Why is it that when people hear that someone who was destroying their body through obesity has lost 100+ pounds with the help of surgery, some will call that a "cop out" or the "easy way out".....

But when someone who is destroying their life through alcohol abuse and gets help through an intensive, in-patient recovery program with medical professionals....how come that's perfectly okay, even laudable?

Why is getting serious medical intervention for obesity treated like something to be ashamed of, when we applaud those who take similar intense intervention to drug or alcohol addictions?

Aren't we all just trying to save our lives ?

Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Edited May 29, 201610 yr by gina171

I personally feel being overweight and eating to excess is harder than kicking drugs because you need food. You have to eat to survive. Drugs and alcohol you dont.

But overweight people are always the easiest targets to attack because you cant hide weight. You can hide drinking, smoking and drugs while walking down the street, but being fat youre screwed.

Sent from my SM-G930P using the BariatricPal App

That sounds logical to me. But many people are illogical.

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of it has to do with insurance. I do also realize that food addiction is a real thing however no one's going to have a seizure because they didn't get their Ben & Jerry's. Where is a hard-core alcoholic going through withdrawal could have life-threatening seizures. So the physical dependence on drugs and alcohol does make medical rehab a little more necessary.

I too used to think that weight loss surgery was taking the easy way out. Now that I'm going through it I think it is anything but an easy way out.

Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App

The alcoholic has a sort of sympathy from society, their addicted, poor thing they can't help it... Obese people have a problem relationship with food, I'll go as far as to say we addicted to it much like the alcoholic is addict to alcohol... The obese person is viewed by society as the person who can't stop eating and does not exercise.... The cure for alcoholism isn't surgery, obese gets a surgery to help with it... People can't connect those dots, no matter how much you explain..

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Edited May 29, 201610 yr by nyteacher125

Fat = lazy slob

Drig and alcohol = poor thing probably had a rough life and needs help.

Nobody cares why someone is overweight because you're just lazy. Even with studies showing sugar is even more addicting than some drugs.

Sent from my SM-G930P using the BariatricPal App

I've heard that plenty too. Those who think this is the easy way out know absolutely nothing about the process of having WLS and the effort it takes to move on afterwards.

Let them think what they want. They are chumps to make a comment like that anyway.

It comes from a lack of education around obesity. They have no idea that obesity is actually a metabolic disease. And some diseases require surgery. Yes, some people can be successful losing weight and keeping it off through diet and exercise but I believe the long term success is less than 5% where as someone who has gone through WLS has a better than 30% chance of long term success.

Let's face it most of did not know that until we started doing our research and meeting with Bariatric specialists.

We live in a beauty focused society, the real reasons for obesity are never going to go main stream... Can you imagine how many companies would go out of business if people were educated about obesity?... It's in the best interest of the dieting industry to convince people their obesity is their own fault, if you

drink our shake or take our pill that will all change... We all know when they don't work we go chasing and spending money on the next new fad that is going to work...

I feel this is why society is never going to become educated about this.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Society loves to kick people around. It's no longer politically correct to make fun of blind or mentally handicapped people or drug addicts or alcoholics, but no one is championing or calling foul for fat people being made fun of. Fat people are the last acceptable(according to our society anyway) people to bully, mock, shame, abuse, and ridicule despite the fact most of us did not choose to be obese any more than someone chooses to have any crippling or debilitating disease. It doesn't help than many in the medical community are still trying to perpetuate the idea that we all are just lazy and eat too much and if we just went on a diet would lose the weight, but don't because we are lazy and lack willpower. Until those misconceptions are finally taken out of the medical community and the fact that obesity is a life long disease we must battle and surgery can help us battle, then I don't see this ever going away. It's just too fun for people to kick the fat guy afterall "he did it to himself" unlike the alcoholic or the drug addict who had no choice in the matter at all! [emoji849]

There are so many more stereotypes about overweight people besides being lazy and taking the perceived "easy way out" with bariatric surgery.

People think we are poor. Gina Rinehart of Australia, who owns a mineral exploration company, is the richest woman in the world. It looks like from her pictures that she may weigh around 300 pounds, more or less.

People think we are stupid. Obviously, none of her fat-shaming critics are as smart as she is, or they would be as rich as she is. As for our critics, they don't count our street-smarts, life experiences and common sense either. My Grandfather was a farmer, but what he knew about agricultural science, meteorology, and animal husbandry would put any smarty pants to shame in a debate about those subjects. He was obese.

People think we are lazy. Grandpa got up before dawn to milk the cows and he was busy until time to go to bed, never wasting a moment of daylight. I have a college degree which I got at the age of 58. I have worked too hard all of my life and finally worked myself into a stroke on the job. Anyone who wants to call me lazy can meet my fist.

People think we are dirty and have poor hygiene. Well, excuuuuuuse me. I shower every day and keep my house clean enough that you can at least see where the furniture is when you come in the door.

People think we are ignorant about nutrition. I dare say that most of us have fought our weight and dieted so much that we are experts on nutrition. But when Pepsi is cheaper than milk and Twinkies are cheaper than produce, it is easy to bring poor choices home. I believe that for the most part, our obesity has been due to: 1) our family environment and what we were fed growing up 2) obesogenic medications 3) medical conditions such as PCOS or thyroid disturbances, and then 4) portion distortion, clean your plate syndrome, and drive-through-itis, which is a chronic addiction perpetuated by fast food restaurants through the use of salt, grease, and sugar. The first three listed ingredients in their fries are potatoes, oil, dextrose (which is sugar).

I asked my dad one time when I was little about why is it that most poor people are fat instead of skinny. He explained that the cheapest foods are potatoes, Pasta, and rice and that the more nutritious foods are often too expensive for them. Personally, I grew up on Kraft mac and cheese, hot dogs, and Pop-Tarts. My whole family is obese.

There definitley is a double standard when it comes to obesity. Given the odds stacked against us, I think bariatric surgery is the smartest way to go. Haters are just ignorant of the facts.

It's a human inclination (not saying it's a good one, but an inclination) to want to look down on others. We're hard-wired to create and live in pecking orders.

FTR, some comments in this thread reflect an inclination to look down on those who are alcoholics and drug addicts.

Wow. I'm just starting the process to get the surgery (just got my referral to the surgeons from my primary care doctor). And already I'm getting the "do you even know how risky that surgery is? Have you tried weight watchers? Have you exercised? Have you.....? Have you....? That hunger is all in your head!" Blah, blah, blah.

I know my family and friends mean well, but sheesh! Nothing else has worked yet to keep this weight off! I'm already to the point that I'm not going to say anything about my decision to anyone else. I'm just going to do it, and when thin people ask how I lost the weight, I'll tell them "I don't know....it just magically came off" lol!

Me lazy? I work myself to oblivion. 2 days ago, I worked 15 hours JUST at work (not including my home chores). Yesterday, I started work at 3pm, and worked until 6am this morning. Then I slept until 2pm....an hour ago. I've been working 2-3 jobs for years.....AND went to school full time for 1.5 years until last December. Go ahead....call me lazy again!

MissMac.....you pinned it EXACTLY!!!! Well said my friend

Edited May 30, 201610 yr by HorseChik

some will call that a "cop out" or the "easy way out".....

Aren't we all just trying to save our lives ?

The way I see it, these are people that generally dislike medical intervention and surgeries, or they resent that someone was able to achieve weight loss and they couldn't. America in general has gained weight to the point where normal weight has turned into skinny and overweight is now normal. Even American clothing sizes have changed to make people feel better about the size listed on the tag.

Next time just smile and say, "Yeah! Surgery was so easy! I had keep regular appointments with my RD & MD to make sure I stuck to a new healthier lifestyle--including exercise, making smart food choices, keep a diary, take daily supplements--and will continue to make appointments until I'm dead or broke."