Cheating - Is there really such a thing?

So, you have probably come across someone who says that surgery is cheating; I know I have, and judging by a few of the emails I have received, so have many of you. I thought I would use today’s post to air out my feelings on the matter, just some more rambling thoughts of mine :)

When I look in the mirror I see the person that I am today, not the one that I want to be tomorrow.

In order to get to that state I need some help, some people choose Weight Watchers, others Atkins(so many to mention) and when those don't work for us a lot of us choose WLS (Weight Loss Surgery). Everyone makes the choice to follow this path on their own, or at least they should. As I have talked about before this is a very personal journey, not one that you can take for anyone other than yourself. Any type of diet is hard, that’s a given, but what a WLS patient endures is difficult as well. It is not like they just go in for surgery on Monday and on Tuesday they weigh a hundred or so pounds less, it takes them dedication and hard work to get to that point, the WLS is a tool to get you there only.

We call it a tool – Why? It’s actually pretty simple, if you misuse it, it won’t work. Anyone can have the surgery, whether it is LAP RNY or Lap Band but if they don’t follow rules, rules for the rest of their life, they will fail. That is a pretty big “weight” to have on ones shoulders, the knowledge that if you slip up, you may have gone through it all for nothing. Slipping up and not following good habits for the rest of your life will just cause a breakdown in the system; the pouch size will increase, you will eat more and therefore intake more calories leading to Weight gain and you’re right back to where you started.

Surgery is no laughing matter, it’s serious, and there are serious consequences involved in it. First there is the mental, getting your head around the fact that you are going to undergo this surgery for this problem. Second, there is the possibility of complications, although nowadays complication rates are plummeting, it is still a possibility that something bad may happen. Third, there is the recovery, it’s not like you leave the hospital and on your jog home you grab a cheeseburger and a shake, no, it’s a lot harder than that. There is pain, real pain; some say it isn’t bad, while others find it nearly unbearable, so that is up to the individual to decide. Fourth and probably the hardest is the new eating habits, we have lived a certain way for most of, if not all of our lives and to change those habits are a huge accomplishment. This is not even factoring in the liquid diet for 2 weeks, then pureed stage, oh yeah that sounds fun eh? And then of course, soft foods and then regular foods. But some people will never be able to tolerate certain foods ever again, and that is just the plain and simple truth of the matter. Something that someone else can eat and maybe an everyday “normal” food, cannot be tolerated by a WLS patient, know one knows why, just one day you can eat it and the next day it makes you “dump”(exactly what it sounds like, but add flu like symptoms for a few hours). Did we get ourselves into this mess? That’s like asking someone if they have ever gotten lost while trying to find an address, we all make mistakes, but a lot of the time it is our physical makeup’s and our predispositions that get us into these messes in the first place.

Bottom line, this surgery is what’s best for a lot of people, what will help them get healthy, live longer and enjoy their lives much longer and with more joy.

In my opinion, if someone says that WLS is “cheating”, well first off, I know it’s best for me and quite frankly, they don’t, not to mention, I stopped caring what other people thought about me a long time ago. If they don’t want to support me, then get outta my way, ‘cause I’m comin’ through.

Till next time….Wayne (and a shout out to the Wayno's out there)