vincereautmori

Before surgery I tried a lot of diets and went to numerous clinics and weight loss counselors, one of them was Charlie Remington and he advocated a low glycemic diet. I was very successful with him and lost over 50 lbs. in about 6 months, but I couldn't keep it off. One thing he was pretty adamant about was the corn and corn syrup in foods, as he said, "why do you think they feed cattle corn to fatten them up?" What always stuck with me was that it should have been an aha moment, I stopped a lot of the sugar and lost the weight and felt better, what makes us go back to it? Just like tobacco, industries rely on our addictions.

The bottom line, what are the long term statistics,2 years out, 5 years out????? I would be willing to bet, Biggest Loser......loses! This is about sustaining a lifestyle change, how many BL contestants will keep dedicating 3-4 hours a day to exercise while trying to live in the actual work a day world? Besides, how do you take many thousands of bits of data on WLS vs. significantly less available data for BL patients and make an accurate comparison? This is like saying, let's compare the speed of a man running against the speed of an F-16, in the first few seconds the man is faster than the jet, after that........

Well, Dr. Huizenga's motivations to critisize WLS may lie in his investment and celebrity on Biggest Loser. Biggest Loser is a brand, and right now it's a lucrative brand to be associated with and Dr. Huizenga is profiting from it, even to the extent of opening his own resort style fat ranch, which I'm certain is aimed at a particular wealthy demographic. His views are very single dimensional and ignores the many complexities of mental and physical reasons for weight loss. He has been quoted as citing a study comprised of just 35 subjects, hardly a statistically accurate sampling, for many of his conclusions. Although we might expect him, as an MD, to proffesionally consider other medically accepted options, he chooses to select publications that support his business. I believe Dr Oz has been critisized for questionable claims, seems to be a Hollywood weakness. In the end, Dr Huizenga can make all the claims he likes, it's a free country, but results speak louder than words. In actuality, he has not found the "magic pill", I therefore suspect his program, or Biggest Loser, is not likely to produce results unlike many studies with thousands of data points, which say diet and exercise has a low statistical success rate vs. WLS. As far as the damage he might do to discourage obese viewers of the show from WLS, I don't think he has the credibility as a TV personality verses a patient having a serious conversation wth their primary doctor or their surgeon.

We just went to a Haloween party, I'm about 3 months post op and had a couple glasses of wine, felt about the same as pre surgery. However, found I couldn't over eat, a few appetizers and a small plate of food. Normally I'd be snacking all night.

So we get a few people who think surgery is the easy way out, so what? In a year from now when we're leaner, healthier, and we can keep up with our more athletic freinds and family, what then? Do those same people keep saying, "but you took the easy way out", it just gets old. This is a personal journey, only we know the pain of our failed attempts, only we have suffered the effects of our obesity, only we know the internal struggle to make a decision to invade our bodies and modify them in the hopes of gaining health that many people take for advantage. The easy way out? We know it isn't, but we decided to take responsibility for our health problem, unfortunately for our naysayers, there is no surgery for ignorance.

You know Kelli, I could tell a similar story and I'm a 60 year old man, as with many of us I found a way to accept the fat and moved on through life. I have just completed my research and made the decision to go with the band, more than the research I had to self examine why now and why I am willing to tackle something this extreme. For me it came down to being here for my wife and family as an active and healthy senior, as we head into retirement. It has taken a while for me to learn to want this and begin to feel comfortable with this decision. So I think it' s a process, you have to see what it does for your future, what it will do for the health you seek, and not acceptance of people who don't support us, even if it's family.