Which celebrity do YOU think needs the Lap Band?

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

A note to Whitney:

Get it together girl!

I can't get into any of the " " of Love shows. I used to be in love with Brett Michaels when I was 16, but we broke up and I tore his picture off my wall the day I met Joe Elliot from Def Leppard.

Of course my first love was Kirk Cameron and then Johnny Depp. I've loved many and left many more!

[georgia girl 35]

A note to Whitney:

Get it together girl!

I have to agree. She started out doing so well and has been slipping lately. I hope she get's it together. I would love to see a plus size model at least make it to the finals.

[brandyII 9]

Wow. That was really well written. At least I think so. Esp. the part about Oprah. I really respect that.

I can't make my causes someone else's and I can't make someones issues my own. Sometimes I forget that. You did this so well. You rock, BrandyII and I so mean that.

I loved your post.

Thanks Ready,steadygo,

Just got back from my overnight trip to a funeral and had been on the internet late that night so God knows if what I said made any sense but I try! Nancy:smile2:

[brandyII 9]

I only brought up the Dove campaign because I thought that it was a wonderful depiction of healthy! I think what's important to remember is that there are so many variables. Spouting out sizes like 16 vs. 2 (US) is like spouting out weight. It's ridiculous unless you have all the facts. How tall, body fat %, BMI, health risk factors, etc. They are all just numbers. I think we get too obsessed with the numbers.

We watch our scales religiously, every day, hoping for the mark to change. We analyze our bodies in the mirror. We judge ourselves everytime we get dressed. It just goes on and on. It really is possible to be healthy and overweight. It may not be IDEAL, but it can be done.

There are people out there that are just plain tiny. Little tiny people that have small bones, small frames and don't weigh much. Some can only stomach a yogurt and a granola bar as that's all they can hold. Others can out eat any one of us at a buffet!! LOL They don't necessarily try to be that small, they just are. And guess what? Their weight doesn't make them exempt from health issues. They have high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and a whole slew of other health problems.

I realize that for the majority of us that are struggling with our weight, it's because we crossed the line. Doctor's don't usually refer overweight people to Bariatric surgeons. They refer morbidly obese patients. They refer people who already have or are on their way to developing a disease process that may shorten their lives, or affect the quality of it. Or both. Doctor's will suggest to the overweight person that they should exercise regularly, reduce calories and try to lose some weight, but as long as they are "healthy", they don't continue to pick on them. It's about health, not looks.

Yes, we (the morbidly obese ones) should strive to lose weight, reduce our disease risk and exercise to strengthen our cardiovascular systems. We are at a higher risk for diseases of all kinds. WLS is considered a life saving operation by most insurances...they wouldn't pay for it they didn't see a benefit. It will mean less bills/claims in the long run. (I realize that not all insurances pay for it). But this is not a guarantee that we have somehow beaten the system. How about the man who runs miles and miles for years and years and drops dead of a heart attack on the trail? The young football player who does the same? These are "healthy" looking people who take action to stay in shape, but it didn't necessarily keep them living longer.

Outward appearances aren't everything. No one should understand this more than us. I don't want to be judged anymore. I'm tired of being the 'elephant in the room'. Of course I want to look HOT and look sexy. But I don't think I have to be a certain number to achieve that.

Healthy comes in lots of shapes and sizes!

~C

Well said Turler, I've quoting you because I think people should read it twice!

I think it's good to discuss weight issues out in the open like this because we really do learn from each other. Sometimes it's just info, sometimes it's more philosophical. I think an exchange of ideas is a good thing. Like it's been said before we all have one thing in common but how we got to the point prior to getting the lap band or how we've dealt with the lap band and ourselves afterwards are very different from each other.

I finally researched that Dove campaign by going on line and watching a short they made where they are concerned about "our daughters' futures" and how they view their bodies, self esteem etc... and found it to be a breath of fresh air for a change. We need more of this from companies not less.

I still have a difficult time understanding people who think it's wrong to have plus size roll models in our society and get so angry about it.:wub: No one ever said we don't want "thin" roll models but most of our roll models are already thin and a standard that is difficult for the average person to live up to, besides the fact that airbrushing etc...is taking place.

I think that a lot of us, and no I don't have statistics, but have been unhappy with our weight in the past and dieted, lost weight and then put it back on again and usually more and it's not only happened once in our life but many times and hence we're much larger than where we originally started. Also why the diet industry is doing so well but we are not and now have to resort to lap bands etc...

Maybe the next generation will be smarter and deal with body images in a different healthier way, physically as well as psychologically. I can only hope, brandyII:smile:

[brandyII 9]

Off my other high horse of a post, I like to watch "The Soup" because he makes fun of some of the reality shows and I also get to catch up on what's going on in the reality shows. Does anyone else watch The Soup on E? I kills me:lol:.

And on the Scrubs theme song, my sister just went to see the band Men at Work and I think she said they did the theme song, not sure if that's true or not but of course my daughter loves that show so we have season one and two I think. brandyII

[Turler 6]

I'm glad you all agree! I am tired of the standard. Tired of the airbrushing, theatre make-up, hair extension, etc. etc. Beauty in this country (USA) is seemingly only for the rich/famous. Why can't these models, actors/actresses and spokesmodels get by on what they were given naturally? That is how the rest of us look---just as we are. There is NO WAY I can be convinced that everyone of them have such perfect complexions, silky shiney hair and great bodies. They don't even seem real. We can never look like that, unless of course we come into millions too! LOL

That is also why I liked the Dove campaign. It's refreshing. I like seeing their freckles and curly hair, gray hair, wrinkles, crooked teeth, saddle-bags and all that baggage that WE come with! I want to see more of it. I think the more we are exposed to that kind of advertising, the better. Maybe we need to 'start over', wash the slate clean and give all of us a fresh perspective on what's beautiful. And hey, we should give a shout out to the women who agreed to do the campaign in all their true, un-retouched, un-airbrushed nakedness!! Woot woot!

~C

[georgia girl 35]

I've always liked the Dove campaign. I think was a smart decision, all the way around. Genius if you ask me.

This thread has become a "fat vs. thin" thread.

There are people who are too fat and unhealthy.

There are people who are too thin and unhealthy.

There are people who are overweight and unhealthy.

There are people who are underweight and unhealthy.

There are people who are overweight and healthy.

There are people who are underweight and healthy.

There are people who are at a healthy BMI that are healthy.

There are people who are at a healthy BMI that are unhealthy.

There are a lot of people in this world that are unhealthy. Although weight (too much and too little) plays a big part in that, it's not always the cause of one being unhealthy.

Personally, I am going to strive to be at a "healthy BMI" range. But if I decide to lose more, I would hope people wouldn't say that I am unattractive or bony looking. I have seen that happen here and it's just sad to me. The same goes for if I don't quite make it to my healthy BMI range, I would hope people wouldn't criticize me for that.

[Jachut 487]

I agree Georgia Girl - and I would hope too that if you get to your healthy BMI that people dont then say you were "lucky" or intimate somehow that your personal circumstances made it possible for you but they dont have it quite so lucky. Because that understates how much grit and determination you will have had, and just what huge mental changes you will have made to make it there.

Because, and this is my entire point for even making comment on this thread in the first place, it is never OK to criticise anyone fat, but it seems very OK to make these kind of assumptions about those who are not, and even though people deny they harbour such prejudices, it oozes through everything they say! Just as it may be quite justifiable to say that thin people (or even "less fat" ones like I was when banded) dont understand what it is to be morbidly obese, I would argue that the morbidly obese have forgotten or never experienced what it is to be normal weight and they make all kinds of unfair assumptions about it.

I think we need role models of all kinds too - and I have no problem with the Dove campaigns, my only comment on it was that historically "real woman" campaigns have not proved successful in enticing people to buy products and that I dont personally feel moved to buy Dove products when I see the ads.

And I just think that if anyone really looks at magazine ads and believes the model really looks like that, they've got way more problems than poor role models. Seriously, who is that thick? We KNOW they're airbrushed, made up, posed. Who really thinks that that's the standard they need to live up to? I feel truly sorry for anyone who does. Personally, I have a bit more inner fortitude than that - and I did when I was a teenager too. I really dont think blaming the media and the "unrealistic images" it portrays is any more than an excuse.

But those Dove women are FAR more role models than any emptyheaded Hollwood star - seriously, I dont see how you can call a woman like Queen Latifah, who has an army of hair stylists, make up artists, fashion stylists, loads of money and time to devote to her looks, a role model. She probably is desperate over the size of her ass and would change it in a heartbeat if she could, we do need role models for larger women, but that woman is every bit as airbrushed and sanitised as anyone thin! I have no issue with her weight, I have issue with the fact that she's no more "real" than the next hollywood star just because her thighs are bigger.

Truly, in my mind its not a fat v thin argument, and I dont mean to make it so. I just think its very prejudiced to decide someone is role model material simply becuase she's bigger - as if that automatically makes her a nicer person, a more real person, and someone worthy of your admiration.

[luluc 6]

There is NO WAY I can be convinced that everyone of them have such perfect complexions, silky shiney hair and great bodies. They don't even seem real. We can never look like that, unless of course we come into millions too! LOL

That is also why I liked the Dove campaign. It's refreshing. I like seeing their freckles and curly hair, gray hair, wrinkles, crooked teeth, saddle-bags and all that baggage that WE come with! I want to see more of it.~C

The new people magazine (beautiful people) has a section of "natural beauties" those w/out a stich of makeup / not overly fussed hair * and by far, I think they look SO much better. Rebecca Romaign (SP?) looks stunning.

I loved it because I HATE makeup (almost as much as dresses & high heels) - I really only wear it when going "out" - my daily routine is mascara / chapstick & bronzer.

[ReadySteadyGo 8]

Off my other high horse of a post, I like to watch "The Soup" because he makes fun of some of the reality shows and I also get to catch up on what's going on in the reality shows. Does anyone else watch The Soup on E? I kills me:lol:.

And on the Scrubs theme song, my sister just went to see the band Men at Work and I think she said they did the theme song, not sure if that's true or not but of course my daughter loves that show so we have season one and two I think. brandyII

I never get to see E that much, but if I see it on I watch. I like "best week ever" sometimes they are a little too mean for me, but I am kind of a love everybody, accept yourself, don't be an asshole hippie. So I tend to disagree with any kind of prejudice no matter what it is. So when they get too mean I get offended. But without offense I guess this world would get pretty boring. It is the only thing that really offends me really, is meanness.

We have season 1-5 of scrubs at my house and if its on all three, (me and my two roommates) watch it. It is like a staple on my tv. I love it. I think Zach Braff (spelling) is so funny. I think they are all funny. I love comedies. My tv is either on comedy central, or if I am feeling all indie I watch logo.

[ReadySteadyGo 8]

I've always liked the Dove campaign. I think was a smart decision, all the way around. Genius if you ask me.

This thread has become a "fat vs. thin" thread.

There are people who are too fat and unhealthy.

There are people who are too thin and unhealthy.

There are people who are overweight and unhealthy.

There are people who are underweight and unhealthy.

There are people who are overweight and healthy.

There are people who are underweight and healthy.

There are people who are at a healthy BMI that are healthy.

There are people who are at a healthy BMI that are unhealthy.

There are a lot of people in this world that are unhealthy. Although weight (too much and too little) plays a big part in that, it's not always the cause of one being unhealthy.

Personally, I am going to strive to be at a "healthy BMI" range. But if I decide to lose more, I would hope people wouldn't say that I am unattractive or bony looking. I have seen that happen here and it's just sad to me. The same goes for if I don't quite make it to my healthy BMI range, I would hope people wouldn't criticize me for that.

I hope that works out for you. I am sure you can do it.

Sometimes when people lose weight I think people are used to seeing them a certain way and when they are thinner, not crazy thin, just thin...people think they look too skinny because they are not used to seeing them look like that. I hate that. Just like when someone gains weight, if someone is used to seeing them as thinnner you will hear snarky girls talking about how someone got fat, when really they just look diffrent. People and their perceptions are strange. I have my own, but all those psychology classes have atleast taught me how to challenge my perceptions.

I think everybody could use some for fun psychology classes. It's kind of like common sense in a book.

[Kat817 19]

Because, and this is my entire point for even making comment on this thread in the first place, it is never OK to criticise anyone fat, but it seems very OK to make these kind of assumptions about those who are not, and even though people deny they harbour such prejudices, it oozes through everything they say! Just as it may be quite justifiable to say that thin people (or even "less fat" ones like I was when banded) dont understand what it is to be morbidly obese, I would argue that the morbidly obese have forgotten or never experienced what it is to be normal weight and they make all kinds of unfair assumptions about it.

I am one of ones here that can honestly remember being both skinny at 5'9" 112 pounds---I was skin and bones, not much muscle---just skinny. It was not intentional---it is how I was. I ate everything in sight, and never gained an ounce. I fought like crazy to gain up to 123 pounds so my wedding gown fit!

Then I had a baby---and for the first time ever I gained weight. I went home in jeans I wore before the baby. But it soon ended! When I stopped nursing, I was hospitalized for a mastitis infection that hit my blood stream and caused sepsis---I gained 80 pounds in 3 months time! Seriously! I was not eating different. It was extreme!

From there I went through bad marriage, abuse, and more serious weight gain! Ironically---some of it totally intentional! (shaking head at self here!!!) Before long, the weight was totally out of control. I could lose pretty well, but it would not stay off. Then it got to where losing so much as a pound took weeks of HARD work---and even then any semblence of normalcy and it come back!

I found myself facing very close to 300 pounds, and being morbidly obese. In the time since being banded, I have had to have most of my thyroid removed, and in the medical processes for that, I learned that the inability to gain when I was younger was my first sign of thyroid trouble----and the hormone change of pregnancy, and sudden cessation of nursing, flipped the switch he said from hypo- to hyper thyroidism. Not an excuse, but an explanation---it was pretty scary to be young and out of control like that. But with no insurance, I had no real options for figuring things out.

Both extremes, as well as the years I spent in the middle, at a normal weight are both well in my mind, and I can say without a doubt....no questions ask--------morbid obesity brought with it much, much more personal heartache, peoples cruel comments, and open disgust from not only yourself, but even medical personel!

I do remember being told I needed to gain a few pounds--by assorted relatives I seldom saw and a Dr. None of which saw me eat! More people by far were envious of how I could eat without consequences---and for the most part I ate healthy enough, just more than you would imagine for remaining so bony! My hip bones jutted out so far, I would have to sew the front pockets of my jeans closed, because the white pocket was forced out and showed! I could have ---not based on looks, but on build---beenon any magazine cover with todays stars....I was EXTREMELY thin---I referred to myself as skinny. The word did not bother me then, nor does it now.

None of it compares to morbid obesity. I do not mean to be argumentive Jachut----but as I went up the scale--it got worse the higher I got. The heavier I got, the more invisible I got to parts of society, and the more others thought they could say hateful things without issue! Every single thing you have health wise, is an easy call for a Dr. It is all due to your weight!

Until you have felt/heard others talk about you based on nothing but your weight...had a room fall silent when you walked in, simply because they were staring, then jerking their heads away---seen them share looks with who they were with--or been "mooed" at, (and these just a few among many, many ways people find to be cruel) morbid obesity has not touched your life. These did not all happen to me, but I have read about them right here at LBT. I have read the pain involved in each of the situations---and experienced similar things personally, or similar enough situations to know the shame, the hurt, and even the anger they invoked.

Should I have gotten control much earlier, of course! I am willing to bet most of us by far wish we had found help before reaching the morbidly obese category. For many of us it didn't come until further down the path of obesity though.

Depression, lack of funds, lack of availability all figure into the issue--but having seen and lived from one end of the spectrum to the other----I do believe that unless one has lived and experienced morbid obesity, it is hard to understand or explain.

I also believe it is hard to explain to someone in that position (obesity in general) how much better life is, or how much better they will FEEL---at a normal healthy weight.

I am quite sure it is difficult for both to see or understand the other --obese vs. thin- without ever walking in those shoes. I think we all want to be accepted where we are--not just at where we want to be. Whether we all strive to be a perfect BMI, or if we are happy elsewhere, if we are working hard where we are, or if we have arrived at goal, and are thrilled with the newfound freedoms of not trying to lose weight still, we all just want to be accepted and have our efforts recognized. Belittling one another, whichever direction it goes is really kind of sad, and usually indicates an unhappiness in ourselves. My experiences show that people usually tear others down in an effort to build themselves up.

Maybe the next LBT banner needs to be our own Dove commercial---but without me!!!! LOL

Kat

[georgia girl 35]

I just think its very prejudiced to decide someone is role model material simply becuase she's bigger - as if that automatically makes her a nicer person, a more real person, and someone worthy of your admiration.

I totally agree with that. A role model should be someone we are inspired by because we believe in their cause and we believe in what they are doing. It definitely should be about more than looks alone.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

That was a beautiful post Kat. I just want to quote my favorite part...

I am quite sure it is difficult for both to see or understand the other --obese vs. thin- without ever walking in those shoes. I think we all want to be accepted where we are--not just at where we want to be. Whether we all strive to be a perfect BMI, or if we are happy elsewhere, if we are working hard where we are, or if we have arrived at goal, and are thrilled with the newfound freedoms of not trying to lose weight still, we all just want to be accepted and have our efforts recognized. Belittling one another, whichever direction it goes is really kind of sad, and usually indicates an unhappiness in ourselves. My experiences show that people usually tear others down in an effort to build themselves up.

[brandyII 9]

I agree Georgia Girl - and I would hope too that if you get to your healthy BMI that people dont then say you were "lucky" or intimate somehow that your personal circumstances made it possible for you but they dont have it quite so lucky. Because that understates how much grit and determination you will have had, and just what huge mental changes you will have made to make it there.

Because, and this is my entire point for even making comment on this thread in the first place, it is never OK to criticise anyone fat, but it seems very OK to make these kind of assumptions about those who are not, and even though people deny they harbour such prejudices, it oozes through everything they say! Just as it may be quite justifiable to say that thin people (or even "less fat" ones like I was when banded) dont understand what it is to be morbidly obese, I would argue that the morbidly obese have forgotten or never experienced what it is to be normal weight and they make all kinds of unfair assumptions about it.

I think we need role models of all kinds too - and I have no problem with the Dove campaigns, my only comment on it was that historically "real woman" campaigns have not proved successful in enticing people to buy products and that I dont personally feel moved to buy Dove products when I see the ads.

And I just think that if anyone really looks at magazine ads and believes the model really looks like that, they've got way more problems than poor role models. Seriously, who is that thick? We KNOW they're airbrushed, made up, posed. Who really thinks that that's the standard they need to live up to? I feel truly sorry for anyone who does. Personally, I have a bit more inner fortitude than that - and I did when I was a teenager too. I really dont think blaming the media and the "unrealistic images" it portrays is any more than an excuse.

But those Dove women are FAR more role models than any emptyheaded Hollwood star - seriously, I dont see how you can call a woman like Queen Latifah, who has an army of hair stylists, make up artists, fashion stylists, loads of money and time to devote to her looks, a role model. She probably is desperate over the size of her ass and would change it in a heartbeat if she could, we do need role models for larger women, but that woman is every bit as airbrushed and sanitised as anyone thin! I have no issue with her weight, I have issue with the fact that she's no more "real" than the next hollywood star just because her thighs are bigger.

Truly, in my mind its not a fat v thin argument, and I dont mean to make it so. I just think its very prejudiced to decide someone is role model material simply becuase she's bigger - as if that automatically makes her a nicer person, a more real person, and someone worthy of your admiration.

Jachut,

I've never criticized anyone for being thin, I've been thin and have been told "I was too thin" but took it as something they weren't used to seeing me as and at the time I was 20 and wanted to be that thin. I've never said derogatory remarks about thin people it's not like it's "alien" to me. So I feel like YOU are telling me something that is not true. That I hate thin people or something or are you just making a blanket statement to many of us larger size people?

Just like a comic book character that can change into different forms so can I. Most everyone has the ability to change from fat to thin but staying at that thin zone can be very difficult for some people. I also acknowledge the hard work it takes to be thin and to get to that point and don't discount anyone who does that. Like I said before I've been there a few times and it was really hard to stay at that weight for me.

So without ever criticizing thin people I still think there's a place for acceptance of people of size. I know it's very difficult in our world to do that but I still believe whether I'm thin or thick (not in the brain) that I choose to accept both. And am comfortable with myself to see the beauty of both. Unless I'm your doctor I can't judge you on your health no matter what you look like on the outside.

Even though Queen Latifa seems to be one we've picked as an example "roll model" I know she's someone that a lot of people are familiar with because of her acting/singing/size. Our culture in the states does seem to admire the "star" so it's hard to get away from that especially the younger generations. She's just an example so don't freak out about it. I know a little about her background, coming from a "police" family and having a brother I think shot and killed at a young age but we can't choose who people use as their roll models, it's a personal choice.

I'm not the type of person who it bothers what religion, sexual preference, race, or size whether it be vertical or horizontal. I am involved with so many types of people in my life and it has been enhanced because of the variety of people I choose to surround myself with. I'd like to think that I may enhance their lives as well.

I may wake up in the morning and first thing I want to do is have a cup of tea and chat with my family and my brother wants to gear up to ride 50 miles on his bike, we're cut from the same parents but we're different in that way and I love him for that and everything he is. I float, he doesn't! :thumbup:

It's easy to accept him in our world but a little harder to accept me as it is many different types of people. We all just want to be treated equally in an unequal world but it doesn't mean we don't like people that aren't like us we just get tired of being attacked all the time and we live in a free country where we're aloud to express ourselves and show pride in ourselves:thumbup: Do I get an AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! brandy II:teeth_smile: