When I see a seriously overweight young woman, I have this overwhelming urge...

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I want to approach her and hand her literature on the benefits of WLS. I want to urge her to drop that doughnut. those fries, that frappaccino and start a lowcarb/high Protein diet NOW NOW NOW while she still has good knees, a strong back, a great metabolism. I want to tell her to get that weight off NOW so she can spend her 20s and 30s looking great in the latest fashions, enjoy shopping at ANY store, maintain her healthy heart.

But I won't and it kills me. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

I have two girls in high school and I just see teens getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I remember when I was "curvier" than most of the girls in my high school and I was a size 2! I wasn't fat by any means, but most of the girls had stick arms and legs, no boobs, no hips. Now these girls have big bums, huge boobs, muffin tops that make Dunkin Donuts jealous. There used to be 5 or 6 heavier teens in a grade, now about 40% of them are in the overweight range if not almost obese.

I am not saying WLS is the answer for teens, but I am wondering when we are going to get it together and teach our children good nutrition NOW so they don't suffer with obesity later. I seriously worry about the future of our kids' health.

[esskay77 785]

I know, right? I even have friends that need/want to lose weight but don't know how to get started. They know I have had surgery but they are against the idea. I brought it up once and won't do it again. They weren't offended but made it clear that they won't do it. But it's hard to not say anything! I know that it took me quite a while to get there to accept that this was an option that I would consider. My b-i-l had the surgery and I thought it was ridiculous! But he looks great and feels great. It wasn't until my sister decided to get the surgery that my sibling rivalry kicked in and I decided to do it, too! lol. So childish but I'm so glad!!! But, I don't know what else would have convinced me this was the approach I wanted to take to lose weight. I guess from all the shows on TV (Biggest Loser, Dr. Oz, etc.) where the doctors on there are saying not to do this surgery. I bought into it.

As far as the younger girls, you are right. There was always 1 or 2 people that were heavier back then but now a lot of them are. The food in their cafeterias have gotten worse and promote weight gain. I don't know how to make change but I'm sure it can happen somehow.

[stephh 634]

Maybe you should hand out literature. I'm 26 years old, and wish someone would have told me "it's ok to think about/have weight loss surgery" when I was 20. My 20 year old self would have thanked you.

[mrs kaje 347]

The girl I work with is a bit overweight - about twice a day I hear a chip or chocolate packet rustling behind me and then comes the crunching. I feel like saying to her, "Stop it right now unless you want to end up like me!".

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Maybe you should hand out literature. I'm 26 years old, and wish someone would have told me "it's ok to think about/have weight loss surgery" when I was 20. My 20 year old self would have thanked you.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

I can't imagine the blow to one's self esteem that would be if a perfect stranger handed you such literature. (You being general/plural.) It's not as if these young women don't KNOW they are fat. It's not as if they don't KNOW they are making bad choices. It's not as if they know ME or know my intentions.

Nope. For me that's a big nope.

[woo woo 872]

I guess from all the shows on TV (Biggest Loser, Dr. Oz, etc.) where the doctors on there are saying not to do this surgery. I bought into it.

I'm not a fan, but to be fair I have seen Dr Oz praise surgery as an option for obesity treatment on his show where he featured the sleeve.

Lisa Lampinelli and her husband at the time were guests on the show (both had sleeve procedures).

Edited March 24, 2015 by woo woo

[gowalking 10,790]

If anyone had suggested WLS to me other than my doctor, I would have punched them in the face....and then cried like a baby. We all knew we were fat and I'm sure these young girls know it as well.

You cannot say anything no matter how much you want to. If someone comes to you for information...well that's different. But unsolicited advice is NOT appreciated.

My concern for myself is that I find that I am feeling negative towards my heavy brethern. I see a large person and instead of feeling sympathetic, I instead feel superior like I did something special. I did nothing special by getting WLS..I was basically forced to do it in order to avoid living in a wheelchair. That's not being special..that's being stupid for allowing myself to get to that stage. I constantly have to remind myself to get off my high horse and remember that under this new, smaller person is still a fat woman while also working with my therapist to separate myself from who I was and start to embrace who I am becoming.

I should start a thread about that...

[Weighting2BeFree 164]

My problem is my niece. She is only 8 and has to be hitting 150 lbs and she is short. I want to grab her mother (who is big into the idea that she would rather be a good mother than try and lose weight) and tell her what its like being the fat kid in high school and the huge girl at college. But how to go about it? I just can't help and think that one day her daughter is going to be very upset that mom and dad didn't help her when they could have.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

...I instead feel superior like I did something special. I did nothing special by getting WLS..I was basically forced to do it in order to avoid living in a wheelchair. That's not being special..that's being stupid for allowing myself to get to that stage...

Yup. At times, I DO feel this way, too, and I have to look at my old pictures and remind myself that I was that chick once. It's imperative that I keep myself grounded or I have no doubt that I could become that person again.

ARGH!!

What a freaking mind f**k, right!?!?!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Sometimes you gotta live and let live. I feel the same way when I hear people talking about all the processed foods and artificial or synthetic ingredients. Especially when it comes to bariatric patients. All these artificial dyes and chemicals aren't good for anyone, I just happen to be one of those who has more obvious physical reactions.

What I do wish is that we lived in a society that valued eating real, whole food. That we were taught and teach our young people to like vegetables and drinking Water. I wish we lived in a world where GMO's weren't even an option, much less a debate.

[Stevehud 1,790]

you summed up the way I feel in a nutshell. it is why i give people my blog info etc. i don't say hey this is for you, or anything i just say hey check out my blog , in the hopes that maybe the idea will rub off on them. I see very large men and women and think," please, save yourself...get the help you need, don't wait like I did, don't fall into those traps. " The other problem is I am a big proponent against government intrusion in behavior , and as such I am wholeheartedly against the new mandates for school lunches for example. I really believe that the more you deny food to kids you will encourage them to have it. It is a personal thing for sure.

For me, growing up, my dad ran the household, and he hid and locked up food, not everyday items, but anything dessert-like, and as such because you had to get past this food hoarding thing, you always wanted the forbidden fruit so to speak, and I know it played a big part in why i ate the way I did and in influencing me to be how I was. I do believe that good nutrition at a young age should involve all foods, good , bad etc. as long as its not slanted too much on either side. I truly believe that if you teach a child to eat in a balanced way, they can and wil be prepared to keep that balance in thier life. Im as much against the obese kids being fed the way they are, as I am against the mothers or parents i should say, that deny their kids everything in the name of nutrition.Also exercise among kids is just nonexistent. Kids spend way too much time playing video games of sports, rather than playing the sports themselves. Girls ar spending so much time texting and using thier phones, they could care less about moving around, and with schools above elementary ( whin my state at least) having done away with recess for all students above elementary, its no wonder.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

One of my best friend at work is a really big guy. I'd say he's well over 400 pounds. He's one of only two coworkers who know about my surgery and one of only two people I told who were opposed to my surgery. I wish there was some way to change his thinking about WLS, because I think it would be very beneficial for him. He's in his early 40s and already has knee and back issues due to his weight. I try to just be a good example of what WLS can achieve, but I don't dare bring up the subject of HIM getting the surgery, because I know he was opposed to my having it. It's such a sensitive subject, which is unfortunate, because I think if we were able to bring it up in a relaxed and casual way, it might really help a lot of people in our lives.

[Babbs 14,681]

I think that all the time Both my grown kids who are in their 20's are overweight. But I also know by my own experience that no amount of nagging, begging, cajoling, or even educating them about the dangers of being overweight can get people to do something about it until they are READY to do something about it. That's why I don't do it with people, including my kids. They know the toll it took on my health. Right now I can only lead by example and hope they follow suit someday. But yes, I WANT to take people by the shoulders all the time and say "Take care of yourself NOW before it's too late!"

[Pepper123 320]

I know the feeling...But am so afraid some one will tell me to mind my business.or worst ..i just leave it alone.

[Bluesea71 698]

Funny..... I've been thinking a lot lately about how my life may have been different if I had this surgery earlier in my lifetime. I qualified with a DX of PCOS and a BMI of 38, so not sure if I would have qualified much before 5 years ago.... But mentally I'm not sure I would have been ready to make the changes needed to make the wls a success anyway if I had it earlier. Overall I think wls has been an easy process for me....Partially I think that is because as a woman in my 40's, I could easily adapt the lifestyle changes required to make it successful. In my late teens and 20's I was living a very social lifestyle. Hanging out in clubs/restaurants/bars drinking and eating with friends was the norm. So often I read posts from younger patients wanting to continue to live their lifestyle (who can blame them?) and realize the size of their new tummies often makes it difficult to partake in lifestyle choices they once made. Instead of adapting, they fight the process and complain. I know I'm generalizing and there's often a learning curve for all of us. I can only speak for myself. I could easily adapt to my new lifestyle post wls, because certain behaviors were no longer important to me. I no longer had that push to go out with my 20-something friends to hang out at a clubs and (likely drink). I had to hit a personal "rock bottom" if you will where I felt a level of desperation to make any change it took to succeed. Have I rebelled a bit? Absolutely. I guess it's one of those things that I will never know. Did I lose out on enjoying part of my life by not doing this surgery sooner? Maybe. I would also like to think I learned some valuable lessons along the way.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Bluesea71