Easy?

In my first post I mentioned how I had always regarded surgery as the easy way out and how once I had learned more about it, nothing could be further from the truth. I wanted to explain...

I always thought that if you had surgery you just had to eat smaller portions, but could eat whatever you wanted.

Right.

Once you decide to have surgery, you have to go through a TON of stuff to make sure you are mentally and physically prepared for the changes that await you. Sleep study, blood work (lots of blood work), endoscopy, psych evaluations, support meetings, nutritionist meetings, exercise consultations, EKG, a two week liquid diet to shrink your liver in preparation for surgery and the list goes on. That doesn't even necessarily include the work you have to do for insurance approval! Documentation of weights for previous years, supervised weight loss programs, and documentation of previous weight loss attempts.

Now, let's look at the work you have to do mentally to prepare for life after surgery. As anyone who has researched surgery knows, everyone will tell you that the surgery is only a tool...that the work and success is completely dependant upon you. Sure, most people will loose weight afterwards, but to lose it all and KEEP IT OFF, you have to work hard. I will be on vitamin supplements for the rest of my life. I may not be able to tolerate dairy or sugar ever again. I will have to weight and measure my foods to make sure that they are not going to stretch out my stomach. I will have to make sure that I eat my protein first since this is what will sustain my body...and since I will only be able to eat a few tablespoons at a time (at least in the beginning), I have to make sure every bite counts. This surgery will force me to completely change how I look and treat food.

So, why do this? Why not just lose weight the "old fashioned" way? That is an important question. In fact, it was the question most of my friends and family asked me. The truth is, I have been fat since I was young. I have tried most diets that you can think of and although some were successful at first, I would gain back the weight plus some. I realized that I could not do this alone. I needed help.

Food is like any other addiction and the first step is to realize you are powerless over it.