Do you view someone's success differently if......

CricketWhiskers

When you see someone on MFP or in real life who has lost a lot of weight and you find out that they did it through gastric bypass, lapband or any other kind of surgical procedure does it affect how you view their success?

I've noticed that whenever I see someone who's lost 100+lbs I'm always really inspired until I see in their bio that they had surgery to achieve it and it kind of bums me out. I know surgery is only a tool and that the success really comes from the person themselves, and this isn't to say that I'm not happy for them, but it's just so much more inspiring for me to see people with huge weight loss numbers who did it through diet and exercise.

I know that in many cases its strictly for health reasons and to get the weight off as quickly as possible to help save a person's life but I still get that little "Oh wow! Look at what this person di.... oh.... surgery"

Do you view someone's success differently if you find out they lost weight through one of these methods?

MizTerry

Nope.
My opinion is whatever means it takes to reach your goal, go for it. I will not judge.

KittenTikka

Nope. Losing weight takes willpower, even with a gastric band. Gastric band + no willpower won't = weight-loss in the long-term

_DaniD_

I view it differently. Gastric bypass is something I can't relate to, so I don't really give it a second thought.

DontStopB_Leakin

I have a very good friend on here who had Gastric Bypass. I'm pretty sure she had to struggle, scream, and claw to lose her 100+ lbs just as much as I did, if not more.

Just because someone had surgery to help speed up the initial process, doesn't mean they don't deserve the same level of respect and praise as someone who lost a similar amount of weight without surgery.

_SpeshK_

I guess I can see where you're coming from, but honestly of the few people I know who have had the surgery they all went through very painstaking attempts at weight loss and for them surgery was their final option. I think, because of the "lazy" stigma that often comes with it, people feel embarrassed to mention they got surgery. But if you took a step to better yourself, I say thumbs up! Maybe it's not the most conventional. But it's of course terribly uncomfortable. And in order for it to truly stick, you have to develop the habits that the diet and exercise folks develop.

Long story short...to each his own.

cmcollins001

I have a very good friend on here who had Gastric Bypass. I'm pretty sure she had to struggle, scream, and claw to lose her 100+ lbs just as much as I did, if not more.

Just because someone had surgery to help speed up the initial process, doesn't mean they don't deserve the same level of respect and praise as someone who lost a similar amount of weight without surgery.

bcattoes

I don't think less of their efforts, if that's what you mean. But I do usually doubt their continued success more than those that did it at a slower pace. IMO, far too many doctors doing weight loss surgery fail to require their patients also deal with the psychological issues that caused them to get so big in the first place, as well as issues that can be caused by rapid weight loss.

SoViLicious

No... In the end they still have to work hard. Also the psychological battle is tough also.

MoreBean13

I see people's advice differently when they've had bariatric surgery, yes, particularly with regards to nutrition. They have a physically altered digestive system and their experience is not necessarily applicable to those who haven't had the surgery. I wish they would put a disclaimer in their nutritional advice so that people would know. It does not mean that their advice isn't worthwhile, because there are plenty of other folks with bariatric surgery looking for advice- I just wish they would clarify before saying things like "My doctor told me 700 calories a day is perfectly safe and I have to take XYZ vitamin supplements" that simply aren't applicable to everyone.

Just to be clear, I know bariatric surgery is not the 'easy way out' everyone thinks it is, but it DOES make the process radically different. I do not think they deserve any less respect than anyone else.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

No. My sister had gastric bypass, and she has kept the weight off for a few years now. She just recently started to lose more weight, having stabilized from the surgery at a weight that was higher than she wanted to be, and she struggles everyday with it.

Chelsrf

I have a very good friend on here who had Gastric Bypass. I'm pretty sure she had to struggle, scream, and claw to lose her 100+ lbs just as much as I did, if not more.

Just because someone had surgery to help speed up the initial process, doesn't mean they don't deserve the same level of respect and praise as someone who lost a similar amount of weight without surgery.

Thank you! I completely agree and being a sleeve patient myself I have first hand knowledge of this Because of the stigma behind the surgery being the "lazy" way out, people that have it a lot of times get the shrug off at their loss. What you don't see is that it is often more difficult. The diet and lifestyle that you have to live after surgery is stricter than anything a normal dieter would follow and if they want to keep it off they have to do it for life. We deal with plateaus just like everyone else, difference is we don't have as much freedom when it comes to "shaking" up our diets as everyone else does.

I know plenty of people that have had the surgery and haven't lost the weight or have gained it back. The surgery is a TOOL (I can't say that enough), it does not do it for you, you have to work just as hard with it as without it.

Please do not think less of their efforts.

yoovie

yes 100%.

I dont think of them as lesser than those who did it the hard way - but I do think that they missed out on what those who did it through hard work- gained.

getting fit the old fashioned way makes you mentally stronger, emotionally better able to cope with obstacles, you learn yourself better because you face fears head on and are constantly proving to yourself (without anyone on the outside being in your head with you) that you can tackle anything if you try hard enough - that you can evolve your body on your own, your life, your path, the direction you want to move forward in., making these things actually happen for yourself through hard work, to me, brings with it a strong sense of self that you just cant get without the patience and sweat of spending years cultivating a relationship with yourself.

my brain cant wrap itself around how you can gain all those same things while you're unconscious in surgery.

chocl8girl

Sure, if you are a judgmental type person that looks down upon anyone who doesn't do things the way YOU think is right, even though you know nothing about them or what they go through.

Oh, wait...

tammyj83

I suppose that doing anything other than diet and exercise, alone, can seem like cheating. On the other hand, enduring a surgical procedure can't be easy. In fact, I'd guess that you're more inspired when you see someone who lost it w/o surgery because, when you're searching for encouragement, you naturally want to believe that you, too, can be successful--w/o the pain and expense of surgery. Seriously, who among us WANTS to resort to that? I think we all agree that losing weight can be extremely difficult and seem literally impossible, at times. Observing and interacting with MFPer's can be inspirational and uplifting. It can also be frustrating and hurtful. But, it's always helpful to me because it urges me to make my health a priority.

n0ob

I just feel fortunate that I didn't have to do that myself, and it makes me feel blessed, but no real judgement towards them.

irjeffb

yes 100%.

I dont think of them as lesser than those who did it the hard way - but I do think that they missed out on what those who did it through hard work- gained.

getting fit the old fashioned way makes you mentally stronger, emotionally better able to cope with obstacles, you learn yourself better because you face fears head on and are constantly proving to yourself (without anyone on the outside being in your head with you) that you can tackle anything if you try hard enough - that you can evolve your body on your own, your life, your path, the direction you want to move forward in., making these things actually happen for yourself through hard work, to me, brings with it a strong sense of self that you just cant get without the patience and sweat of spending years cultivating a relationship with yourself.

my brain cant wrap itself around how you can gain all those same things while you're unconscious in surgery.

I agree, but would not have said it as eloquently as this.

sunsnstatheart

I become very judgmental and tell them they cheated. Isn't it exactly like taking steroids for building muscle? Well that, and I try to insult their religion while I'm at it.

IntoTheSky

No, I really don't. They have to learn too, just in a different way. They have to work too, just in a different way. They have to eat tiny amounts of food WHILE learning how to eat properly and it is SO hard to keep it off, and they have a different set of obstacles, that are no easier to overcome.

jofjltncb6

Right or wrong, yeah, I view it differently. Not to say that WLS doesn't take hard work and commitment and all that stuff, but it's still different.

I'm not judging either way, but to say that there is no difference seems disingenuous to me.

brevislux

I think sometimes it's the only option.