lasts months and months and months. But in reality, if it’s going to work 100%, it’s something that’s going to last for the rest of my life.

So for those of you who question why I would do this to myself or those of you who think it’s the easy way out why not stop and talk to me or any number of us out there who are going through the process, have been through it, or who even just familiar with the topic. I think you’ll see something that you’re not aware of and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Overweight people who choose to genuinely do something about their weight problem, from the simple of portion control or counting calories all the way up to surgical intervention, are good people and we’re something on the inside that you may never see until you look past the outside. So go ahead, let me prove to you how right I am.