People Magazine can SUCK IT!

I saw the magazine too and had the same reaction.

I came up with this allegory to explain it.  (Although when my daughter read it she thought it was about mental health, and wondered why someone would call a person "lazy" for taking anti-depressants!  Guess I should have made it clearer that it's about WLS!)

A Tale of Two Countries
By Barbara Quarrier Dell

Once upon a time there were two countries: Ob and Slend. Slend was a land of good feelings and joy, while Ob was a depressing, gray, cold place.  They were separated by the Channel of Cal.  Cal was full of strong currents, which pushed relentlessly toward the shores of Ob.  Woe betide any Slendians who even dipped a foot into the Channel of Cal, for if they were not ever vigilant they would soon find themselves living in Ob with the rest of its sad residents.

While it was all too easy to travel from Slend to Ob, it was horrendously difficult to journey in the other direction. Obians would occasionally attempt the crossing, usually by paddling in kayaks.  This was a long and laborious task, and Obians frequently failed and were pushed back to the shores of Ob.  Finally, an industrious Obian had the idea of putting a motor onto the kayaks.  This made the journey more manageable, although the currents of Cal were so strong that much effort and paddling was still required to make it all the way across to Slend.

There were disadvantages to the motorized kayaks.  The motors took up space, which could have been used to carry personal belongings to Slend. Those personal belongings could hold an Obian back from truly entering into the Slendian lifestyle, though, so perhaps this wasn’t as much of a disadvantage as it might have seemed.

Of course some those who were able to kayak to Slend the “old fashioned way" looked down their newly-Slendian noses at those who used the motorized kayaks, calling them “cheaters" or “lazy," saying they took “the easy way out." It didn’t matter to them that once one arrived in Slend, it didn’t matter how one had gotten there. It also didn’t matter that some who had used the motorized kayaks were physically incapable of paddling all the way across without the assistance of the motor, and without help would have been stuck in Ob forever.

And then there were the Obians who always had an excuse for not paddling across (“It’s too hard!" “I’ll do it next week!" “I need to get in shape first!") but weren’t willing to sacrifice their personal belongings to use the motors. They were stuck in Ob limbo, waiting forever for “something" to change. They were the saddest of all.

 Excellent Allegory and you're such a talented writer! LO-VE IT!

I really love this, Barbara.

Honestly, it made me cry.  I have such a lack of support from my family (luckily I have friends who are very supportive) that some family members do not even know I'm having the surgery. 

I'm just done with the rollercoaster.  I've been struggling with obesity since I was 9 years old.  I lost 80 pounds on my own about 5 years ago, kept it off for 2 years only to gain it back and then some.  People who have never been obese just have no idea how difficult it is.  :'(

~Jen

I feel your pain, Jen!  I am sorry that you are going through that with family.  I have much the same family support (or lack of) and I find that I just tell them the least amount of info possible.  They cannot be trusted to say smart and supportive things.  Fortunately I have a couple great and supportive friends that I can lean on and my hubby is mostly supportive.

I used to feel that way but now I don't. 

Seriously, I could not have lost and sustained without my surgery.  I do think despite its flubs and flaws that it was the "easiest" for me. I don't mean to diminish the work that it took because it was a lot of work to follow rules, especially to keep up my focus and exercise - being a fairly slow loser, but I do think my surgery was definitely an extra tool that I'm blessed to have. 

I give bonus credit to anyone that can do it without surgery as it's something I could have never done.  I admire this people, who unlike me, didn't have to surgically alter their bodies. 

I guess I just don't take it as an insult.  I've got extra ammo in my belt clip and it has served me well but to lose and maintain 100+ lbs without surgery to me gets a special sort of credit (especially the maintain part).

Dawn

I agree with you Dawn! :)

 Yes, very positive way to look at it.

And I do give it up for those who have been able to do with "alone" I guess my problem is the judgement that comes when you have surgery, like you cheated your way.  It's like quitting smoking, cold turkey, patch, pill, whatever.....you still did it!  

I saw the same magazine and had a slightly different reaction (keep in mind I am still pre-op).
1) angry that they gave the impression that losing weight without surgery was somehow more noble
2) sad that the statement scares people away from considering surgery as viable option
3) wondered about the unrealistic expectations for the 90%+ of people *****gain the weight they lose (and then some) - reinforcing the "it's all your fault you lazy slob, they could do it why not you?" mentality

Having said that, I also feel that if you can do it without surgery, of course that is better.  That is why we have to demonstrate that we have tried (many times) before being eligible for surgery.

I also want to add that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Barb's story and have cut and paste it into a word document for future reference (hope that's ok).  I will use it whenever I run into the prejudice of "you took the easy way out" mentality.

Great thread!

Andrea.

Andrea, of course that's OK.  And feel free to share it, as long as you include my name and don't change anything.  I have a pre-op appointment with my surgeon today and I'll be giving him a copy.