Day 24: Dying to be thin?

[crosswind 134]

Today on my toddle through the cyberverse for some reason I came across a picture of Camryn Manheim. For people from other countries or people who don't give a rats ass what celebrities are doing, Camryn was once a "token" fat actress who was unapologetically fat in all her television roles. She has very long hair and is not bad looking, and once actually wrote a book entitled: "Wake up, I'm fat!"

Well, Camryn is looking faboo these days. She must have lost 130 pounds at least and she attributes this, at the age of 50 ( !!!!!!!) to how much time she spends with her little boy of late, running around and riding bikes and walking their dog Flapjack whatever it is called. She says that the weight just dropped off in this healthy effortless fashion through the fulfilling miracle of childrearing.

Buying it?

Not me. I think she had weight loss surgery, is what I think.

It's none of my business and I don't care particularly what internal organs people get rid of or keep. It is, if this is case -- the lying. I would not even care if Camryn was lying -- my question is why would *anybody* lie about it? What's the mechanism of shame and secrecy that would keep a person from admitting that instead of following the US Dietary Guidelines Ensuring Almost Certain Disease and doing 700 useless squat thrusts a day they went to the doctor and got serious medical assistance?

Pondering this, I went on a tour of recent weight loss news and comments. Mo'Nique, whom I will adore for the rest of my natural life for going to a women's prison and doing a standup act called " I could have been your cellmate!" is rumored to have had a gastric bypass and the comments on that article are still smoldering with cybernapalm. I learned that WLS is "Deadly" and"Dangerous" and someone else said it was "plastic surgery" and for that reason somehow utterly despicable.

It's confounding. I mean nobody is going to die from a boob job but then again nobody is going to cure their heart disease, diabetes and back, knee and hip problems in an afternoon getting one either. Obesity is a medical problem but there are no doctors who can treat for it except surgeons. And here's the other thing -- if you're overweight, I hate to break it to you but *people know this*. It's not like you're keeping it from anyone. It's not like some well-marketed pant-cut is somehow making a hundred extra pounds of you invisible.

So why the buried body treatment? Why don't me and Camryn want to tell anybody what really happened?

For years I heard that one could easily drop all one's excess weight with a combination of diet and exercise. Except it's not true and there are studies to back this up. Medically? The only treatment our massive modern labyrinth can offer is this. I've had the same problem for twenty years and finally I took it.

Can't do nothing. Gotta do something. I still don't want to tell anybody I haven't told already but you know, eventually I think I will. It's not like you can hide the fact you actually look like a different person entirely, either.

Anyway. I keep wanting to write one day forward. I want day 24 to be day 25, I wanted day 18 to be day 19 and so forth. I want out of the woods. I want my stomach to calm down and stop acting like a crabby badger. I want restriction without feeling like the contents of the fridge are trying to murder me. But I had better energy today, got out to the park for a walk and noticed just operating the whole apparatus of my body seemed easier. My Cereal did not go down but a chocolate Protein Shake pepped me up and for dinner I got potato au gratin Soup and ate too much of it again. But this time it was in a cup and very liquid, so there was no sense that my organs in protest were actually trying to *leave*.

I know I'm thinner but I feel like I'm getting that deflated look people get at the front end of WLS. Ah well. It's not like the thirty pounds I was just carrying didn' make me look fat.

[Cmsumom 5]

Yep- just like Star Jones- she didnt say she had the surgery for a while- but thats what I think too-= that everyone is upset about the sagging skin- but what about the fat rolls that were hanging off of you before- were they better looking than what you are now- I don't know- but love your posts!

[meggiep 57]

The stigma has got to go.

There are even whispers that Jennifer Hudson had WLS but Weight Watchers is paying her to be their spokesperson anyway. I don't know about that but you are so right on as usual CW my dear- it is really bizarre the way WLS is held, generally, to be a hush hush whisper down low thing to be hidden. I think celebrities are happier and more willing to say they are addicted to painkillers and alcohol!

I actually am surprised about Camryn- I've always loved her and hate to think she would not be forthcoming. But the Hollywood fame factory is a powerful thing ...

Meggie rushes off to google newly skinny celebrities.....

[meggiep 57]

OMG- moving right along past Camryn (I couldn't even find info about her to help me decided....) what about John Goodman? WOW! There is no way you can tell me he did that with "diet and exercise" no way. Good for him!

[crosswind 134]

OMG- moving right along past Camryn (I couldn't even find info about her to help me decided....) what about John Goodman? WOW! There is no way you can tell me he did that with "diet and exercise" no way. Good for him!

. Just googled. He looks fantastic. He looks *well*. Roseanne did it, why not John?

Why not anyone?

It seems to me that beyond not wanting to admit your gut so outranks the rest of you that it is showing up to engagements without your knowledge, there has to be something about people not wanting to admit they were that overweight to begin with. And I bet they're all getting it. In like Thailand or something.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

What about Drew Carey? he's claiming the diet and exercise route too.

[groovearmada 14]

Have any celebs actually had the sleeve? Wouldnt it be good if someone high profile could educate about it?

[Don 5]

I realized exercise and diet was not the answer when I saw Oprah do her yo-yoing and I thought if she can't do it whit a personal trainer and a personal chef, what chance do us mere mortals have at losing the weight and keeping it off.

I was also on over 100 units a day of insulin, so that makes it harder yet. I am still having pain front and back, but I look in the mirror and look how little insulin ( 3 weeks out and using less that 10 units a day) I am using now and it is just fine!!!!!!

[Raine 170]

However they do it, however they achieve it is up to them. Its a personal journey and if you choose not to share it then so be it. That being said, about me, well, I am the mouth that roared LOL Everyone that knows me knows what I'm doing and I'm damn proud of it. For once in my life I am taking full responsibility for my life and health.

[SpiceyMom 0]

My husband doesn't want me to tell anyone. He can't even really articulate why that is. I wonder if it's just another manifestation of the idea that we are taking the easy way and not understanding that for us, it's the ONLY way. I wonder if the attitude of the general public would be different if it were widely known that only a tiny percentage of people can lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. I don't know...

[groovearmada 14]

Ive always wondered why oprah didnt have surgery. She has tried everything and has been very open about her struggle, people would not assume that she she has just taken the easy way out, they know she has tried everything!!

[crosswind 134]

Ive always wondered why oprah didnt have surgery. She has tried everything and has been very open about her struggle, people would not assume that she she has just taken the easy way out, they know she has tried everything!!

I've wondered that too. Stranger stil, Oprah is a lot of good things but also obviously obsessed with her looks. In fact I finally had the thought when she gained her weight back and said she was "ashamed" and did this whole confessional to the press -- Oprah, first of all you're a billionaire, you could live at at Elizabeth Arden if you wanted to. Second of all, truly, I've got a lot of stuff to do today, is it okay if I'm truly disintereted in how *you* look?

It's clear she's had massive amounts of plastic surgery. While I was taking the plunge for this surgery I tended to notice her quite a bit in the media -- her skincolor is different, she's had a serious eyelift if not a whole facelift and total body recontouring ( or so it seems to me) -- just not WLS.

I don't care really. It just seems weird to get all that other stuff done to yourself, just not *that*.

[Hawaii50 4]

It never even occured to me that Oprah has had *anything* done. Oh now my bubble is def busted! lol

[2bslimkim 11]

It may be my age (48) but I just haven't had any issues telling people what i've done.... I guess I frankly don't give a rats @$ what they think about it. My body, My life. Anyone who knows me knows i've been yo-yo dieting for years. So far, all I've heard is huge support and how fantastic I look.

My husband was so excited he told all his friends and i had no issues.... no different than any of them "buying their wifes/girlsfriends boob jobs..." sort of the male right of passage. He was very excited that I was going to try my best to get my old pre age 35 body back. We are starting to feel like we are dating again.... it's not only been great for my physical health but my overall mental well being.

Also, If I can help (by telling on person my story) save their health or lessen the stigma than I feel like I've made a difference. And in the end.... that's all its about. Making a difference. Not exactly as glamorous as a community garden or fund raising for breast cancer but we all have different callings and you never know who's life you may touch by sharing your story (struggles and successes).

[crosswind 134]

It may be my age (48) but I just haven't had any issues telling people what i've done.... I guess I frankly don't give a rats @$ what they think about it. My body, My life. Anyone who knows me knows i've been yo-yo dieting for years. So far, all I've heard is huge support and how fantastic I look.

My husband was so excited he told all his friends and i had no issues.... no different than any of them "buying their wifes/girlsfriends boob jobs..." sort of the male right of passage. He was very excited that I was going to try my best to get my old pre age 35 body back. We are starting to feel like we are dating again.... it's not only been great for my physical health but my overall mental well being.

Also, If I can help (by telling on person my story) save their health or lessen the stigma than I feel like I've made a difference. And in the end.... that's all its about. Making a difference. Not exactly as glamorous as a community garden or fund raising for breast cancer but we all have different callings and you never know who's life you may touch by sharing your story (struggles and successes).

. I'm 46. I keep thinking about my ex-husband -- the one who I was married to when I got to Mexicali but our divorce was finalized the day of my surgery. He was *such* an asshole to me about my weight. He used to fly into rages going -- " There's a RIGHT way to eat and a WRONG way to eat"

and I finally decided I couldn't live with him because he'd lose his mind if I ate an extra bagel.

We still talk a lot on the phone. I was actually talking to him in Mexicali and he didn't know I was there. I talked to him every day before and after surgery and he still doesn't know. I keep thinking about it because the game with him was actually to make me feel like shit about myself every single day of my life and if it wasn't being overweight it was going to be something else. He just needed to be superior, especially over his wife. Anyway, I keep being tempted to tell him but I think it would just be one more thing I did absolutely and totally wrong in his opinion. It's so weird that you care so much about what people who secretly hate you think. Like anything is going to change their mind about you.