No Surgery! No Gimmicks! No Long Term Success?

Well, People, in their infinite wisdom, http://www.people.com/people/static/h/package/thisweeksissue /index.html?xid=twrthisweeksissue has done their annual "let's make all fatties feel like the lazy slobs they are" issue about those special people out there who were able to lose half their body weight through sheer magic and suddenly discovering after a lifetime of dysfunctional eating, that they really do like to diet and exercise.  Who knew?  All they had to do was be sufficiently humiliated enough to discover their true love of healthy food and working out.  Because we all know that all it really took was to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and push ourselves away from the table and to the gym.

What I would really love is for people to do a "Where are they now?" issue about all the people they have featured on their cover over the years.  I wonder how many of them are even close to a normal weight after 3 or 4 years?  Because, from what I understand, the "No Surgery, No Gimmicks" way of weight loss has about a 2% chance of being a long term answer for morbidly obese people.

You can say what you want about people regaining after WLS because that is a real thing but my guess is that if they had featured WLS people on their covers over the years and put them next to the "No Surgery, No Gimmicks" people, the numbers would definitely be in our favor.  Sure, not all of us get to goal and a good portion do regain some weight but I would guess that most people who had WLS would weigh less then they did before surgery after 5 years post op.  It may only be a few pounds but I remember where I was before WLS.  I was gaining at a rapid weight.  I weighed 240 before my first WLS and I weighed 220 8 years later when I had my revision and while I wasn't a success by any means I still weighed less after 8 years then when I started.  I can only guess what my weight would have been in 2010 if I never had surgery, given the progressive nature of my weight gain I can hazard a guess that I would easily have been in the 300's.

So, People, let's see a follow issue of those you have featured over the years and then see you condemn us "lazy" people  who took the easy way out and see who has kept their weight off longer.

I cannot stand when people assume we took the easy way out. This surgery is not easy what so ever!!! I wished that I could lose weight with out the surgery and keep it off. Now I did lose over 135 pounds with Weigh****chers but gained every pound back then some. Me being almost a year out from surgery, I still find it to be challenging. Sometimes I even have my regrets when I eat something wrong but I'm just so happy that I have a chance to live a healthier life now.

I wished that they could do a story "Where are they now... did they keep the weight off."

Why don't you write to People and ask them to do a follow-up story... BEFORE they do another one like they usually do?!?  I think their response might be hysterical!  Wonder how many people who were featured originally would model for follow-up photos?!?  Not many, I would guess!

Lora

Well done.

I was just at the checkout stand buying protein packed goodies and saw that stupid cover. But you stated it best so I won't go into it, but ya... what she said!

I am not at all surprised that yellow rag is inferring that an accepted, proven medical procedure is a gimmick. *facepalm*

I know for sure I couldn't do it without wls, I tried and failed at losing weight.  I could never get under 200lbs no matter how much I really tried.  It was all an uphill battle.  WLS changed my body so much that I don't feel hunger, luckily, my head still wants to eat but my body doesn't demand it.  I am very grateful for this.  I also dump so I know two cookies are the limit, not two boxes.  I still don't trust myself completely, I won't take money with me to work in case I decide I want a snack out of the vending machine.  I work really hard at trying to be a different person who doesn't crave the crap I once did but it doesn't work that way.  I went to restaurant depot yesterday with my boyfriend so they could buy food for their pub and when I was walking around I saw a display and at the bottom it had Yodels, they were my MO favorite and for a second I wanted them, but then I realized I could never eat just one it was always the entire box.  I know that fat girl still lurks inside of me, I never liked food I always liked sweets.  Nothing has changed in that regard, I still hate food and crave sweets, but I can't have much or I get sick.  That is the sad part I have to get sick to control what I eat.  I made cookies for Christmas and kept some macaroons for myself, I ate two a day and finally finished them yesterday.  I was proud of that, because in the old days they would have been gone in two hours.  I could really eat sweets and had no self control whatsoever.  Now it is fake self control.  But whatever it helps.