Annoyed at People Magazine year end cover

Hi everyone The new People magazine is out and their feature story/cover is those who have achieved tremendous weight loss and they bullet No Surgeries No Gimmicks Real People Real Success What bothers me is surgery referenced before and on par with gimmicks; and we're not real people? Our success wont be real? Perhaps I'm being too sensitive but I think its horrible that they reference surgery like its the easy way out. We're working just as hard, if not harder, and I was angered at the way it was positioned. In many respects this ties into a blog we had last month about telling people we've had/are having surgery and their reactions. All said and done, those people have achieved something tremendous which we will as well. ~Tiffany

Most celebs are too skinny now a days. I hate when I see their ribs sticking out, or their hip bones sticking out. It is SICK. Atleast we arnt going to look like that.

Let's see where those successful people are in a year or two from now? Sure, their successful for the time being but we've all been down that road. I had lost up to 80lbs at one time and would have lost more but I got in rollerblading accident and since then the weight not only came back with a vengence but with more added. I don't subscribe to trash like People magazine. They used to be a good decent mag but now they are just like the rest, just trash and gossip and no real stories that uplift the spirit.

I see why this might have bothered you, but I do personally respect the people who are successful at losing weight long term on their own. I'm not one of those people, and that's why I'm having surgery. I'm sure the cover was in no way trying to put down WLS. I believe the purpose is to admire the people who can do it on their own.

I do have a problem with this one one level and that is that it reinforces the belief that many have the surgical treatments for obesity are the '"easy way out", a "quick fix" or a "gimmick". I do admire people who can loose weight without using the tool that surgery gives some of us. But I also greatly admire those people who take the step to have surgery and who make the necessary changes to make surgery successful. Magazine covers, articles and news stories like this only serve to reinforce the generalized perception that WLS is for people who don't want to work at it or are too lazy or stupid to do it "on their own". But that's just my perception. Carole 310/295.5/155

Oh great! Another story that my Mom can rag me about! Lord knows she is sooooooooooo supportive! Claudette

I hate to admit that a year ago I was one of those people that though weight loss surgery was the cop out. That I had to find a way to do it on my own. And that having surgery wasn't going to teach me how to maintain the weight loss, how to eat right and be healthy for the rest of my life. I am now proud to admit that I knkow how incredibly wrong I was. Since starting the process of weight loss through surgery I have learned more about what I need to do to be healthy. It is going to be a tool to get me to where I need to be in order to be healthy and stay healthy. I have done so many different diets over my lifetime...I know that I don't have to and that I am not successful with them. Anyone that can lose weight and keep it off by themselves has my respect, but I do also hate to see anyone that has WLS discounted because people see it as a crutch and not a tool.