My friend and I were just talking about "the easy way out."

1. We know it's not easy.

2. Even if it were-- would you tell a heart patient a bypass was the easy way out?

3. It means they're jealous. Why? Because they wish they were able to take off weight so fast. So they blame because they're angry you can do it and they still have to suffer. Nice.

Maybe it's human nature though. You don't know until you walk in someone else's shoes.

People like to have opinions about things they know very little about. This is true of the general public, which includes our friends, coworkers, family members, and maybe even ourselves. How many years have we all suffered being obese because we had our own stigma about having surgery? I know I'm guilty of that, and as a result I've wasted years of my life that I'll never get back.

This surgery isn't something you do for anyone else. It's something you are doing for YOU - and that's the only opinion that matters. Be smart and make informed decisions and you'll always be a success.

Good luck to you! Weight loss is not easy - no matter what road you take!

True dat! Good luck to you too!

Anyone who says you took the easy way out obviously knows nothing about this procedure. The easy way out would have been just giving up and accepting we were fat. I watched my mom do this last October and it gave me new respect for the woman. You have to watch Proteins, carbs, fats, your meds, your Calcium, your Vitamins, your liquids... Seriously, how is that easy? Plus, the actual fact that they all but TAKE YOUR STOMACH OUT.

When I hear people say I took the easy way out (and so far no unsuspecting soul has) I'm going to tell them that they don't have a clue as to what they're talking about and my mama told me better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool that to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

I don't see this as the easy way out because I have been trying to lose weight for most of my life, and I could not make anything else work. Tell them this is a tool to control your weight and get back your life.

To me, the only "easy" part of this is that there is no "way out" of eating less. How many times have we (me) started a diet and then a week or two, maybe even a month, later... we go back to our normal way of eating. After the surgery, it is physically impossible to eat as much as you used to.

And that's a good thing.

Ok--to be the devil's advocate.......Why is that a bad thing? If there is an "easy way" out of a health issue that plagues a third of Americans.....Great. Doesn't have to be hard to be good. I would answer a person saying, "I can't believe you took the easy way out." with "I can't believe you wouldn't if it were available to you--about anything."

Ok--to be the devil's advocate.......Why is that a bad thing? If there is an "easy way" out of a health issue that plagues a third of Americans.....Great. Doesn't have to be hard to be good. I would answer a person saying, "I can't believe you took the easy way out." with "I can't believe you wouldn't if it were available to you--about anything."

Exactly. That's why I was basically thinking there's an ulterior motive for saying it.

For some reason everyone else with a DISEASE is allowed to cure it- but us. Such prejudice.

P.S. No one has said it to me-- I was speaking hypothetically since it's something we all heard of or thought at some point.

Exactly. That's why I was basically thinking there's an ulterior motive for saying it.

For some reason everyone else with a DISEASE is allowed to cure it- but us. Such prejudice.

P.S. No one has said it to me-- I was speaking hypothetically since it's something we all heard of or thought at some point.

No one has said it to me.....rather I have had lots of people ask about my experience and ask if I would recommend it. I have had a rough time, so I am not really a good poster child, but I have told them that I think I will be happy in about 6 months. I think it is ridiculous to begrudge someone an "easy way out."

Good point, Tex!

I can't believe people think it's their business to say. When someone tells me they're divorced, I don't tell them "Oh, you took the easy way out, huh?" lol

It's all born out of the fact that most people still believe that diet and exercise are all it takes. Most people have lost 10 or 20 pounds at some point in their life using this method. They don't realize that if you're trying to lose 100 pounds or more, there is a very slim chance that it will work the same way. We all know that losing that first 20 pounds is easy. Then suddenly your body puts a stop to the weight loss. It's not just will power, your body puts up a fight to maintain the weight. And if you do lose the weight, it's even tougher to keep it off.

Buck up! Have some willpower!