needtorecover

This is the most socially acceptable form of discrimination! It's hard to make people understand why losing weight isn't as easy as "eat less, move more." If that were the case we'd all be thin and there wouldn't be a multimillion dollar diet industry.

My internist and OBGYN were both discouraging against WLS. It would've helped if they'd been more educated on the topic (especially my internist). I know my internist wanted to help but she didn't know what to do or say and thought WLS had too many complications and wasn't worth the risk. Granted this was about 5 years ago when I first inquired and as time passes the procedures get safer... Now I'm worried about going back to her for my physicals because I don't know if she'll know how to treat me from here on out. I wish bariatric surgery was more mainstream. There is SO MUCH misinformation floating around the internet and I was overwhelmed when I did my own research. I was grateful for my bariatric surgeon who is also a researcher at my local university and his wife does obesity research and they taught me a lot. I don't want to go to my doctor feeling like I need to defend my surgery. I want my doctor to know more about WLS and maintenance than I do but as of now that's hard to find because they still primarily go with the traditional advice of "eat less and move more."

I'm 33 and got a taste of these ailments myself. My joints are crap. I have a hard time getting up and down from the floor when I play with my son. It's depressing. My cholesterol and BP were both marginal pre-surgery, and I had gestational diabetes when pregnant. That sucked. I also run out of breath quickly and have a hard time keeping up. Didn't have any of these issues in my 20's though - felt fit as a fiddle. I'm hoping I'll feel like I'm in my 20's again when I lose this weight!! That's my goal now. Great health. Life is much more enjoyable when you're feeling good. I just want to feel good again. I don't care about the clothes or social status or anything else... I'm so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all the time!

This is great - thanks for all your answers! I've enjoyed reading these perspectives. It's interesting to me because many thin folks think obesity is our fault. In a way, yes, it is - we ultimately decide how we eat and what we choose to eat, but few understand the biological drive that keeps us fat. I wish I could find the study to share with you all, but I read that once you lose 5% of your body weight your brain goes into freak-out-mode and secretes a hormone that vastly reduces your ability to resist overeating. Because starvation. I understand the purpose of FA, to humanize obese people, reduce discrimination, and get medical professionals to take our concerns seriously beyond the scale. But at the same time I was really frustrated with my PCP because she wasn't straight with me about my weight. She was like "Oh, you're fine for now. Just try to eat less and move more." This is when my BMI was 40. I asked her about WLS and she said I was much too young and I should try traditional methods of weight loss (that clearly do not work!) a while longer. I knew I was fat. I wanted her to agree with me and help me. She put me on Wellbutrin and said it would help curb my appetite. It sort of worked but only marginally so. CowgirlJane, I agree with your statement about obese folks using medications to "fix" their issues. My aunt is very obese but she thinks she's fine because she takes 15 different pills to keep her systems functional. My goal is to not need ANY medications. So far I've been okay - I'm glad I got the surgery when I did before I needed cholesterol, BP, or diabetes medications. I've been teetering on the edge for a while... it's not good. And I also agree it's hard to get on board with a movement that celebrates obesity. Being obese isn't really something one should be proud of any more than one should be ashamed of it. It just is what it is.

I have mixed feelings on it myself. On the one hand, I want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin. I don't think anyone should feel ashamed of their size. Everyone should be able to find flattering, comfortable clothes in their size. We should educate people who have never had a weight problem that obesity is not a choice. We should fight the lazy/clumsy/stupid stereotypes of obese individuals... all that I support. But there is something about it that rubs me the wrong way... I think it's the push to ignore medical advice and tell doctors they're being fat-shamed for being told to lose weight. I'm just curious. Do you think it's ultimately harmful or helpful to obese folks? Discuss