[Medusa]

Oh girl - Don't EVEN get me started on weight loss surgery! (Too late!)

I want to make it clear that what I'm about to post is not a judgment on anyone who has had WLS (weight loss surgery) but is more about my personal process around WLS.

I have been fat for a long time. Maybe about 15 years now. I'll be 35 in September and did not start gaining significant weight until I was 20. And when I say significant, I mean going from 150 pounds to 250 in the space of a few years. I am now 299 after hitting my highest weight of 335.

Never in all of that time of being fat, fatter, fattest did I ever consider getting my stomach stapled or lapband.
Here's why: It would feel to me like conceding to the "be thin at any cost" bullshit that is fed to us by the media and I am NOT willing to cut my body open so that someone else won't be offended by my fat ass. I am not willing to reroute my organs so that I can "get a date". I am not willing to lose my hair. have nurtrition issues, or throw up and have diarrhea for MONTHS because of a surgery that would be unncessary for me.Why? Because I can do this shit myself.

Again, I understand that this is a personal journey for each of us and that some folks have the surgery as a last resort or to increase mobility or because that is what will work for them.

I have had a family member (someone I don't have a super good relationship with) offer to pay half of the price of the surgery if I would have it. I was offended and still am. This person has always been embarassed of my weight and was obviously willing to spend $15k to make the "problem of Angie's fat ass" go away.
I respectfully declined the offer and instructed them never to approach me with it again.

I have also had several people that I have worked with over the years make comments like "If you'd have that surgery, you'd be so pretty!" or "it would be so much easier if you would have that surgery!"

My response to that has always been "I don't need surgery to be beautiful, I'm a knock-out sassyass NOW" and "It would not be "easier" to have surgery, my body would be cut open and I'd gain it all back".

I have witnessed coworkers and several friends go through different forms of WLS and some have lost significant amounts of weight. Without fail, *all* of them have lost varying amounts of hair (some permanently), have thrown up for months on end, have had diarrhea for months on end, have had vitamin absorbtion issues, and have developed different blood issues like anemia.

Some have lost over 100 pounds, some have only lost 30. All but one of the people that I personally know have gained either a portion or ALL of the weight back. (out of 12 different people)

Much like Tonya, I have witnessed folks who have had the surgery and have continued to eat junk food and drink sodas. That would have been me if I had the surgery. It would have been a temporary band-aid to me. I know myself well enough to know that losing or gaining weight is only a symptom of the bigger issue.

Let's say someone was allergic to rice and every time they ate it, a finger fell off. If I were a Doctor, I would not scratch my head and go "Hmmmm, we need to do something about that finger!", I would get to the root of the issue, the rice allergy, and treat THAT.

That is what I am personally doing right now. I am treating the issue and not the symptom. I am glad to be doing it with all of you.