Is weight loss surgery the easy way out?

Nothing angers a weight loss surgery patient more than hearing someone say that weight loss surgery is the easy way out. There is nothing easy about it. Consider the following:

• You have to go through rigorous physical and psychological testing to ensure that you're an appropriate candidate for surgery.
• You may have to fight with your insurance company so the surgery is covered.
• You may face complications from the surgery.
• You have to endure about four weeks of liquids and pureed foods — not fun!
• You have to learn a whole new way of eating — and there are consequences if you don't follow the rules. You may throw up, experience nausea, and get food stuck.
• As your system adjusts to the surgery, you may have a real problem with nausea.
• When you realize that you can no longer use food for comfort, you have to adjust psychologically and find new ways of coping.

We have to remember there are many environmental, societal, hormonal, physiological and genetic factors that come together to impact our weight. We as a society cannot be so naïve as to think behavior change alone will be a successful treatment. We have to be ready, willing and able to educate the pessimists regarding obesity prevention and treatment. We have to be willing to stand-up for ourselves and others. We have to be willing to educate those who think any treatment for obesity, including surgery, is an easy way out. After being a “fat” kid, teen and adult, my physician and I determined that bariatric surgery was the best course of treatment for me. I had bariatric surgery to treat a chronic, lifelong disease and I did not take the easy way out!!!