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

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?

No. Everyone has to do this the way that works for them. One of my close friends had gastric bypass about 2 years ago and it was probably the best decision she's made in her life. It was the right choice for her situation and health, and she is one of the hardest-working, most inspirational people in my life.

I look at them with a little jealousy because they either:

A) had a better health plan than me that covered it

or

have more money than me and can afford it

in the case of my friend who had weight loss surgery:

C) work a 2nd job for over a year in order to afford it because even though she was 150+ pounds overweight, her insurance did not cover enough of it for her to do without getting a parttime job.

Okay, so it's not cheating...

...but it's still different.

Yes, much the same way that having a baby via C-section is different. The recovery is especially different, I'm told. But at the end of the day, both mothers have babies, and the work certainly doesn't end there.

Good analogy.

Yes Jof...as someone that had the surgery I would (and I have if you look at my post earlier) say that it's different.

just a different road, a different path to the same end point.

The analogy above is very good because it's exactly how I feel.

I had a VBAC with my daughter, many people have a Ceasarian...I do NOT feel in anyway that they cheated or are lesser for what they ended up doing to have their kids. its just a different experience is all.

Different is ok.

But using different to make one morally superior and the other morally inferior...that...i have a problem with.

No, it doesn't. It stretches some, otherwise you would starve, but it does not go back to presurgery size.

No, it is their body and they have every right to do what they think is right for it.
Just like I have every right to do whatever I'd like to my body.

I don't, because I know people who have had weight loss surgery and I know it is not an easy way out. Even with the surgery you can still gain weight and be overweight, not to mention it severely limits what you can eat. They have to be hyper aware of what they eat, and have to work out just like everyone else. It is by no means a quick fix.

Then why have it? That's why I think it's stupid. Why waste all that money if you're going to have to watch what you eat and work out anyway and could still gain it back?

Nope. I know 2 people who've had it. Once lost 75+ lbs and is maintaining nicely and really getting fit. The other has gained weight I think, drinks alcohol too much and doesn't eat healthy. She can only eat a little bit but drinks up a storm (which defeats the purpose I think). She wants to lose, but doesn't want to make the changes needed.

So for a person with the lap band, or gastric bypass, all the more power to them in achieving goals.

I don't, because I know people who have had weight loss surgery and I know it is not an easy way out. Even with the surgery you can still gain weight and be overweight, not to mention it severely limits what you can eat. They have to be hyper aware of what they eat, and have to work out just like everyone else. It is by no means a quick fix.

Then why have it? That's why I think it's stupid. Why waste all that money if you're going to have to watch what you eat and work out anyway and could still gain it back?

You need to get past your tunnel vision and stop thinking you have all the answers. If you (or anyone else) had all the answers, you wouldn't be here. And your profile says you are new so ... Maybe you don't know.

I'm not trying to be mean here but you seem to have this idea this is all so easy, and it isn't. If losing weight were easy, everyone would be thin. Or they wouldn't start and stop 100,000,000 times.

^Agreed.

I try to not have a problem with it, Because I know how hard it is to lose any amount of weight. But I do have a problem with it, for this one reason: Before they allow the person to have WLS, they always make them lose a certain amount of weight, And they do it , so if they can do it for the WLS, why can't they just keep doing it ?? That is what I have a problem with. They can do it without the WLS. They just choose not to. It just takes a LONG time to lose weight, and anyone who is a candidate for WLS has a good amount of weight to lose, meaning it is going to take a long time, which is very hard for alot of people to wrap their head around, I understand that, no one more than me understands that.

And you have to fix your head , You have to address why you eat so much, or else you will not have long term success. there is no way around that one.

So as much as I try not to have a problem with it, I am ashamed to admit I do.

And in case anyone wonders how I lost my weight, I did it with MFP. counting, logging , every darn calorie I put in my mouth for 2 years, and I worked my *kitten* off, 10 hours a week at the gym. Alot of hard work, A lot of sweat, and alot of tears went into those 2 years. And I am very proud of myself for the person I have become. :flowerforyou:

No, it doesn't. It stretches some, otherwise you would starve, but it does not go back to presurgery size.

Omg. I had the surgery 8 years ago. I'm sorry that I don't care what the doctors tell you. (mine told me a lot of crap that wasn't true, like I could never drink alcohol, eat bread, etc...) My stomach is totally it's normal size now. Just a month ago, I probably could have eaten 4 slices of pizza and a whole bag of chips without so much as a tummy ache. Every bit of research says it only stretches to hold 1 cup of food. Well guess what? It's no pizza or chips but I just ate 2 cups of soups and some fruit. I still remember all the horror stories I was told before I left. Ex: A woman tried to eat a steak and the little piece she cut wouldn't fit through her pouch and she had to have surgery to remove it. I'm pretty sure the doctors have good intentions, but a lot is just to convince you to never eat too much food.

I have a close friend who has had weight loss surgery. She lost a significant amount of weight, but since she's a gaming addict, she got stuck because she never changed her habits. She has gained and lost 10 or 20 or so pounds for a couple years now, she never made exercise a habit, and she also never made it to 'one derland'. To all those people who say 'they lost weight before the surgery, why didn't they keep doing it till goal'? I asked her the same question. Apparently the diet you are on pre surgery is VERY similar to the post surgery diet, caloric intakes in the 4-600 calorie range, no more then half a cup of food at a time. ie: very unsustainable long term.

I myself could never have the surgery. It seems so barbaric, cutting out a piece of a system that's so VITAL to your health and survival. We are just finding out that a large part of our nervous system is in our digestive tracts (the parasympathetic system I believe, almost a second brain) and it also contains a large portion of our immune system. The old adage that you are what you eat is completely true.

What I didn't agree with was when I expressed my concerns to her, and told her my point of view, she flat out said to me 'well you will never succeed on a diet, you have been fat for so long, you will continue to be grossly obese and your body will never be where you want it to be. Then when you are 45 and completely miserable because you are so disgustingly fat, maybe then you will see that weight loss surgery is the only effective way to actually lose weight and keep it off and stop with this silly diet stuff'.

:noway: :frown: :sad: :grumble:

So many great responses from both sides!

I made it a point not to say "Judge" in my OP and I was surprised so many people were throwing that word around. When I said I 'view' someone's success differently if they've had weight loss surgery, I never implied that it was cheating or that they deserved their success any less because of it. To my personal frame of reference I find it more inspiring to see people succeeding in getting fit and healthy through diet and exercise alone, in other words the way that I've chosen to do it. Just as I'm sure people who have lost weight with the help of tools like WLS like to see people who have had similar procedures go on and succeed with their fitness goals.

Although you didn't say "judge", isn't that what you did? And I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing. (My own contributions to this topic were mostly consistent with yours.) But when you make a distinction between different methods of attaining a goal, aren't you judging those methods? It doesn't have to be malicious, or even intentional, but it is still judgment. People consistently throw around the word "judging" as if it is always a bad thing.

(I'll admit, I haven't taken the time to actually look up the definition of the word, so I could be completely wrong here.)

Yes and no. Kudos to them to doing whatever it takes to lose their weight, and I am happy for them. However, I have a lot more admiration and respect for people who have lost a similar amount of weight through non surgical means.

I feel the same and I apologize to anyone for whom that's offensive. I'm sure it's because I'm trying to do this with only diet and exercise and am looking for motivators and success stories that I can relate to. I have a friend who just had it done and I will admit that I'm a bit jealous of her initial weight loss. Last year, I screamed and clawed and counted every calorie and worked my bum off for hours on end to lose 49lbs (the holidays got me and I gained some back). She had the surgery and lost 40lbs within 8 weeks, so yeah, my jealousy radar went off and it did make me mad. I'm human. But, I am proud of her for taking the steps to improve her life. I just know that it's not the right path for me and so I will look for my inspiration in people who are losing weight the way that I am choosing to lose weight.

I don't, because I know people who have had weight loss surgery and I know it is not an easy way out. Even with the surgery you can still gain weight and be overweight, not to mention it severely limits what you can eat. They have to be hyper aware of what they eat, and have to work out just like everyone else. It is by no means a quick fix.

Then why have it? That's why I think it's stupid. Why waste all that money if you're going to have to watch what you eat and work out anyway and could still gain it back?

You need to get past your tunnel vision and stop thinking you have all the answers. If you (or anyone else) had all the answers, you wouldn't be here. And your profile says you are new so ... Maybe you don't know.

I'm not trying to be mean here but you seem to have this idea this is all so easy, and it isn't. If losing weight were easy, everyone would be thin. Or they wouldn't start and stop 100,000,000 times.

I'm not new. I've been on MFP since July. I created a new profile. See my ticker? I didn't lose that weight in two weeks.