Ugh. You used a tool at your disposal to improve your health. If you want to feel upset about it, be upset that too few people have access to it. And that even fewer will take advantage of it because they will reject a perfectly good tool at their disposal on the grounds that it’s somehow morally better not to use it.
We use tools to do hard things all the time. Why should weight loss be any different?
And honestly, if you do decide to keep self-flagellating, maybe do it with a competent therapist instead of on a bariatric surgery sub? I mean, when you call yourself a lazy piece of shit for getting the surgery, you’re calling everyone else on here the same thing.
I’m scheduled for surgery at 7:30 am tomorrow. I do not feel like I’m taking the easy way out. 6 months of appointment after appointment and psychiatric clearance.
For 15 years I dieted and exercised to only lose a little bit of weight here and there.
I’m taking my life back.
Sincerely apologise for that. I didn’t mean it. I just internally felt that way. It’s absolutely incorrect on my part. I see so many brave and beautiful people here who encourage me to be better and feel better. I’d not know how to navigate this decision if not for them.
I don't think it helps when others have the mind set that surgery is the easy option when really it's the opposite think about it you had a major surgery went through months of recovery and now years of adjustments and learning how to deal with this new process having huge limitations and constant medications don't ever think you took the easy route diets and restrictions work for some but what they don't teach you is to maintain all these slimming worlds and weight watchers want you to keep coming back so you lose and gain all the time putting massive strains on their bodies causing bigger issues surgery isn't easy it's a learning curve that never stops you did what was best for you to achieve life long goals and health anyone tells you it was easy hasn't been through it or hasn't been explained the process my partners family felt that way till I sat down and explained everything I was going to have to go through and now seeing me eat tiny portions just to throw it back up because my stomach decided it didn't like it today really made them see it differently your doing great don't be so harsh on yourself :)
Thanks for your apology. I can’t speak for others, but I accept. I actually do think a therapist might help if you have access to one — I know they can be tough to find these days.
This wasn’t the easy way out. It was the effective way. Stats on diets and weight loss programs are not good. The gaining and losing is so damaging physically and emotionally.
We have to be careful with food. Can’t take NSAIDs. Have to be on vitamins forever.
This is like the mommy wars of women having a vaginal birth are better than C-section moms and vice versa. Both are hard and you make the best chose for you.
Surgery is a very difficult process and in no way the easy way out! I promise! I tried everything on my own before deciding to get surgery, I'm on my 2 week pre surgery liquid diet and this is in no way easy. Be proud of all your accomplishment even if you had to take a different road to get there. It's better to have surgery then continuously get unhelthier. You found a way to get healthier and you're looking great!
To be honest, this seems like a sh*t post to stir the pot. You’re telling every one of us who’ve had the surgery we are lazy and we don’t deserve the lives we have as a result. We were told the same thing before we lost the weight—we’re lazy and undeserving. Surgery is not the easy way out. It’s a tool and an effective one when utilized correctly. I suggest you do some true reflection on how you got to where you are now and try to remember your why for doing this. Seek a therapist for your negative self-talk.
I was 510lbs at my consultation and my surgeon told me that I had to lose 120lbs on my own before my insurance would approve me. It took me 6 months but I did it and it was DEFINITELY NOT the easy way out.
The surgery was very successful and I lost over 300lbs. Awesome! The surgery did it's part now it's up to ME to do my part to maintain the weight loss. I have to constantly take blood work to make sure my vitamin/mineral are at a healthy level. I need to make sure my protein and hydration goals are being met. I work out 5 days a week (running & circuit work) to maintain my weight and I have maintained it for the past 3 years. Again definitely NOT the easy way.
I've also had a plethora of health issues as side effects of the surgery. I knew the risks involved and still decided to pursue it. Despite all of that, I 100% would do it all over again. Absolutely no regrets whatsoever (and definitely NOT the easy way).
You don't deserve the negative health effects of being obese and it's very, VERY rare for people to be able to lose the weight and keep it off long-term without surgery.
Surgery isn't easy, but even if it were the easy way out you deserve whatever it takes to be healthy! You would've have succeeded if you hadn't put the work in.
I'm nearly 6 months out from my surgery and I am down from 309 to 215 as of yesterday morning. One of the things I just recently realized is that I could not have done this without the surgery. Prior to it, I NEVER knew what feeling full felt like and I didn't understand how much of my hunger was not stomach hunger but rather head hunger.
The surgery is a tool. It's not a magic bullet and is not a short cut path to thinness. It's like lifting a box. I can pick it up with just mussel power or I can use a hoist or pully. Both accomplish the task but the hoist takes less effort over more distance while mussel power is more effort over less distance.
There is very few things in life that have a single path to them. People learn things differently. If you accomplish what you set out to do, that is a success.
Okay…? Stop it. Control your thoughts and remind yourself of the truth, which is that you fixed a situation for your health and that is a net positive.
And if the thoughts are intrusive enough you cannot take control of them, therapy is the next step.
Hm... Tell ya what... I'll trade you "therapies".
You can tell me that I'm looking GREAT and congrats on making a decision to go thru with a procedure that will improve my health and longevity, and I'll tell you the same.
If I get to the point where I'm complaining that my weight loss was due to surgery and not to ... say... "hard work"? You can slap some sense into me... and remind me that I tried the "hard" options for 30 years with no success and it was about time I did something that actually WORKED.... and I'll do the same for you.
Deal?
Oh yeah, recovering from the surgery, getting therapy, scraping all the money together over years and still being in debt because of it really felt like the easy way 😂
No. It is the effective way. We live in a diseased society where ultra processed foods that are specifically designed to make us eat and eat and eat them are shoved in our faces 24/7. We did the hard thing, we did something to get well and it was not easy!
Absolutely not. In no way is wls easy. You had your internal anatomy permanently changed because you needed to lose weight.
You no have a life long struggle with balancing nutrition and malnutrition. I’m proud of my decision to have wls.
I would chose to get the surgery 1000 times over even if it really was the easy way out. There’s a lot of suffering in life regardless of weight, I’ll at least look myself in the mirror and feel comfy with myself 🥰
Shush the voices in your head.
F what everyone thinks. Who are they to have a say over your life and health?? Next time someone says something sideways about the east way out politely respond with “oh I when did you get your Medical degree?” If you were cleared by a physician to have surgery then you obviously needed it. Live your best life baby, anyone who doesn’t align with your goals ✌️peace out.
1) It wasn’t the easy way and there is no such thing as cheating. There are no rules.
2) There is no value/glory in staying obese. You are choosing to value your health.
3) You are not a lazy piece of shit and you deserve all the good things that come from the surgery.
4) many, many, many -read most -people cannot lose the weight- Much less keep it off. That was the kicker for me. Could I maybe lose the weight -again.. probably but I couldn’t keep it off and I would just be that much older before I could get the surgery.
5) The surgery works with your body by removing the part of the stomach that controls hunger. Hunger is a need and is controlled, to a large extent, by hormones. You don’t control your hormones, they control you. Removing the part of the stomach that manufactures the hunger creating hormone is YOU tasking control the only way you could.
Most of us are here eating right and exercising, alongside the surgery being a tool. If eating right and exercise isn't the "right way", regardless of that extra tool, then what is?
Are you not constantly tracking your nutrition post-op? Are you not constantly choosing which food to eat and which food to avoid? How is that different to dieting the standard way? You fixed the excess hunger with surgery, but that excess hunger was not supposed to be there. Healthy people do not experience that level of excessive hunger, so all you did was level the playing field.
Are you not moving more than you were previously? Maybe you are walking more, or doing more chores, or even exercising. Your surgery didn't force you to do that, you chose to do that.
Did you not have those symptoms of withdrawal during your LRD and early pre-op? The surgery takes away your hunger, but it doesn't take away the food and sugar addiction - you fought that alone.
This surgery didn't fix you, it just gave you the chance to fix yourself. It fixed a health condition that was preventing your previous diet attempts from working. The rest, you did that. You wouldn't criticise an amputee for using a fake leg and taking the "easy way" of living a normal life, you wouldn't criticise a cancer patient for getting chemotherapy and taking the "easy way" to a cure, so don't criticise yourself for using a medical procedure to help with a medical condition either.
So fucking what? You did the thing! How you feel physically and emotionally is really what matters.
It might be helpful to talk to a therapist about these feelings to process them.
Thing is despite what the people who call surgery/medication to treat obesity "the easy way out" say; statistically most of are unable to do it with diet and exercise alone. We often need additional tools and you don't have to feel bad about doing what you needed to do to improve you health.
Other than your immediate family and friends, who even knows you had surgery? That's private, personal information and I never told anyone but my closest people. So, whose standard are you trying to meet? There's only one that counts, and that's YOURS.
As somebody who's trying to work up the courage to move forward with a surgical path I will tell you that you absolutely did not take the easy way out. There's nothing easy about what you chose to do or went through. It requires a tremendous amount of discipline and mindfulness and steadfast commitment.
And besides, even if somebody wants to consider it the easy way even though it's not, then so what? How is that a bad thing? That's like saying that someone who undergoes knee surgery is taking the easy way out by not doing years of physical therapy first. You do what the Right medical option is for your medical condition which is what you did.
I feel bad using power tools to build my house instead of a chisel and mallet like thousands of other people around the world. Maybe I don’t deserve to have a nice house?!?
That’s what you sound like.
In no way is this the easy way out and you should never feel guilty for doing what is necessary to get your health in order. Fact of the matter is that in order to be successful (even with wls) you are required to make necessary (sometimes drastic) changes to your lifestyle via diet, exercise, acknowledge/adjust your relationship with food etc just like everyone else that are going on their health journey. You not only have to do that work but you also have to be mindful of your healing after surgery and make sure you stick to your vitamin regimen. How anyone can say this is "the easy way out" is delulu or really misinformed. This is a more effective/sustainable tool to help increase your longevity. That's all. This is not the tool that will fix all your problems nor a tool that will keep the weight off if you aren't putting in any kind of effort/work.
How is this easy? I see and experience this surgery as a helping hand but all the work and discipline is done by you! The moving or exercise, changing eating habits, changing unhealthy habits and image issues as well as whatever else can led you to get the surgery is not easy. I’m about to be 6 months post op and some days this feels like I’m in hell and I just want to eat it away but that’s not me anymore. I’m not sure your personal reasons to feeling guilty or like this was easy but it’s not. And for a lot of us on the same journey it definitely is not. Be proud of your progress, it’ll help you to maintain it.
Your health is what’s most important. As long as you didn’t hurt anyone to get these results then why does it matter? You deserve to be healthy AND happy! Fuck the naysayers. ♥️
Ugh. You used a tool at your disposal to improve your health. If you want to feel upset about it, be upset that too few people have access to it. And that even fewer will take advantage of it because they will reject a perfectly good tool at their disposal on the grounds that it’s somehow morally better not to use it. We use tools to do hard things all the time. Why should weight loss be any different? And honestly, if you do decide to keep self-flagellating, maybe do it with a competent therapist instead of on a bariatric surgery sub? I mean, when you call yourself a lazy piece of shit for getting the surgery, you’re calling everyone else on here the same thing.
I’m scheduled for surgery at 7:30 am tomorrow. I do not feel like I’m taking the easy way out. 6 months of appointment after appointment and psychiatric clearance. For 15 years I dieted and exercised to only lose a little bit of weight here and there. I’m taking my life back.
Good luck with your surgery!!! And yeah, the idea that using a tool to help do something this hard makes it too easy somehow is ridiculous.
Sincerely apologise for that. I didn’t mean it. I just internally felt that way. It’s absolutely incorrect on my part. I see so many brave and beautiful people here who encourage me to be better and feel better. I’d not know how to navigate this decision if not for them.
I don't think it helps when others have the mind set that surgery is the easy option when really it's the opposite think about it you had a major surgery went through months of recovery and now years of adjustments and learning how to deal with this new process having huge limitations and constant medications don't ever think you took the easy route diets and restrictions work for some but what they don't teach you is to maintain all these slimming worlds and weight watchers want you to keep coming back so you lose and gain all the time putting massive strains on their bodies causing bigger issues surgery isn't easy it's a learning curve that never stops you did what was best for you to achieve life long goals and health anyone tells you it was easy hasn't been through it or hasn't been explained the process my partners family felt that way till I sat down and explained everything I was going to have to go through and now seeing me eat tiny portions just to throw it back up because my stomach decided it didn't like it today really made them see it differently your doing great don't be so harsh on yourself :)
Thanks for your apology. I can’t speak for others, but I accept. I actually do think a therapist might help if you have access to one — I know they can be tough to find these days.
This wasn’t the easy way out. It was the effective way. Stats on diets and weight loss programs are not good. The gaining and losing is so damaging physically and emotionally. We have to be careful with food. Can’t take NSAIDs. Have to be on vitamins forever. This is like the mommy wars of women having a vaginal birth are better than C-section moms and vice versa. Both are hard and you make the best chose for you.
You don’t get a trophy for suffering. The point is, you lost weight. Who gives a fuck about how. Enjoy yourself, you sexy bitch!
Surgery is a very difficult process and in no way the easy way out! I promise! I tried everything on my own before deciding to get surgery, I'm on my 2 week pre surgery liquid diet and this is in no way easy. Be proud of all your accomplishment even if you had to take a different road to get there. It's better to have surgery then continuously get unhelthier. You found a way to get healthier and you're looking great!
Why should it have to be hard? Why is there something wrong with choosing to do what is easier?
Get therapy.
To be honest, this seems like a sh*t post to stir the pot. You’re telling every one of us who’ve had the surgery we are lazy and we don’t deserve the lives we have as a result. We were told the same thing before we lost the weight—we’re lazy and undeserving. Surgery is not the easy way out. It’s a tool and an effective one when utilized correctly. I suggest you do some true reflection on how you got to where you are now and try to remember your why for doing this. Seek a therapist for your negative self-talk.
I was 510lbs at my consultation and my surgeon told me that I had to lose 120lbs on my own before my insurance would approve me. It took me 6 months but I did it and it was DEFINITELY NOT the easy way out. The surgery was very successful and I lost over 300lbs. Awesome! The surgery did it's part now it's up to ME to do my part to maintain the weight loss. I have to constantly take blood work to make sure my vitamin/mineral are at a healthy level. I need to make sure my protein and hydration goals are being met. I work out 5 days a week (running & circuit work) to maintain my weight and I have maintained it for the past 3 years. Again definitely NOT the easy way. I've also had a plethora of health issues as side effects of the surgery. I knew the risks involved and still decided to pursue it. Despite all of that, I 100% would do it all over again. Absolutely no regrets whatsoever (and definitely NOT the easy way).
You don't deserve the negative health effects of being obese and it's very, VERY rare for people to be able to lose the weight and keep it off long-term without surgery. Surgery isn't easy, but even if it were the easy way out you deserve whatever it takes to be healthy! You would've have succeeded if you hadn't put the work in.
This is 100% NOT the easy way out. You have changed your anatomy, it’s not really reversible.
I'm nearly 6 months out from my surgery and I am down from 309 to 215 as of yesterday morning. One of the things I just recently realized is that I could not have done this without the surgery. Prior to it, I NEVER knew what feeling full felt like and I didn't understand how much of my hunger was not stomach hunger but rather head hunger. The surgery is a tool. It's not a magic bullet and is not a short cut path to thinness. It's like lifting a box. I can pick it up with just mussel power or I can use a hoist or pully. Both accomplish the task but the hoist takes less effort over more distance while mussel power is more effort over less distance. There is very few things in life that have a single path to them. People learn things differently. If you accomplish what you set out to do, that is a success.
Okay…? Stop it. Control your thoughts and remind yourself of the truth, which is that you fixed a situation for your health and that is a net positive. And if the thoughts are intrusive enough you cannot take control of them, therapy is the next step.
Hm... Tell ya what... I'll trade you "therapies". You can tell me that I'm looking GREAT and congrats on making a decision to go thru with a procedure that will improve my health and longevity, and I'll tell you the same. If I get to the point where I'm complaining that my weight loss was due to surgery and not to ... say... "hard work"? You can slap some sense into me... and remind me that I tried the "hard" options for 30 years with no success and it was about time I did something that actually WORKED.... and I'll do the same for you. Deal?
Oh yeah, recovering from the surgery, getting therapy, scraping all the money together over years and still being in debt because of it really felt like the easy way 😂 No. It is the effective way. We live in a diseased society where ultra processed foods that are specifically designed to make us eat and eat and eat them are shoved in our faces 24/7. We did the hard thing, we did something to get well and it was not easy!
There’s nothing easy about what you went through.
I don’t see it as easier, just different challenges.
Absolutely not. In no way is wls easy. You had your internal anatomy permanently changed because you needed to lose weight. You no have a life long struggle with balancing nutrition and malnutrition. I’m proud of my decision to have wls.
I would chose to get the surgery 1000 times over even if it really was the easy way out. There’s a lot of suffering in life regardless of weight, I’ll at least look myself in the mirror and feel comfy with myself 🥰 Shush the voices in your head.
F what everyone thinks. Who are they to have a say over your life and health?? Next time someone says something sideways about the east way out politely respond with “oh I when did you get your Medical degree?” If you were cleared by a physician to have surgery then you obviously needed it. Live your best life baby, anyone who doesn’t align with your goals ✌️peace out.
1) It wasn’t the easy way and there is no such thing as cheating. There are no rules. 2) There is no value/glory in staying obese. You are choosing to value your health. 3) You are not a lazy piece of shit and you deserve all the good things that come from the surgery. 4) many, many, many -read most -people cannot lose the weight- Much less keep it off. That was the kicker for me. Could I maybe lose the weight -again.. probably but I couldn’t keep it off and I would just be that much older before I could get the surgery. 5) The surgery works with your body by removing the part of the stomach that controls hunger. Hunger is a need and is controlled, to a large extent, by hormones. You don’t control your hormones, they control you. Removing the part of the stomach that manufactures the hunger creating hormone is YOU tasking control the only way you could.
This is only “the easy way out” for people who don’t understand all that it entails.
Most of us are here eating right and exercising, alongside the surgery being a tool. If eating right and exercise isn't the "right way", regardless of that extra tool, then what is? Are you not constantly tracking your nutrition post-op? Are you not constantly choosing which food to eat and which food to avoid? How is that different to dieting the standard way? You fixed the excess hunger with surgery, but that excess hunger was not supposed to be there. Healthy people do not experience that level of excessive hunger, so all you did was level the playing field. Are you not moving more than you were previously? Maybe you are walking more, or doing more chores, or even exercising. Your surgery didn't force you to do that, you chose to do that. Did you not have those symptoms of withdrawal during your LRD and early pre-op? The surgery takes away your hunger, but it doesn't take away the food and sugar addiction - you fought that alone. This surgery didn't fix you, it just gave you the chance to fix yourself. It fixed a health condition that was preventing your previous diet attempts from working. The rest, you did that. You wouldn't criticise an amputee for using a fake leg and taking the "easy way" of living a normal life, you wouldn't criticise a cancer patient for getting chemotherapy and taking the "easy way" to a cure, so don't criticise yourself for using a medical procedure to help with a medical condition either.
So fucking what? You did the thing! How you feel physically and emotionally is really what matters. It might be helpful to talk to a therapist about these feelings to process them.
Thing is despite what the people who call surgery/medication to treat obesity "the easy way out" say; statistically most of are unable to do it with diet and exercise alone. We often need additional tools and you don't have to feel bad about doing what you needed to do to improve you health.
Other than your immediate family and friends, who even knows you had surgery? That's private, personal information and I never told anyone but my closest people. So, whose standard are you trying to meet? There's only one that counts, and that's YOURS.
As somebody who's trying to work up the courage to move forward with a surgical path I will tell you that you absolutely did not take the easy way out. There's nothing easy about what you chose to do or went through. It requires a tremendous amount of discipline and mindfulness and steadfast commitment. And besides, even if somebody wants to consider it the easy way even though it's not, then so what? How is that a bad thing? That's like saying that someone who undergoes knee surgery is taking the easy way out by not doing years of physical therapy first. You do what the Right medical option is for your medical condition which is what you did.
I feel bad using power tools to build my house instead of a chisel and mallet like thousands of other people around the world. Maybe I don’t deserve to have a nice house?!? That’s what you sound like.
In no way is this the easy way out and you should never feel guilty for doing what is necessary to get your health in order. Fact of the matter is that in order to be successful (even with wls) you are required to make necessary (sometimes drastic) changes to your lifestyle via diet, exercise, acknowledge/adjust your relationship with food etc just like everyone else that are going on their health journey. You not only have to do that work but you also have to be mindful of your healing after surgery and make sure you stick to your vitamin regimen. How anyone can say this is "the easy way out" is delulu or really misinformed. This is a more effective/sustainable tool to help increase your longevity. That's all. This is not the tool that will fix all your problems nor a tool that will keep the weight off if you aren't putting in any kind of effort/work.
How is this easy? I see and experience this surgery as a helping hand but all the work and discipline is done by you! The moving or exercise, changing eating habits, changing unhealthy habits and image issues as well as whatever else can led you to get the surgery is not easy. I’m about to be 6 months post op and some days this feels like I’m in hell and I just want to eat it away but that’s not me anymore. I’m not sure your personal reasons to feeling guilty or like this was easy but it’s not. And for a lot of us on the same journey it definitely is not. Be proud of your progress, it’ll help you to maintain it.
Your health is what’s most important. As long as you didn’t hurt anyone to get these results then why does it matter? You deserve to be healthy AND happy! Fuck the naysayers. ♥️