Governor Chris Christie and the Lap-Band

[Jim1967 3,569]

Some of the responses in this thread are down right saddening. Starting weight does not matter with the lapband if you're truly dedicated to making a lifestyle change. I am living proof of that and I will put my numbers up against any Sleever or Bypass patient. I mean no disrespect to anyone but what the hell difference does it make if he weighed 450 or 250? Weight loss is weight loss and it only matters in the end if you've adopted a lifestyle change. Without a true lifestyle change then any weight loss using any method is just temporary and prone to eventual failure.

Sure the Band takes more work and more patience but it is certainly just as effective as any surgery if you put the work in. Some people such as myself thrive on the extra work or extra attention the band may require. I have learned so much about myself in these last two years then I have the entire course of my 46 years.


Christie's 100lbs in the first year is incredibly successful given the fact a "typical" band patient needs to go through a series of adjustments before the band reaches its maximum potential.

In closing I will quote Dylan...."Don't criticize what you can't understand"

Edited February 25, 2014 by Jim1967

[gowalking 10,790]

I forgot to add something- you know they (members of congress & news media) knocked him for being obese and said that he wasn't healthy enough to be President. Don't you think that's discrimination? It doesn't matter what political affiliation you are - I would imagine a lot of us have had some discrimination because we are/were obese?

I personally think it's discrimination. Now I understand that every president has to submit to a health examination and he might have had some physical impairments due to obesity - I'm not sure. But I don't think it's right for so many people to bash him for being overweight. It makes my heart hurt when people do that to others! I am happy for him losing weight and for him making the decision to do that - I know that he has more to lose but 100 pounds is differently in the right direction!

Jamilyne--you have raised an important and essential point regarding obesity and societal prejudice. Yes, it is indeed discrimination to single out a fat person and imply, covertly or overtly, that they would not be capable of high job performance. (Unless that person is an Olympic athlete competing in a sport that requires slimness to perform.)

I have zero skin in this game politically speaking, but as an educational exercise, why don't we subtitute "African American", "Jewish," or "Hispanic" in this discourse and see how insane and non-sensical this line of thinking is? "Oh, he'd better lighten his skin, it's common knowledge that Blacks are lazy and we don't want a lazy President." "Oh, he'd better convert to Protestantism; everybody knows Jews are insular and will favor their own people." "Oh, his Hispanic origins will be a major obstacle in doing his Presidential duties so he's not a viable candidate."

THERE IS NO REASON WHY AN OBESE PERSON WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM WELL AS POTUS.

While there are many obese people who have obesity-related illnesses once the obesity catches up with them, there are also---and I'm sure we all know some of these--people who live long lives while also being obese. The fact Gov. Christie has a high BMI is not predictive that he will keel over while serving the country. I'll wager a bet that, with his daily agenda as it is currently, he's more active that many on this forum, and more active than the overall population, certainly the population sharing his BMI.

I agree very much with jamilyn about how inappropriate, indeed, hurtful many of the comments on this thread are. We are the last people who should be discriminating against the obese. We should have enormous empathy, and actually admiration, for someone as overweight as Gov. Christie who it out there doing public service.

I am certain that society's fat-discrimination held me back professionally when I was younger and not yet working in my chosen field. Now an academic at one of America's most prestigious public universities, I'm grateful that I work in a field where my colleagues are educated to a degree that they would never pre-suppose that because I [was] fat, I was stupid, lazy, doomed to die while on the job, or many of the other comments I'm reading on this thread and in the media regarding Christie. Had my hiring committee looked upon me as I'm seeing people look upon Gov. Christie, I would never be educating America's best and brightest and turning them out into the global marketplace with a heightened sensitivity to other cultures and lifeways. That includes people whose weight is aesthetically unpleasing, but whose minds are just as sharp and analytical as those with more-pleasing exteriors. I have over 25 years experience in my position, most of those years fat, and (to my knowledge) I never died while on the job.

Lastly, I hope very much that "Tikvah" will grow into his/her username (a Hebrew term which means "hope"), and that he/she will gain a kinder perspective for those whose paths differ from ours. We are all tied together here, despite our differing choices regarding our surgeries, and I sense that we all have vivid memories of a time or times where we were subject to fat discrimination. Let us be the Hope, Tikvah, that we carry a different message and that others will model us.

Well said.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

when is (losing) any weight a bad thing/failure

a loss is a loss .....

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

Although, I'm a hardheaded advocate for banning the lap band... To each his own. If the gov is fortunate to escape the deadly complications the band can cause and continues to have good eight loss good for him! Great job! I just don't see him losing much lately and I hope he hasn't learned to eat around the band like so may failures have done. I wish him luck and much success

[jamilyne 102668 1,207]

You know I'm sure it was a great thought to have all of the weight loss surgeries together on one site, but to be honest I'm tired of trying to defend myself on here! There is so much bashing it's ridiculous!

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

If you are insinuating that I am bashing anyone you are gravely mistaken. W I certainly don't recall Alex asking for just positive responses towards the lapband.

If comments tend to bother you or upset you, perhaps it's time for you to take a break from the forum or just not read a particular post.

[Madam Reverie 2,958]

This, is a non argument. The guy made a choice (we all did). The guy lost a bunch of weight (we all have). So, he's a politician. He still has bowel movements (like the rest of us. Sometimes). I shall now go back to sleep, save I feel the need to groan loudly, slip down in my chair in a state of dribbling unconsciousness to remain comatose until someone wakes me up with, well, the heady aroma of a slice of pizza or summink.

[Andrew0929 1,102]

I'm actually a big fan of Gov Christy and while I'm not crazy about the band I still give him credit for taking some action to deal with his obesity.

However, from the pictures I'm seeing it really doesn't look like he's dropped 100 pounds. He is a politician so maybe 100 is really 50 ...

[Bandarella 223]

You know I'm sure it was a great thought to have all of the weight loss surgeries together on one site, but to be honest I'm tired of trying to defend myself on here! There is so much bashing it's ridiculous!

I'm also not a fan of the band...

Is stating that considered bashing? If so, so be it. I lost 100 lb with my band, 70 following the food plan and 30 from the complications. Why would I endorse a product that harmed me?

[Bandarella 223]

SIJoe

Advanced Member

Posts: 35

Joined: Jul 2013

Gender: Male

Location: NEW YORK

Surgery: LAP-BAND

Surgery Date: Aug 2013

Starting Weight: 276 lbs

Weight Lost: 75 lbs

Current Weight: 201 lbs

Goal Weight: 185 lbs

BMI: 31.5

Posted February 23, 2014 - 10:33 AM

#21 This is what I meant to post:

It's a tad presumptuous to say that Christie is not on this forum. Anonymity is a valuable and significant part of this forum. Did you really think that he would his real name? Very few of us here use our full names. Some don't even have a photo. Anonymity gives us the security to be honest. Even if Christie does not participate, I'm sure there are others here who have struggled and continue to struggle with their weight. You are only two months post- op - you have a long road ahead - hopefully one filled with continued success and good health. But it's unfair to label anyone of us a failure because of your idea of weight loss.

Edited by SIJoe, February 23, 2014 - 10:41 AM.

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EXACTLY!!! .

This is why I will never post anything with my true ID on this type of site. Very well put, thank you!

[lisacaron 5,075]

You know I'm sure it was a great thought to have all of the weight loss surgeries together on one site, but to be honest I'm tired of trying to defend myself on here! There is so much bashing it's ridiculous!

What shocks and amazes me about this, is that EVERYONE on here is a former fatty. We are all WLS patients, we have all been overweight, obese and/or morbidly obese.

No matter what arena we have thrown our hat into be it bypass, sleeve, gastric band we should all be able to relate to each other on some level.

None of these surgeries were easy, none of them are the magic bullet they all take different levels of commitment and dedication to making a life style change.

Those who are against the band, are you trying to change the world one comment at a time? The gastric band is a surgical option it's out there it works for many, if not for you. If you have suffered because of it I am truly sorry, but you are OK because your here and your commenting so you survived your affair with the band.

There are those who have had WLS and can not say the same they died.

There are those who did not have a choice of which surgery to get, and could not afford to get any surgery and they died from their conditions.

We are a group that is here to support and advocate for people like ourselves, people who should be of like mind having been where we have been and gone through much of what we have gone through no matter what surgery modality we ended up with, no matter our starting or ending weights.

I could go on and on about sleeve patients and bypass patients that I know personally who have failed, and gotten gravely sick and have died, but you don't see me doing that or bashing those who have had these surgeries. I would gladly share what I know from those close family and friends to help anyone, but I would never bash someone or the idea of an intervention such as WLS that can literally save lives, and not just on a physiological level but on a mental and emotional one as well.

So be bariatric PALS and remember that you too are here and have a voice because of your journey, and rather then tearing another down, try being a support. Share your ideas and opinions but do so productively in a way that helps rather then in a way that discriminates, degrades or demoralizes and you might just change the world one comment at a time.

[Frederic 500]

I think he's doing well, but that might be because we're approx. the same height, we were approx. the same starting weight, had our same surgeries at approx. the same time, and have lost approx the same amount of weight.

Like me he may have chosen the band to reduce the need for cosmetic surgery if successful. When you're losing as much as we have to lose the idea of losing weight slower but steadily has some appeal in and of itself.

I doubt I'll ever get out of the obese category on the BMI but there are other metrics to aim for as a large framed man. I wouldn't be surprised if his goal like mine is a 38 inch waist since that's an even better metric for reduced heart risk than BMI.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Frederic

[Bandarella 223]

You know I'm sure it was a great thought to have all of the weight loss surgeries together on one site, but to be honest I'm tired of trying to defend myself on here! There is so much bashing it's ridiculous!

What shocks and amazes me about this, is that EVERYONE on here is a former fatty. We are all WLS patients, we have all been overweight, obese and/or morbidly obese.

No matter what arena we have thrown our hat into be it bypass, sleeve, gastric band we should all be able to relate to each other on some level.

None of these surgeries were easy, none of them are the magic bullet they all take different levels of commitment and dedication to making a life style change.

Those who are against the band, are you trying to change the world one comment at a time? The gastric band is a surgical option it's out there it works for many, if not for you. If you have suffered because of it I am truly sorry, but you are OK because your here and your commenting so you survived your affair with the band.

There are those who have had WLS and can not say the same they died.

There are those who did not have a choice of which surgery to get, and could not afford to get any surgery and they died from their conditions.

We are a group that is here to support and advocate for people like ourselves, people who should be of like mind having been where we have been and gone through much of what we have gone through no matter what surgery modality we ended up with, no matter our starting or ending weights.

I could go on and on about sleeve patients and bypass patients that I know personally who have failed, and gotten gravely sick and have died, but you don't see me doing that or bashing those who have had these surgeries. I would gladly share what I know from those close family and friends to help anyone, but I would never bash someone or the idea of an intervention such as WLS that can literally save lives, and not just on a physiological level but on a mental and emotional one as well.

So be bariatric PALS and remember that you too are here and have a voice because of your journey, and rather then tearing another down, try being a support. Share your ideas and opinions but do so productively in a way that helps rather then in a way that discriminates, degrades or demoralizes and you might just change the world one comment at a time.

Yes, I survived my band. That doesn't mean I survived with my quality of life intact. Why is it that it's ok to be pro xyz surgery, but not against it? This is a forum, a place to share ideas, stories and even our "negative" opinions. We're all adults...for heaven's sake! Even in a church, evil is discussed. It's time to open our minds and share experiences....like adults.

[Bandarella 223]

BTW, I had only one option and it turned out to be the wrong one for me.

[Tikvah 70]

If *I* would've started at 420 and only lost 100lbs (8 lbs/month) in a year, *I* would consider that a failure.

I like how everyone keeps missing my initial message that I meant that I would've considered that a failure to myself. Losing any weight is an achievement, but I've become jaded from TV shows like "My 600lb Life" where people that have no business getting surgery due to a lack of willingness to comply with a program get it done anyway.

For the person who can read Hebrew (and thus knew what my name meant):

התקווה היא לחיות חיים טובים יותר

Edited February 25, 2014 by Tikvah