Personally I don't, I was reading a magazine the other day and there was a thing about a woman how she'd struggled all her life with her weight and she was shopping one day when the woman next to her asked what the diet bar she had in her hand tasted like and also went on to say " I havent been able to eat anything like that since my weight loss surgery" Needless to say this woman looked it up and quoted from her own words "was booked into surgery a month later"

I absolutely hate these stories, I don't think that any one no matter what should gain money from there weight loss surgery in the form of a story like that it just makes it come across as if the surgery was something she decided to do because she couldnt of been bothered to get off her bum. I know I sound pretty rude about this and everything but this story really annoyed the crap out of me and then they post it in this magazine and the chick gets $500 just for her story. I don't think it's fair at all.

Also one more thing that annoys me if the fact at all that there are ads for weight loss surgery if anyone knows what I mean. I saw an ad for weightlosssurgery.com.au and its just wrong how they advertise it, they way they do it's like there advertising a new food that any one and everyone can get. So what are your views on this? Do you think its wrong that people are benefitting money from this?

On the other hand if people are informing others to actually help them in a decision such as weight loss surgery I dont think that its AS bad, I think that if they aren't benefiting from the story and have no alterior motive other than helping those that are in serious medical distress then it isnt as bad.

Another thing I couldnt find the exact article but on the website where it says attend an information seminar the woman in the black guess shirt is the one that benfitted from the story

http://www.weightlosssurgery.com.au/

Edited May 26, 200818 yr by Sarah.R
Added something

I personally feel like so few people are educated on WLS that getting any information out there is a start. Of course they're going to glamourize it but thye fact of the matter is that when someone REALLY looks into it, their surgeon's office will de-glamourize it for them. It IS hard, we know that because we've done it. I do understand some of your frustration...I hate that those adds can make it appear that *poof* you have surgery and three weeks later you're laying on a beach in a bikini and weighing 120lbs!!

Well the magazine is designed to make money... so if that was a cover story that could boost the sales of the magazine for that month.. so where as they might only sell 10,000 magazines in a month but because everyone is focused on weight loss exp during the summer months.. that will boost sales to possiably about 30,000 sales so that is a jump by 20,000 she is making the magazine co. money by them publishing her story i feel she should have gotten a little more... IMO i dont think there is anything wrong with that....

I shelled out $17,000 to have my surgery, if I can make some of that back by sharing my experience's with others I see nothing wrong with that! $500 could buy me some new clothes in a smaller size, which I can't afford b/c I'm paying off my surgery lol!

Nah that doesn't bother me so much, I am self pay too and if I can get some back great! LOL But what sortta did bug me was the lapband TV commercial, also playable at www.lapband.com. It shows various overweight people saying at the beginning about the benefits if they lost the weight then at the end, "I'm ready" and they are referring to having the band. I just found out that one of those gals is the sister of a friend of a friend. here I thought somewhat naively I guess, that these folks actually were going to have the surgery. Nope just paid actors. I asked this gal if she was going to get it and she said no because then she would lose her niche as an overweight actress and that she could probably get the surgery for free for having done the commercial. It just seemed dishonest to me. But I guess deep down, I know that in most commercials this is the case, the people in them aren't actual product users, just actors pitching a product. Heck I'd do the commercial if I could get my surgery paid for!

If a magazine pays people for their stories, I don't see why WLS stories should be exempt from payment.

I would be seriously annoyed to find out actors were paid when there are so many REAL people who can express themselves just as well and use the money. I don't have a problem with getting paid for your story. There are plenty of places to find peoples stories for free, like here, so it's very optional whether you buy the magazine. If it helps shed light on the band, it might help a lot of people, and make more places in the US do the surgery. I find it more disturbing that people have to go to Mexico and spend so much money there.

We live in a capitalist society...people work and get paid for it. Furthermore, something is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. Obese people very rarely get positive press. In fact, I feel marginalized because of my weight all the time. If someone wants to use their talent to write an article that articulates what it's like to struggle to be healthy and fit then they should be reimbursed for it. You should get pissed that people get paid triple that to right a 500 article degrading "fat" people.

No Thats Silly...

I wouldn't mind talking at the Doctor's seminar once a month if I can get 1-2 free fills out of it a year...(I'm a cash patient. so every little bit helps!)

I wouldn't mind talking at the Doctor's seminar once a month if I can get 1-2 free fills out of it a year...(I'm a cash patient. so every little bit helps!)

I definetly agree with you on that part I mean if you are a self pay and your doctor has asked for you to talk to others considering the surgery I think that's an absolutely great way to gain something back.

I'm a total capitalist at heart. If someone wants to pay me for my story, then I'm TOTALLY selling it.

Royalties are there for a reason.

I'm also not one to fall for ANY weight loss ad, lap band or not. Advertising is advertising. My best friend was in an infomercial for a Body by Jake piece of exercise equipment (they make a lot of infomercials in San Diego for some reason). Her before picture? 8 months pregnant. Yup. Not fat at all . . . just pregnant as can be. Advertisements are lame. Viewer beware.

The advertising bothers me only because weight loss surgery has become such a huge industry. I like my doctor but I was just one among many that get the operation on a monthy basis.

It's pretty evident that many people are not prepared for the surgery. All you have to do to know that is to read this message board for a while.

I'd like to see standardized diets, a six month prep period (yep it would have driven me nuts, but I would have done it) that would include nutrition training, counseling, and exercise programs. It would be great to see people coming out of surgery all prepped and ready for their recovery period.

I would like the doctor and not the insurance company decide if the surgery is necessary for a patient.

The success rate might rise if they did all those things.

Just my two cents worth.

I totally agree with you that there should be a standardized Pre-Op for all the would-be banders. ^_____^

Many of the girls that work in my clinics office have had wls and so speak from experience, was a big selling point for me, seeing was believing!

It's not a question of "will it work" or not. When people post on here that they are weeping because they can't have a soft drink, or that they want the foreign object out of their body right this second, I doubt if they are ready to have the lap band installed. I think that a longer preparation period and working on food related issues prior to banding would make the journey easier, and possibly more successful.

Just my opinion.